First couple of fat bike rides…

I’m visiting family without my own bike, so someone borrowed me a fat bike to use, a Specialized Fatboy with 4.6″ tyres.  We did a couple of rides on sandy/stony/rooty singletrack very reminiscent of Swinley, but shorter and less armoured surface.  I’d never ridden a fat bike before.

First ride I had 4 in the front at 6 in the back (I’m 88kg) and second ride I dropped them to 3.5 and 4.5 respectively.  The bike was overall not too slow.  It was certainly slower on smooth stuff than a normal rigid bike, but on rougher stuff it slowed down less.  However when the terrain got rocky and rooty enough I was bounced about a lot.  The handling was ok at lower speed, but above a certain speed I found that the gyroscope effect became noticeable and high speed chicanes were tricky.  I barrelled into a series of corners and was completely unable to steer enough and ended up in the trees.. fortunately the brakes were good.

On loose climbs it was great as I expected.  I could stand up and pedal on stuff that would have had me spinning out.  I did a semi-steep drop into a chute with the saddle dropped, and the bike was very sketchy over the front but I suspect this was the geometry of that particular bike, with a steep HA.

Overall the bike was okay, but definitely slower and not as much fun on windy singletrack as a proper bike.  Although the locals here in Wisconsin like the fact they are slow because you work harder and receive less windchill so you don’t get so cold.

How did Wiscon sin, boy?

How did Wiscon sin?

He stole a brand New Jersey

That’s how he did sin.

so someone borrowed me a fat bike

LENT you a fat bike. LENT you. FFS!!!

Anyroadup – those are VERY low pressures for normal terrain. It’s no wonder you felt it was hard work and you were getting lots of undamped rebound.

Sounds like “meh” would be a good summary? 🙂

Pressures sound very low. I’m 72kgs and I have 7/8/9 in 4.0″ and a bit less in 4.8″ tyres.  I’m surprised you weren’t pinging the rims off the rocks!

tempting to go low and get that magic carpet ride, but you lose your connection ot the ground.  scariest aspect for me with too low pressures is steep downhill corners: try and brake into a turn and the braking force pulls the tyre straight on against your turning force. no enough ridigdity in the tyre to transmit the turning force.  maybe this is what you were experiencing?  I would guess that migh be behind the sketchiness on the drop as well?  I ride rocky rooty/rubbly tracks and steep/traversy/twisty loamy singletrack on a Singular Puffin.  Don’t know how different it is to ride to the Specialized.

Try again with 7/8 in f/r?

Sure it was gyroscopic effect? Not just pressures so low that you turned the wheel and the tyre carried on in the same direction? Self steering (which is the opposite, the tyre wanders off pulling the wheel with it) is a problem at low pressures.

The wheels certainly feel heavier, but they’re not that much heavier than older DH wheels and tyres, certainly nowhere near enough to be“completely unable to steer” at high speeds.

The fatboy is also very steep and old-skool which probably doesn’t help.

LENT you a fat bike. LENT you. FFS!!!

Borrowed one on his behalf, no?

+1 for trying more pressure, I do 4 for really soft stuff, 8-9 for normal riding. Similar weight.

Opened this thread with the expectation of seeing the phrase ” grinning like a loon”

Is disappoint.

Yep, pressures sound a bit low to me.

I’m a fat biffa and need 8 – 11 depending on the weather and where I’m riding.

Anything outwith that range, either above or below,  goes all draggy / wobbly / weird self steery

I’m 105kg and tend to run 5-6 in 4.8’s – any more than that and I feel like I’m being pinged around like a pinball.

Those pressures are low.

I run anything from 5.5 front / 6.5 rear psi when wanting supply ride and if I have loads of road sections then I go for 7 psi front / 8 psi rear.

4″ tyres and racing snake on board.

so someone borrowed me a fat bike to use,

i almost couldn’t read past this but 3.5 psi is sand dunes pressure, trail riding for me weighing 14st is 8 front 10 rear, adjusted for temps.

Can only agree with the tyre pressure comments. I’m 73KG and I run 8psi front and 9psi rear on 48″ Jumbo Jims. Any lower and they feel horrific…

Tom has it. Someone borrowed it from it’s owner on my behalf. The person I know did not lend it to me since it wasn’t his. I’m not an idiot, although perhaps ‘borrowed for me’ would have made that clearer.

Probably the tyres were too low. I lowered them after the first ride though because I was getting bounced all over the place. I was on cheap flat pedals though and non-biking shoes which didn’t help. Would’ve been ok with SPDs I suppose.

My Puffin rides like a big squishy version of a Cotic Soul. Those pressures are Iditarod pressures. 🙂

I lent mine to a mate who didn’t enjoy it. Each to their own but Fatties do tend to take a bit of moulding to ones taste. Even then some folk just don’t get on with them. But they are different in a number of ways. My lads On-One Fatty is nothing like my Puffin.

Ah – someone borrowed a fatbike for you. Or even lent it to someone for you.

Probably the tyres were too low. I lowered them after the first ride though because I was getting bounced all over the place. I was on cheap flat pedals though and non-biking shoes which didn’t help. Would’ve been ok with SPDs I suppose.

I mostly use flats – and not even specific MTB soles. When there’s a lot of hikey-bikey then it’ll be walking boots. In winter, usually walking boots or snowshoe boots. Likely it’s just a familiarisation issue.