Steel fatbike frames – what's out there?

Sup.

I’ve got a Calibre Dune at the moment.

Dune under by Kayak23[/url], on Flickr

It is just a fantastic bike. Can’t fault it one bit…..but, you know how it is….

I love steel frames. Got a Production Privee and a Cotic. It’s steel all the way for me, so at some point I’d love to swap the Dune frameset for a steel one.

The look of skinny steel tubes accentuated by those fat tyres is great I think. Like this Stooge (which I’m not sure is out there yet?)

So, what’s out there? Any boutique brands kicking about I might not have on my radar?

Anything that can avoid huge weight penalties? Anything that’ll allow a straight swap of components from the Dune you know of?

Cheers.

Charge Cooker Maxi (like what I’ve got). They don’t make them any more but there appears to be stock knocking about.

Singular Puffin, no idea if it’s light or not but it’s probably one of the more ‘Boutique’ steel options and looks like a steel bike should, not sure if it’s still available new.

Anything by Surly, the Wednesday is their ‘trail’ fat bike (the rest being more ‘expedition’ biased).

The Stooge looks cool, dunno if it’ll ever see production, seems like the Fat bubble has passed and there hasn’t been much in the way of new frames from anyone for a while.

What’s your budget? Shand and BTR have both done custom builds. If I had the money I’d really like to see if Curtis could do one!

The Stooge is a thing of beauty (friend is lucky enough to have a ti one), the Surly ones all tend to be steel also.

LHT will allow almost complete swap of Dune parts, I think, but ain’t light.

(I like steel too but there’s a lot of metal in a fatbike…)

I had my Chinese-built custom titanium frame built for less than the price of a Surly ICT. At least standards have settled down in terms of 150mm fork and 197mm through-axle rear that copes with all available tyre sizes.

LHTICT will allow almost complete swap of Dune parts, I think, but ain’t light.

FTFY (I presume?)

Surly ICT. Steel, a bundle of laughs and uses the same 197/150 “standard” and the Dune. Mine (Large) is also probably going up for sale soon after I upgraded to a carbon fibre Dude. No, you’re right, it wasn’t really an upgrade, but it’s done now 🙂

Crap, yes, that’s what I meant. ING at TLAs

http://webshop.singularcycles.com/en/Products/Singular-Puffin.html

I’ve got a mk1 Puffin. I like it. Not super light, but about what you’d expect from a steel fatbike frame.

Ritchey Commando, I think there were some discounted recently.

@ RP – I still think you should swap back and sell the Dude 😉

@ RP – I still think you should swap back and sell the Dude

So do I, some days. That’s why I never actually get round to listing it 🙂 The Dude would be worth more and if I spent that on some trick parts for the Truck the weight difference would be smaller. Plus, I still think the truck looks great. I’ll probably just do my usual trick of swithering on here until somebody makes me an offer for one or the other and makes my mind up for me though 🙂

I was out on my Pugs yesterday. Yes it is heavy but I always come back smiling. Surly seem to have that effect on me.

(I like steel too but there’s a lot of metal in a fatbike…)

I thought it was a similar amount, just further apart… 😀

I like the look of the Surlys, but they look very expedition orientated, the ones I’ve seen at least with hundreds of luggage mounts.

What’s your budget? Shand and BTR have both done custom builds

Well, I’m just pondering so don’t really have one however, my budget is usually interest free credit 😉

I’ve not seen the BTR but if it’s like their hardtail with the mahoosive brace at the headtube, I’m not really a fan.

Cannot recommend my Ice Cream Truck enough, can’t believe roverpig wants to sell his.

Shand and BTR have both done custom builds.

Oh, who hasn’t? 😉

oddity make lurvely* fat bikes

* if you have taste 😉

Re surly bikes,
Ive recently bought a surly karate monkey and the frame finish is superb, certainly the best ive seen, properly rustproofed.

tazzymtb – Member

oddity make lurvely* fat bikes

In this case, I think they’ve made 2 and then crashed them together

I like the look of the Surlys, but they look very expedition orientated, the ones I’ve seen at least with hundreds of luggage mounts.

