When I hopped off my mountain bike, a couple of weeks ago, I confirmed my carefully reasoned decision that I didn’t need another bike. More specifically, that I didn’t need a fatbike.

Between my cyclocross bike and my mountain bike I was really all set. There wasn’t much terrain I couldn’t tackle with one or the other. I hadn’t been on it in a while, but the mtb handled crusty snow trails very well. Plus with gravel kings on the road bike, there was no real potential of missing any possible winter riding. And the reality was that as a tri geek, I spend most of my winter on the trainer chasing watts, anyway.

Done. Although tempting, I felt great with the decision. Moving on.

∼

Fast forward a few weeks. My friends, who did not subscribe to the same carefully reasoned decision, declared that we’d be riding fatbikes for our ride and that they’d borrowed one for me. There was no protesting.

We met. We ran. We got dressed to ride. We hopped on the fatbikes. We pedaled.

I’m fairly certain that what I was on was a fatbike time machine and I was back in the time before careful reason and rationalization were valued or required for any decision.

“wanna make a fort?” “yes.”
“wanna see if we can dig a hole to China?” “yes!”
“wanna build a ramp and jump our bikes over Angie’s little brother?” “of course!”

There was no asking why. It might be fun. No rationalizing. Just “wanna.”

It was the same on this fatbike…

“wanna see where that trail goes?” “yes.”
“wanna see if we can ride over those bushes?” “yes!”
“wanna ride through that stream and that mud?” “yes…I really do.”

That bike was about as fun as anything ever was! I laughed for most of the ride. I laughed when I looked at my friends on their huge bikes barreling up and down hills, over logs, off trails and into the woods. Like grown up, big kids, we were thrilled to find a wooden bridge or fallen logs. Everything had potential for fun. Terrain that would have caused me to pause and worry about safety or brakes on my cross or mountain bike was just another invitation for fun. 

The forest became one giant “wanna!”  

I had felt content in my carefully reasoned decision that I did not need a fatbike. But seriously does anyone not need this kind of fun in their lives?

“wanna fatbike!”

*special thanks to Steve the Bike Guy for the fatbike rental & to his son for letting me borrow his for my first trip (of many) on the Fatbike Time Machine