Brookview Golf Course Opening to Fatbikes Again This Winter

Brookview Golf Course in Golden Valley will be welcoming fat tire cyclists again this Winter by grooming trails for riding and holding a fatbike race.  Two Winter multi-use trails of  ¾ and 3½ miles will be corduroy-style compacted 6 to 8 feet wide.  These trails will be unlit and rely on natural snowfall.  Opening date is set for December 11th, weather permitting and the trails will be groomed through the end of February. Fatbikes will also be available for rent during Winter Fatty Shack hours or call 763-512-2305 for reservations.  Visit the Brookview Fat Tire Biking page for more infromation.

The Fatty Shack at Brookview will be open for food, cocktails, beer and wine most Thursdays through Sundays and on school holidays.  There will also be warm-up areas inside the Fatty Shack or outside around the fire pit.  There is no charge for cyclists to use the trails and they will be available for use during the weekdays but the Fatty Shack will be closed.  See the calendars below for Fatty Shack and fatbike rental hours.

Fatty Shack & Fatbike Rental Hours

Brookview will be hosting one fatbike race this Winter, the Brookview Meltdown on January 16th. 

 Race Information
When: Saturday, January 16, 2016
First Race Starts at 10 am
Where: Brookview Golf Course, 200 Brookview Parkway, Golden Valley, MN 55426
Check In: Friday, January 15, 12:00-8:00 pm and Saturday, January 16, 7:30-10:00 am
Format: Categories will include Beginner (1 lap), Sport (2 laps), and Expert (3 laps). Each lap is approximately 3.5 miles. Races will be timed using computer chips with a mini-wave start format. Bike tires must be a minimum of 3.8” wide.
Fees: $15 per participant for pre-registration (limited to 160 participants)
$18 registration day of race (if space is available)
Registration and Payment to Brookview Golf Course
Questions? Call 763-512-2305

 

Brookview Meltdown Registration Form download

For more information on fatbiking at Brookview Golf Course visit the Fat Tire Biking page on their website, for updates visit their Facebook page.

Penn Cycle Renting Fatbikes This Winter

Penn Cycle in Eagan will have a fleet of rental fatbikes for this Winter.  If you would like to give fatbiking a try or see what Winter singletrack riding is all about, now you have the opportunity.  The Eagan store is in close proximity to some great nearby trails including Lebanon Hills, Murphey-Hanrehan and the Minnesota River Bottoms.  These trails are ridden all Winter long by fatbike enthusiasts who believe just because it is cold outside that doesn't mean their riding season is over.

Penn Cycle's rental fleet will include:

Trek Farley 5

Trek Farley Custom

Framed Wolftrax X5 Womens

Framed Wolftrax

Trek Farley 24

Great for kids and smaller riders.

Rentals can be reserved online through Velolet by visiting the Penn Cycle Bike Rental Page and selecting "Penn Cycle - Eagan" for the Location under the "Pick Up" and "Drop Off" dates and selecting "Update Results".  Bikes can be rented for 4 hours, Daily or Weekly.  If you decide to buy a fatbike from Penn Cycle after renting one from them the rental fee will be applied toward your purchase.

Faturday group ride

New to fatbiking?  There are plenty of group rides to join in on during the Winter months.  A good place to find these is on the MN Fatbike Group Rides Facebook Group.  A beginner-friendly, no-drop group ride that has become very popular with Twin Cities fatbikers is the "Faturday" ride. This weekly group ride usually takes place at the Minnesota River Bottoms on Saturday mornings at 10am.

A rental from Penn Cycle is a great way to give fatbiking a try before you buy.  Ride with a friend or join a group ride and once you see how much fun fatbikes can be, you're going to want one.  Visit the Penn Cycle Bike Rental Page for sizes and availability.

Maps for Lebanon Hills, Murphey-Hanrehan and the Minnesota River Bottoms  are available online.

Penn Cycle To Host Two Weekly Mountain Bike Rides This Spring and Summer

The 2015 Women's Wednesday Night Mountain Bike Ride is open to women of all riding abilities.  Riders must be at least 18 years of age and helmets are required.  The ride schedule starts May 27th and goes through September 16th where it will wrap up with an end of the season party.

