Gratuitously posting photos of my finished custom fat bike!
BIG thanks to Ben Cooper from Kinetics here in sunny Glasgow for making the frame. It wasn't a straightforward build. He's down a great job and is the most patient of bike builders.
I pestered him A LOT! Spec as follows:
Fillet brazed 853 custom tubing with Paragon Polydrops and offset rear axle with clearance for 4.8 tyres...just!
68.5 HA
71.5 SA
18" frame
142mm headtube
430mm stays
Light bicycle carbon 65mm rims, tubeless setup with Surly Buds front & rear
On One carbon Fatty
Hope Pro4 Fatsno front hub, skewers, headset & seat collar
Rohloff 135mm rear hub
70mm Thompson stem
Jones carbon loops
ESI grips
XT brakes
27.2 KS Lev with Southpaw remote
Fabric Ti saddle
Problem Solvers EBB
Middleburn custom cranks
Time pedals
Bead blasted with clear powder coat
It's come in at a smudge over 33lbs inc pedals which I'm well happy with given it's running a Rohloff, dropper post and arguably some of the heaviest fat tyres on the market. With some lighter tyres (Jumbo Jim's already on order!) and a carbon post I recon it would be in the region of 30lbs which in my book is more than acceptable for a steel / rohloff fat bike.
Once again, a big thanks to Ben Cooper from Kinetics
Anyways, it's a hoot. If you haven't ridden a fat bike yet...do it, what's the worst that can happen!
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[url= https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1646/25382666183_48d22394e2_z.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1646/25382666183_48d22394e2_z.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/EEYNkz ]Untitled[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/70653371@N05/ ]Rosscopeco[/url], on Flickr
That is one ugly baby.
It does look fun though 🙂
Only a mother.... 😉
😀 Actually, it's really rather lovely - just crap pictures and forks that don't do it justice 😉
Tell me about the frame! Weight, price?
Lolz
Looks interesting that's for sure,a nice spec too. What do you carry in the bag?
I've never ridden a fat bike but would defo like a blast to see how they ride. Where does a fatbike fit in with your other bikes? Is it a totally unique addition or does it replace something else?
Looks lovely. I'm jealous!
I'd assume a Rohloff is leagues better than an Alfine for this sort of application?
I really like that. Very nice indeed!
I'm set on + for trail riding now, 4 and 5" just seem too much (like suspension when you don't need it) but each to their own of course.
seavers - Member
What do you carry in the bag?
The nipples of those who have the temerity to ask "what's in the bag?"
OP - detach the bag, then take photo's and then come back.
EDIT - that whole drivetrain is kinda lost in there, isn't it?
Tell me about the frame! Weight, price
Weight is 6.24lbs. It could have been lighter if we'd gone for bog standard dropouts and the yoke was a challenge!
Price...that's between me and Ben! He did me a very good deal as this was always a 'development' project.
What do you carry in the bag?
Tools, pump, tube, water, jumper. Getting rid of the rucksack was a revelation!
Where does a fatbike fit in with your other bikes? Is it a totally unique addition or does it replace something else?
So after many many bikes / frames / experiments this is now my only bike. At this point I genuinely can't think of anything else I'd want. I do have another 29+ wheel set which I'll use for longer expeditions and when the trails finally dry out (ahem!)
I'd assume a Rohloff is leagues better than an Alfine for this sort of application?
This is my second Rohloff, I like them, some don't. It's never skipped a beat and whilst it adds a good 200 - 300g to the overall rig the easy of use, lack of maintenance far outweigh the added weight (pun intended!)
Sorry for the crap photos...I'm no photographer!
Not usually a lover of fat bikes but this looks great. The industrial look/ colour/ build really suits it. Enjoy.
The raw makes it, nice fatty.
I likes it 🙂
Oh I think that is SO cool. Love it!
Enjoy.
Nice set-up, looks like you'll have lots of great rides
Nice. That ring looks very small for a Rohloff - what does the lowest gear come out at?
