[Closed] Fatbikes

Sweet, cheers 40mpg.

Frame material is more a case of habit than anything else, plus I dont like the look of the OO so much. Angles look good, tubing, meh.

VFM.. both standard and trail version are beckoning me. Bloody credit card company just offered me 2 years 0% on balance transfers too..

The cheap aspect is also what made me go with the Calibre Dune.....it's got a decent light tyre/wheel combination and sly frame and forks, the drivetrain is only 8 speed so basically ride it like a SS until I need a different gear.....plus when it's trashed it's mega cheap to replace.
I was always told it was a eureka biking experience and it really is......the lack of rolling resistance on surfaces that your brain tells you is going to be super draggy is the complete opposite. I honestly didn't feel any slower and on the beaches it's definitely faster than a standard tyre MTB.

40mpg - Member
Bog standard 591 roof rack and old-skool toe straps to go round the tyres. Nothing going nowhere with that.

hard to see from pic - are they sitting in the sliding tyre trays, or straight on the allow carrier bit ? cheers

Damn, my fat curiosity has now piqued.

Ok, so I have a few questions..

A concern for me has been standards chaging constantly whilst fats find their feet. So bearings/seals/bb's etc, all the bits that usually hate mud and grit - how much trouble do you have sourcing them, seeing as these bikes are largely used in such conditons?

Front hubs are a bit of a minefield, but I suspect the Bluto will become the default in future. Don't rule out rigid bikes with 135mm hubs, it's not like you'll be swapping rigid forks or upgrading hubs in a hurry anyway.

what kind of average speeds are you managing on your usual trail runs? much up or down on your normal 26/27.5/29 runs?

do you feel more tired after a given distance riding these?

can you take steep drops and hit tabletops etc (given the opportunity) just as you would a standard bike? I'd imagine you'd have to think twice about the 'gnar' jumps as surely gravity takes over sooner on a fat?

How many of you ride fat and easily keep up with non-fat mates on a ride, or find you are beating them?

oh yeah, fat fatty riders - how low do you go with PSI before your tyres burp constantly? I've always assumed that fat tyres at low pressures dont mix well with lardy types?

I'm really keen, plus I love the perceived value of the OO Trail, but I prefer to ride steel if possible. Can't help feel that i'd prefer to run a Bluto, though. Almost want to buy the OO Trial just to drop all that weight in going tubeless too!

Postierich's pic on Pg1 is where I want to be. If I can add silly amounts of grip to loose lines then i'd imagine a grin inducing ride is never far away.

hard to see from pic - are they sitting in the sliding tyre trays, or straight on the allow carrier bit ? cheers

Sitting on the tyre trays. I take the short Thule straps off and just wrap the toestraps round the whole lot. Thats a 4.8 Bud/Lou on the left.

Fatbike meet in livigno
https://www.flickr.com/photos/musselburghbikers/albums/72157648510039455/page1

Just picking up on some points:

Thule 591 roof carrier - I simply use webbing straps.

Hub sizes - likely to standardise on 150 x15mm for front, but 135 x 15mm - will accommodate the biggest tyre sizes available. i.e. Snowshoe XXL at 5.05"

Rear is likely to settle on 190/197mm with 120mm BB - again will accommodate biggest tyres with 1x drivetrain.

Tyre pressures - been down to 3psi due to a slow puncture, never burped, just bouncy.

Decent tyres running tubeless and light wheels make a huge difference and provide the best performance upgrade. HuDus are awesome for summer and Dillinger 5 for winter. I'm less convinced for the need for sus-forks.

Speed differential - top 10 overall race finishes for me. I also set-off on a SDW Double at the same time from Winchester with a guy riding a carbon-everything 29er - differing ride strategies meant we didn't meet again at Eastbourne - he'd gained 40 minutes in 11hrs hours - a 5% advantage.

Tired at the end of a ride? Yes, but I'd feel the same at the end of any offroad 200-miler 🙂

Standards never settle, they just evolve.

Recently went back from silly clearances frame and100mm rims to a much more usable and all round fun 3.8 on 48mm rim in a regular 135 slidy drop out frame.

