Fat Bikes

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I'm curious to know who else fat bikes. It's certainly not my main form of biking (I'll always be true to my skinny tires) but it is so much fun and has made it so I can never use weather as an excuse not to ride. I have also gained a ton of confidence for mtn biking.

Roll Call. I can't be the only one.
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  • denversillygoose
    denversillygoose Posts: 708 Member
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    Sigh... I should have known there'd be no love for fatties on the MFP. Everyone just wants to be skinny.
  • wildtxn
    wildtxn Posts: 97 Member
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    I can't say they don't look intriguing but I have too much invested in my road and mountain bikes already and a nice trainer for the winter to justify a 3rd bike for myself.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    I can't justify the cost right now, but it's next on my to-own list. I've rented one from a LBS a couple of times this winter and have really enjoyed it. I have a hard time thinking it might replace my trail bike in the good weather, but it's definitely a very different animal.
  • denversillygoose
    denversillygoose Posts: 708 Member
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    My stable is shameful. This was my 6th and final. Probably. I really wanted the fat bike so that I never have an off- season and so I could finally claim a snow sport. It also makes me grin like a little kid. :D
  • CDGolden
    CDGolden Posts: 343 Member
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    I haven't been in here lately but I have a fatty. Been riding a specialized fanboy and it's a blast
  • TheBigYin
    TheBigYin Posts: 5,682 Member
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    We just don't have the weather conditions to merit something like that over here TBH - maybe 1 year in 10 we actually get a fall of snow that hangs around more than a couple of days... So, really, unless I were to move to the coast and need something to ride up and down the beaches, there's no point...

    In fact my MTB only really gets used in the depths of winter, when the offroad tracks and byways are too deep in mud to be safely negotiated on the 'cross bike... 8 months of the year (spring-autumn), the 'crosser is my offroader of choice (nothing "gnarly" enough within "out of the door ride" distance to merit a 16kg 5" travel steel hardtail bike), the other 4 months the crosser gets road tyres and mudguards and becomes the "winter hack" for on the road, and the MTB does mud-plugging duty. It may be slow, but by christ its fcuking miserable riding it...

    I suppose, with my sensible head on, I should flog the MTB, and buy something more suitable for my needs - a nice light Carbon XC-Racing 29'er hardtail with relatively short travel forks and lockout - but - frankly, offroad bike stuff doesn't do it for me...

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  • cloggsy71
    cloggsy71 Posts: 2,208 Member
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    TheBigYin wrote: »
    ... frankly, offroad bike stuff doesn't do it for me...

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    Seconded!
  • LifeInTheBikeLane
    LifeInTheBikeLane Posts: 345 Member
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    Aren't those used for snow riding? Strangely, I see a lot of those on peoples back porches on my property. It doesn't snow in East texas, though. Nor do we have sand.
  • tonybalony01
    tonybalony01 Posts: 613 Member
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    Aren't those used for snow riding? Strangely, I see a lot of those on peoples back porches on my property. It doesn't snow in East texas, though. Nor do we have sand.

    Fatties are great in any conditions. I rode one at a bike demo in central Florida on some hardpack singletrack and it was awesome. It was so smooth and cornered like mad. If I wasn't already at my d-1 limit, I'd be getting one.

  • sufferlandrian
    sufferlandrian Posts: 8,201 Member
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    I use mine more during the summer than in the winter. It was my last purchase before I reached D-1. It does great on the dirt, gravel, sand, ice and snow. I confess when the snow is falling I usually reach for my skis. They don't do so well on pavement. They are a bit heavy, but man do they go over stumps, rocks, roots and whatever really well.
  • denversillygoose
    denversillygoose Posts: 708 Member
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    Now that it's spring, I'm mostly back on my gravel bike but I use the fat bike around town (awesome this time of year when the roads are loaded with potholes from the winter) and for anything off road. I'm like a lot of you in that I don't get very excited for mtn biking, but I enjoy it so much more on my fat bike. My bf got his about a year and a half ago and it has become his everything bike. He commutes to work every day, bikepacks, trail rides, and he even did the Santa Fe 50 with me on it last year. As a person with a bike for every purpose, I admire him for being dedicated to one ride. If he ever gets a road bike, he'll shoot off like a rocket and I'll never see him again.
  • blackcoffeeandcherrypie
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    What is a fat bike?
  • TheBigYin
    TheBigYin Posts: 5,682 Member
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    What is a fat bike?

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  • chivalryder
    chivalryder Posts: 4,391 Member
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    I would love to get a fat bike. Unfortunately my budget of nearly $0 doesn't allow for it (yet). I'm looking into adventure touring and a fat bike, albeit slow and heavy, is my ideal bike. I want something that can go anywhere, in any condition, and the bike will not be my limiting factor. I want to be able to ride it across anything - sand, snow, mud, etc., and not have to get off and walk because it got stuck.

    Currently, my ride is an 80's mountain bike with 2" tires. Great for most conditions.
  • cloggsy71
    cloggsy71 Posts: 2,208 Member
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    What is a fat bike?

    Basically a tractor, with you for an 'engine' and only two 'tractor' wheels (literally!) :o
  • chivalryder
    chivalryder Posts: 4,391 Member
    edited April 2015
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    cloggsy71 wrote: »
    What is a fat bike?

    Basically a tractor, with you for an 'engine' and only two 'tractor' wheels (literally!) :o

    Yup. It's slow, weighs a lot (you'll be hard pressed to get it below 40 lbs) but it'll go over or through anything you point it at!

    In technical terms, it's a mountain bike with 26" wheels and 4+" tires. The tires are "fat" which is where it got the name from. The benefit of "fat" tires is you can run them with really, really, really low pressure (as low as 2psi) which will cause them to deform a lot, increasing the contact patch where it rolls over the ground. This allows you to "float" over soft surfaces like sand and snow where you would otherwise sink in on a more traditional bicycle.
  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
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    A guy I know does snow races on a SINGLE SPEED fat bike.
  • denversillygoose
    denversillygoose Posts: 708 Member
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    A guy I know does snow races on a SINGLE SPEED fat bike.

    Fixie Dave Nice?

  • chivalryder
    chivalryder Posts: 4,391 Member
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    A guy I know does snow races on a SINGLE SPEED fat bike.

    Awesome. :smiley:
  • cowbellsandcoffee
    cowbellsandcoffee Posts: 2,975 Member
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    I just seen some the new Trek fat bikes coming out this fall. Wow. I MIGHT just have to get one now.