Fat biking grows in popularity in Sault Ste. Marie
You've probably heard of fat biking by now -- those bikes with four-inch wheels that can handle nearly all conditions, most notably the snow.
In the Sault Ste. Marie area, winter riders gathered Saturday to mark Global Fat Biking Day by traversing the trails of Hiawatha.
And if Mother Mature fulfills her end of the deal, the Sault Cycling Club expects this winter to be one of the best years yet.
“The club’s home trails this year are going to be groomed by Hiawatha themselves, which is super exciting,” said Jack Perrotta-Lewin, of the Sault Cycling Club.
“It’s going to improve the grooming schedule, conditions are going to be better than ever. And the Sault Cycling Club will be grooming our farmer lake loops a little bit further afield. And we’ve got crimson -- they’ll be grooming, as well.”
The Sault has one of the largest number of fat bike riders per-capita, club officials said. And the ride marking Global Fat Bike Day won't be the last this winter season.
“Looking at options as well for some more social rides through the winter. It’ll be on perhaps a little less technical terrain,” said Perrotta-Lewin.
Shipments of fat bikes to Sault stores don’t last more than a couple of weeks. The uptake has risen in the last five years but really took off during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It has continued since then -- people just want to get outside,” said Heather Carter, of the Algoma Bicycle Company.
“So many people have fat bikes now that people who don’t kind of want something to do with their friends and they come in and get one. And it is really almost addictive -- it’s so fun.”
Fat bikes are also good for those learning to ride a bike or who haven't been on one in years.
Experienced riders say the wide tires make balancing a lot easier -- and if you happen to fall, there's no worry about landing on gravel or cement, just a soft snow bank.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
W5 EXCLUSIVE | Interviewing a narco hitman: my journey into Mexico's cartel heartland
W5 goes deep into the narco heartland to interview a commander with one of Mexico's most brutal cartels. W5's documentary 'Narco Avocados' airs Saturday at 7 pm on CTV.

Tyre Nichols' brutal beating by police shown on video
Memphis authorities released video footage Friday showing Tyre Nichols being beaten by police officers who held the Black motorist down and repeatedly struck him with their fists, boots and batons as he screamed for his mother and pleaded, ''I'm just trying to go home.'
OPINION | Selling a home? How to know if you qualify for a capital gains exemption
When selling a home, Canadians may be exempted from paying capital gains tax on a residential property -- if it's their principal residence. On CTVNews.ca, personal finance contributor Christopher Liew explains what's determined as a principal residence, and what properties are eligible for the exemption.
Inflation-focused Pierre Poilievre back to Parliament as health-care talks loom
With a deal under negotiation between Ottawa and provinces, and premiers invited to a meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in early February, the issue remains one where the Tory leader's position appears somewhat murky, including to some inside his own party.
CRA head says it 'wouldn't be worth the effort' to review all ineligible pandemic payments
The head of the Canada Revenue Agency says it 'wouldn't be worth the effort' to fully review $15.5 billion in potentially ineligible pandemic wage benefit payments flagged by Canada's Auditor General.
Lifelong Toronto Maple Leafs fan fulfils dream of seeing first game, passes away next day
Mike Davy always dreamed of going to a Toronto Maple Leafs game, and once it finally happened, he passed away the night after.
Aryna Sabalenka beats Elena Rybakina for Australian Open women's title
Aryna Sabalenka, a 24-year-old from Belarus, who won her first Grand Slam title by coming back to beat Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 at Melbourne Park on Saturday night, using 17 aces among her 51 total winners to overcome seven double-faults.
How to fix a howitzer: U.S. offers help line to Ukraine troops
Using phones and tablets to communicate in encrypted chatrooms, a rapidly growing group of U.S. and allied troops and contractors are providing real-time maintenance advice -- usually speaking through interpreters -- to Ukrainian troops on the battlefield.
'This is too much': B.C. mom records police handcuffing 12-year-old in hospital
A review has been launched after police officers were recorded restraining a handcuffed Indigenous child on the floor of a Vancouver hospital – an incident the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs has denounced as "horrendous."