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A reply to TJs post?
I see that fat bikes come with differing levels of fat of 4" or 5". What would be the optimum size of tyres for Scottish winter slushy mud conditions? - I've got the Pentlands on my doorstep these days...
I'm 100% fat and can't see that changing any time soon.
My sub-12kg fat bike:
I could easily shed another kg.
I've got a burlier one too, but if I weighed it I'd be forced to spend lots of money. So I won't.
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[url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/druidh2000/49090832057/ ]P1060214[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/22384952@N02/ ]Colin Cadden[/url] - [url= https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.dariogf.flickr2BBcode ]Flickr2BBcode[/url]
A reply to TJs post?
Ah yeah, didn’t look that far back!
In addition to tyre size, there's the whole axle/BB size issue. Personally, I'd go Large. 100mm rims are now rarer than ever so you are into 80-83mm and that will take both 4" and 5" tyres. 190/197 rear end. My new Nutrail is on 4.4" compared to 4" previously and I'm finding no downside.
Hi, if you want it in aluminium, not for a while, if you can stretch to titanium we make one now. Our BowTi frame comes in both axle sizes.
Thanks for the reply, I was mainly looking for a cheap aluminum frame, so missed that the Ti one came with different rear axle spacing. It's a bit out of my price range at the moment, maybe one day...
5" and 100mm rims is the obvious choice for proper* snow. My bikes a 170mm QR and a 4.8 Minion fits on an 80mm rim. With 1x drive chains there isn't a huge amount of difference, with 2x you need a wider BB and axle to keep the chain away from the tyre.
Like most things fatbike there isn't a best, best is probably a 2.6" tyre on a 40mm rim! You're just picking a compromise and sticking with it. Just like normal tyres a wider one weighs a little more and drags** a little more but has more float and grip.
*as in groomed and compacted North American fatbike trails, nothing floats on fresh snow.
**debatable and probably depends on the surface.
thisisnotaspoon
...nothing floats on fresh snow.
Not even 5.6" tyres at 0psi. He has a fair go at it, but that rate of energy consumption isn't going to take you very far.
I've got a set of 120mm rims, but I have never got round to building them because we haven't had that much snow in recent years and I grudge the price of the oversize tyres.
I've been saying for years that an 8" tyre is what is needed for fresh snow, but that would be difficult to accommodate in anything you'd want to pedal.
I think for sufficient flotation a recumbent quad makes more sense because there's no start up balance issues and more surface area of tyre to spread the load, plus there's less likely to be porpoising because of body movement. Maybe one day I'll get round to building one.
Yes I get asked a lot for Henderson in 197mm, its in the pipeline but unfortunately not until later next year.