Trail locations include Lebanon Hills, Murphey-Hanrehan, MN River Bottoms, Terrace Oaks, Carver Lake Park and Theodore Wirth Park.  Depending on the trail location, riders will meet either at the park or the nearest Penn Cycle store.  Rides leave at 6pm.  June 24th at Lebanon Hills will include a Giant Liv Demo and skills session.  Ride leaders Valerie Dosland and Janet Atkinson can be contacted for more information.  See the ride schedule for dates, locations and contact information.

The 2015 Penn Cycle Tuesday Night Mountain Bike Ride was put together and will be led by members of the Penn Cycle Mountain Bike Team.  It is for anyone (male or female) that has intermediate to advanced MTB riding skills.  Riders must be at least 18 years of age and helmets are required.  The ride schedule starts May 5th and goes through September 29th.

Trail locations include Lebanon Hills, Murphey-Hanrehan and the MN River Bottoms.  All rides will start/finish at the Penn Cycle Eagan store located at 2290 Cliff Road and will depart at 5:30pm sharp.  Ride locations will be determined by ride leaders by Sunday for the following Tuesday and will be posted on the Penn Cycle Tuesday Night Mountain Bike Ride Facebook Group.  Join the group to stay in the loop.  In cases of inclement weather or trail closures due to wet conditions, a decision to cancel the ride will be made by 5:00 pm.  Call Penn Cycle Eagan at 651-882-1241 for more information or for availability of mountain bike rentals.

Brookview Golf Course Opens to Fatbikes This Winter

Brookview Golf Course in Golden Valley will be welcoming fat tire cyclists this Winter by grooming trails for riding and holding two fatbike races.  There will be two trails to ride, 3/4 and 3½ miles in length.  It is no charge for cyclists to use these trails and the Brookview Clubhouse and Grill will be open on the weekends (Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays).  Trails will be available for use during the weekdays but the clubhouse and grill will be closed.  Opening date is set for December 12th, weather permitting and the trails will be groomed through the end of February.  Fatbikes will also be available for rent during open clubhouse hours.

Northwest Community Television-Channel 12 recently did a story on the new Winter recreation activities coming to Brookview

Winter Grill, Clubhouse & Fatbike Rental Hours

Brookview will be hosting two fatbike races this Winter, one in January and one in February.

Race Information
Cancelled
When: Saturday, January 3, 2015
First Race Starts at 10 am
Where: Brookview Golf Course, 200 Brookview Parkway, Golden Valley, MN 55426
Check In: Friday, January 2, 12:00-8:00 pm and Saturday, January 3, 7:30-10:00 am
Format: Categories will include Beginner (1 lap), Sport (2 laps), and Expert (3 laps). Each lap is approximately 3.5 miles. Races will be timed using computer chips with a mini-wave start format. Bike tires must be a minimum of 3.8” wide.
Fees: $20 per participant for pre-registration (limited to 160 participants)
$25 registration day of race (if space is available)
Registration and Payment to Brookview Golf Course
Questions? Call 763-512-2305

Brookview Tour De Fat Registration Form download

Race Information
When: Saturday, February 21, 2015
First Race Starts at 10 am
Where: Brookview Golf Course, 200 Brookview Parkway, Golden Valley, MN 55426
Check In: Friday, February 20, 12:00-8:00 pm and Saturday, February 21, 7:30-10:00 am
Format: Categories will include Beginner (1 lap), Sport (2 laps), and Expert (3 laps). Each lap is approximately 3.5 miles. Races will be timed using computer chips with a mini-wave start format. Bike tires must be a minimum of 3.8” wide.
Fees: $20 per participant for pre-registration (limited to 160 participants)
$25 registration day of race (if space is available)
Registration and Payment to Brookview Golf Course
Questions? Call 763-512-2305

Brookview Meltdown Registration Form download

For more information on fatbiking at Brookview Golf Course visit the Fat Tire Biking page on their website, for updates visit their Facebook page.

