Non-Moto: The Adventures of Lord Chubbleton, My Surly Fatbike

surly fatbike on the beachAll winter long I’ve been wrapped up doing other things with my free time that don’t involve motorcycles. I did manage to squeeze in a ride on the Tiger a few weekends ago but since then – I’ve been doing a different sort of 2-wheeled riding.

Right after Christmas I got myself a Surly Pug Ops fatbike. I’d seen some photos of bikes cruising the beach and riding in the snow and thought – Damn, I wanna do that! Being that I live on a island, beaches are easy to come by.

Now, I’m not knowledgeable at all about bicycles. I know where my feet go, where my hands go and that I like the way that I feel when I ride them but that’s about it.

So far, it seems that’s all I need to know right now.

fatbike robert moses beach

I have a couple friends who are very much into cycling. They ride road bikes, mountain bikes, fatbikes, and motorbikes. They’ve been nice enough to invite me along on their bike rides.

I’ve been out pedaling in the snow with my friend Catfish. He’s got a super 4.8″ fat-tired Surly Moonlander.

catfish fatbike in the snow

For St. Fatty’s Day, I went on my first group ride at the beach:

st fattys day group ride

I’d read about the St. Fatty’s Day ride on a fatbike Facebook group, where I don’t actually known anyone. Being socially awkward and weird, I tend to immediately assume everyone will hate me so I don’t often go out to meet big groups. I wavered on whether or not I should attend. I’m so happy I did. It was a great ride.

In a throwback to what it was like meeting new people to ride with when I first started riding motorcycles, I had no idea what the ride etiquette was or if there was any would be. Do people expect to ride together? Do you need to ‘keep up’? Do you just ride your own ride?

Maybe it’s different for road biking but as soon as we hit the sand, the group naturally sorted itself by ability. I rode alone for a little while and then fell in with 2 other fatbike riders who were moving at my comfortable pace. We chit-chatted and took in the sights at Robert Moses Beach out to Democratic Point.  What an awesome day.

And, now I know. It’s the same old story – Ride your own ride.

I’ve also been spending time riding with my friend George. He ride a Charge Cooker and is gung ho to do just about anything. We’ve been putting in some long hours in the saddle checking out the shoreline.

me and george on the beach

Chubbleton has been making it easy for me to get to places I might not be inclined to walk to. Let’s face it, riding a bicycle is waaaaay more fun than walking.

It’s been fun taking on a new adventure.

surly atbike ont eh beach

Fuzzygalore

Rachael is the whimsical writer behind the 20+ year old Girlie Motorcycle Blog. As a freelance blogger, she is on a mission to inspire laughter, self-examination, curiosity, and human connection. Girlie Motorcycle Blog can be found on several Best Motorcycle Blog lists.

You may also like...

3 Responses

  1. Shybiker says:

    This is really impressive. Not only are you experiencing fun on two wheels, but you’re providing the power for it. We all need more exercise and this is a great way to get it, having fun in nature. Go, Fuzzy, go!

  2. Trobairitz says:

    Congrats on the bike purchase. It looks like a lot of fun. Great pictures too.

    Nice to see you’ve been getting some sunshine.

  3. I’ve been following your human-powered 2-wheel exploits on Instagram; looks like a fun, and your area appears to have been made for those low-pressure tires. Last year, I re-discovered mountain biking after taking it pretty serious in the ’80s. I think you’ve got a newer and more powerful “motor” for your bike than I.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.