More fat bikes on the streets of Regina

Winter cycling is notnewbut you may have noticed big changes in the look of some bikes taking on Regina's roads.

Many cyclists are using bikes with wide, almost cartoon-liketires.They'reknown as fat bikes and it's a growing market in Saskatchewan.

Bert Seidel sells, rents and repairs bikes at Western Cycle Source for Sports in Regina.He saidthe store's fat bike sales have likely tripled from threeyears ago. There are even fat bike races in Regina and Saskatoon.

"It's a very versatile bike. You can buy a fat bike and goacross Canada or the Antarctic," Seidel said. "You can also just use it as a daily commuter."

The bike's stability comes from the large tires, which can be as wide as 12 centimetres. Cyclists can also play around with the tire pressure to prepare the bikefor certain riding conditions.

Seidelsaid hehas passed cars using a fat bike when the roads wereicy and snow covered.

Theycan also be used on trails year round, but Seidel admitted"you're not the fastest guy" on a fat bike.

Seidelsaid heexpectsfat bike tires to get even biggerin the future and saidthere is talk of tires on standard mountain bikes also becoming wider.

Brand-name fat bikes start at about $1,000, although with the growing interest, they are also now being sold at chain department stores.