• This topic has 78 replies, 63 voices, and was last updated 10 years ago by Keef.
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  • Would you ride a fatbike?
  • hishairyness
    Free Member

    i have a 38Ib Salsa Mukluk, with a rear rack for carrying stuff to work and have found nothing to beat it for the last 9 months.
    I live in Gloucestershire and ride it everywhere, FoD, Cranham, commute, now looking for more challenges. Its just surprising what it will cope with. Just yesterday took his fatness down some cool technical downhills in the Forest of Dean and was expecting to be overtaken…. in fact the opposite happened. Left the 160mm boys & co behind.
    The only downside is the constant ” That’s got to be hard to ride” and “What is that?” haha.
    I’m interested to here from anyone else with a fatty, see how they find it????

    wwaswas
    Full Member

    I can see the attraction of riding a fat bike.

    I wouldn’t ride any 38lb bike to the exclusion of all others though, I find lighter bikes are often more fun on a lot of the stuff I ride.

    andypaul99
    Free Member

    I’d be interested in riding one for curiosity’s sake, but couldn’t ever see myself owning one.
    most of my riding is on fireroads and double track with a lot of climbing so a 38lb bike would be pointless really…and then there is the looks…

    theboatman
    Free Member

    To answer the question in the title; yes, i would happily ride one, but can’t really see me buying one for the reasons mentioned above.

    I passed a chap on a fatty at sherwood pines making what looked like very hard work out of a pretty steady climb. I found myself thinking ‘it’s pretty dull riding around here without making it any worse!’. It may have been different had i seen him blasting away on the downs.

    yunki
    Free Member

    I only really have one bike at a time, and I don’t think I could make it a fat bike

    JefWachowchow
    Free Member

    I would love to ride one. I never have, but they do look like a lot of fun.
    Way down the list of priorities though.

    Dickyboy
    Full Member

    Cost of consumables & constant “wow what big wheels you have” puts me off, but otherwise yes especially as winter approaches here in the chilterns

    dirk_pumpa
    Free Member

    I’ll go for a run in a pair of concrete sneakers before i throw a leg over one of those monstrosities.

    BadlyWiredDog
    Full Member

    They’re amusing okay, but do we really need to be told that they’re better for commuting than road bikes and faster downhill than a six-inch full suspension bike? I’ve ridden one and while it was entertaining, it was clearly neither of those things.

    I’m more interested in whether it copes with those awkward snow conditions that stop normal bikes in their tracks, you know, the stuff where you simply can’t generate enough momentum to keep moving? What are they like on sheet ice?

    I’ve thought about it and even asked the Surly guys at SSUK2013 about a test ride, but never followed it up.
    I’d like one, but I’ve got a few bikes already and can’t see it being my first choice to take out often enough to make it worth while.

    rogerthecat
    Free Member

    I’d love to try one round here, a real mixed bag of boggy peat, rocky descents, plenty of mud and we had plenty of snow last winter. Anyone in the Peaks got one and willing to let me have a go?

    grum
    Free Member

    I live in Gloucestershire and ride it everywhere, FoD, Cranham, commute, now looking for more challenges. Its just surprising what it will cope with. Just yesterday took his fatness down some cool technical downhills in the Forest of Dean and was expecting to be overtaken…. in fact the opposite happened. Left the 160mm boys & co behind.

    😆

    :swoon:

    I’d ride one if someone gave me it for free.

    fervouredimage
    Free Member

    I’d try one but honestly, I’d feel embarrassed about riding one regularly. It’s the sort of bike I’d ride with a large group of mates egging me on just so that any passers by are aware that I’m only riding one for a laugh and it’s not in any way a serious choice.

    core
    Full Member

    I might get one when they filter down into the used market at reasonable prices, would be really handy in the winter, and I’d consider making a trailer to lug kit around. Live on a farm & would always rather pedal than walk.

    Not sure I’d take one ‘out out’ though, not unless there was proper snow or monsoon conditions…..

    notmyrealname
    Free Member

    I did ride one but I’ve just sold it!

    Don’t get me wrong, they’re good for a laugh but I always seemed to find myself drawn towards either my regular FS bike or my singlespeed so the Fatty was often overlooked.
    I think that something like the 29+ Krampus would be a good balance between the Fatty and a normal MTB.

    singlespeedstu
    Full Member

    I do ride one.
    But I’d not ride a 38 lb one.

    I’d feel embarrassed about riding one regularly.

    *Shock news flash.*
    Any bike you ride will make you look like a bit of a freak to most people so i wouldn’t worry about it. 🙂

    avdave2
    Full Member

    Yes if I had one with 100mm front and 135mm rear spacing so I could run it with my Rohloff and Schmidt hubs. I can’t see the point of one for myself unless it’s an all winter maintenance free off road commuter.

    FuzzyWuzzy
    Full Member

    I wouldn’t mind having a go on one and could even see myself owning one as an occasional bit of fun bike but unless most of your riding is on sand or snow then it’s a pretty big compromise over a lightweight FS bike. I have fun riding a rigid SS 29er but there’s a limited number of places I’d want to ride it and a lot of the fun comes from the challenge of riding something that’s severely compromised and dealing with it (in the same way as riding a shopping bike down a DH course my be a laugh, once).

    boxfish
    Free Member

    If it’s too snowy for 2.4″ tyres, I’ll take the toboggan instead.

    If it’s icy, I’ll put the spiked tyres on.

    I’d still like to try a fatbike, just for a day or so to see what the fuss is about.

    fervouredimage
    Free Member

    *Shock news flash.*
    Any bike you ride will make you look like a bit of a freak to most people so i wouldn’t worry about it.

    What world do you live in?

    BillOddie
    Full Member

    Fatbikes are the new niche/29er/SS/hair shirt… discuss.

