You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
After some cracking advice on this here forum I bought a used pugsley to dip my toes, since then Done the full Steve Austin and completely rebuilt it into the million dollar pug!! Well bit of an exaggeration but it’s looking cool and completely get what the fuss ‘from some’ is all about. I too looked at it from afar with much doubt but after seeing a few knocking about on the Dorset gravel dash it just clicked.
Anyway, my point is I bloody love the thing, it’s a smile generator and when I was trundling along the beach just after sunrise on Saturday I realised how much of a new chapter it had opened up in my cycling life.
Ran out of beach so muddled my way through some boggy marsh, covered in cr@p but great fun.
A 46 year old cruising round on a fat bike might not be cool but neither is that same man bombing along like a Lycra clad Christmas pudding on his road bike every Sunday! ✊😁
Track bikes are pretty niche. I don’t know anyone who has one and I’ve never seen one on a shop floor.
I've got one! Didn't buy it in a shop tho.
bedmaker
...Track bikes are pretty niche. I don’t know anyone who has one...
Ahem. And it's been up Fyrish*. 🙂
.
.
*Mainly carried, but the descent was "interesting"
(And that reminds me I still owe you £50 for the dropper.)
Definitely a niche, but being able to ride in these places is awesome - I didn't actually see or talk to anyone for 2 out of 5 days, it was glorious.
Expect to see them on a WC track near you soon...
Another fatty video, because everything is better from Sheffield
I have one, I'll not be getting rid of it as brilliant at what it was designed to do, and more besides. I don't think they'll die out either, they're here to stay.
Regards,
Swavis in the #frozennorth 😉
Spesh Fatgirl (aka Hellga) owner here.
But whenever I do or buy anything, it immediately goes out of fashion, so I suppose the OP will soon be proved right.
Definitely a niche, but being able to ride in these places is awesome – I didn’t actually see or talk to anyone for 2 out of 5 days, it was glorious.
Although skiing is arguably better there....
I think they are niche, very niche - but in that niche they are brilliant & untouchable. I've done a few rides with fat bike riders. Namely bike packing & snow/sand in Iceland, I have to say in those instances the fat bike was flying & I couldn't get close to it....
Seeing as how Enve have just released a fat wheel set and fat fork, I'd say the answer to the original question is, no.
The M685 is available as rim only $999 or as complete wheelset built with Industry Nine hubs for $2800, while the ENVE Fat Fork will retail for $625.
@k1100t - I saw those on fat-bike.com - the rims are 200g lighter than mine (I've the same hubs) and about £800 more expensive (when they get to the UK)! Ouch!
I’ve got a few bikes from fads of yesteryear... ...26″ straight steerer 2×9 hardtail
Not sure that was a fad, that was just what was available at the time, had 1x been a thing I'm sure I would have kitted mine out that way.
I still have a fat bike itch to scratch. Maybe once I get round to selling my road bike.
As a slight side just had a quick look on eBay-
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F132069615982
WTF!
Definitely a niche, but being able to ride in these places is awesome – I didn’t actually see or talk to anyone for 2 out of 5 days, it was glorious.
Although skiing is arguably better there….
No skiers - just snowmobiles as it's too far from civilisation / prepared tracks. The snowmobile tracks can be pretty rough / choppy in places too - tolerable on a bike horrible on skis.
Not sure if I replied to this already, but I think the answer to the OP might be, "does it really matter?"
I think my Puffin is brilliant and don't care if it's old hat now, but it's not the only bike I ride. All my bikes are brilliant!
I was out in the Slurrey Hills last Saturday on my 1989 Marin MTB. It made me think. That is a dead bike according to what we are allowed to ride - 1" threaded headset, 26" wheels, canti brakes, square taper, etc, but I had an absolute blast on it. Despite the dampness the cantis with koolstop pads were strong, granted it was like hustling a pneumatic drill down the trails and the video footage I took looks like I'm riding through an earthquake, but it was just fun and didn't break. It didn't crash either and I was amazed I got some PBs on some sections. Stan's inside the inner tube prevented any punctures too.
Point is, all bikes are great, well apart from those - nasty things, and it doesn't really matter if they are off trend. I'll keep the fat bike as one of those fun bikes that comes out a few times a year. Might put some 29+ wheels on to see how it goes.
Now where is my 1950's roadster...
Well mine hasn't run its course. It's still the most comfortable bike I have... so is my favourite off road touring bike. The last tour was from Barra to Inverness via all kinds of roads tracks and moorland. I never wished I was on another bike and the miles of beach on the Uists as brilliant.
I dont find it slow or particularly draggy but you do need to get the tyre pressures right for the surface you are riding and that means you have to do quite a bit of pumping. The
Id like to try an ECR or similar to see if that's even better. I may just go down the Krampug route.
i was sceptical about the offset thing with the Pugsley before I got one... I now think it's the best way of making a niche bike that is minimal niche parts wise....
Loads of fat bikers near me normally on e-bikes 😀
Yesterday, Snowdonia...
[url= https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4859/44104935250_48350916ba_z.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4859/44104935250_48350916ba_z.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/2acpjE7 ]IMG_20181117_102747_224[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/150809418@N08/ ]Jeff Price[/url], on Flickr
No skiers – just snowmobiles as it’s too far from civilisation / prepared tracks. The snowmobile tracks can be pretty rough / choppy in places too – tolerable on a bike horrible on skis.
