Midwest Fat Bike Access and Grooming Workshop January 10, 2014 Thanks to our Sponsors
• Quality Bicycle Products
• Minnesota Off-Road Cyclists/IMBA
• CAMBA
• The Rivers Eatery Hosts for Today’s Event
QBP Gary Sjoquist, John Gaddo, David Gabrys
IMBA MORC Hansi Johnson CAMBA Matt Andrews Ron Bergin Andy Williamson Reed Smidt
The Rivers Eatery – Mick Endersbe Quality Bicycle Products?
• Nation’s largest distributor of bicycle parts and accessories • Facilities in Bloomington, MN, Odgen, UT, and Harrisburg, PA • 36,000 parts in our distribution center • Ship 10,000 boxes on a busy day • QBP owns Salsa, Surly, 45NRTH • Advocacy for bikes part of QBP’s DNA What is our role?
Educate and build awareness.
Advocate to gain access to winter mountain bike, snowshoe, snow machine, and Nordic trail systems.
Act responsibly and promote positive stewardship for the areas where Fat bikes are being ridden. Today’s Content:
•What is a Fat Bike? •How and Where are they being used? •What economic value do they represent for retailers and our organization? •The size of the user group and how quickly the category is growing/ •Review of demographics, IMBA •Guidelines, Shared Trail examples •Riding area inventory •Grooming Techniques/Equipment
A Brief History of the Fat Bike
- Late 1980's, Ray Molino, based in the southwest U.S. welds rims and hand sews tires for float on desert terrain
- Late 1990's, Mark Gronewald begins refinement of concept in Alaska, hand built custom production frames and parts are built
- 2004, The 350 mile Alaska Ultrasport race is won on a Fatbike
- 2004/05 Surly Bikes launches the Pugsley frameset, Large Marge Rim, and Endomorph tire, offering the first widely available 'Fat' tire and frame
- 2007 /2010 - 907 Cycles and Fatback Bikes of Anchorage, AK begin to produce production frames, rims, and sell complete bikes out of their shops
- 2010/11 Surly Bikes and Salsa Cycles launch complete models of the Surly Pugsley and Salsa Mukluk
- 45NRTH and Cogburn? Brief History, cont.
• 2012/2013 Salsa and Surly broaden bike lines to include Moonlander and Beargrease (carbon frame) • 2013 - 907 offers carbon frame • 2013 - Specialized and Trek develop fat bikes • By end of 2013, 50 manufacturers offer Fat bike frames and components • 2013 - WalMart and others offer low cost fat bikes For QBP and our brands, fatbikes are a category that we are both passionate about and that is good for our business. Prevent this!
…and encourage this!
…and maybe this?
An all terrain bicycle that provides additional float and traction in soft conditions Tires 3.7" - 4.7" Wide Less than 10 psi
2-3" wider than a Mountain Bike tire Fat Bikes go where other bicycles can't. New Trails New Terrain Bike Shops - Winter New Season of Riding to Hansi Johnson Midwest Regional Director IMBA REGIONAL DIRECTOR THANKS TO QBP!! IMBA MEMBERS Male
Median Age 35 Years old
71% are College Graduates
Median household income is $62,000
33% have a household income of $75,000 plus
Trail Type
Types of Trails Ridden
99% 98% 97%
57%60% 57% 51% 49% 47% 40% 39% 39%
15% 11% 13% 11% 8% 11% 11% 8% 10% 0% 0% 0%
Singletrack Gravel Bike Paved Bike Downhill Pump Freestyle Other None of the Path Path Trail Track/Dirt Park above Park
Current Former Never Been Member Member a Member
n= 3431
Respondents may select more than one answer Mountain Biking - Frequency
Mountain Biking Frequency
63% 60% 61%
29% 29% 29%
7% 6% 6% 2% 3% 3% 1% 0% 0% 0% 0% 1%
Daily Weekly Monthly A few times each Once a year Less than once a year year
Current Former Never Been Member Member a Member
n= 3422 Mountain Biking - Trail Proximity
Mountain Biking Trail Proximity
58% 60% 55%
25% 23% 22%
13% 12% 13% 6% 6% 5% 1% 1% 1% 1% 0% 0%
0-5 miles 5-10 miles 10-20 miles 20-50 miles 50-100 miles More than 100 miles
Current Former Never Been Member Member a Member
n= 3427 Mountain Bikers Spend Money
Sea-To-Sky Corridor
• $39 - $133/day • Avg. length of stay = 4 days • Trail system generated more than $10.3 million in a single season (WC MBTA, 2006)
Destination Mountain Biking
Travel Patterns of Destination Mountain Bikers*
• 80% take at least one mountain biking trip/year (1 or more nights) • 4.6 nights average length of stay • 45% prefer to camp • 45% prefer bed and breakfasts or inns
• 8% prefer hotels Bloomer, Wisconsin
*Outdoor Industry Association 2002 Participation Study FAT BIKE BEST PRACTICES
THANKS AND QUESTIONS Fat Bike Trail Categories
