Today's visit to the bike shop had a bonus feature: I got to test ride a Kona Fat Bike.
The shop's mechanic was fine-tuning one while the other guy was puzzling over my computer. I'd heard about Fat Bikes, of course, and last winter I saw them on the road a couple of times, but I had never seen one up close and personal. After he'd finished working on it, the mechanic took it out for a ride and when he came back, the boss guy asked if I wanted to try it out.
Well, duh. So I rode it around the block.
It's different, that's for sure. At first it felt downright weird, but after only a short time, it was kind of cool. To my surprise, it didn't feel particularly heavy. The steering is a bit strange, much tighter (narrower circumference) than on a regular bike, but by the third turn, even that didn't feel so bad. The ride is a little bit bouncy, thanks to the huge tires, and the shifting seems clunkier than on any of my bikes, but overall I'd say it was a pretty nice ride. I don't think riding it on a street with no snow or ice is the best way to test it out, however. Not that I am eager to see snow and ice on the road, but since that eventuality is pretty much inevitable, I would like to ride the Fat Bike again under those conditions.
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