help! tell me don't need a fat bike

I know they’re slow and heavy and I’ll spend most of my time fixing punctures but they look like a right laugh

I know they’re slow and heavy and I’ll spend most of my time fixing punctures but they look like a right laugh

Heavy – yes
slow – put some effort in!
Punctures – no more than any other..
Right laugh – yep!

BUY ONE 😆

Dont do it…theyre fugly!

Hmmmm, you’re supposd to be putting me off. Extra effort isnt a problem, I already ride a rigid 29er singlespeed around Northumberland.

How many days did it snow round your way during 2013?
Do you live in a desert?

They are for circumnavigating the globe via the Gobi and Siberia not trundling around Hertfordshire for an hour and a half every other Sunday…

It’s a bit like buying a humvee to do the school run… Oh.

You don’t need one it’s not like we have any beaches in Northumberland for mile after mile with no one n them.

You don’t need a fat bike.
Very few people need a fat bike.

Do you want a fat bike?

Do I need a new road bike?

OK then –

I already ride a rigid 29er singlespeed

Get some bigger rims and tyres for that. Fat bikes are fun enough but so’s a BMX, a susser, a LT HT, for general riding I wouldn’t swap my rigid 29er with bigger tyres+rims for a fat bike. A fat front wheel on the 29er, a 29+ front tyre on a 50-60mm rim, maybe.

Or, just buy one and have fun, it’s what bikes are for. No one bike is perfect and change is good for perspective.

They are not just for circumnavigating the globe via the Gobi and Siberia not but also trundling around Hertfordshire for an hour and a half every other Sunday…

FTFY

P.S. Don’t listen to cookeaa as he/she’s obviously clueless 😀

It’s a bit like buying a humvee to do the school run… Oh.

Oddly enough, me and another dad at our kids’ school have hatched a plan to hire a humvee for the morning school run on the first day of next term. Sick and tired of the Range Rover/Discovery/XC90/name your oversized gas guzzling, two-car-park-space-taker-upper contest going on among the mums. So we are going to end this stupid argument once and for all – our car is bigger and badder and therefore better than everyone else’s’ so we must be better than everyone too.

Speaking of fat bikes. Go ride one. If you like it, buy it. I ride my OO Fatty more than the rest of my bikes combined.

You do need a fat bike. They’re not that heave and they’re not that slow.

You don’t need to live near a beach, they are pretty handy on the trails. I have found that my fitness has improved, especially on the hills since riding my fatty non stop!

Maybe just skip this fad and go large on the next one ?

Oddly enough, me and another dad at our kids’ school have hatched a plan to hire a humvee for the morning school run on the first day of next term. Sick and tired of the Range Rover/Discovery/XC90/name your oversized gas guzzling, two-car-park-space-taker-upper contest going on among the mums. So we are going to end this stupid argument once and for all – our car is bigger and badder and therefore better than everyone else’s’ so we must be better than everyone too.

I think you have some insecurity issues.

Saw a fat bike in the bike shop the other day and it looked great. What are they like for ‘normal, riding though.

What are they like for ‘normal, riding though.

About the most fun you’ll have with your clothes on.

I think you have some insecurity issues.

Who says I have security issues? Tell me their names ….

Fat bikes are remarkably normal to ride once you accept that you will work more on the climbs and your bunny hopping will not be quite as impressive. The OO Fatty has really neutral handling. Its the traction that is the thing though. Mob of us were traversing a steep slippery hillside a few weeks back and whereas everyone else bottled it and walked I was able to just skim straight across.

Gary – Sanny rides his round Mugdock pretty regularly and it doesn’t slow him down or limit what he can ride (much). He likes niche though 😆

What are they like for ‘normal, riding though.
About the most fun you’ll have with your clothes on.

But why though? Why is it any more fun than any other bike?

I saw the charge cooker maxi in Evans and it looked great. Tempted? Mmm possibly but unfortunately sense kicked in.