Much more versatile bike. I wont be riding the iditarod anytime soon.

I also set-off on a SDW Double at the same time from Winchester with a guy riding a carbon-everything 29er - differing ride strategies meant we didn't meet again at Eastbourne - he'd gained 40 minutes in 11hrs hours - a 5% advantage.

That's not worth much, is it? I'd rather hear about how much faster YOU were on whichever bike.

Had/got 3 Fat Bikes

[img] [/img]
Mark 1 Salsa Mukluk 2010, a great long ride and beach riding Fat Bike

[img] [/img]
On One Fatty 2013, a fantastic trail Fat Bike, but not as good on the beach

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Travers Bat Bastard with Lauf Carbonara forks 2015, the best all round Fat Bike great on trail, beach and long distance.

Buy a Fat Bike

"Travers Bat Bastard with Lauf Carbonara forks 2015, the best all round Fat Bike great on trail, beach and long distance."

I suppose you have to say that though or you wouldnt be a very good brand ambassador.

Woke up thinking about Fat's. A sure sign that I will buy one.

Has anyone done a 'list' of Fats?

I wanna festidiously compare until I can convince myself which one is right for me.

I half expected to have pulled the trigger on a Fatty by now, but my steel 29er running a b+/29+ combo is spot on. A little part of me wonders what/if I'm missing out on though...

I have 2 and maybe one more on the way....
My Purple Pugsley has been making me smile for 5 years and I couldn't resist building a fixed long distance off road tourer.....
[URL= http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff194/19582cv/image.jpg1_zpsojaydrpo.jp g" target="_blank">http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff194/19582cv/image.jpg1_zpsojaydrpo.jp g"/> [/IMG][/URL]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/ulk/itm/151842789644

Talk to me about this frame and its geo

Does anyone know the weight of a trek Farley carbon yet? I can't seem to find it anywhere.

I'm still very fat "curious" and nearly bought a Dune. I held fire as I thought they may be a tad small and when I finally got a reply from Go Outdoors (nearly 2 weeks) they confirmed my fears. If anyone wants the 'official' measurements I can copy them over from the email they sent.

I'll confess to having a stumbling block mentally when thinking about buying from OO but love the look of the Fatty.

Has anyone here actually owned a Fat Bike Tandem yet...I'd be interested in knowing if they are actually rideable?
[url= http://twowheelsbetter.cc/best-of/fat-bike-tandems-your-pics/ ]Best Fat Bike Tandems[/url]

fd3chris - Member
Does anyone know the weight of a trek Farley carbon yet? I can't seem to find it anywhere.

It you are worrying about the weight of a Fat Bike you won't enjoy it long term, it's not about saving a pound or two it's about the fun factor

Normal Man - Member
I'll confess to having a stumbling block mentally when thinking about buying from OO but love the look of the Fatty.

Why? The on One Fatty is a fantastic trail fun fat bike and now the new On One "Trail" has Bluto's fitted so you can't go wrong at their prices.

Just based around some issues a friend had with OO. Plus bits I've read on here if being honest.

slimjim78 - Member

http://www.ebay.co.uk/ulk/itm/151842789644

Talk to me about this frame and its geo

Not a tapered head tube and standard QR's on the back so not that future proof if you need to upgrade later on.

He means "it's an on-one"

A bit like "it's a ford" etc

I see where he's coming from, but the Fatty does indeed look the bees knees. Worth a punt surely?

Can anyone tell me the real differences between the fatty and the trail?

Oh yeah, am I right in thinking the trail version was offered at £999 not too far back?..

Normal Man - Member
Just based around some issues a friend had with OO. Plus bits I've read on here if being honest.

The problem is that you hear about the problems because of social media and forums like this, but you don't hear about all the good stuff.
I've had 5 bikes and loads of gear off them, I've never been a problem either collecting or delivering.

slimjim78 - Member

He means like a Ford

Can anyone tell me the real differences between the fatty and the trail?

