Interbike has started for 2013, with the first of two demo days out in the parched Las Vegas desert. Despite the 37°C temps, one of the biggest groups of bikes out on the demo trails were bikes that originally developed for snow riding, but which have found fans in the deserts, beaches and even trail centres: the Fat Bike. And there was all manner of them there – from the original steel Pugsley, through to carbon fibre fancy bikes and even electric fat bikes.
Don’t worry, there were many other ‘normal’ bikes that we’ll be bringing you news of, but first, let’s revel in the odd and the fat.
Let’s start with some ‘lectric…
Felt Electric Fat Bike
Felt was showing off this electric fat bike for powered snow fun.Ally frame and fork, with a big hole in the head tube for cables.
Probably makes up for the drag in the tyres.
Seen on the Surly stand was this beer cooler from the future.
Sardines and crackers. Those Surly boys know how to live.
Ever seen a fat bike inner tube? You can only fit six into a large toolbox lid.
Mid ride refreshment?
4.8in tyres on a Moonlander and obligatory beard.
9-Zero-7 carbon
Another full carbon bike? Yes – from the Anchorage Alaska company. Now the Beargrease has a challenger.
9-Zero-7 carbon, 15mm fork too.
Black and green carbon for you from 9-zero-7Fatback had this Fat Chance style fork with loads of bosses on.
Borealis Yampa
Another carbon fat bike? Yep! Borealis bikes are from Colorado Springs and, though new, has gone straight into making carbon bikes. And this looks a slender beast indeed. Frame and fork is $2249 and the frame weighs 1270g.
The sun! Deserts are ideal for fat bikes, right?
Carbon fork too
How can something with 4in tyres look slender? Somehow it does.
With 23 years as Editor of Singletrack World Magazine, Chipps is the longest-running mountain bike magazine editor in the world. He started in the bike trade in 1990 and became a full time mountain bike journalist at the start of 1994. Over the last 30 years as a bike writer and photographer, he has seen mountain bike culture flourish, strengthen and diversify and bike technology go from rigid steel frames to fully suspended carbon fibre (and sometimes back to rigid steel as well.)
Those seatstays on the Borealis look interesting – are they designed to give a bit of flex/suspension?
First 650B goes mainstream (or tries to), now fatbikes. A production 36er can’t be far off.
The big deal in the Fatback photo isn’t the fork, but the tires!
“Fatback Sterling 26 x 4.25”