A few years back, some of our northern Iowa gnome fest cousins started a klunker race, called the Mayday Mayhem. For one reason or another, I hadn’t been able to attend. In the meantime, I urged pretty much anybody that would listen to go in my stead, because, in addition to my obvious fat bike […]
Tag Archives | iowa
Lake McBride Fat Tire Classic (IA)
Click the photo for more information 6th Annual Lake Macbride Fat Tire Classic Saturday, February 11th, 2023 – Solon, Iowa The Lake Macbride Fat Tire Classic is a Fat Bike race like no other. Presented by Sugar Bottom Bikes and The Solon Centennial Lions Club, the race will take you around scenic Lake Macbride on […]
Triple D Winter Endurance Race (Iowa)
Join the circus! January 14th, 2023 A true one-of-a-kind original! This is the first winter race where I saw riders use aero bars on their fat bikes! It’s a crazy course full of surprises and sprinkled with country stores and saloons! The course takes riders and runners From Dubuque (Iowa) to Dyersville and Durango back […]
Event Spotlight – Fatober-Fest (IA)
Our amigos from the Mitchell County Mountain Goats are throwing a fat bike party on October 1st and 2nd! They’ve got a plan for folks to ride fat bikes on singletrack. It’s a novel concept almost completely lost on the cycling industry, but something that we embrace here at the fat dash bike dot com […]
Singlespeed USA 2022
One of the reoccurring waves of enthusiasm for two-wheeled fun that I’ve enjoyed over the years has been driven by singlespeed bicycles. It probably was heavily influenced by growing up near Chicago and the Schwinn Bicycle Company. I grew up riding steel singlespeeds. Somewhere in my twenties, I started mountain biking on a steel Rockhopper […]

Fat (video) Tuesday – Mitchell County Singletrack
My gnome cousin, Joe (from Iowa) shared some pixels of #bikefun con bicis gordas en Mitchell County with us in a sterling display of #fourseasonfatbikes and #fatbikefunskis. It’s Fat Tuesday here in America’s Dairyland and I hear the singletrack sizzling in the summer heat, so till, well probably tomorrow…¡buenos gnomos amigos! – Oh and here’s […]
The Punksutawley Peddler (IA)
The Mitchell County Mountain Goats and Limestone Brewers are hosting the Punksutawney Peddler a few days after the official burrowing rodent winter weather forecast that you might know as “groundhog day”. It’s rumored that Punksutawney Phil impersonators all over the country go on huge binges after Groundhog Day. There are a million groundhog stories in […]
Event Spotlight – Fatober Zombie Ride (IA)
Click here for more information The 4th Annual Fatober Fat & Mountain Bike Ride! The Fatober Zombie Ride will start & end at Limestone Brewers (518 Main St, Osage, Iowa). Prizes for the best Zombie Costume! Limestone pizza & beer or food truck specials from Stampedes-on-Wheels after the ride along with music from Ruthless Ruth! […]

Fat (video) Tuesday – Junkyard Goat
Our gnome cousin, Joe (from Iowa) shared some pixels of #bikefun con bicis gordas en Mitchell County with us for this splendid display of #fourseasonfatbikes and #fatbikefunskis. It’s Fat Tuesday here in America’s Dairyland and I hear the singletrack calling, so till, well probably tomorrow…¡buenos gnomos amigos! Would you share your Klunk, Plus or Fat […]
Klunkedelic – May Day Mayhem – May 1st – Iowa
Click the flyer for more Information! Our Gnomefest Cousin Joe and his amigo Derek are building some Full Metal Klunk in the form of an event entitled May Day Mayhem to North Central Iowa on May 1st. Trust me when I say that Iowa knows how to throw a bike party! I bet this will […]
Wallpaper Wednesday – My gnome cousin, Joe
I received a note from one of my amigos that I met at Gnome-Fest, Joe Kisley. The bike life is good up in the upper midsection of Iowa by the looks of things. There’ll be more from Joe in the coming weeks, but today we’ve got a little something that we like to call Wallpaper […]
Fat Tribe Friday(s) Iowa, Wisconsin, California, Ontario
Fresh Gallery with photos from our amigos con el Tribe de Fat!
