[Closed] Would you buy a (new) fatbike for ~£1k?

So far I can only comment on the Juggernauts, but I have Floaters and a Fat b Nimble to try out. The Kenda's seem to roll fairly well off road, plus they are so much lighter than the others. I'm also running them at around 9psi, may try dropping the front pressure next ride out. That being said, on hardpacked flat bridleways I do notice drag but have just assumed this is a fat phenomenon. Will be interesting to see how a heavier Floater, for example, holds up on the same flat sections.

I've been revelling in off camber 'rut' grip recently, and rolling up curbs at bad angles is also being taken in their stride.

I haven't been out on anything other than perfectly dry trails yet but I'd be surprised if they hold up too well with such a shallow tread profile.

Not looking forward to the mud though, I'll be adding a kilo of tyre weight when I swap over.

If rolling resistance is a measure of how easily the carcass deforms over the drum, then I'd actually expect the difference to be even more marked off road as each little bump is like a miniature drum that the tyre has to deform over.

Yes, I guess that's right. I was questioning the fact that higher pressures were more efficient as I think that only applies to a smooth surface. But the comparison between the tyres at the same pressure should still be valid off road I guess. As you say, it's mostly a measure of how much energy is lost in deflecting the carcass.

Did they test and 4.8" tyres? I couldn't find any, but it would be interesting to see a comparison between the JJ 4.0 and 4.8, for example.

Fresh goods Wednesday, received my Aeffect crank and Absolute Black oval ring today - initially chuffed that they both turned up at same time only to find that Sham69 have bloody sent me 170mm cranks over the 175mm i ordered.

I HATE sending stuff back. Should I live with the 170s and revel in significantly less rock strikes?

Changing (back) to shorter crank arms won the Giro for Nibali.

Though not on a fat bike.

bet you'd be absolutely fine with the 170's. Possibly better off than with 175s. Unless you're really tall?

I'd keep em. but then bought 170 aeffects in the first place.

Which are all sorted with correct spacers and torque and staying put. Cheers NW!

Took my oof out for its first play in ages (been playing on my 29er and orange five too much lately) forgot how much fun it was. First time with new tyre combo. Swapped from Nate front and rear to Jumbo Jim (thanks Northwind) with Nate up front. Bike felt fantastic, much more nimble. Jim was just about predictable in the wet sloppy stuff with just enough grip to get the back end sliding just enough with loads of grip on the dry bits. Think I finally have my favourite tyre combo. Chuffed.

I just wanted to thank the positive contributors to this thread. My fatbike deliberations finally came to an end last weekend with a Calibre Dune purchase. For a casual rider like me and a Whyte 146 in hand I could not justify spending over £1000 on a fatboke but came close with Scott Big Jon and Specialised Fatboys etc not to mention onOnes and Charges etc. However having just lifted up a Dune in store, I was surprised at its light weight. I have no issues with the spec save the brakes could o with more bite. Couldn't believe how well it rolled with 15-20 psi, and of course the stability and balance are great. I'm now experimenting with lower pressures but really couldn't b happier with this as a fun fatbike choice. I am only 5'7" with a 28/29 inseam so the oft criticised medium geometry is actually perfect for me. £500 for this bike with discount? One of the best decisions I ever made. Are bikes costing 3 times as much 3 times better? Who cares, I will have a ball with the Dune and will enjoy limited depreciation as a result. Thanks chaps.

Are bikes costing 3 times as much 3 times better?

Enjoy fatb450 - it's a real bargain when considering smile per pound ratio. I've blown a couple hundred extra on mine and it's pretty much in a spec I'd choose off the shelf now, for way less than £1000 - which in today's terms remains a bargain.

Yep, fatb450, I was in the same position and bought the Dune 6 months ago. Have now put a Thomson lay back 420mm seat post in and have a set of Deere brakes to go on. But it's a great ride unmodified and I've followed the 1x10 discussions here but the gears work fine so ok for me and I'm old and enjoy the granny gear. One essential is a full bottle of slime in each tyre!

Anyway get out and ride the bloomin' thing, life's not all about the Strava times...

Although, I've set half a dozen strava pb's in the last couple of weeks.. Up [i]and[/i] down hill..

