"It's been a tough season and the fat bike bubble finally burst"
John Fleck, Surly's global sales manager (July 2016)
Hope so, would love to pick up a decent one dirt cheap to see what all the fuss is about!
no idea, test rode one, didn't like it. bought a 29+ which is not a million miles away from fat, but it just seems to feel better.
so i reckon + might be fashionable now.
it was over when on-one got in on the action.
how ever bought in early and discovered the fun - sold that after a few years due to changing standards and dont see me selling my new one any time soon.
might be unfashionable but it never stopped being fun !
I think the guy from Surly is in a far better position to say than most STW'ers.
But I would think context is needed, in terms of growing or expanding sales the bubble may have burst, plus size wheel's offer a lot of choices in competition with fatbikes. But I doubt the bubble has burst for those owning and enjoying riding their fatbikes! And I'm sure more will be sold, and for some it might always be the right bike.
I guess, I wouldn't be looking to set up a company solely selling fatbikes in light of the comments if I wanted to make my millions. But to be fair, if a tyre gets wider than 25mm, I'm out 🙂
Was there ever a bubble?
I won't be buying another bike but I'll certainly be buying tyres.
But I would think context is needed, in terms of growing or expanding sales the bubble may have burst, plus size wheel's offer a lot of choices in competition with fatbikes
Or at the very least has the bubble burst for someone who used to be one of the biggest sellers in the market, mainstream has hit and the smaller players will not get as much of the pie anymore.
Or has gone mainstream. Why would you buy a surly when go outdoors and halfords offer the same for less?
Edit: too slow. Mike has it.
Quite a few manufacturers seem to be hedging their bets with 2.75+, giving you the option to swap to 29" wheels if you so wish.
I've not seen a single fatbike on my local trails, not one. The last time I saw one outside of a bike shop, it was being pedalled by an intrepid commuter around Piccadilly Circus a couple of months ago.
No its just having a break for Summer
Wait till the slop reappears
I rode mine xc last night, so no.
I'd suggest there have been more fatbikes sold this year than Surly ever manufactured.
I'm late to the table and loving it. I live next to a big old stretch of beach and dunes so it makes perfect sense for me.
Why would you buy a surly when go outdoors and halfords offer the same for less?
although this arguement is funny .
ive seen many people on here declare all fat bikes are shit because the one that they bought that was only availible in one size from halfords/go outdoors a.n.other shite brand that had chainstays 2 weeks long and heavier than dark matter - means all fat bikes are useless/pointless - but it was cheap.
I just bought an Alpkit Vir Fortis, so its not over for me.
Been a bit of a revelation really.
Stopped using Strava, and just going out to ride.
Must be my old(er) age, but I appear to be enjoying riding more again.
ive seen many people on here declare all fat bikes are shit because the one that they bought that was only availible in one size from halfords/go outdoors a.n.other shite brand that had chainstays 2 weeks long and heavier than dark matter - means all fat bikes are useless/pointless - but it was cheap.
Perception is everything it seems.
My overwhelming impression ( rightly or wrongly) based on being fatbike curious and following the various fat bike threads on here over the past year is that almost all of the folks who've bought a Dune / Wazoo are pretty thrilled with them and that a few tweaks to the setup and a change of tyres is what's required to make them usable for a bargain price.
Might have got the wrong end of the stick though. Still going to buy one.
PJM1974 - I've not seen a single fatbike on my local trails, not one. The last time I saw one outside of a bike shop, it was being pedalled by an intrepid commuter around Piccadilly Circus a couple of months ago.
I see one almost every week going into Sheffield centre, no idea where he's going as occasionally I see him on other bikes so I guess its not being used as a commuter.
"Why would you buy a surly when go outdoors and halfords offer the same for less?"
Now that you can buy a 'fatbike' for just £500 or so, why spend twice that or more on what, for most folk, will just be a short-lived fad? Surly etc rely on their products being sufficiently 'niche' to be able to command the relatively high prices their small production requires. As soon as the big players get in on the acton, it's more or less game over for the little fish. So they have to come up with more new ideas, if they want to stay in the game. Which is great for innovation, as small companies are more flexible and can try out new ideas more easily than larger ones, but not so great for people who need to feel 'exclusive'.
Tricycles. They're the next big thing. You heard it here first. 😉
ive seen many people on here declare all fat bikes are shit because the one that they bought that was only availible in one size from halfords/go outdoors a.n.other shite brand that had chainstays 2 weeks long and heavier than dark matter - means all fat bikes are useless/pointless - but it was cheap.
