You probably spoke with GoOutdoors rather than Calibre.

I did contact Go Outdoors first, but have recently contacted Calibre….

My Dune earlier today, still going strong…

Ive tried and owned a few and can recommend the trek Farley – even in aluminium form pretty sprightly nd the hodag wheels are really quite good

Got a Specialized Fatboy SE second hand with the brakes upgraded to cheap shimano hydros.
The std spec is pretty good with 90mm rims 4.6 tyres and 750mm bars. Some of the other bits are a on the cheap side like the hubs(QR!) and gears and you would need to upgrade the front hub to run a bluto!
It’s not quite as comfy as I was expecting but it does float over a lot of the smaller bumps.
I think due to the head angle and massive tyre the steering has some interesting behavior, wandering about on slower stuff then really has to be manhandled on some faster corners. Other than that it’s great, fast with huge grip and comfy ride.

Not my Pic,

http://www.flickr.com/gp/154478564@N08/vgQ4xQ
Here is my Rose Tusker …My fav bike, other than hydro dipping the forks, bars and seat post…it’s got all I need without the need to upgrade

The nice thing about the Dune is, you can give fatbiking a taste for a relatively small price, but it’s fantastically upgradable. And even if the worst happens and it breaks in 366 days and Calibre don’t help, all the bits will fit directly to any other decent modern fatbike. (mine is one of the first so it’s out of warranty, it’s had the shit kicked out of it frankly and hasn’t winced but if it does break tomorrow, I’ve had far more than my money’s worth from it and I’ll order a carbon frameset off ebay to replace it without any stress. I’d honestly say it’s one of the best conceived budget bikes ever made.

But if you know you want to get right into it, it probably makes sense to spend more. Mine’s worked out good value but only because I really worked at it. Alpkit Vir Fortis?

The Rose Tusker is on sale at the moment, about 30% off IIRC. I have a Cube Nutrail but did test a Tusker. In raw alu they look the danglies.

Fair play to Calibre on replacing my cracked Dune – Got in touch with them via FB & in just over a week I had a shiny new frame posted to me… 🙂

Result 8)

Jumbo Jims are indeed a bit sketchy in the gloop 😮

So got some Minions coming for the wet (FBFx2), and a Bluto sat here ready for the dry 8)