Fat Bike Specific: - Mountain bike trails signed for winter use - Purpose-built fat bike trails – no summer use Shared Trails: - Multi-Use State Trails – fat bikes allowed - Negotiated Access - nordic trails - snowmobile trails Victor, ID District 33
Local fat bike riders have negotiated with ID Snowmobile District 33 to purchase a sticker ($50) that allows them to access snowmobile trails Snow Machine Trails Nordic Ski Trails Mountain Bike Trails: Summer Mountain Bike Trails: Winter Beaches Beaches For the bicycle industry, Fat Bikes are a new and rapidly growing category
Estimated 7-9 million in sales at the retail level (2013) QBP Brands Retail prices on complete fat bikes are between 1600 and 5500 USD (2013). Informal Survey
To demonstrate purchasing power of fat bike riders to land managers in attendance, Summit Coordinator Gary Sjoquist asked the 65 attendees to indicate how much they have invested in their fat bikes:
$1000 – 0
$2000 – 2
$3000 – 10
$4000 – 20
$5000 – 8
$6000 - 4 For trail systems and parks, Fat bikes represent a new and growing user group How large is the user group?
There are an estimated 10,000 Fatbikes purchased since 2005. 8500 of those were sold between 2010 and 2013 In 2012 the category experienced 50% growth over the previous year Estimates are for an additional 40-50% growth in 2014
By this time next year there will be roughly 25,000 Fatbikes in circulation. Industry Perspective
• Much like mid-80s mountain bikes, technology driving fat bike development and design
• Apparel and accessories markets growing
• New races and events every year in all regions
• Retailers discovering winter markets
• Summer use growing, too Sub 25 Pound Fat Bike Fat Bikes as Tools
• Federal biologist Tony Fishbach has used a fat bike to study walruses at Icy Cape, 50 miles north of Point Lay in Alaska • Fat bikes slow and quiet – wildlife not scared
“They weigh a lot less than a Honda 4-wheeler, they’re cheaper, and you can put them in a plane and fly to remote beaches. I can’t make product endorsements, but they’re great”
Lake Clark National Park, Alaska.
• Park Ranger Warren Hill an early fat bike owner and rider • Purchased a Surly Pugsley in 2004 • Lake Clark National Park is truly wilderness, with no roads, no trails, extremely remote • Fat bikes perfect for patrols on frozen rivers and 80 miles of beach with rocky outcrops • Also used by volunteers for maintenance tasks
Methow Valley, WA
• The Methow Valley Sport Trails Association (MVSTA) in Winthrop, Washington opened selected cross-country ski trails to fat bikes • Methow Valley is home to the nation’s largest cross-country ski area, with 120+ miles of groomed trails.
Methow Valley Update
• Overall, program is running smoothly • Interest and exposure for fat bike trail use has been strong • Increase in ski ticket/pass sales due to fat bike riders • Organizers feel time and effort to implement fat bike trails have been worth it • Skeptics have reversed themselves – limited impact on trails by fat bikes demonstrated Whenever we talk about fat biking or post a fat bike photo it basically goes completely viral. People are fascinated by the bikes and the opportunity to ride in the snow. I field 4-5 fat bike press requests a week. - MVSTA Director
Advice from Joe Brown from Methow Valley Sport On Fat Bike Opportunity
“Think about the current trend: not adding skiers! The challenge is to add more types of winter recreation: snowshoes, fat bikes, etc. Establish clear guidelines and boundaries and make sure there are ample opportunities for everyone to try fat bikes. Easy to not like them if you never ride one!” Shared Nordic Trail in Methow Valley Michigan Tech Example
• Started fat bike trail use program in 2012 • 2.4 km of tilled trail • 9 km of snowmobile groomed trail • 2.5 km of ungroomed single track • 5 km of tilled beginner nordic trail open after trail lights are out at 9 pm Michigan Tech Update
• Very few issues – damage from fat bike use of nordic ski trails is “zero” • Dropped nordic ski races because fat bike races draw better • Skiers and fat bike riders coexisting peacefully
MTU Athletic Director “very pleased when she stopped by see fat bikers using our ski trails. She’s indicated she’d like to expand the fat bike trail network of trails.” The Big Summary – They’re a Blast to Ride!
• Low seat height • Wide handlebars • Large tires with low pressures • Friendly bikes to ride • Riding on snow fun if under 3” new snow • Can be ridden hard in the dirt, too Questions?