Fat Bikepacking the Northern Oregon Coast

Fat bikes are an awesome way to explore the Oregon Coast. My buddy, Jerry Gross, threw out this "crazy" idea for a fatbike trip and I got pretty excited to give it go. So, we went for it.
Jerry is an Oregon Coast local and great supporter of everything bikes-he is also co-chair of the Wild Rivers Coast Mountain Bike Association (WRCMBA). Thanks to him, my eyes have been opened to how accessible (and fun) super-wide tires can make riding beaches, shredding dunes, and mobbing trails.
The Oregon Coast Trail (OCT) traverses the majestic 362-mile of Oregon coastline, between the northern and southern borders. Many thru-hikers will backpack the OCT, while swarms of cycle tourists can often be seen riding along the Oregon Coast Bike Route (OCBR) that follows Highway 101 and alternative side roads.
We mixed up our adventure, doing sections of the OCT (especially beaches) when possible, then taking the OCBR when bikes weren't permitted or the tide was too high to pass. We checked tide maps to time our rides with low tide (and stay away from cars) as much as possible.
This video is the resulting GoPro footage from our 5-day tour. Hopefully this inspires you to get out on your own wild ride sometime soon. Join the party-like, subscribe, and chill!
ROUTE LINK: ridewithgps.com/routes/43419549
#fatbike #oregoncoast #oregon #bikepacking #beach #biketour #bicycle #gopro
Chapters:
0:00 The Plan
1:00 Day One
5:57 Day Two
9:54 Day Three
13:18 Day Four
21:27 Day Five
24:46 Wrap Up
25:32 Bike Setups
Music Credits:
1) The Kount, Makzo - Wayfare (chll.to/3c120441)
2) GRiZ - Your Light (www.mynameisgriz.com)
3) Yasper - It's Okay (chll.to/c6121b23)
4) J.Folk - Another Day (chll.to/4df53b2d)
5) dryhope - The Catch (chll.to/bf4ffb26)
6) Flovry - light of the morning (chll.to/a1b28ba3)
7) The Kount - Yo (chll.to/ce70b179)
8) GRiZ - Gooey (www.mynameisgriz.com)
9) GRiZ - Keep Bouncin' (www.mynameisgriz.com)
*Shot on GoPro HERO11 Black

[@BikeCampChill]

Here's a link to the route for those interested! ridewithgps.com/routes/43419549

[@boblatkey7160]

Electric bikes at low tide on southern Oregon beaches in the fog and while on magic mushrooms is an amazing experience!

[@BikeCampChill]

Wow, sounds like quite the trip! :)

[@MarkInArizona]

I've ridden the coast several times, Oregon Outback and numerous trails across Oregon on my Salsa Cutthroat. After watching this video, I think I need a fat bike and need to do more beach riding. Thanks for the inspiration!

[@BikeCampChill]

Awesome to hear, Mark! I love that this video can be an inspiration. I felt like this was a great adventure worth capturing for that very reason. Thanks for watching.

[@cwitt483]

Awesome Ride guys!! All that sand and saltwater must've been a little hard and abrasive on your drivetrains and brakes

[@BikeCampChill]

Hey Chris! Fortunately, we didn’t have any issues with that. There are faucets at most campgrounds to do a quick rinse if needed, but we definitely made sure to clean and re-grease things well when we got home. Maybe we got lucky. Going more than 5 days at a time would probably be pushing it lol.

[@kellycarroll6829]

amazing! 🌟💚safe travels!

[@BikeCampChill]

Glad you enjoyed it, thanks Kelly!

[@OneEclecticStyle]

Great Video ! Road my first Fat Bike on AVT for 3 day this spring.

[@BikeCampChill]

Awesome, thanks for watching. Fat bikes are fun!!

[@joehamilton9411]

Just as you promised. A very entertaining, interesting, and inspiring video! (I did miss it not having closed captions, however.) Liking this kind of content very much.

[@BikeCampChill]

Thanks Joe! Closed captions are usually auto-generated, but may take a few days to show up.

[@danzuckswert6374]

😊 Hey Son,, what a wonderful video of your tour. I can see beautiful scenery of the coast. It is very obvious you had a wonderful adventure. We live you. And we so enjoy watching BIKE, CAMP, & CHILL. Blessings to you!

[@BikeCampChill]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@paddyhartlep8424]

Looking forward watching section bandon-port orford!

[@BikeCampChill]

For sure, we’re excited for that section as well! We’re planning on going from Yachats to Port Orford in September, after plover season.

[@paddyhartlep8424]

Keep me updated! Maybe im joining in?!? Bandon-port orford is a short ride i wanted to do last unplover season but then i moved away.

[@BikeCampChill]

Your old stomping grounds… We’re thinking the week of Sept 18! Following low tides and trying to cross Sixes/Elk Rivers if we can. We shall see!!

[@Luigi13]

Definitely a fun trip on a fat bike. Great video and nice music, cheers.