Desert Mountain Bike Winter Getaway with Help From Arizona Outback Adventures

I recently took a winter getaway vacation to the Phoenix area of Arizona and after fatbiking snowy singletrack for the last few months, I was ready to do some mountain biking on dirt again.  It has been a long cold winter here in Minnesota and a ride through the desert with the warm sun shining down would be a welcome and much needed change.  It would also be an opportunity to introduce my wife to mountain biking, which she has never done before.

After reading many positive reviews on TripAdvisor and Yelp, I contacted Arizona's premier adventure tour company, Arizona Outback Adventures.  For the best possible ride experience I wanted to get set up with quality mountain bike rentals and expert recommendations of where to ride.  This would be my wife's first time out on the singletrack and I wanted her to be confident with the bike, trails and riding conditions while still being challenged making it a positive experience for her.  Annemarie and the rest of the staff at Arizona Outback Adventures made this all possible.

There were several locations nearby to ride with varying terrain and technical difficulty so the AOA staff consulted us and helped select the appropriate trails to match our riding criteria.  Coming from Minnesota, I didn't want to do a lot of difficult rapid elevation climbs and because my wife would be riding with me also, advanced technical trails would not be a good choice either.  We wanted to ride through the desert, take in the spectacular scenery and be challenged while still having some elevation gain and fast downhills.  The AOA staff recommended McDowell Mountain Regional Park which includes the Pemberton Trail and many connecting trails and washes in the area.  Then they supplied us with maps, quality well maintained mountain bikes (Giant XTC 29'er w/ front suspension) for the type of terrain we would be riding, and a bike rack to get them there since it would be about a 40 minute drive to reach the park.

After paying the $6 entry fee to the park, we headed toward the Trailhead Staging Area.  The scenery was already breathtaking with all of the desert vegetation and the McDowell Mountains in the distance.  We decided to ride the 15.4 mile Pemberton Trail in a clockwise loop through the park.

We took it slow during the first 8 miles to take in all of the scenery as we drew closer to the McDowell Mountains, which became about 650 feet of climbing.  The climb was fun and challenging in some of the rocky steeper areas but not too difficult for my wife who is a novice mountain biker.  She had a great time on her first mountain biking expedition.  The only thing that intimidated her was coming across a large rattlesnake that was only two feet off the trail under some scrub brush five minutes into our ride.  It warned us with its rattle and quickly scurried away into the brush.  We kept our eyes peeled for more of them after that brief encounter.

The second half of the Pemberton loop was all downhill and like riding a flow trail.  Not much pedaling and plenty of braking and weight shifting in the turns made it fast and fun.  Arizona Outback Adventures' staff had provided the perfect recommendation of where to ride.  The Pemberton Trail was exactly what we were looking for in our first mountain biking adventure in the desert.  

Below is the RideWithGPS track of our ride with geo-tagged photos.  To view all of our photos, visit my Flickr Set, Mountain Biking McDowell Mountain Regional Park and Map for geo-location of each photo.

To get a video overview of the Pemberton Trail, watch the YouTube video below.

If you plan on visiting the Phoenix/Scottsdale area and want to get in some great mountain biking, I highly recommend Arizona Outback Adventures.  The bike rentals, consultation and experienced staff recommendations were all top-notch.  AOA not only has bike rentals (MTB, Road, Hybrid and Childrens), but has guided Mountain Bike Adventure Tours and Half-Day Mountain Biking Tours.  Escape the cold for warm desert singletrack with the help of Arizona Outback Adventures!

For more information on Arizona Outback Adventures, visit their website or give them a call at 1-866-455-1601.

Minnesota Winter Fatbike Group Rides

Do you want to get out and ride with other fatbike enthusiasts in your area?  Group fatbike rides pop up all throughout the winter here in Minnesota and I have listed some of them in this post with links to check for upcoming rides.