Mind you, I am a bit crap. Beginning to wonder if my super 650b needs selling and the fat bike treated to a set of light wheels and be done with it.

Possibly silly question for fellow Jumbo Jim owners...
Does the tyre carcass slightly bulge out in-between each of the outermost lugs on your set?

Another silly question for SV13F inner tube users...
Do you find they lose quite a bit of pressure over time? I pumped my rear 13F and front 13J to 30 PSI to help seat the beading of the JJs, maybe ~4 weeks ago, checked the pressures yesterday morning and they had dropped to ~18/25 PSI respectively.

Rode for the first time in a while yesterday morning, not been feeling too good health wise for must be ~2 months, I expected to have been bike commuting since around early April but it never happened! Not just health, but also paranoia of something happening to the Wazoo when locked up all day (quick release wheelset and those pricey JJ tyres), plus the Nexus 7 tablet free wi-fi on the bus with a £5 weekly ticket has make bus commuting far more palatable since Xmas.

But even my my currently very bike unfit state, I could really notice how much easier tarmac riding was on the JJs at 30PSI, compared to the default Mission Commands at 20PSI. Even so, the bike feels badly geared by default (probably not helped by my current fitness levels), the 38T large chainring makes anything smaller than the 20T sprocket practically impossible on the tarmac flats.

I've found JJs fine on the road (and that's at normal low pressures). No different to my skinny bike.

I find pressure is very temp sensitive at low psi, bout of warm weather in December made my tyres a lot harder

I think I've also experienced some temperature effects although bear in mind that I'm very new to this fatibike malarky. My first ride on the new Ice Cream Truck, with 4.8" J tyres was at the weekend when it was hot and even though I was running low pressures (down to 6psi rear and 4psi front at some points) they felt harder than I'd expect. Then last night (back to more normal temperatures) they felt nice and soft at 7/6 psi (rear/front).

I'm still getting what I can only describe as weird moments with them though. Not sure if it is just a general fatbike thing, something specific to this bike or these tyres or some problem that I need to address with the build.

It's not a big deal and 99% of the time they are fine. In fact, they are always fine on soft ground, when climbing and on any technical descent. But sometimes when I'm just riding along on the flat or freewheeling down a gentle slop I'll get a very brief WTF moment when it just does it's own thing for a fraction of a second. Almost as if something is loose, although I'm pretty sure it's not.

I'm not sure whether it is just the big tyres catching on small ruts in the trail (it only seems to happen on hardpacked sections of trail), but it's a little disconcerting.

There is quite a big difference between the central and the side knobs as well, which I think can make the steering feel a bit too active. Lean the bike slightly to make a turn and those side knobs seem to catch and pull you into the turn a bit more. It's not extreme and maybe I'm just being too sensitive (with it being a new bike and all that) but I didn't notice it with the Bud/Lou combo on the bike I tested a while back. Mind you, the JJs are a lot faster.

fatb450 - Member

Are bikes costing 3 times as much 3 times better?

My dune costs pretty much 3 times as much as a new dune. And no, it's not 3 times better 😆 TBH £20 or so for tubeless, maybe £70 or so for brakes, will give really good vfm upgrades but after that it's diminishing returns imo

Ride it and enjoy it. The good thing about the Dune is it can be upgraded in many ways and the frame/wheels can take it. Otherwise I worry less about abusing it when it hasn't cost a fortune...

I do have one KOM on it but I was only the third person to do that segment 😕

Calibre Dunes down to £492.99 today! 😯

Go through Topcashback for 7.7%, making it ~£455. 😉

http://www.topcashback.co.uk/gooutdoors/

38T large chainring makes anything smaller than the 20T sprocket practically impossible on the tarmac flats.

Hmmm.

I fitted gears to my Puffin last night, been riding SS up til now, 32:19. Been getting up the hills fine, but a couple of the downhills near me are more fun pedalling out the geary hardtail.

Long ride tomorrow, as long as today's inexplicable little niggle in the hip goes away. only narrow wide ring I had spare was 38T. rarrh. 38:36 lowest is still a load lower than the SS ratio, so should be grand. Might not be quite so grand getting back over the Weald after 70 miles though!

roverpig said: I'm still getting what I can only describe as weird moments with them though.

