Seeing as only Brant’s bikes are allowed here when we talk about VFM, may I ask for a fatbike please? I’m sure there’s be a fair few here that’d buy one.
For Christmas 2011 please!

Asked already and unlikely to happen this year for various reasons. That was early January so who knows ?

I’d love a fat version of the Scandal. When I ran it with a fat front it was great.

I even toyed with the idea of doing a chop job on it, but bought a Pug instead.

I would buy one they look a hoot

+1

epi, get Brant on one of yours, he’ll get hooked. We’ll have a Ragley Beefer.

Shaggy (just back from idita) and brant have been discussing this on twitter
It did sound like brant was planning a fatbike in time for the next idita.

+1

Brant getting rad on Jonclimber’s mukluk.

didn’t the guy from Genesis say they had plans for a fat bike last time this topic came up?

was there a loud BOING!!! followed by Brant being launched into the nearest tree after that pic?

Jonclimber already did that coming up short on a step down-concussion and broken ribs iirc.

Ragley Biffer?

Ragley Bully. Cos it’s bigger than the other boys, innit.

What would you have Brant offer in a frame that you can’t already buy from the number of other fat bike frame manufacturers ??

+1

With short chainstays please.

I imagine brants would be cheaper than a mukluk 🙂

Frames are generally not the expense.. its the wide rims.. rear hubs (if not offset frame)… Tyres etc..

Think the Mukluk represents very good value for money.

what about a ragley 29er (other than the TD1) ?

I see the latest niche bandwagon is gathering pace – singlespeed just isn’t niche enough any more is it.

😆

@grum, as soon as Brant says yey I’ll be asking for a singlespeed fat 29er, watch this space 😀

Yeah I can’t really see this being a viable product for a UK bike manufacturer.

Good site to cost out a potential build…

http://www.fatbikes.com/index.html

I know of 1 fatbike on the market (mostly due to ignorance of such things) – isn’t that more than enough already??

@paul78, how about STW members-only frameset? The additional condition being you are NOT allowed to sell without a written agreement from Brant 😉

i dread to think what the “funny handshake” would entail if you met another rider on a STW only bike out on the trails

Hairychested, Lol … Its an interesting concept 🙂

Fatbike full-suss 36er, running a Rohloff with 3×11 deraileur & hammerschmidt is where its at.

Fatbike full-suss 36er, running a Rohloff with 3×11 deraileur & hammerschmidt is where its at.

Ti/bamboo frame, obviously.

HT for nicheNess surely?

I know of 1 fatbike on the market (mostly due to ignorance of such things) – isn’t that more than enough already??

Do you drive a Model T ford?

@nickf, you’re so last month, toilet paper is the newest dream material, doncha know?

Ah, but this is special Ti, paw-welded by dope-smoking pandas high in the mountains (and high on mystical herbs, obviously).

Do you drive a Model T ford?

nope, but i sure as s**t don’t drive a Hummer 😉

If things carry on as they are pretty soon it’ll be common or garden 5″ full sus bikes that’ll be considered as niche

Not in Eire 😀

paul78 – Member
What would you have Brant offer in a frame that you can’t already buy from the number of other fat bike frame manufacturers ??

His bikes handle well and are better priced than USA manufacturers.

paul78 – Member
Yeah I can’t really see this being a viable product for a UK bike manufacturer.

Ever ridden one? Bet you don’t live in Scotland, do you?

There’s more of this on the way 🙂

epicyclo, I’m not doubting Brant’s ability to turn out a bike but how cheap can he make a low volume product ??

Alu Zero frame is $500 which is great value for money.. and as I said earlier the frames aren’t the end of the cost with plenty of specialist parts needed..

Yeah i’ve ridden a few fat bikes although when I raced the Arrowhead 135 sponsorship dictated a non fat bike.. which rode pretty good too with a few carefully chosen components.

Brant, add up cost of R&D time plus manufacturer set up cost then actual cost of frame manufacturer divide it by the number of ST users that want one and everyone is happy 🙂

I think he’d be able to sell them in other countries too.

At present all the volume “manufacturers” are based in USA. A local “manufacturer” could bring in frames from Taiwan just as easily as them.

Edit: after riding the Arrowhead on a normal bike you’re probably too fit to notice how much easier they make life for less fit folk like me. 🙂

I think its an overly simplistic view of a very small market.. I love fat bikes.. I can see the endless possibilities for bikepacking with them but the market is dictated by the buyers.

Biggest producers of fat bike products are mostly based out of Alaska where these guys get perfect conditions every year for riding and racing fat bikes… European market is barely embracing 29ers so I have no idea what they will make of Fat bikes.. I know Conrad at Sandman is having to take a long while perfecting not only his product but his marketing..

I think the market has to be further developed with the existing products that are available to start bringing costs down and to encourage other manufacturers to get involved… the Puglsey has been available for a long time and snow races have been going on in the states pre dating the specialist fat bikes.. this isn’t a niche market as such as these bikes do have a good scope of possibility.. its just a small market place… an example of this is that there are still only 2 real fat tyres available after all this time and before last year there was only 1 !!

Nail on head there paul78

The are plenty positives which could appeal to a wider market eg. less environmental damage, big tyre comfort, greater scope of terrain to travel on etc. and once it takes off, then all the other aspects which are expensive at the moment would come down to a more affordable price. You are only talking wheels, tyres and b/b’s which are really any different. Combine that with being able to run it as a ‘normal’ 29’er and you have 2 markets to tap into + how many would buy one just to look cool down the beach?

I think it has a lot more possibilities than singlespeed had originally and look what happened there!

The lack of tyre choice is a problem, but it will get better.