[@BikeCampChill]

Glad you enjoyed it, Luigi! It was a fun one for sure. :)

[@AbMtnGuy]

Great video and route! Thanks for posting Dallas!

[@BikeCampChill]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@Develoquent]

Awesome video and route!!

[@BikeCampChill]

Thanks for chiming in, glad you like it!

[@Bikepacking]

Sweet setups

[@BikeCampChill]

Thanks, they worked pretty well!

[@davidabillings]

What a great video! The photography, pacing, music, and editing were all just excellent. I'm from Michigan, but the Oregon coast is one of my favorite places in the world. When my kids were young we would have summer vacations in Neskowin, and take day trips to most of the places you show here. This video really brought back great memories. Thanks for putting this up. A couple of months back I purchased a fatbike (Surly Pugsley) and I'm just now learning how to use it. Here's a question: what tire pressures were you using on this tour? Did you let air out or pump air in when you changed between sand, pavement, etc., or did you aim for something that would work in all the conditions you would be in that day? Any wisdom you could share would be appreciated.

[@BikeCampChill]

Thanks David, I’m glad you enjoyed the video! I totally agree, the Oregon Coast is a magical place and this seemed like a cool way to explore it. There were definitely sections of dry, loose sand that we’d have to power through or just get off and hike (especially when going up some steep dune climbs). I tried to keep my tire pressure at around 8-12psi throughout the ride. We did make adjustments from time to time, but once it felt right on most things I left it alone. Some of that depends on your tire size, tread, and comfort. Even the sand texture, firmness, and ride feel along the stretches of beach hopping seemed to change. Hope that helps! I’m having a lot of fun with my fat bike on mountain bike trails too. I might even try it on some snow this winter.

[@thebiglimey]

Great trip! I might just have to reassemble the big tire bike to do the same trip, great video as always Dallas!

[@BikeCampChill]

Hell yeah, unleash the Vagabond! :)

[@thebiglimey]

@@BikeCampChill yessir!!!

[@SteinBulgogi]

Great Job U Guys. Fantastic video as well.

[@BikeCampChill]

Thanks Stein, hoping to catch you at the Tour de Fronds tomorrow!

[@Punxish]

Very nicely done, deserves more views….

[@BikeCampChill]

Thanks, it was a fun one!!

[@danzuckswert6374]

Wow that's the most Beautiful scenic bking adventure I've seen yet son!🎉 It was so beautiful to watch! And you did it in the most professional manner 😤👍 How you've grown in that❣️ I loved seeing your #Goodr #active #sunglasses, I got you 🤩 They looked bomb on this video & I felt like I was with you somehow 💘 it was obvious that was quite a workout 💪🦵Amazing how u #*GoPro it @ the same time💣💥 felt the zen & could see your care throughout the adventure & production ❤ I love the music you chose for the video🎉 So proud of you 👏 🥰 So glad for you. That had to be a very satisfying adventure 💓you must be proud of yourself 💗 Love Mom 💞

[@BikeCampChill]

Haha, a lot of fun for sure!! Thanks for all the support. :)

[@Bikepacking]

Guys you say the speeds in kms it sound more than miles lol

[@BikeCampChill]

Haha, great point. So many people we passed probably thought we were on e-bikes. We were moving pretty quick and those big tires hum lol.

[@Bikepacking]

@@BikeCampChill yeah i been bikepacking on a fatbike for 13 year now ever one thinks it powered but it powered by beer lol

[@BikeCampChill]

Haha, hell yeah!! Beer gets the job done.

[@joelbatts8760]

Great video. Definitely on my bucketblist. Thanks for the video and link to route. At what tire pressure did you use for ridding on sand and on hwy?

[@BikeCampChill]

Hey Joel, glad you enjoyed the video. We usually had our psi set from 6-10. Lower when in sand and higher when on pavement. Usually ended up around 8 if we didn’t want to adjust it much on a mixed day. Also depends on the tire size and tread. You definitely get a feel for it after a bit on what works best. Even the sand density and texture changed along the way.

[@joelbatts8760]

Great info on tire pressure, thank you. Can you recommend a good pump for my 26x4 fat tire? Off to watch your southern half video!

[@BikeCampChill]

@@joelbatts8760 We both use the Lezyne Micro Floor Drive High Volume Pump on our rides. Amazing!

[@joelbatts8760]

@@BikeCampChill The pump is on the Amazon wish list! Thank you.

[@Harsesis1]

Curious how your charging your batteries during this trip. Would be a great ride as long as charging wasnt an issue.

[@BikeCampChill]

Hey there, these are not e-bikes. We rode with good old-fashioned human power. There were many people along the way that thought we were riding electric as well. We do usually charge up a few power banks to bring and charge our phones and other electronics though.

[@Harsesis1]

@@BikeCampChill do you think this trip is doable on an e-bike?

[@BikeCampChill]

Good question. There are many signs saying “no motorized vehicles” so it depends on how they classify e-bikes in various areas. We do pass many towns where you could get a hotel room to charge each night. Have fun with it! Thanks for watching.