Surly ICT or Chinese Carbon Fat Bike. Help me decide

Got the Fat Bike bug after getting a Calibre Dune and fancy treating myself to a new frameset. Narrowed it down to
1.Surly ICT in good ol’ steel
2.ICAN SN01 Carbon stealth bike

Geometry and price is similar but the carbon fatty is obviously a good bit lighter.

Help me decide please

I’m biased based on my ICAN purchases, so it would be the carbon bike and their carbon rims for easy tubeless

Great company to work with, very responsive and the stuff is good too.

Biased as I am, get the ICT, it’s heavy, but it rides like a dream.

I’ve had 9 fat bikes, just bought an ICT today

its not as heavy as you would expect

and I haven’t heard anyone say they feel the weight when riding, they are very well sorted

and one of the only 5″ tyre equipped bikes,

the older model had 100mm rims, new ones have only 80mm, which is much less bad ass !

ICT but then I’ve been really impressed with how Surly’s ride.

3-1 Surly

Will be going for a frameset cozz as I’m currently waiting on Spokes for these

I’d get the Surly.
I like Surlys.

And a carbon fat bike is just wrong, in much the same manner as a plasticene hovercraft, a concrete poncho or a nettle suppository.

http://singletrackworld.com/reviews/surly-ice-cream-truck-long-term-review-no-4-time-to-give-it-back/

Knock out to Surly

if you are only fitting 80mm rims – then why not get a wednesday?

aren’t the frames very similar but quite a bit cheaper, and you don’t need 190mm rear end

In the true spirit of Singletrack forum members, I would recommend you having a look at what I have.

Take a trip over to the Alpkit website, and have a look at the Vir Fortis carbon fat bike.

Can’t do any direct comparison , but the Vir Fortis is very good, and very light. Can fit 5″ tyres if you want as well.

80 mm rims but 4.8 inch tyre 🙂
Like the idea of a Bluto option when required

Have ordered the ICT. Think it will be a perfect partner for my Stooge

Good call 🙂 Not that I’ve ridden the ICAN frame, It could be lovely for all I know, but if you’re after pictures of an ICT with BR710 rims, I have plenty 🙂

Yes please roverpig. Is that a medium?

No it’s a large. I’m 6′ tall with something like a 33″ inside leg and it fits me well.

It’s kind of obvious really, with them being so big, but tyres do make a huge difference. I’m using Jumbo Jims in the summer and Bud/Lou in the winter (both 4.8″). The difference is quite dramatic.

Anyway, be careful what you wish for 🙂

Unfortunately, me buying a fatbike seems to have broken winter, so no pictures in the snow yet.

Looks great. Loving the blue rim tape.

ICT is definitely cooler. I’d go for it just for the name to be honest. 🙂

http://singletrackworld.com/reviews/surly-ice-cream-truck-long-term-test/ 😀

http://singletrackworld.com/reviews/long-termer-surly-ice-cream-truck-part-3/ 😆

http://singletrackworld.com/reviews/first-date-surly-ice-cream-truck/ 😆

Hope this helps?

Oh and Charlie the Bikemonger has frames in stock.

I’ve ordered the frameset. Just trying to figure out how to fit my Turbine Cinch cranks now. Spacer hell

ICT takes a Pressfit 41mm dia BB – shouldn’t be any need for spacers assuming you have a 120mm spindle crank. Hope PF41/30mm is another option

Spacers are required for the Cinch cranks, in fact Race Face do (did?) a spacer kit specifically for the ICT. I just can’t get one this side of the Atlantic.

good choice…
I bought an ICT ops frame back in november and right now I´m waiting for the last parts to start the build .. :-)…
cranks will be also RF turbine and so I was looking for the ICT spacer kit ..no chance ..
meanwhile I bought the standard spacers
http://www.ubyk.co.uk/race-face-cinch-bb30-spacer-conversion-kit/19696
and will put them on the lathe to make it fit..
with the hope stainless PF41-30BB
thats from MTBR ..the ICT spacers

Cheers acu, that’s some impressive patience right there.
I’ve bought 2 of this kit each which has 5 off 2.5 mm spacers.
Fairly sure the ICT kit has 6 off 2.5 mm spacers so this should do the job. Not adverse to a spot of bodging if necessary.

There was always a part of me that regretted buying the ICT as a complete bike (even though it was pretty heavily discounted). Just looking at that picture of the crank spacers makes me glad I did. I am not smart enough.

Industry standards … Do not generally apply to Fatbikes…

Hope the build goes well

Cheers rickmeister.

All part of the fun. Bike builds are all a bit easy these days. Not enough filing bits off chain devices to make them fit anymore.

It was the front / rear disc spacing one that got me when I fitted the brakes..

Had to make a bracket up for that one…

As you say, its half the fun.

I don’t know if you are running 1x or 2x but I have a front mech with a Problem Solver spacer for wide cranks here, new, looking for a home..

Will be running 1x with a lovely Absolute black oval chainring.

Much as I love steel, I love my carbon fatbike (dude) even more. It’s my one bike to rule them all, no question. So much more pleasurable uphill, whether pedalling or carrying.
OP, I have various 190 cranks, new ones, for sale. Email in profile if you are interested.

@guitarhero – I’ve the AEffect cranks (cheapskate*) on my Singular Puffin rather than the Cinch. I run the AB oval chainring, direct mount, makes quite a bit of difference.

*actually I couldn’t run the Cinches as I’m limited to 24mm spindle due to the EBB on the Puffin and the Cinch is 30mm

Industry standards … Do not generally apply to Fatbikes…

yep…just “converted” a 32mm salsa flip lock seatclamp to the
“ICT standard”… 33.1mm 😀

Bugger forgot about seat clamp.

Edit: Phew, seem the frameset comes with a clamp. Would quite like a QR though

Was <£1500 Canyon Dude ever considered?

https://www.canyon.com/en-gb/mtb/dude/dude-cf-8-0.html

Good luck with the ICT build!

Accu did you just open it out or doing anything else. I’d like to fit a QR seat clamp to my Wednesday.

OP, I wanted an ICT, but ended up with a Wednesday – its not light – but rides fantastic 😀

I love a bike build as much as the next guy, but I must admit I wimped out and bought the Surly OD cranks and BB for my ICT build 😳

I can’t say I’ve ever noticed the weight of the ICT when I’m riding it. I notice the difference in tyres. With Jumbo Jims it loves to climb, but with Bud/Lou I really feel the drag. The grip coming back down is unreal though.

Where I do notice all of the 35 lbs is lifting it onto the car, over a fence or just onto my shoulders for some hike-a-bike. The latter being a regular occurrence as it eggs me on to explore the places where trails go to die. So, I wouldn’t rule out a plastic fat bike one day. I just need to convince myself that I’m not going to lose any of the fun that I get from this big steel lump of a bike.

Ps. I’m sure my frame came with a seat clamp