I think, I may be wrong, that the ICT is the expedition one and the Wednesday is the trail one, it’s geometry quite close to the On-one bikes? But yes, a bazillion bottle mounts to gouge yourself on in a crash!

ICT is slightly slacker HA actually but 5″ tyres compared to the 4″ ones on the Wednesday (complete builds). Both are Bluto ready so to speak, which would lose some of the ‘expedition warts’

The truly more expedition focused ones are the frameset only Pugsley and Moonlander.

the Singualr puffin was one of the most funnest fat bikes I’ve owned.

It’s still fun, taz! Did postierich’s Lakes jennride on it earlier in the year. Perfect for the job!

Keep resisting upgrading my Dune frame to an ICT…

Still liking the Dune overall though, but think those stock tyres are ready to go, they aren’t the best in general mud. Good for deep, wet bogs, but not shallow slippery stuff.

Cannot recommend my Ice Cream Truck enough, can’t believe roverpig wants to sell his.

Well I thought I’d resigned myself to this, but I’m having second thoughts now 🙂

^ my (biased) advice:
Put the ICT back together and go for a spin or two and see if the smile is greater than the Dude induced grin.

Cheaper end of the spectrum is the Genesis Caribou, which ain’t a bad bike. I had a go on one and it was great fun, and framesets can be had cheaply.

@Taz – stop it …… I’m doing my best not to email them about some a handlebar and a squid fork 😈

@letmetalktomark – hang fire if I were you chap, some exciting things coming soon from the owestry based old punk geezer 😀

Ooooh.

They would be for my Stooge too.

I did try to get a bi plane fork from Andy but they didn’t make it into production it seams 🙁

The ICT is something of a trail hooligan. I will ride stuff on it that I would struggle to do on my Turner Sultan. It is a very capable and fun bike. It’s not light but by jove, it makes me smile!

I have tried the Ti Stooge – great bike. Very rapid and comfy.

If he did it, I would love a Ti Jones spaceframe fat bike.

A Surly is for life, not just for Xmas – they are really good bikes, very well finished and fun to ride.

http://singletrackworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/surly-ice-cream-truck-long-term-review-no-4-time-to-give-it-back/

Ahem!

Pugsley and a Ritchey Commando here – the Ritchey is like a zingier, lighter, faster Pugsley. Sizing wise the large Ritchey was almost identical to the 18″ Pugsley. The finish and level of detail on the Ritchey is incredible but it isn’t one of your ‘fast trail’ geometry frames. Love them both.

^ my (biased) advice:
Put the ICT back together and go for a spin or two and see if the smile is greater than the Dude induced grin.

That’s not bad advice. It would require a bit of shed time to make the comparison fair and time is tight so I’d usually prefer to be out there riding whatever works. But you are right, there is no rush, so I could give it another go.

Ritchey isn’t cheap 😯

Not a fan of the top tube bend but nice otherwise.

Ice Cream Truck by Jim Barrow[/url], on Flickr

Got a bit tweaky on the #icecreamtruck this afternoon ** ** @intergalacticsurlybikes @surlysociety @surlybikesuk @surlysteel #surly #icecreamtruck #ICT #fatbike_29plus_life #fatbike #fatbiker #fatbiking #fatbikeworld #fatbikedotcom #26aintdead #itjustgotf by Jim Barrow[/url], on Flickr

Love the ICT, lots of fun to ride, you can do whatever you want on it!

I do like the look of the ICT I have to say, and this is probably not a phrase you should use in relation to fatbikes, but I wonder if it’s a bit ‘overbuilt’?

The Dune is light for what it is and again, inappropriate phrase for a fatbike, but I wouldn’t want to think I’d lose that nimble-ish kind of feeling on it.

How does the Wednesday compare? Anyone ridden both?
I like the simplicity looks-wise of the Wednesday, so long as I could lose a few bottle mounts. 🙂

time is tight so I’d usually prefer to be out there riding

😆 RP that is my excuse for avoiding DIY etc

Mentioned it before, but have you had a look at the Puffin? Rides really well, and it’s got as clean a set of lines as you’re likely to find.