That ring looks very small for a Rohloff - what does the lowest gear come out at?
It ended up with a 26t on the front and a 13t at the rear, the lowest ratio you can go to on a Rohloff.
The chain line was very tight on all our drawings but in practise, and with help from Middleburn we ended up with plenty. I wanted the smallest possible chainring on the front as my local trails have a new big rocks / trees that eat chainrings if you take the wrong line.
I guess the small ring also helps when designing tyre / chainstay clearance.
Welds look ugly, but bike looks ace
It was certainly a learning experience this one 😀
Welds look ugly, but bike looks ace
Filing down the fillets costs extra!
Looks interesting. I'd have gone a touch steeper in the SA angle (and got one in colour) myself, but that's the joy of getting a custom build I guess; you get exactly what you want. Bet it's a hoot to ride.
Interesting choice to go with a 27.2 seat tube. Was that a comfort thing or just down to the available tubesets?
Looks like a great bike for getting out and exploring. Something i wish i had the time and location to do.
Sweet. Lots of the features seem somehow familiar 😉
[img][url= https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7660/17185383231_44575103c4_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7660/17185383231_44575103c4_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/sbBzGT ]20150416_124230[/url]
One thing I don't get: if you're going down the route of bolt-on dropouts, why not go for swingers and lose the EBB?
Lovely looking frame - I love the continuation of the seat stay into the top tube.
I would have done a few things differently but that is the beauty of custom!
I would have had a tad longer top tube and run a shorter stem
Gone for a 650B+ rear wheel / 4in Fat front
Alfine Rear hub
Metal Forks
Normal wide bars
mmmm
What width is the BB?
It's a 100mm PF30 shell.
Interesting that you get clearance for 4.8's and what looks like short chainstays with a 100mm BB, must be some ingenuity down there, any pics?
Or is there a spacer in the BB, the crank looks like it's further out than normal?
I suppose a SS/IG hub makes chainline easier not having to accommodate a granny gear.
It gets a thumbs up from me.
Anyone who commits to custom frame build gets my vote. You kinda know what you want, then the builder fills the gaps..
I would loose the mudguard, but then thats just a personal preference.
We now need pics of cheesy grins covered in Mud.
Chainstays are 430mm+-8mm - so yes, very short! It took a few goes to get a stiff enough design, here's the final version before tidying up:
[url= https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1491/25259104684_bd88c10179_z.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1491/25259104684_bd88c10179_z.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
How do you get the wheel out? Surely it gets stuck and has to be squeezed through?
Very Marmite.
How do you get the wheel out? Surely it gets stuck and has to be squeezed through?
Yes, tyre has to be partially deflated to get it in and out - though the 29+ wheels don't.
One thing I don't get: if you're going down the route of bolt-on dropouts, why not go for swingers and lose the EBB?
Because IME swingers ultimately compromise how far forward you can get the wheel which then dictates what size of tyre you can use. Ben installed swingers on my Cotic Solaris and they were a total pain. They're harder to adjust when you need to take chain growth up, this then led to them loosening off. I eventually just put big 8mm bolts on them and carried a large spanner in the toolkit. The EBB is super simple in comparison and the big bonus is that the frame was designed to fit 26+ 27.5+ & 29+....every size fits.
My thoughts on going down the interchangeable dropouts were....you can change them if you ever want to try something else...like normal gears, gates belt, single speed. In hindsight I'd probably just go with standard dropouts as there are several ways you can lock in the rohloff hub.
Or is there a spacer in the BB, the crank looks like it's further out than normal?
Yes, Middleburn make some 1mm spacers which I used to push it out enough. I opted for their slightly longer axle on the basis that I could fit spacers.
Nice.
Be prepared for some "character" to appear underneath the clearcoat
Very nice looking (to my eyes anyway), i like the "industrial" look to the brazing and the clear coat shows it off. I hope you got Ben's dinky little brass frame badge somewhere prominant 😀
Kinetics badge is yet to be installed...suitability on the head tube me thinks!