Fat Bikes

So, I’ve wanted a fat bike since i found out about them a few years ago, as with many things the are quite expensive so i have never actually ridden one, anyone have any experiences to share?

Great fun. I’ve had two on one fatties, bought a medium, bit too small so bought a large. It’s about to have a frame swap to a small for the missus. I’m on the look out for something with 5″ tyres as I live near the beach and also take wee nipper on a seat so need a bit more float.

Obviously don’t get one for road work but big tyres are great for dealing with little stuttery bumps and amazing traction.

Dunno but I love the turner- all these years of their bikes looking awful, it turns out they just needed mahoosive tyres.

Pretty much decided that if the Voodoo one has the same spec and price when it comes back into stock, I’m getting one, just to see.

Good for snow and sand, but they also work well on dust 🙂

don’t bother they are rubbish, no where near as much fun as an “ordinary” mtb

😉

Wow! is that Graham Agassiz?

helpful1 – Member
Wow! is that Graham Agassiz?

Is he the tennis player who married Steffi Graf?

My On One rocks my merino socks off.

Everything about them is “not as much as you expect”, they’re not as draggy, not as bump absorbing, and if pushed go sideways.

I bought an On-One Fatty when they first came out nearly 3 years ago. Its my most ridden bike since…

Rd, what’s on that sign your bike is up against, on the beach ?

Ridden and owned loads of fatbikes, they’re a laugh snd in the right conditions you can do rrally mental things thst will have you giggling like a small child. However like 29ers or singlepeeds there is a huge variety of bike geometry and design out there and some are judt big heavy slow turds. Slso don’t buy into the fatbikes are the best thing ever fanboy dribblings. They’re a good laugh, but still massively compromised for everyday use, unless you are happy to bimble and trundle. Best thought off as a landrover defender vs a subaru wrx, you’ll go places the suburu wont get to, but it wont be sideways and screamingly fast

unless you are happy to bimble and trundle

What bollox.

You can wind a fatty up and it flies along with the momentum of those big tyres.

The only bimbler and trundler is the pilot; if you don’t have the legs, you will be cruising.

They are OK

Everything happens a bit slower on one though

They ‘suffer’ most on off road climbing

They’re the safest bike to get you home from the pub on 🙂

Semi-fat ‘plus’ is the way forward 🙂 Best of both

Bought mine in august as a winter bike, but the full sus hasn’t seen a look in since…..
Great fun.

Not bollox at all, wind up a fatty and it hussles, just not as quickly as a properly ridden lighter faster more efficient bike. Like a singlespeed its a deliberaty chosen handicap, doesn’t make it any less valid or less fun, but at least be honest about it. In addition there may be odd fast fat rider out there, but most ive seen are chunky little monkeys and couldnt get a hustle on even if there was a sale at greggs 😀

Greggs are having a sale??? 😛

Also worth just reiterating, I like fatties, they’re a good laugh, the give a massive confidence boost, but even the superlight versions under some of the fastest riders in europe still only place mid pack in events like battle on the beach and tide to tide which should be a fat bikes forte. From meory best overall was 5th by gee a couple if years ago and mere mortals don’t go anywhere near as quick as him.

All true Tazz – ‘a chosen handicap’ as you well put – nothing ‘wrong’ with em – I wont be selling my Fat Boy anytime soon and it will be seeing more use come winter

loving mine – an OnOne Fatty.

Sold the Full Suss to fund improvements on the Fatty as was nor tiding it & hardly ride the old 26er at all now.

Now doing things on it that I hadn’t dreampt of before, eg just done the Lakeland 200 on it bike packing, 200km, 6500m up in 48 hours carrying all food, tent etc..

As for performance, it is faster in some areas (it loves cobble & rooty surfaces), Slower in others (very rocky down hills), allows you to ride where others struggle (bogs, beach snow).

climbing – I actually think they climb really well, especially where extra grip is required. Got a KOM the other day , Ok it was soft tussoky grass but still, dead chuffed, they can’t be that bad.

(don’t argue with Tazzy – you’ll never win – she (apparently) knows ……

OP. Definitely get a good ride on one or two before buying – I had an OO fatty and whilst it made me smile I always chose my fat fronted Jones instead which is the best compromise in my eyes

As for riding in bogs why on earth would I want to do that!

Far too much talk of “compromise” and “best of both” up there ^

Crazytalk, that’s not fat biking 😉

Am 10 months into fatty ownership and it’s still the go-to bike. Does its thing brilliantly and always raises a smile. Its the bike version driving a vw camper, fun, customisable, utilitarian, loadbearing and everyone waves back.

When on a ride that’s not it’s thing I take another bike.