Event Spotlight – I AM FAT (IA) – Freezer Burn (MN) – Frozen Gnome (WI)
I AM FAT January 6th, 2019 – Iowa City, Iowa My homies out in Iowa City throw down an old school Fat-Bike Enduro called the I AM FAT (Iowa’s Annual Majestic Fat-Ride Around Trueblood) This year’s race is a Team Only Format. Racing on random mixed teams is the best way to get people to know […]
Teravail Coronado 26 x 4.0 Mid-Term Review – By Seth Bell
Hello, lovelies. Coming atcha fresh from the Fat-bike.com testing grounds is our review of Teravail’s 26×4.0 “Light and Supple” Coronado tires. To give the Coronados the best test possible over the course of just a few weeks, I swapped them between three different bikes for a more well rounded review. Testing was done mostly […]
Event Spotlight – Lake MacBride Fat Tire Classic – March 3rd, 2018
This is a first-year event out in Iowa that looks like a real hoot! We used to have a Bike Black Ribbon Chapter out in Iowa, but they’re all in jail old farts now. The race is presented by Sugar Bottom Bikes and The Solon Centennial Lions Club, the competition will take you around fragrant Lake Macbride on […]
Pugsley World Championships Race Report – by Chewey
The 2017 Pugsley World Championship :aka PWC, went off without a hitch once again this year. unfortunately we can’t say the same for the recap ! I was sure I had sent this to Gomez weeks ago only to get it returned several weeks later. So with all of the excuses out of the way, […]
Event Spotlight – Frozen Fat Fondo Festival – February 11, 2017
This week’s Event Spotlight is the Frozen Fat Fondo Festival out along the shores of the mighty Mississippi River. I promised our old friend, Bobby Parker, the full royale with cheese treatment, so we’re sending our best man out there. The Spinner Ryerson, along with Mitch from Revolution Cycles are headed out there to see what, […]
HELLGA Does Decorah – by KitCat Montana
Hi there Fat-bike.com readers. I’ve recently been given the opportunity to test ride Specialized’s Hellga, their new women’s specific fat bike. Please read on to see what my initial thought and impressions are of this bike are as I relay to you a little story of a mis-adventurous weekend spent at a mid-west mountain biking […]
Reader’s Ride(s) – Nick’s Classic Puglsey Fat-Rod!
It looks as though, my old friend, Nick, and I share an admiration for the classic Bullmoose handlebar! Nick’s a pro bike jock at Geoffs Bike and Ski in Iowa City and his “fat-rod” restoration of his legacy Surly Pugsley, is a work of art! Here’s what Nick had to share about his sweet Fat-Rod! I just […]
Event Spotlight ♦ I Am Fat ♦ Jan 31st 2016 ♦ Iowa City
(click the race flyer to go to the event web-page) ICORR, World of Bikes, Geoff’s Bike and Ski and Goosetown Cycling Club present I AM FAT!! – January 31, 2016 Send us a race Flyer! Register your Race. Festival, Demo or Group Ride on the Fat-Bike.com Event Calendar then email us a race flyer and we’ll feature your […]
Event Spotlight ♦ Pugsley World Championships
Wanna know where Sven and I might rather be this weekend? PWC in Decorah is where all the action is… Click the flyer to find out all of the details that can be explained and then get ready for some old school, fat-bike FUN! Send us a race Flyer! Register your Race. Festival, Demo or Group […]
Triple D – A race report from the top of the podium – by : Andrea Cohen
By : Andrea Cohen After patiently waiting 364 days finally Triple D 2015 had arrived. After my first ride in 2014 I knew I would be back this year. Triple D is a 100k fat-bike race filled with fun and adventure. Lance Andre is the mad-man behind the organized chaos and really knows what it […]
Otis turns One ♦ Fatback Long Term Review
On or about, one earth year ago, I took possession of a Raw Aluminum 190mm Fatback that I spec’d out with the owner of Fatback (and cool cat) Greg Matyas. I asked Greg to make the bike all silver, black and white, like the Oakland Raiders. I wanted to run Umma Rims with Bud and Lou. I […]
Event Spotlight – Frozen Fat Fondo – Quad Cities – 2/7/2015
Share your Cool Local Fat-Bike Event! You can list your event on our calendar by clicking right here! If you’d like to see your race or festival featured in an Event Spotlight, list the event on our calendar and then send a race flyer and links to the event page to uncle gomez@fat-bike.com. May the fat be with you!….(always)
Revelry, Feats of Strength and the Awarding of the PWC Axe
Like I mentioned in yesterday’s post about the Pugsley Worlds Championships, this really seems like a multi-day event. On the main PWC event day, Saturday, there are two distinct flavors to the day. Some folks participate in the race, some participate in the party and “Feats of Strength” and a few stalwart folks go […]
I am FAT Two race report
By – Michael McColgan Sunday January 12th was the second running of the I AM FAT, TWO Fatbike Enduro. From the amount of fun had the first two years I thinks it’s safe to say it’s gonna keep on keeping on and if you missed it, start thinking about next year. This is a seriously […]
Fat-Foto-Friday ♦ Stomp’n
(click to enlarge) Steve Fuller took this shot of what our Amigos from either side of the mighty Mississippi River call Stomp’n. The dry creek beds of the Shimek State Forest are a perfect example of the new and varied terrain that fat-bikes open up for fun and adventure! The rider all the way to the […]
Fattie Approved ♦ Tots
This week’s Fattie Approved item: TATER TOTS! Alright, if you missed the first go round: this isn’t just about bikes; or even things related to bikes. I am also a big fan of food. I think food and cycling go hand-in-hand in so many different cases. Our Friday F’n Fat ride started with the intent […]
Ride Report – Quad City Enchanted Fat Bike Stomp
QUAD CITY ENCHANTED FAT BIKE STOMP – (QCEFBS) Written By: Jake Ralfs & Aaron Mielke Photos By: Drew Hanson / Hanson | Photo · Design It all started out as an idea over a few craft beers at Great River Brewery in Davenport, IA (as all great ideas do) one cool afternoon, post-fat bike ride with a few […]
Pugsley World Championships – 2013
I attended the first two PWCs in my favorite biking town in the Midwest, Decorah, IA. Alas, fate would have me miss the 2013 edition but we tapped into event organizer Spinner Ryerson for this report along with photos from Spinner, Dave Lunz and McColgan Photography as well as an Audio Interview from 2012 PWC Colin Ford […]
FAT-TRIBE Thursday – Yorkshire, Iowa, Minnesota & London England!