Posters on the 1k fat bike thread seem to say the opposite. Endless on one fatty love seems at odds too.
Posters on the 1k fat bike thread seem to say the opposite. Endless on one fatty love seems at odds too.
they sell on-one at go outdoors/halfords now ?
i regard on one as the start of representitive of actual fat bikes approaching useful and fun as opposed to being an lookie likey compromised bucket of a bike.
im talking the 300 quid market "bargains"
The only one of my pals who threatened to get one has stopped talking about them so the answer is 'YES'.
I've not seen a single fatbike on my local trails, not one.
At the risk of derailing my own thread, I'd not seem another one on my trails either* until last weekend when I was riding (my fatbike) on a trail where I've never previously seen another soul. There stopped on the trail ahead are a couple on a pair of Genesis Caribou fatbikes! Unfortunately the midges were too active for a long chat, but it was a pleasant surprise.
* I have spotted a few fat tyre tracks though and I don't think they are all mine 🙂
im talking the 300 quid market "bargains"
Fair enough. 500 quid seems to be the good enough level. Anything more is taking the piss really. A rigid fat bike is about as cheap and simple a thing as you can get.
+ bikes burst the fat bubble. And as others have noted, Surly was an early adopter (in fact inventor) so are now feeling the heat from the mainstream producers - I expect it's more the Treks and Specialized which are hurting their sales more than the el cheapos.
People on here buy £300 bikes? Heard it all now.
"cheap and simple a thing as you can get."
who makes decent cheap knobblies as oppose to larry copies ?
I'm in the process of getting (a second hand) one. Fat bikes are the only "category" where my current bike can't scratch the N+1 itch.
I also run B+ tyres on my 29er and they are a hoot. They turn a hooligan of a bike into Begbie 😯 I can't see the fat bike becoming my go-to bike but for a bit of "different fun" I'm sure it will be fine.
I've posted this before (and apologies to borrowing it from Gartner who developed it with regards to IT)
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I think it's pretty relevant to many consumer products. You can decide for yourself where you think the fatbike market currently is.
Nirvana (Westcott) guys seem to be enjoying theirs taking them on the freerides and doing the gap jumps etc
As above I think the emergence of the plus 275/29 eats into their market too as for a set of wheels and tyres you have a fat bike.
Trough of Disillusionment,brilliant for that alone .
Depends what you mean by "the bubble". Industry wide, the bubble's obviously not burst, it's been inflated many times over. It might be slightly in decline now after the early surge but that's normal with "new" products (obviously fatbikes aren't new but they are to a lot of the new customers)
But before, Surly and other fatbike innovator brands were in their own bubble- it was small but it didn't have many manufacturers in it so they could charge a lot and not worry too much about competition, fast product change etc. [i]That[/i] bubble's burst, now they're competing with everyone from Halfords to Specialized and Trek and that's a very different game. And likewise for parts, I suspect sales of Whirlys fell through the floor as SRAM and Raceface got into it, Larrys as soon as Jumbo Jim came along, and so on.
It's a shame for them tbh, but it's the nature of the beast when you make a niche succesful, you reap the benefits for a short while then the big guys move in.
Think the gartner cycle is a good illustration of it. Rather than the bubble has burst, it is just that a peak has been reached. I don't have a fat bike but think it's great there are lots of good buying options, and that it's beneficial to be a potential buyer in a more mature market. The plus bike market may well supplant some of the demand, but think it is now just an established part of mtbing.
People on here buy £300 bikes? Heard it all now.
Damn straight I do!
Who is the original quote aimed at? Sounds like investors so translates as: "We've not done as well this year so the dividend is down". However there's no context so the above is as much guesswork/cynicism as anything.
As @Northwind says, if you own/define the market then you can basically charge what you think you can get away with especially if you are seen as a superior product.
No its just having a break for Summer
Wait till the slop reappears
Are they really any good in the slop? Saw some fat bikes racing over the winter. Flew past them with my skinny xc tyres cutting nicely through the slop while they were trying to push wheels that had become huge heavy doughnuts of sticky mud.
fatbikes should be able to ride over any 'bubbles' shirley?
mrblobby - it very much depends on the type of mud and tyre choice. A Nate will pick up lots of clay, a Larry would ride across it.