At low pressures the self steer becomes more noticeable as the tyre distorts, but you also notice it in ruts, cambers etc. if it's doing it loads you might need a bit more pressure?

Northwind said: I'm not sure about these SV13Fs, they don't seem to fill the tyre nicely, if that makes any sense?

I think you're right, they don't have as much meat to shape the tyre, but LBS sorted my JJs not seating properly with them - 30psi and lots of soap. £12 for the pair to save 500g over the standard tubes mind, I'll take that!

My OO Fatty is creaking so much it's driving me nuts.

Happens only when pedaling, with both pedals, when stood up or sat down.

I've replaced the BB, it and the pedal threads are greased, what else could it be?

Rear quick release?

did the noise change at all after switching BB? check its not your stem/headset - mine was creaking like a scotsmans wallet last night as I applied pressure to handlebars during climbs - sounded like it was coming from seatpost/BB area at first!

Chain ring bolts worth a check too, one of the sources of a previous creak I experienced for about a month before I finally found it.

Rear quick release?

Hope (so not likely)

slimjim78 - Member
did the noise change at all after switching BB? check its not your stem/headset - mine was creaking like a scotsmans wallet last night as I applied pressure to handlebars during climbs - sounded like it was coming from seatpost/BB area at first!

No, if anything it may be slightly worse, so it's not the BB and whatever it is is getting worse and has been for the last 100miles or so. BB was notchy, but had no play.

I'll drop the forks out and look, the headset's never been quite right so that's not a bad suggestion.

thv3 - Member
Chain ring bolts worth a check too, one of the sources of a previous creak I experienced for about a month before I finally found it.

I changed the BB on mine thinking the creaking meant it was shagged, New BB, same creak. Check chainring bolts, nip up slack, not creaked since. Reinstalled old BB

Mine was creaking for ages and I just couldn't find out where it was coming from. After the umpteenth time striping, greasing and tightening everything, it turned out it was a bit of dirt on the Pawls in the freehub!

Those Maxxis Mammoth EXOs are now £30 at PX, Vee Missions are £20 at OnOne.

Need some security for your fatbike? PX have the perfect thing, http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/BLKNSJFCH/knog-straight-jacket-fatty-chain-lock 😉

Finally got the Dune set up 1x10 - need to tweak the set-up as im struggling to get it to change up from top gear whilst keeping remaining changes slick, plus also dropped the chain over cassette and into spokes on first climb, but, other than that its Sooooo much nicer to ride now.
Jury's out on oval ring, feels nice and smooth, seems to be nice to climb with and winched up everything, but not sure I could pass the Pepsi challenge with it. Looks ace though. 30T is plenty close to the chainstay too, not sure it would take a 32T on this crank set-up.

[URL= http://i968.photobucket.com/albums/ae168/keepitsteel/C08CEC6C-0645-4B62-8FC7-24BBE5BE24BF_zpsqzjqo0d5.jp g" target="_blank">http://i968.photobucket.com/albums/ae168/keepitsteel/C08CEC6C-0645-4B62-8FC7-24BBE5BE24BF_zpsqzjqo0d5.jp g"/> [/IMG][/URL]

Took the dune out last night for a spin in the local hills for first time in a good couple of months, never fails to put a smile on my face, pound for pound best value bike Ive purchased,I was lucky enough to have a set of slx brakes, reverb dropper, set of fatbar lites all from a previous build lying around, made all the difference to the bike, finding the 2x8 more than adequate...only problem Ive had was trying to get them tubeless, could get them inflated but never seemed to stay up overnight, may give that another go.

"10JUNE16" promo code gets 10% off at Go Outdoors, reduces Calibre Dune price to ~£521, if you go via Topcashback you get a further 7.7% discount making it ~£480.

Halfords' Ebay store is listing both sizes of the Voodoo Wazoo available, http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VooDoo-Wazoo-Fat-Bike-Bicycle-26-x-4-Tyre-16-Speed-Alloy-Frame-Mud-Snow-Sand-/201373335552

PX are doing promo prices on the Fatty bikes...

Standard Fatty at £699.

Carbon forked Fatty £799.

Just taken the plunge and got a Dune using the offer above (although not sure if the topcashback link worked on my account - edit, it did).