Oh I see ref the Ford

The Fatty is very Trail orientated but it was built around rigid forks, the Trail is built around Bluto's.
So if you want to take the sting out of rough trials go for the trail, if you ride smooth trail centres got for the Fatty

No help on choosing a FatBike but stumbled on this Vid today

Fair comment JohnClimber.

I'm tempted, I really am. Helps I love the colour orange and have white pedals and a white/orange charge spoon sitting in my parts bin!

Nice vid. I can see a huge benefit for those gloopy winter rides. I've cursed those trails that suddenly turn into bog fests.

Think I'm gonna rinse my credit card. Guys, Fatty or Trail? Discuss

Just to add my 2 pence worth. I recently took the plunge and got a 2015 Rocky Mountain Blizzard with Blutos for a great price as the new one was coming out. My main bikes are very much XC focused coming in around 19lbs and 20lbs respectively. Like many I was concerned what a 30lbs+ monster with huge tyres was going to be like in comparison. And the answer is bloody fantastic. To be honest I don't notice the extra weight half as much as I thought. I'm running fairly high pressures at the moment and the drag isn't that bad either. I can still out climb most of my mates, when you ride through a big puddle the spray is like the log flume at Thorpe Park, and according to the local yoof my bike is 'sick'. Therefore whats not to like !.

I run my fatty ( Rose Tusker1) on less than 15psi....last ride I did with it...down some -9% trails ....it soaked up all the bumps/roots etc
Last ride I had that did that was my old Whyte 46 freerider

slimjim78 - Member

He means "it's an on-one"

A bit like "it's a ford" etc

Not so much, it's more "Don't buy an On One, they're known thieves". Once you take away all the wee downsides, like no real customer service, no reliable parts support and no dependable warranty things look a lot less like good value.

I was being kind - I've had issues with them myself

That video trout posted is the answer to some in this thread..
[url= http://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/anyone-mtbputting-their-good-bike-away-for-winter ]Anyone putting their good bike away for the winter[/url]

Those who said they would buy a cheapish HT would be better buying a fatbike..

have white pedals and a white/orange charge spoon sitting in my parts bin!

I've built bikes based on having a lot less component stock than that before. 😀

The way I see it, with you having these parts already, its fate & you shouldn't mess with it.

I'm consistently running at 6.5 psi, without issues even in rock gardens.

Not so much, it's more "Don't buy an On One, they're known thieves". Once you take away all the wee downsides, like no real customer service, no reliable parts support and no dependable warranty things look a lot less like good value.

In O_O's defence my fatty actually had a fault (stem was faulty so the headset wouldn't remain tight for more than a couple of miles and the rear tyre exploded (completely, it was quite impressive).

They took it back, replaced the tyre, and although it took a while to isolate the issue they sorted the stem too (and took it for some test rides to be sure).

And gave me some of the new knuckleball carbon bars as an apology.

It took a while, but I've no complaints with the service.

As for Fatty Vs Trail, I've no idea. I've a Fatty, I've not really found it's limit except in a few short sections, but I kinda want a trail to try a Bluto.

But then being O-O the frames will be £150-£200 soon enough, blutos are 'only' £450, O-O wheels+tyres are £250, £30 for a headset and £70 for some cranks and you're down to needing normal spares box stuff and it's only cost £1k (the same as the complete bike) and you're free to upgrade the bits ytou like (TBH I'd like to get carbon wheels to make tubeless simpler, but that makes it a £1300 build + spares box). So I'm probably going to hold off till the new year and build up a custom bike.

"Those who said they would buy a cheapish HT would be better buying a fatbike.."

based on what?

sounds like the worst justification ever.....

if i had an enduro gnarpoon(i dont) and i was buying something for the winter -it would be a skinny tired 29er - fat bikes and the mud round here dont mix*. its ok floating on top of it - but theres no traction up there....mines actually is most fun when the trails are hard pack dust / frozen or with about 3 inches of snow on. Deep mud for any extended periods where you might want to power down is a ballache.

*have a 907 with nates

But then being O-O the frames will be £150-£200 soon enough

Inside info or just generally reasoning?
If the former, any likelihood of the classic steel forked fatty going on offer soon?

