I have every sympathy with anyone who tried a Pugsley and then decided fatbiking wasn’t for them.
Weird. Pugsleys just work as far as I can see. Ridden thousands of miles on mine.
My only bike is a Stooge Dirtbomb with 3” tyres. So plus rather than fat but it covers pretty much all riding with ease. Nice and chilled when on the roads and bridleways yet still hugely capable off road.
Pugsleys just work as far as I can see. Ridden thousands of miles on mine.
Sure, but they're definitely not for everyone, especially those looking for something a bit more like a standard trail bike.
Sure, but they’re definitely not for everyone, especially those looking for something a bit more like a standard trail bike.
Well I guess I’m all old and stuff, but part of the reason I like it is that when I got my Pug it felt like the way bikes used to feel before suspension, just with the ability to ride over all kinds of stuff very fast. I commuted on it, bike packed on it and rode it on our local trail centres. I have ridden other fat bikes since but I still rate the Pug. The best thing is it’s really comfy… for me.
Right, I’m off on ride on it right now.
Edited to stop the tears of internet wisdom.
Only sad ****ers !!
I ride mine a lot - it does everything well enough and is lots of fun. My better half uses one as her main mtb. It's amazing how much attention the bikes still get, it seems like they are a niche item once again...
addy6402
Full MemberIt’s amazing how much attention the bikes still get, it seems like they are a niche item once again…
It feels like you get more now than a few years ago... I got mine 5 years ago just at the point where they were starting to get more mainstream, turning up in Halfords and the like and a year or two after that was probably Peak Fatbike, it was definitely less of a novelty for folks. Now it seems like we're back to the point where they're oddball. Not sure if I prefer it or not but it'd been ages since anyone shouted WHAT ARE THOSE at me
If you want folk to ignore the tyres, just fit Pogies.
I ride my stooge MK3 with a 3.8" up front and 3" in the rear for all my riding. I'm no Joe Barnes, but it's not really my intention. I truly believe the majority of weekend warriors only need a rigid fat or plus bike for the majority of the riding they do but unfortunately fall for the marketing of long, low, slack and lots of travel. Its probably the same for a lot of gravel riders, They'd probably all be more comfortable and have more fun on a rigid plus or fat bike bike in my view. Each to there own...
Guilty. Although I am living in the US so it may not count….
I bought a new Farley this year as it seemed most options were being discontinued.
Definitely bikes that add some fun to any ride. Wouldn’t be too upset if it was my only mountain bike, although I would likely add some front suspension at that point.
Me. Mine is being repurposed as an expedition bike ie tying my camping kit on it. Its still the most fun bike I have ridden.
Yup, still use mine regularly, plus wintertime it's my main bike for most riding.
It's the bike I reach for, for anything local. Love it.
Kona Wozo here Really good confidence inspiring bike compensates for my lack of skill well. Not so good at compensating for my lack of fitness though.
Ooooooh! Me!
Riding my 2015 Ice Cream Truck and it is very much my mountain bike of choice. It is super comfy, handles well and is terrific on steep and techy mountain terrain. It is still the best climbing bike I have ever ridden. It is definitely niche but it makes me smile every time that I ride it.
I'm still on the original drivetrain despite thousands of kilometres under its' belt. The outer chainring is more round than pointy though.
It even fixtures in the next issue of the mag for a piece I did about bikerafting in Knoydart which was an absolute hoot!
Cheers
Sanny
And me.
Me too. Sometimes I skinny down to a 29+ stooge but mostly the ICT or Fatboy.
Just fun to ride, not serious. Spent plenty of years being serious and racing and stuff. Not any more!
And still quite a bunch of us around the New Forest on fatties all the time - about a dozen if everyone comes out to play 😁
I don't even "still" ride a Fatbike... I came to Fatbiking during the pandemic, saw a cheap Specialized Fatboy in my size in nearly new condition on Facebook classifieds whilst there was snow on the ground and a brief travel window just after Christmas, and snapped it up!
I've spent years riding with people who'd all jumped on the bandwagon, mostly trying to understand why they were riding bikes that were adding a huge amount of uncontrollability into the riding that we were doing (fast paced trail riding, bordering on more "Enduro" type of riding) and seeing them mostly cause a lot of issues, but the riders usually with a huge grin on their face. I'd ridden various fatbikes briefly, and dismissed them as merely a toy.
However... Given the opportunity and plenty of snow on the ground, I bought mine as a temporary "adult sledge" effectively, to get my jollies on for a few weeks whilst there was plenty of snow about, and had every intention of selling it when the snow melted.
I still own it... OK, I don't ride it all that often, but I use it like others use a gravel bike quite a lot (local gentle XC loops, especially if they go via a pub), and have found it's genuinely a lot more useful than I thought it would be. Mine's a rigid "full fat" (it'll take 4.8" tyres) which helps (I'm not sold on narrower tyres for FatBikes, or suspension necessarily, the bigger the better!), as does the fact my mate I ride with locally on his super light and fast Niner SIR9 we built him as a "flat bar gravel" bike effectively isn't quite as quick as me (despite my current lack of fitness), so riding 4.8" Jumbo Jim's when he's on 2.25" Thunder Burts is fine as its a good leveller for the two of us.
I even found an old externally routed Reverb that was 90% of the way to the bin and got it rebuilt and refreshed, and have fitted it, so it's actually half decent off road now too!
For what it owes me, I'll probably hold onto it indefinitely. It could go in the loft until the next snow storm comes and I wouldn't miss the cash, but as it is, I've been genuinely surprised with how much I've wanted to ride it and how much fun it is to ride, even when it's not snowing! 👍🏻