First bike I've had in ages, looking forward to getting it and taking it for a spin...and then adding one or two upgrades 🙂

Loving my Wazoo, great fun. Looking at slowly upgrading it. I'm looking at the On-one carbon forks http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/FOOOCFAT/on-one-carbon-fatty-fork Pity they don't come in black & green.

btw has anyone had any experience with the RST Renegade fork as opposed to a Bluto?

dahedd, that fork will not naturally work with your Wazoo front wheel, they have different disc spacing. You will either need to get a Rear Disc Spaced front wheel, or lathe down the brake mounts by 4.8mm like (kayak23?) did {which sounds risky to me, albeit far cheaper than a new wheel}.

Never knew about that RST fork, will google-fu it now!

PX have put the Fatty Trail frame down to £100.

On One Floater tyres are down to £20.

Sadly, it appears that the custom (including a few fat hub variations) Hope wheels at Chain Reaction don't qualify for the "HOPE10" promo code.

Halfords' Ebay store has 8+ Voodoo Wazoo is stock in both 18" and 20" flavours at £499.

Well done Creg with taking the plunge, a Dune for ~£480 is a great buy, enjoy!

That's a pity those forks won't fit, quite a bargain. I reckon I'll pick up a new set off bars though. I'm getting a, sore back as the seating position is totally different to my Stumpjumper, wider riser bars would rectify the problem.

Well as much as the lathing option sounds risky to me, kayak23 appears to be still alive after doing this mod a few months back to make his original front wheel work with the Carbon fatty Fork. 😉

Another option is the Exotic carbon fork, it's not as light (~600g vs ~1000g), but it is Front Disc Spaced. http://www.carboncycles.cc/?s=0&c=105&p=1780&tb=001

Not fatbike specific, but the Knuckleball bars are down to £40.

Thinking about a £20 El Guapo short stem to go with above, partly because something seems odd with my On One 80mm 35 degree stem currently installed on the Wazoo, the allen bolts seem to be working themselves partially loose every time I use the bike for commute (trying not to get paranoid about someone messing with my bike, it's probably me not using my torque wrench and guesstimating badly). But also the Knuckleballs are a bit wider than default bars at 747mm and I've never had a stem <80mm as far as I can remember.

thread lock?

I really like my knuckleball on my Dune. I have the 777mm one.

The El Guapo stem is super stiff, just not available quite long enough for me.Quite a chunky beast too. Like me.

The strange thing is, that 35 degree stem was good as gold when on my Felt F5C from ~2010, I've only experienced the bolts loosening a little recently since commuting on the Wazoo.

I could be wrong, but I really vaguely recall getting some rust-proof (titanium?) bolts years ago, maybe I've messed up some of the thread? I should undo the bolts and look at the threads and if they look fine, tighten to ~6nm using my torque wrench.

Regarding El Guapo stem, I'm not sure I'm brave enough to go 35mm, but I might do 45mm, the longest version available for 20 squids.

I have a good as new 35mm available if feeling any braver?

Nice link to the Carbon Cycles page. I've bookmarked it for future. Like the forks & the bars.

n0b0dy0ftheg0at - Member
Well as much as the lathing option sounds risky to me, kayak23 appears to be still alive after doing this mod a few months back to make his original front wheel work with the Carbon fatty Fork.

Indeed. C'est moi!
The brake mod works brilliantly. Not touched it since and I can confirm that I am to all intents and purposes, alive.

Touching disc
[img] [/img]

Milled out with a woodworking router.
[img] [/img]

Job's a goodun.
[img] [/img]

slimjim78 - Member
I have a good as new 35mm available if feeling any braver?

I've still yet to place an order (I swear I'm getting more indecisive as I get older!) and if I do, I want to find something constructive to get the order over £50 for free postage... So I'll give you a shout if interested, but if you find a home for it elsewhere, don't hang about waiting for me. 8)

Nay bother, it's just hanging on the wall as a nice spare part so won't be heading anywhere.

Nice mod Kayak.

Has anyone tried a different fork on their Dune yet?

Be that carbon, or Bluto or anything else? I'm still enjoying being back on a rigid bike but wondering if any harshness could be removed with a decent carbon fork.
I nearly bid on a good as new chinese set on eBay a couple weeks ago but the lister mentioned that they were very light and possibly not best used in anger(!). I think they were around 650g mark.