FWIW I see fatbikes (or evidence thereof) on most local rides.
couldn't care 2 figs about bubbles, all i know is, i Love my Fatty, i really like my 650B+ norco too, but if 1 had to go, i'd still be Fat 🙂
more companies are making Fatbikes these days so Surly's monopoly on fat has burst, saying that, i do have a hankering for one of their Lovely Wednesdays 8)
I've not seen a single fatbike on my local trails
Come to Cannock there's loads of serious-looking STWers on fat bikes
Will see someone on a fat bike in The Dales on a reasonably regular basis, not common but certainly not in the rocking horse poo category.
ive seen many people on here declare all fat bikes are shit because the one that they bought that was only availible in one size from halfords/go outdoors a.n.other shite brand that had chainstays 2 weeks long and heavier than dark matter - means all fat bikes are useless/pointless - but it was cheap.
Thats one step further than me - I've not even gone as far as buying a cheap one before declaring they're shit 😉
It just means Surly are going to need to invent some new weird niche fad for bearded middle aged blokes to buy into.
I've only ever seen 1 fatbike whilst out and about. Riding along the canal last week with pink massive tyres. I had to resist the urge to push him in.
* obviously there is irony all over this post and its not meant to offend any of you touchy fat bike lurvers.
Depends on what you call the "bubble."
If bike price, then yes, you no longer have to pay north of £1k for a fatbike worth buying. Between them, Halfords and Go Outdoors undercut PX with worthy starter steeds, which further undermined Surly's price point of ~£1.5k+.
It's quite telling that PX now only seem to stock the Bluto equipped Fatty Trail.
However, the price bubble has still not burst for decent quality fatbike tyres, I've seen nothing close to my Easter Ebay bargain of £80 for a pair of 4.0 Jumbo Jims. I've yet to buy a pair of Floaters for £42, because I think then will drag badly on my tarmac commutes (and I don't really do enough off-road to justify off-road specific rubber at the mo), while I've been tempted to get a pair of Mammoths for £68 a pair I'm hesitant because they apparently don't roll as well as JJs.
Tyre price was the main reason I bought one of the last pairs of FatNotFat wheels, it opened the door to a whole range of decent tyres at prices that would hurt my wallet far less.
Just another option, I have no idea why people envangelise, or froth at the mouth about them.
*I had a surly, it was awrite, sold it for what I paid for it, won't try it again. Meh.
The Trough of Disillusionment? Isn't that in the Howgills somewhere?
A bit like Nobeer, I had one and it was okay. Glad I gave it a go and I can see why some people are so enthusiastic about them but ultimately not for me.
OO also did a few deals - Pink Fatty with some of the 20% codes that
got a good bike out for a tad over £600.
Was proabably wat DBW saw.
But it had pink tyres. PINK tyres. Pink. Tyres. Pink tyres!
Pink edition with option to change it to black for no extra cost iirc
I'm an on one h8er but even I have to admit the coloured fatbike tyres are glorious.
"But it had pink tyres. PINK tyres. Pink. Tyres. Pink tyres!"
Could have been worse .
Could have been a dubber scrubber
No bubble bursting here. Happy to keep riding my purple Pugsley....I have lots of other bikes but often a Fat bike just hits the spot...
No bubble bursting up here. Good few guys in the local Moray Mountain Bike club ride them. Guys in local bike shop ride them & I joined the club with a £500 Wazoo from halfords, loving it. Spend £100 in the PX sale to get better tyres, shorter stem & carbon bars to improve my ride position (dodgy back) Thsts it, nothing else will change until it breaks.
Is cheap, its cheerful, great on the local trails & beach & it'll save my full suss getting knackered over winter.
surly's bubble might have burst, as the sticker says
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I sold my oo then my carbon beargrease and have gone 29+. I am starting to miss them both though.
Despite buying it as a winter bike, I was out on my Surly yesterday.
Although if the bubble has burst, does it mean owners get to go back to being niche? 😆 😉
Some might want to grab a niche Cannondale Slate before they become common. 😉
People on here buy £300 bikes? Heard it all now.
Damn straight I do!
(Don't know how to do the quote thing)
Me too
I picked up a halfords one that was shiny as new with carbon bars and seat post up graded saddle for £300 on eBay.
Had some deor shifters and slx rear mec partnered with a 9 speed cassette and chain in the shed.
For that price I'm no longer fat curious.
I think the bubble has become affordable!
Some of us have no choice but to ride one.
It snows where I live. A lot.
I purchased mine as an alternative to sitting on the trainer for an hour or two in the winter mornings.
It got me really fit.
