Location: Start and end in Wompatuck, MA
Ride Type: Trails, Beaches, Roads on Fat Bikes
Date & Time: Saturday, December 2, 8am start
Distance: We have OPTIONS! ~40 and ~70 miles (bring lights!)
Price: Free; see NEER membership requirements discussed below after the first ride you do with us
RSVPs: Required, see bottom of page for RSVP form
Details
This is a fat bike adventure ride! It’s got a little of all of the fun riding and a whole lot of adventure to look forward to. It’s a big day on the fat bike, come well prepared for a big day! There are quality beaches, sand, trails, back roads. A whole lot of everything.
Pace
This ride is suitable for people with good fitness to push your fat tires all day long! The average pace will be ~8mph. This is not slow when you’re on a fat bike.
Start Time
7:55am - Be ready to ride!
8:00am - Safety talk starts, then everyone rolls out
Distance & Estimated Ride Time
Allow 9-10 hours for this ride for the 70-mile version, depending on your pace. We’ll break up into groups if that allows everyone to get the ride of his/her desires, but only if we have > 10 riders or people at different paces.
The 40-mile route is probably a ~6 hour ride so still a big day at this time of year!
Parking
Parking is free and ample at the Wompatuck parking lot. Details will be shared with all who RSVP no later than 7pm the evening before the ride.
Route
The routes will be emailed to all who RSVP no later than 7pm the night before the ride.
Route Notes
Expect everything on this ride! Beaches, paved roads, plenty of fun trails.
After the Ride
Anyone who wants to hang out and talk about bikes after the ride is welcome to do so. We highly recommend stopping at Whole Foods on your drive home for a quality replenishing meal!
Last-Minute Information
We will email all participants with any critical late-breaking news. Very, very last-minute news is found on our Twitter feed (shown on the home page of this website in case you don’t have a Twitter account).
Contact Information
Email - connect@newenglandexpeditionriders.com with questions about this ride anytime 1 hour or more prior to the start of the ride.
CALL US if you need us to know anything just before the ride start or during the ride at 413-461-7433.
Don’t txt if you need an immediate response, all txt msgs go to our email that we aren’t checking if we’re in front of people at the ride or on our bikes.
Riding Rules
All riders are required to read and are expected to abide by These Rules. RSVP’ing to this ride indicates you have read and accept all of the rules. These make the ride safer and more fun for all.
Waiver
NEER requires a signed waiver before your first ride. Please fill it out online prior to your first ride.
If this is your second or more ride with us, our insurance requires that you become a member of NEER.
Proper bike & Equipment
3.5” knobby tires OR BIGGER. Wider tires are nicer! We’ll be on some beaches so mountain bikes don’t have wide enough tires for these sections. Besides, it’s Global Fat Bike Day!
Clipless pedals and shoes. These are important elements of bike control. If you are an experienced cyclist who has used platform pedals and sticky shoes extensively, this is acceptable. Note that mountain-style pedals/cleats are significantly better than road-style. We strongly discourage road pedals/cleats on a mixed terrain ride. You can possibly get away with road pedals/cleats on a gravel (dirt road) ride, but not a mixed terrain ride.
A bike that’s in safe working order that is properly lubed and tuned. We’ll ask you to call for a ride or take an Uber home if you have a mechanical situation that will hinder the forward progress of the group by more than a few minutes.
High enough tire pressure to prevent pinch flatting and burping your tires. We recommend about 80% of maximum rated tire pressure. Sometimes this is much too high, ask us if you’re not sure where to set your tire pressure. We like you to have more than enough air for these reasons:
We want to minimize flats on the ride; waiting for someone to change flats is not why we ride. We typically see zero flats on our ride. One of the primary reasons for this is due to higher than average tire pressure.
You can easily take it out, much harder to add it in.
Be sure you have supplies necessary for all common mechanicals including extra derailleur hangers, a multi-tool, quick chain links, tubes, CO2 or hand pump, etc. You are responsible for you and your bike.
RSVP to Participate in this Ride Now!
Please RSVP only after you’ve made sure you can attend. It is inconsiderate to RSVP prior to committing to attending since it affects the experience of the other cyclists in attendance. We understand that things come up last-minute. Be sure to email us if you can’t attend: connect@newenglandexpeditionriders.com.