This week Ed Oxley shares his second video with us shot between Hebden Bridge and Ribblehead in Yorkshire, England. Todd Shenker sent us a pic of his bike on the shores of Saylorville Lake in Johnston, Iowa. He added “It was 50 degrees that day. I was riding on top of the ice on the shore. […]
The Triple D – Race Report
I started hearing about Triple D three years ago, when I made the mistake of scheduling a race the same weekend. Things were way different back then. There weren’t all of the race opportunities for fat-bikes, like there are now. I started to become further acquainted with some of the characters that live and breath Triple D, […]
(I AM FAT) Race~Recap by Fattie Lumpkin
Iowa’s Annual Majestic Fat-ride Around Trueblood (I AM FAT) was the first fat-bike enduro event in Iowa, following the lead of other states in the Midwest. Under the three hour format, teams of three as well as solo riders tackled a course that mimicked many of the different conditions you might see out on a […]
Event Spotlight – I am Fat
Click the Flyer to be conveyed to the event facebook event-page. Mis amigos del Iowa City, Iowa are holding an Enduro… and that can only mean one thing… FUN!!! For more races, demos and festivals, visit our Event Calendar sponsored by 45NRTH for more Fat-Bike Fun!
Event Spotlight – Triple-D
Click the Flyer to be conveyed to the event web-page. The Triple D Winter race is a winter endurance trail event that traverses Dubuque County Iowa in the dead of winter by bike, ski or foot. This is a race that pre-dates most of the other fat-bike races that have popped up in the last […]
Interview with Matt Gersib – Fat-Bike Racer
Our Amigo, Ben Shockey, from Decorah, told us to look up Matt Gersib if we wanted to talk to someone that was blazing fast on a fat-bike – so we did! Matt has been racing for over twenty years and this year won The Nebraska State Marathon XC Championship – The 6 hour Solo title […]
Spinner’s Interview with Sov from SURLY
Spinner hooked us up with this PRIMO interview as he sat down with Sov, well, actually he sat down with a High Life in front of a computer, and pulled questions outta his bike seat rester regarding what he thinks is one of the coolest and most popular fat bikes around – The Pugsley. […]
PWC – Event Report – 2012
Our entire den of pug-scouts from troop 666 in Milwaukee converged on Decorah, Iowa for the PWC (Pugsley World Championships). For the readers that might not know…….Decorah is a hidden gem of mountain biking located in the driftless region of Northwestern Iowa. Several of our Gnomefest cousins hail from Decorah along with Sov and some […]
2012 Pugsley World Championships
2012 Pugsley World Championships February 25, 2012 The Ax is Back Registration will be Day of the race at Cooper’s Pub in Decorah, IA 1101 Highway 9 W Decorah, IA 52101-2409 8:00 to 10:00 Registration Race starts at 10:30 There is no Pre-Registration, however please select the Attending option in the Facebook event The course […]
Triple D Race Recap (PART 2)
Exiting Chad’s pizza and getting back on the bike alerted me that there were a lot of people who were going to AT LEAST make it to the halfway point. In a previous year this was enough to win the race, and for some had been unattainable in numerous attempts. I was happy to see […]
Triple D Race Recap (PART 1)
Triple D (Dubuque-Dyersville-Durango), is a run/ski/bike race (individual sports not tri-style) held in Dubuque, Iowa. In its fifth year, the race has become notable for its abominable conditions and the sheer lack of finishers. Focusing on the bike race specifically, the number of people who finished are as follows: 4, 0, 8, 23 (of 25 […]
Initial Gear Test – Selle Anitomica Titanico NS
Selle Anitomica makes a riveted leather suspension saddle, much like other saddles that I ride on most of my other (non-fat) bikes, but most of their models have a slot cut into them. The slotted versions of their saddles are not made for the pounding that off road riding presents, so they recommended that we test their […]
NYD Ride – Decorah, IA
The Decorah NYD ride is a 13 miles gravel route to the Blue Collar Friendly Randy’s Bluffton Store. Temps in the 20 Degree range. 55 to 60 MPH head wind on the way out. 25 to 30 riders. 3 Moonlanders. 2 Pugsleys. ? Barley pops and a jug of Home-made Apple Pie Moonshine. This was […]