Escape the boardwalk at these 6 bike-friendly towns
By: Katie Jackson
May 1, 2015
Although fat biking is most often associated with snow, it has another, decidedly more chill time and place: the beach. Unlike traditional beach cruisers that limit riders to boardwalks and streets, fat bikes using 4-inch-wide tires can take on or, as David Hunger, the fat biking founder of Teton Mountain Bike Tours, says, “float on” sand. Wider tires allow for lower tire pressure and, ultimately, a more even distribution of weight. But not all shorelines are created equal, nor do they have fat bike rentals within a 50-mile radius, so here are the beach towns that are embracing—and shaping—this burgeoning sport.
Oregon’s Beautiful, Bike-Friendly Coast
Photo: Jereme Rauckman/ Flickr
Newport, Oregon
With 363 miles of dramatic and relatively undisturbed shoreline, Oregon is a blank canvas with huge beach biking potential—especially near Newport. At Newport’s Nye Beach, fat bikers pedal south to play on the dunes of South Beach State Park (camping is available) or head north to the tidal pools and historic Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area. Bike Newport is one of only two bike shops on Oregon’s coast offering a fat bike rental fleet. ($20 per hour or $50 per day.) This spring, the shop will lead new guided tours along the seven sandy and scenic (whale sightings are possible) miles between South Beach State Park and Ona Beach State Park.
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