Global Fat Bike Day Date in the current year: December 7, 2024

A fat bike, also known as a fat bike, fat-tire bike, fat tire or snow bike, is an off-road bicycle with oversized tires designed to ride on soft, unstable terrain such as snow, sand, mud, cobblestones, and mountain trails. Its frame is specifically designed to accommodate such tires. The first flat-tire bikes probably existed as early as the 1900s, but the development of modern fat bikes did not begin until the 1970s.

In the 1980s, Alaskan frame builders began experimenting with custom configurations that would accommodate wider tires for snow riding. At about the same time, Ray Molina of New Mexico began similar experiments to create bikes for riding in the sand for his guided tour business. In 1999, Molina went to a convention in Las Vegas where he met Mark Gronewald, a frame builder from Alaska.

Inspired by Molinas design, Gronewald teamed up with fellow Alaskan frame builder John Evingston, and the two designed and built several bikes using Molina’s rims and tires. Each then produced his own line of fat-tire bikes in 2000. The following year, Gronewald coined the trademark “Fat Bike” for his bikes. He continued to produce the original fat bikes until 2011. Other enthusiasts also made their versions of fat-tired bikes throughout the 2000s.

The first bike brand to make fat bikes commercially available was Surly Bikes, which introduced its Pugsley frame in 2005 and began producing larger rims and tires in 2006. Other brands soon followed suit, and the popularity of fat bikes began to spread beyond the small circle of enthusiasts.

Since the 2010s, multiple fat bike races, race series, festivals, and other events have emerged, contributing to the global popularity of fat bikes. Some travelers have even undertaken extreme expeditions on fat bikes. For example, in 2013, British polar adventurer Maria Leijerstam became the first person to cycle from the edge of Antarctica to the South Pole, riding a fat-tire tricycle.

The first Global Fat Bike Day was celebrated in 2012. It was started by a group of fat bike enthusiasts from the UK, including Si Matthews, Ritchie Salt and other UKFatBikes regulars. Thanks to the Internet, the holiday quickly spread outside the UK, making it truly global. Global Fat Bike Day is a grassroots, community-based initiative, so there is no coordinating organization: anyone is welcome to host an event, as big or small as they want.

The best way to celebrate Global Fat Bike Day is to get on your bike and ride at a designated time – alone or with friends, however you like; just make sure your ride at the same time as other fat bike enthusiasts in your time zone. And don’t forge to take a selfie on your fat bike and post it on social media with the hashtag #GlobalFatBikeDay to help spread the word. If you’ve ever wanted to try a fat bike, this is the perfect day to do it!