I keep thinking about putting + tyres of some kind on the El Mar, but then I remember that the kind of riding I bought it for should have normal tyres.

@ molgrips - I know what you mean. I've spent most of the summer on the road bike (s) but will spend winter offroad mainly.
My 29er takes b+ but I'm happy the way it rides and think I'd rather have another bike option in the shape of a fat bike.

Inside info or just generally reasoning?
If the former, any likelihood of the classic steel forked fatty going on offer soon?

General reasoning.

any likelihood of the classic steel forked fatty going on offer soon?

for anyone interested i have a carbon beargrease in size large for sale on the fat bike selling facebook page for £1500 🙂
i bought a bucksaw, as fat bikes are ace

But then being O-O the frames will be £150-£200 soon enough, blutos are 'only' £450, O-O wheels+tyres are £250, £30 for a headset and £70 for some cranks and you're down to needing normal spares box stuff and it's only cost £1k (the same as the complete bike) and you're free to upgrade the bits ytou like

I'm trying to work out a cheapo build cost - where are you seeing their wheels+tyres for £250?
I can only spot the V2 wheelset for £300 plus tyres at £80 the pair. I 'think' i'd rather the V2's as aren't they the easier set to run tubelss?

With the classic fatty at £800 currently and the same spec as the carbon fork fatty, you can instead buy a carbon fork for £99 and come in £100 cheaper than the carbon fork version (I hope that makes sense).
So, £900 for a fatty/carbon.

However, if you dig a little deeper you can also find that smart looking Tomac Hesperus full carbon jobbie for £1500 with full 11sp X01. Then you can start the prolonged justification process..

However, if you dig a little deeper you can also find that smart looking Tomac Hesperus full carbon jobbie for £1500 with full 11sp X01. Then you can start the prolonged justification process..

I kept ending up at the Hespersus. The hope of a full sized Dune next year has put that on hold for the moment (for the frame, forks and wheels).

if you are going to run blutos, these are fantastic value

http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/WBOOEELF/on-one-emmental-fat-rim-on-el-guapo-fat-hubs

I'm trying to work out a cheapo build cost - where are you seeing their wheels+tyres for £250?
I can only spot the V2 wheelset for £300 plus tyres at £80 the pair. I 'think' i'd rather the V2's as aren't they the easier set to run tubelss?

http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/WBOOEELF/on-one-emmental-fat-rim-on-el-guapo-fat-hubs
/p>

The V2 is just the original fatty wheelset with slightly updated hubs, means the 135mm front hub can be changed to 15mm (but then you need to figure out how to get it to 150mm wide for a bluto, not impossible but a little more faff than just putting adapters in. Floaters are £25 each (or were when I bought them). The emmental's will only work with the bluto though, not the On-One fork.

As for tubeless in the original wheels, it's a little faffy, but not impossible. People with compressors claim they get them up with just gorilla tape and sealent, I found it took, foam, tape, washing up liquid, and a lot of swearing with a track pump the first time (since then they go up 1st time each time).

The Emmenthal rims seem to be the same as you get on the Dune, and for OE on a £500 bike they're fine but I wouldn't pay actual money for em. Don't know about the hubs though, I'd assume they're better than mine!

How are you getting on with your Dune NW?

Only had it out a few times but loving it tbh, great fun. Nothing Dune-specific about that to be fair, I'm sure any traily fatty would be much the same. Needs more front tyre though, got a Bud on order. Spending £80 on a tyre for a £500 bike feels weird!

There are two pairs off OO Fatty wheels plus tyres, on ebay at the moment.

Just looked on one ones site, trail fatty has £100 off at the moment (was £1699)

I was looking at the Scott big Ed for £1599, thinking yeah £100 less than the on-one, although the Scott doesn't have the XO1 or a reverb I'd put that £100 towards XT 1x11!

Id rather have the canyon dude, but their not on canyons site at the moment, anyone know if their still stocking the dude for 2016?

Thanks for the reply NW.

Hope you keep on enjoying it.

I've got a 2 day loan of a fat bike over the next week (just waiting on a call to firm up which days). Can't wait!

