I bought my fat bike because it was something different and it was a heart over head spur of the moment decision. There's no snow or sand here so it's ridden on normal roads and tarmac cycle paths. The worst conditions I'm ever going to encounter are some rain and some leaves and a bit of mud on the cycle paths.
Yesterday I had my first proper ride of my fat bike. It was a relatively short distance of 25 Km (15.5 miles) and I managed to drag it out to a time of 1.5 hours as I wanted to get to know the bike. Riding slowly and seeing the world go by, I kept my heart rate down (monitored via HR chest strap / Garmin Edge 1000). by slowing down as required.
Despite the dull, overcast and drizzly weather, it was by far the most enjoyable bike ride I've ever had. I wanted to just keep riding and riding but had lots of pre-Christmas chores to tend to so the ride had to come to an end. I arrived back home with a massive grin on my face that set me up very nicely for the day. I wasn't tired and my body didn't ache at all.
In amongst all of this, I managed to burn over 1,000 calories. This sure beats going to the gym as I got fresh air and the endorphins rush was breathtaking. I did something that kept me happy for the rest of the day and provided me with a great workout.
Something I noticed was that drivers on the roads were very courteous to me, with several giving a thumbs up, and a couple even winding their windows down to shout, "Nice bike!". Here in the UK there's a constant battle between cyclists and drivers, yet my fatbike seemed to go down well with most of the drivers that I encountered.
Hence, my heart over head decision has been fully vindicated. My fatbike is good for my heart and my head! The pulled trigger was a fantastic decision for me.