Fatties on the River Bottoms

Image Credit:  Akoy Kalbo

Fatties on the River Bottoms is a weekly fatbike ride at the Minnesota River Bottoms in Bloomington.  It takes place on Saturday mornings at 10am and is open to all riders, fat or skinny.  Rides usually start from the Bloomington Ferry Unit or Lyndale Avenue parking lots.  Distance is usually 15 to 25 miles and rides last up to three hours but have been known to go longer.  Route is typically out and back making it easy for riders that don't want to go the full distance to turn back early.  "This is a no-drop ride so come out no matter what your pace is. It's not about speed, it's about getting a group of fun people together to have a fun ride."  Keep up-to-date on the details for this weekly ride by checking back frequently to the MORC Group Rides Forum.

Maple Grove Cycling Winter Fat-Bike Group Rides

This is a weekly group ride that will run for seven weeks starting January 7th and ending February 18th.  Meet Tuesday nights at 6pm at Maple Grove Cycling.  Rides depart at 6:15pm from the MGC parking lot, loop around the perimeter of Fish Lake (about 6 miles) and return to MGC for hot chocolate and coffee.  This is a no-drop ride with an average speed of about 7-8 miles an hour with rides lasting 1 to 1¼ hours.  All bikes are welcome but studded tires or fatbikes are recommended.   If you don't have a fatbike, MGC has fatbike rentals available.  Helmets and headlights are required.  Visit the MGC Group Rides page, Facebook page or email gus@maplegrovecycling.com for more details.

Michael's Cycles Wednesday Night Fatbike Ride

Michael's Cycles meets every Wednesday at 6:30pm for its group fatbike ride.  Rides typically take place at the Minnesota River Bottoms (35W/Lyndale trailhead) and occasionally at Murphey-Hanrehan Park Reserve.  This is a casual, no-drop ride lasting 1 to 1½ hours covering up to 15 miles of trail.  Helmets and lights are required.  Micheal's Cycles does have rental fatbikes available for these group rides.  Rental is only $20 and they can bring the bike to the trailhead for you.  Night Rider demo lights are also available if you need lighting.  Call the shop at 952-447-2453 for more details or to reserve a fatbike rental and Night Rider demo lights.  Ride information is also posted on the Micheal's Cycles Facebook page and the MORC Group Ride Forum.

Freewheel Bike Sunday Funday Fatbike Ride

Image Credit:  Freewheel Bike

Sunday Funday is a group ride put on by Freewheel Bike that repeats every Sunday throughout the winter.  Meet up at Freewheel Midtown between 9:30-10am, ride departs at 10am.  This is an easy pace, no-drop ride that will "target destinations in Minneapolis that cater to the well-endowed tire crowd".  Rides are led by Jacob Boyce Haskins who is an experienced bikepacker and adventure cyclist.  For more information, visit the Sunday Funday Facebook Event page or call Freewheel Midtown at 612-238-4447.

Nicollet Bike Fatbike Group Ride

Image Credit:  Nicollet Bike Shop

The Nicollet Bike Fatbike Group Ride is held every Thursday starting at 5:30pm and departs from the shop located at 607 N. Riverfront Dr. in Mankato.  Rides are usually 1 to 2 hours in length and the destination is to one of two different MTB trails.  70% of this ride is getting to and from the trails and 30% is off road on the trails.  The ride pace is casual (no-drop) but some basic level of fitness is needed.  These rides will continue into the spring until the snow is gone and the trails become muddy. Nicollet Bike Shop does have a couple fatbikes to try out, call ahead to reserve one.  Helmets and lights are required to participate.  Call the shop at 507-388-9390 or visit the Nicollet Bike Shop Facebook page for more details.

Erik's Fat Tuesday Fatbike Group Ride

Fat Tuesday takes place at 5:30pm on the first and third Tuesday of each month at Carver Lake Park in Woodbury.  This ride is led by Ryan from the Vadnais Heights store and is no-drop, casual to fast depending on rider ability.  Ride distance is about 5 miles and helmets and lights are required.  More information can be found on the Erik's Bike Shop Facebook page or by calling the Vadnais Heights store at 651-415-1233

Boehm's Fatbike Group Ride

Image Credit:  Boehm's

Boehm's fatbike group rides are held every other Saturday starting January 18th.  Rides depart from Boehm's Mendota Heights location at 8am.  This is a casual, no-drop ride that lasts 1½ to 2 hours covering around 15 miles.  Time and distance of the ride may be less for poor trail conditions.  For more information visit the Boehm's Cycling Fitness & Hockey Facebook page or call the Mendota Heights store at 651-454-2066.