Cough, cough http://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/global-fat-bike-day-2016

JohnClimber - Member
Cough, cough http://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/global-fat-bike-day-2016

Doing my best to get one in time!

I've just upgraded my very well specced oo for a carbon beargrease so after a bit of fettling today I'm off for my maiden ride in the morning.

First proper trail riding since June's injury stopped play....went to the Chase on my Dune, had a ride round the North Side, over the quarry just to see if I could climb the gravel climb at the side which for the first time ever I managed....and easier than only getting the first 20 metres on the normal trail bike.
Found the limits of adhesion in super soft off camber mud.....a few times......roots are breeze, even slick wet roots. Despite only having the tyre as suspension my injured shoulder didn't hurt at any time....it actually felt like I had more suspension than on the 29er with 100mm travel forks plus no irritating trail buzz.
Came back cleaner than on normal trail bike in same conditions too.
Self steer on off camber fire roads was an odd sensation but none when riding singletrack trails.
Lack of a dropper post was the only real drawback.....that and I'm tired now 😆
If you haven't tried one you need one in your quiver......

Doing my best to get one in time!

He's given you just over a year 😉

Having tried my best to ignore these threads, while I was in Edinburgh yesterday afternoon I went for a quick "look" at the Dune in Go Outdoors.

Anyway..... it's now currently in my living room having had the cable disc brakes replaced this morning. Managed to get the 10% off as someone else had mentioned, as it was the last one and was on display. At £521, I've paid more for components before!

Northwind, Suggsey etc, that's 1 more commission for the STW Dune selling team 😉

I've had my felt fatty since March its been used on everything from trail centres to the beach ,I absolutely love the thing was starting to get a bit jaded with MTb till I got it now I get miserable if I can't get out on it Begun to think maybe some blutos and then my rarely used fs can go

tillydog - Member
Doing my best to get one in time!
He's given you just over a year

Hadn't spotted that! 🙂

Hope it won't take that long!

[IMG] [/IMG]

Awesome, but all this big wheel action has been seeing me looking an awful lot at a Trek Stache 7. I think the bikes would overlap too much though.

@ Johnny boy I just demoed a stache after waiting weeks for it and that's my thought exactly. I have a oo fatty but just bought a salsa with the money for the stache. It doesn't help that I've already got a short chainstayed 29er either but the stache was neither here nor there for me.

My impressive stature calf muscles used to hit the seat stays on an old Alpinestars cro-mega I once owned, I'm worried that the OO Fatty frame will also hit my calves as it looks such a wide junction with the extra tyre clearance built in.

I don't have the opportunity to try before I buy and am hoping to bid on a set of the OO wheels on the bay ending in an hour... Need someone to put my mind at ease

my 'less than impressive' calf muscles don't catch the seat stays on my fatty, but they do catch on my mukluk.

use that information as you please 😕

Had my Caribou 12months now. I only really use it for dog walking and tag-alonging but it'll be ready for duty when the snows come. I had a go at ghetto tubelessing when I first got it but the Weinmann HL80's were not having it. Anyway was out today and got my first puncture so got to thinking it might be time to upgrade the rims and get something a bit better and tubeless friendly.

My limited fatbike knowledge naturally pointed me towards the on-one v2 wheelset which seems reasonable at £300. (Wouldn't wanna spend more than that tbh) anyone recommend these or have any better ideas? Ta

It takes me all the way back to the 80s and my first MTB experiences - it might not be the fastest but it's the most fun getting there

When dovebiker wrote this, this was the very escence of why I wanted a fatbike. A weekend riding a loaner Pug and now I own one. Totally loving it.

Jaffejoffer,

The Fatty V2 wheelset is the same as the V1 bar better hubs, I.e. The rims are still rubbish for tubeless, in fact my fatty arrived with the front tyre completely off the rim so they're rubbish with tubes too! I'd look at the Halo Tundra wheelsets from Crc, etc for similar money. They're drilled too. The on one El Guapo wheelsets might be better than the fatty ones.

cheers johnny. having done a bit of reading up the consensus is the tundras are not so great for converting to tubeless?