    Unless you live in Alaska or somewhere similarly snowy you don’t want/need a snow bike.

    It is not the right/best/funnest tool for the vast majority of UK riding.

    singlespeedstu
    Full Member

    What world do you live in?

    I live in a world where riding a bike doesn’t make you look cool to most people…

    Unless you live in Alaskathe Alps or somewhere similarly snowy Alpine you don’t want/need a snow mountain bike.

    WTF has need got to do with anything. 😀

    AndyRT
    Free Member

    I’m a Krampus rider, and I’m loving it! It’s more like semi skimmed.

    In regards to extra effort, maybe, but more grip on wet chalk means less walking up green chalk climbs. It is lots of fun, and I’m not going any slower….

    Horses for courses, fat bikes for niche, who gives a fluffy fat rats farse! It’s just fun, makes me smile and end of.

    mattjg
    Free Member

    Yes, would certainly love a go, but 38lb is putting me off? Is that typical? If not, what is?

    Nobeerinthefridge
    Free Member

    dirk_pumpa – Member
    I’ll go for a run in a pair of concrete sneakers before i throw a leg over one of those monstrosities.

    Strange comment for a cyclist. There isn’t a bike I ‘wouldn’t’ ride. Dunno if I’d buy one, but I’d defo ride one.

    Northwind
    Full Member

    I’d definitely ride one, if I had the money I’d already own one. But it’d not be an only bike. Riding bikes is fun, and they seem like fun bikes to ride. I’d like to see people’s faces when I put it on an uplift 😆

    They just spread a little bit of happiness everywhere they go don’t they? Seeing them out at a trailcentre or on the beach always makes me smile. You don’t get that with an Orange Five.

    guuuch
    Free Member

    I’ve not ridden a fatbike so I can’t comment on the ride but the looks don’t put me off.
    I do have a Krampus and at 28 lbs it’s not the lightest (might put a carbon fork on it) it’s not the fastest downhill ( but it is bloody quick) but it is the most FUN bike I have owned. It has so much grip it goes up ,over and down things most bikes (with me riding) struggle with.
    Try one,they really do make you smile and you might just not go back to ‘conventional bikes’
    PS. I have ridden most types of mountain bike and in most conditions, not boasting just trying to validate my comments.

    johnnystorm
    Full Member

    Picked up my Fatty at the weekend and rode back 40 miles along the bridleways to get home. Just about every passer by commented positively and kids love it. Tarmac and around town are obviously atrocious but otherwise it was great to ride. My mate has a Giant Yukon with 2.3 HRs on it and its pretty much the same weight. I need to get a few more miles on it but so far I’ve enjoyed it. Fingers crossed for Snowmageddon this winter!

    vdubber67
    Free Member

    Couldn’t this forum just auto-generate this tedious thread and identical responses every week to save everyone the bother?

    core
    Full Member

    At the risk of repeating an old joke and offending all female forum contributors, I’m gonna go for it anyway:

    Fat bikes are like fat girls – good fun until your mates see you on one…………

    thisisnotaspoon
    Free Member

    I’d like one, but probably only to make slow group rides more entertaining, a bit like people who turn up on CX bikes (but the other way round, painfull uphill, brilliant* on the techier stuff)

    *relative to the default rigid 29er SS

    rocketman
    Free Member

    Would ride one if someone gave it to me but I don’t think I would actually buy one.

    Am used to being under/over/wrong biked

    rockhopperbike
    Full Member

    anyone wanting a test ride- I think ED’s cycles of Dalby are taking the demo bikes to the Leeds cycle show this weekend 8)

    BigDummy
    Free Member

    I would love to live somewhere where my default weekend activity was an overnight bivy in a tiny log cabin surrounded by massive snow-drifts and hundreds of miles of ancient, silent forest. I would hunt caribou with a long-bow, grow a massive beard which would fill with icicles in the frigid air and ride for miles without seeing a soul. It would be great. I’d probably have a Surly Moonlander and some really boss reflective goggles. The bike fits pleasantly into that dream.

    I have a more conventional mountain bike to fit into the reality of weekly bashes around the local trails and periodic excursions to Wales.

    8)

    ndthornton
    Free Member

    I’d ride one if someone gave me it for free.

    +1
    straight to cash converters

    swavis
    Full Member

    I have one and it’s probably my most used bike, it’s certainly the most fun to ride. When the snow arrives it’s even better.
    I used it for Ten Under the Ben this year and was no more knackered using the Mukluk than I would’ve been on my hardtail, probably less so as the fattie is more forgiving.

    takisawa2
    Full Member

    I dont know about a full on fat bike but after hiring out a Krampus & taking it around Cannocks Monkey & Dog trails, plus a good bit of more natural singletrack & fire-road plugging; my opinion was that its far more capable than you would imagine. I expected it to feel slow & lethargic & it simply wasnt. It got up to speed quick, it was actually possible to stand & hit climbs hard etc, but its biggest fortay was how smooth it rode. Both my mates had a go & admitted that it surprised them. Its just a shame that Surly have built it so heavy. I dont think the tyres & rims add a massive amount. If you put regular wheels on I think it wopuld still be quite a hefty bike. A rigid full carbon Krampus…now that would be just ace.

    Kuco
    Full Member

    Saw some up Cannock the other week and did think they looked a laugh but can’t see myself ever getting one.

    tazzymtb
    Full Member

    Saw some up Cannock the other week

    bet they were ridden by beardy pierced tattooed attention whores.

    Teetosugars
    Free Member

    Yup, I have one, and love it…

    Great fun IMHO.

    Yeah, not the most sensible bike I know, but great fun nontheless..

    Anyone in the Peaks got one and willing to let me have a go?

    I’m in Cheshire, so not a million miles away, – your’e more than welcome to try out my 9:zero:7

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