Do fat bikes really make you fit?

Or just encourage you to ride lazily? I reckon that’s the case- the guy on the big build just can just about keep on the flat, but won’t really try and put the hammer down on the ups- he’ll just say he’s saving himself for the downhills.

exceptions excepted.

A fat person on a fat bike will not get fit.

i am saving myself for the downs….

djglover

will a thin person on a fat bike get fit then??

If a fat bike falls in the woods and nobody hears it does that mean it’s not…..

I’ve never got fitter than riding my Turner DHR up hills. It has helped me a lot with time trialling. It gives you a lot of power, especially if you have one big ring.

i am also saving myself for the downs

Why would you want to ‘put the hammer down’ on the ups?

Is it a race?

😛

i was born for the downs.. 8)

interesting Alwyn, I really wouldn’t have thought that you’d get much benefit from that for tt’ing.

Riding alot will get you fit no matter what you ride, i mean 4,5,6 times a day, if you do this you’ll hardly notice the weight you’re dragging around, then lighten the bike and see the difference.

4,5, 6, times a day

That seems, erm, excessive. No wonder I’m not getting any faster 🙁

Sharki, that’s probably not going to be very good for you at all if I understand you correctly.

What I’m saying is that riding a heavy bike doesn’t encourage people to try their hardest- if your on a light bike it’s like driving a sports car- the bike encourages you to try. In a similar way that having a big bike encourages you to push harder downhill, but the terrain may be ridable equally quickly on Spark, fro example.

activeDuty – Member
Sharki, that’s probably not going to be very good for you at all if I understand you correctly.

What I’m saying is that riding a heavy bike doesn’t encourage people to try their hardest- if your on a light bike it’s like driving a sports car- the bike encourages you to try. In a similar way that having a big bike encourages you to push harder downhill, but the terrain may be ridable equally quickly on Spark, fro example.

I see where your coming from. But i find that when I’m on the heavy bike i just try harder up hills to try and beat people on light bikes, gives you such a sense of achievement.

Then when i go to my XC bike even though it isn’t "that" light it feels like it is fully carbon super bike.

The only way it’s not good for me is that the more i ride the more likely and closer i am to my next hospital trip, it also means i have no socail life outside riding……..i see your point.

I understand your statement more now, yeah! for those not motivated to get fitter, then heavier bikes are unlikely to get you fitter like a lighter bike would, but at least they’re out there riding, so they’ll be getting fitter than the idol lot out there.

Just ride!

Effort is what makes you fitter. When riding on my own I will generally push harder on my lighetr bike. It rewards effort I guess?

With my mates I tend to ride the heavier bike (36 lbs vs 28 lbs). I have to work my ass off to keep up. If I ride my light bike I either keep up no bother or wait around a lot.

Doesn’t matter what weight of bike you’re riding, it’s the effort you put in that counts.

If I’m not reasonably fit, I can’t ride my heavy bike up hills and I like cleaning technical climbs. Also can’t ride it for 4+hrs at a time without some fitness.

It may not get me fit per se, but I have to stay fit to enjoy it 🙂