[Zafods’s analyst]it’s just a bike you know[/zafod’s analyst]

They are stupid fun.

I bought a Cooker Maxi on a whim, just for a bit of a laugh. I absolutely love it, hard to describe but it just makes you smile. It also changed my outlook a bit, altered where I found my fun a little. I now seek out steep horrible climbs as they are brilliant fun with the huge traction you get. Rocky single track decents are awesome too. Am I as fast on it as I am on my HT, probably not overall, but I am faster in some places. Am I enjoying riding it more, yes, I think I am. So much so that the cooker is now for sale and I’ve ordered a more posherer fatty. I think I will mostly ride the fat bike over anything else.

If you ride mostly natural stuff then you should try a fatty, it could make a lot of sense once you try it. If you mostly ride trail centres then its probably less of a good idea. But still fun. I’m looking forward to getting to Cannock or FOD to try it out.

Is it a fad, yes, does that make it less ace, no. Is claiming it being a fad and saying your too cool to ride one as bad as buying one because its a cool new fad, probably is. All bikes are ace and they are all fun to ride (Mostly). Riding inappropriate bikes is often more fun than riding an appropriate bike. If your in a race, then maybe your bike should be finely honed to the task in hand, but if your just dicking about then dick about on the bike that makes dicking about the most fun.

“…but if your just dicking about then dick about on the bike that makes dicking about the most fun. “

well said that man!

Cyclocross bikes, hybrids and fatbikes are a waste of garage space in my op, bearing in mind this is a mtb forum and most people on here own at least one hardtail, i dont see a point in expanding on that..

ill wait for the pitchforks. 😮

edit : if you genuinely race cyclocross you are excused

^^ please can we use d4nnyp’s answer for all similar questions in future

but if your just dicking about then dick about on the bike that makes dicking about the most fun.

Pretty much sums it up.

Charge Cooker Max vs On One Fatty thoughts please.

I have an OO Fatty, and have to say when it works it has been great.

The biggest weak parts on mine are/were the Avid 3s, the hubs and the softest paint known to man.

I’ve done a number of peaks rides on it, and it is a blast (even down stuff like the Beast). But with stock kit it wasn’t long before I broke it 🙁

I ended up going 2×10 on mine, and I’ve loctited the hubs too many times to count (they loosen off of their own accord, this just delays matters).

Was planning on throwing some Hope Fatsnos on before it snows this year, whilst braking was sorted early with some XTs (I have standardised my fleet so pads are interchangeable 🙂 )

Riding inappropriate bikes is often more fun than riding an appropriate bike

well said

No you don’t need a fatbike.
Just like you don’t need a hardtail/full suss/29er/ 26er/650ber/cross bike/downhill bike/trailbike/ enduro bike/singlespeed.
WTF does need have to do with it though.

If you want one and can afford it just stop pissing about and buy it.

cookeaa – Member

How many days did it snow round your way during 2013?
Do you live in a desert?

Yes, and you can only ride a mountain bike on a mountain.

So I’ve just ordered an On-One fatty this morning, will shortly be changing my user name to 40 smiles per gallon 😀

So I’ve just ordered an On-One fatty this morning

Any idea on delivery date?

Just like you don’t need a hardtail/full suss/29er/ 26er/650ber/cross bike/downhill bike/trailbike/ enduro bike/singlespeed.

Ridiculous. Everyone needs a singlespeed.

Everyone needs a singlespeed.

Yes. Especially the weak. The really lame weakest of the straw-legged weak need a SS fat bike.

Iainc – You know me so well! I am niche but only in the way of something making me smile more! Ha! Ha!

The limit on it is that is a rigid bike, not that it is a fat bike. For tech climbing challenges, it’s the best tool for the job. The traction is unbelievable. Despite the extra weight, the traction more than compensates for the heavier wheels. I know I can get up stuff that even on my 29er full susser, I would struggle on.

They are just FUN! That’s all you need to know. 😀