It made me laugh every time I rode it in the dark and the snow.
Now I can't wait to ride it on the summer trails too.
My advice is test a carbon one with carbon everything attached to it...and ride the hell out of it.
I absolutely love mine from a little Canadian company called Kermode Carbon Fatbikes.
I ride my Wednesday most days and it is fun. Not fast, but really chuffing fun. Dusty summer bridle ways mean drifting and clouds of dust and never get bored of reactions of dog apple farmers.
I bought mine about 2 months back and haven't ridden anything else since.
So not for me, no.
Surely Ebikes will rule I am amazed how many I have seen.
Good spec on the commode website..
I absolutely love mine from a little Canadian company called Kermode Carbon Fatbikes
Very nice. If they start making them in colour that could be very tempting 🙂
Whats not to love?? I <3 mine and can see me getting shot of it anytime soon! 😀
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[url= https://c2.staticflickr.com/1/652/22444991393_6eda3963e7_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://c2.staticflickr.com/1/652/22444991393_6eda3963e7_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/AcorYe ]Who are you calling fat?[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/alexleigh/ ]Alex Leigh[/url], on Flickr
If anyone does want to try a cheap one, I've got a Calibre Dune which can go back to stock for not much cash. Or a bit more if you want the very nice build I have on it!
I bought mine on a whim. Really enjoyed riding it last winter and the start of spring. Yeah all my mates were faster on their FS but they were faster before 😉 I morphed into the chubby thing and bought a 2nd hand Trek Stache (from Denis99 back on this thread) and for the riding I do preferred it meaning the Fatty doesn't get ridden,
Obviously because I'm such a niche chaser, I've bought a FS chubby now!
So as a 'gateway drug' to chubby tyres, it was brilliant. And for not much cash it was fab. And it made loads of people - including me - laugh. What's not to like?
Thinking the exact same thing
What size & how much Alex?
Core - YHM. Sorry to derail the thread!
Also emailed you earlier Alex
Surely Ebikes will rule I am amazed how many I have seen
If you're limited to 15mph you'd be mad not to get a fat ebike. People will realise that soon enough...
I'd love an e-fatbike tbh. If nothing else, it'd drive some people completely apoplectic.
If you're limited to 15mph you'd be mad not to get a fat ebike. People will realise that soon enough...
Whys that then ? Minimising weight and drag means battery lasts longer
I'd love an e-fatbike tbh. If nothing else, it'd drive some people completely apoplectic.
Saw one on the train a few months ago, didn't realise it was e-doped until I saw the lad ride off. Next time I saw him on the train, the conductor and I were taking the mick out of him 😆
http://wing-ebikes.co.uk/?page_id=5160
Wazoo e-bike, I would be tempted if I had that sort of cash, but just 12 months g'tee on that 1700W system would worry me (think you can limit it to 15mph if you want to comply with road, but otherwise 30+ mph is possible)
Never been a bubble to start with In my eyes ! I started a thread on this very subject and still makes me angry that so many people were conned ...
The bike industry must still be laughing/rubbing hands in glee 🙁
Yes I've tried them.. Yes I know folks that had them(quickly realised) they were had and sold/gave away 😳
Saw one on the train a few months ago, didn't realise it was e-doped until I saw the lad ride off. Next time I saw him on the train, the conductor and I were taking the mick out of him
Well done you.
*slow claps*
@tomhoward - it was very good natured and to his face, we aren't southerners.
I don't really agree that fat bikes were/are a fad although if you define bubbles in terms on unprecedented sales and all of your competition jumping to sell similar product, then yes there probably was a bubble.
It's really more that fat bikes have had an evolutionary experience and tentatively gone mainstream. Many people may have been persuaded they need one when it was inappropriate, but that's what happens if you depend on sales staff, magazines and social media for your decisions. 🙂
Fat bikes really aren't limited to transportation/ packing and the old sand and snow tropes any more. This makes many people within the fat sphere angry for some reason. Long and slack with dropper posts and suspension is absolute lunacy on a fatbike if you look at where they came from, but it makes a lot of sense if you plan to hammer one as an AM bike, and correctly chosen and specified, they can be excellent for such use.
If anything, the market is stalling because the only fork options are the Lauf which has its devotees and the Bluto which is a bit unrefined by modern standards and isn't really a big mountain fork. The ' plus' trend won't help either, but genuinely there are a lot of people who will find a well specified 29erer with 275plus wheels and tyres a better and easier to get bike for their use - this might be different if more suspension options were available...