Andy

+1..!!

if somebody is looking for “real” speed and effiency..
this is the wrong thread…

Don’t disagree – my point was try before you buy to make sure it’s your thing rather than they will give you automatic niche points 😉

I’ve been riding MTB’s since the 80’s and to me they’re the closest thing to a ‘mountain’ bike in that you can ride pretty well anything and everywhere – they’re compromised for certain conditions like everything else and tarmac isn’t a great idea. Mine is 26lbs and when I take it racing I get the ‘heavy and slow’ comments, particularly from those that have never ridden one. We have lots of loose sand in these parts – near impossible to ride on anything else and taking mine racing in the Arctic this winter.


I’ve also got a 29+ which is a rocket on prepared trails:

Nice looking !!

http://i.imgur.com/VWKmrPYl.jpg

What is it?

Fraser’s custom Titanium Full Fat bike from Waltly

Three years into Fat ownership and cant see me going back to skinny tyres
lots of smiles per mile
Yes they may be a little harder to get going on some surfaces but then you get a better workout I have lost 2 stones this year with lots of fat riding

Yes try before you buy for sure OP if your anywhere near Skipton then you are welcome to have a spin on one of mine .

Plus sizing my 29er has made it ace.
Still keen to try a full fat but reckon this is the best compromise.

Mine is slowly turning me into ‘that’ guy.

The guy who catches you up on the trail ao quickly it’s embarasing on a bike with no suspension.

Yesterday it was a couple on fully fluro Santa Cruz’s, today I caught up with a guy on a Mondraker, twice. The second time I was so embarrassed that i’d missjudged the time between us i stopped and pretended to play with tyre pressures.

I’m not saying the fatty is faster on A downhill track, but it’s a damn sight closer to £4k superbikes than a £600 bike with no suspension than is polite!

Slight thread hijack.

I want to get into bikepacking next year and I’m considering a fatty of some description for it.

Crap idea or on the right track?

Current contenders are:

On-One Fatty
On-One Fatty Trail
Genesis Caribou 2016

Anything else I should be looking at?

I’m liking the look of the Surly Wednesday bar the slightly long tt. That’s the only reason I’d choose the Pugs over it, but I just don’t want offset grr.

umm, well, I quite like mine. All of them!

So, it all started with an On One 2 years ago. That was sold today!

In the mean time I got my hands on a 9:zero:7 and got 80mm and 100mm wheelsets.

And now I have added a fatboy as a replacement for the On One!
Had a cracking ride at Swinley this morning 😆

I’ve decided 4.5″ & 5″ tyres are what I want 😉

I’ve spent the last few months riding a fat bike almost exclusively and am increasingly coming to the conclusion that for long and steep off road climbs, nothing can touch it. I was in the Cairngorms this week and was able to ride boulder fields that I wouldn’t have even contemplated before. On Rocky and steep descents, the traction and wide footprint made things even easier than on my full sus 29ers.

It’s never going to break speed records but then that’s not my reason for riding anyway. Descents are just plain fun on it. Lines appear that I may otherwise not even considered.

Put simply, they are great fun!

I ride a Pug. It does most things pretty well from my point of view. It’s not great at fast rocky descents and it is isn’t light – but I don’t find it slow uphill off road.

It’s great for bikepacking as long as you aren’t trying to break any records.

Serious question here: why don’t people like offset bikes? I like the look of the Wednesday too- but it’s the geometry and headset (can fit suspension forks) that attracts me, but the offset doesn’t seem like a deal breaker either way.

I know everyone says that its fine, but I still just prefer a normal wheel. I think it’s a psychological thing. I have a Moonlander too LOL. And there’s the fact that you can run normal rims on a symmetrical build too. And that you don’t have to deflate the tyres everytime you want to take the wheel out, have to do this on my Moonlander, usually just end up removing the brakes everytime to save a half hour of deflating and pumping them back up, not too sure if I should be constantly removing them though..

Not sure I understand the offset situation regarding fat bikes. Care to enlighten me?

Pugsleys were designed with offset chainstay/seatstays to use 135mm hubs as that was all that was really readily available at the time. This meant that a regular drivetrain could be fitted. When the Moonlander came out it used the same principle but with more offset for the bigger tyres. Since fat biking has gained in popularity fat specific hubs have made an appearance negating the need for offset frames and forks.

Pugsley owner here btw, loads of fun and makes me smile, wanted one as soon as I saw one. There isn’t any real need for it and its not replaced or indeed has became my favourite bike but it’ll be staying. I’d also say this of the Pug, that its only with the Wednesday coming out that my eye has been caught by another.

Gratuitous pic, apologies to all that have seen me post it a million times.
pugs comp 009 by Bigbroondug[/url], on Flickr

Bought this about 4 months ago, and I’m hooked….I’ve got two pretty special 29ers (Tallboy LTC/Carbine) but a trip out on the fatty just does something else.

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