Elm Creek Riders Group Ride

Elm Creek Singletrack-Facebook

The Elm Creek Riders meet every Wednesday night for a 6:00pm ride at Elm Creek Park in Champlin.  The group meets at 5:45pm at the Highpoint parking lot.  This is a no-drop ride that welcomes riders from beginner to experienced where the pace is very friendly regrouping in various spots and no one gets left behind.  Ride is one lap (about 10 miles) and usually lasts about 1 to 1½ hours.  Bring lights.

COGGS Monday Night Fatbike Ride

COGGS (Cyclists of Gitchee Gumee Shores) holds its weekly Monday Night Fatbike Ride at various locations in and around Duluth.  Rides start at 6pm and take place at locations like Hartley Park, Lester Park, Piedmont and Minnesota Point Beach.  Keep up-to-date on each week's ride details by visiting the COGGS Monday Group Ride Fourm or the COGGS Facebook page.

If you would like your fatbike group ride listed on this post, send me an email with the following details:

• Day and time of rides

• Ride schedule continues through (date, month, etc.)

• Ride start location

• Duration and distance of ride

• Type of ride (casual/fast - drop/no drop)

• Type of trails or terrain for ride route

• Helmets and lights required?

• Fatbike rentals available?

• More information on group rides can be found at...(Facebook page, website, calling the shop, etc.)

Get the Most Out of Your Nice Ride MN Experience With Spotcycle

Spotcycle is a convenient and useful app created by 8D Technologies for the purpose of  locating bike stations and bike & dock availability of bike share systems for 26 cities in the U.S. and 7 countries.  It can even be used to create and share personalized bike routes or search for routes created by other Spotcycle users.

Here in the Twin Cities the Spotcycle app works great with our own bike share system, Nice Ride MN.   Nice Ride bikes are available for use 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from April to November with numerous locations scattered throughout the Twin Cities.  A subscription is required to use Nice Ride and they are available yearly for $65 and daily for $6.  Trip charges do occur if you use the bikes more than a half an hour, but with so many bike stations around town it's easy to stay under thirty minutes and incur no trip fees.  For more details on how Nice Ride MN works, click here.  Sign up for Nice Ride MN today and get rolling.

Spotcycle is easy to set up, simply select a city and it will show all of the bike stations for your area either on a map or a list.

In the list display, stations can be sorted alphabetically, by number of bikes or docks available or by distance from your location. Select from All, Bike or Dock for for station availability information.  Switch to map view by selecting the map icon.

Search for stations that are nearby and list them alphabetically, by bikes available, docks available or by distance from your current location.  If you know the station name you can search by station.  A map view is available by selecting the map icon.

Frequently used stations can be grouped in Favorites for quick access.

View a favorite in list or map display by selecting that group.

Once you are ready to ride, keep track of your use time using the rental timer.

Track and share your routes via Facebook, Twitter or email.  Keep your routes private if you choose or edit and share them later.  Annotations can be added along the way easily while tracking your route.

Other Spotcycle user routes can be searched by Top Rated, Top Viewed, Browse By Category or Search Routes and bookmarked for later use.  One route I found particularly interesting was the "Minneapolis Original Garage Band" route.

All the features of the Spotcycle app can be accessed by computer by registering and signing in to your Spotcycle account.  Route creation and editing can also be done from your computer.

If you are a current Nice Ride subscriber or are thinking about becoming one, the Spotcycle app will definitely be a handy companion to enhance your Nice Ride experience.  Spotcycle is a free app and is available for Android, iPhone and Blackberry.  For questions about using the Spotcycle app, visit the Spotcycle FAQ page. 

Stay up-to-date with Spotcycle by reading the Spotcycle Blog, following on Twitter or "Like" on Facebook.

*Note:  All app screenshots in this post are from the Android app.