Not true, there are several ways of torturing yourself in snow covered train. For backcountry skiing you just need fat bike version of skis, such as http://www.peltonenski.fi/outdoor_touring/ e.g. 250 - 270cm long fat skis which allow skiing on virgin snow. Admittedly they are not too much fun on snowmobile tracks.
Root-n-5th - no, it doesn't really matter. It was an observation that there are a lot less fat bike threads on here now.
Glad that there are still plenty of fat bike riders and loving the pics. I think they look great myself.
Most of the comments are from existing owners though, plus I’m seeing very few if any ‘which fat back should I get threads’ can’t recall seeing any new bike reviews for yonks either...
@ jonnyboi
I know what you mean. Some of that might be due to less choice. A few years ago you had 3 or 4 fat bikes around the £5-600 mark and the same sort of choice around £1000. Most are either now plus bikes, dropped from the range or not available in the UK anymore.
I am expecting the more niche brands to pause for breath then return with 27.5 fat as the next wave.
Just my personal take on it all. I am though, as mentioned before, happy bimbling about on my Pug.
Judging by fashionable Surrey, there's less of them about. Not sure if they're just riding elsewhere or just less ridden but they are less of a thing locally. Even Plus bikes aren't so much of a thing. Wide tyres on normal bikes are still though and 29ers are generating much interest. Ebikes though I see a lot of and a number of friends trying them out even buying them (none are in physical need of one due to age or fitness/fatness).
Fatbike standards went through a bit of a rapid change but have mostly settled down now. Most owners seem content with what they have and see little need to change models.
I reckon there are fewer folk splurging on them as fashion followers. TBH when you can get a decent Fatbike for less than £600 from Go Outdoors I'm not surprised that there are fewer "what fatbike" threads.
That’s it. I’m starting a what fat bike thread 😁
Rumour is, there's even a new Fatbike UK forum. ...
Tell me more?!
deadkenny
Judging by fashionable Surrey, there’s less of them about...
Just give it a few more weeks. White Xmas etc etc brings them out.
Judging by fashionable Surrey, there’s less of them about…
until 2nd December and GFBD
Most of the comments are from existing owners though, plus I’m seeing very few if any ‘which fat back should I get threads’ can’t recall seeing any new bike reviews for yonks either…
well
https://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/what-fat-bike/
There are still new (or upgraded) fat bikes appearing but it's fair to say that most are aimed at the North American market with just a few making their way to these shores. Feels more like consolidation than market expansion. fat-bike.com has a steady trickle of bike reviews.
Rumour is, there’s even a new Fatbike UK forum. …
Do we still have to send a video of our trouser leg tucked into a sock whilst doing a funny handshake and then wait to hear if we've been accepted?
Do we still have to send a video of our trouser leg tucked into a sock whilst doing a funny handshake and then wait to hear if we’ve been accepted?
No! 😉
@dovebiker:
Definitely a niche, but being able to ride in these places is awesome – I didn’t actually see or talk to anyone for 2 out of 5 days, it was glorious
Yes. Great niche.
And possible that the tyre manufacturers learnt that much from fatbikes that we have now fantastic 2,6 inch rubber for our all mountain bikes? Guess the fatbikes pushed this a bit?
All tyre manufacturers learnt from fatbikes was that middle aged men are willing to pay £180 for a pair of bicycle tyres Andreas.
There's no such thing as a fantastic plus tyre and a 2.6" tyre performs no better than a 2.5" in situations where control against the clock is paramount. 2.6 tyres are just another angle from which to fleece the naive.
And possible that the tyre manufacturers learnt that much from fatbikes that we have now fantastic 2,6 inch rubber for our all mountain bikes? Guess the fatbikes pushed this a bit?
The irony of this thread is that we're all fatbikers now. MTB, road or gravel, all bikes are now benefitting from wider tyres. 23mm Road tyres are making way for 28s and gravel is as wide as the frame will take.
No.
No. We're most certainly not
and none of my bikes are "benefitting" from a wider tyre. Especially at this time of year.
All tyre manufacturers learnt from fatbikes was that middle aged men are willing to pay £180 for a pair of bicycle tyres Andreas.
There’s no such thing as a fantastic plus tyre and a 2.6″ tyre performs no better than a 2.5″ in situations where control against the clock is paramount. 2.6 tyres are just another angle from which to fleece the naive.
Utter bullshit like most of your posts. Good consistency though.
There may not be much fatbike discussion here, but there's plenty on the FB forums. UK Fatbike Club seems to get 1 or 2 new members most days. And they are all buying new fatbikes from somewhere.
However if there's any trend, they seem to be coming from non-mtb backgrounds - either bikepacking/ gravel and looking for an alternative, or new to off road. Dunno why that may be but seems died-in-the-wool mountain bikers who haven't previously dipped a toe are too 'old dog new tricks' to try anything different. Each to their own though 😁
Europe still seem a growth market. More of the low-alp resorts are opening up fatbike trails in the winter and there's a lot of rental fatbikes around. I'm off to Chamonix with fatbikes.eu for the 3rd year running in Jan to play in dome proper snow. Been to the Jura too with them and they are opening up a lot of the snowshoe trails officially to fatbikes which are great fun to ride.
Do elaborate then mr frog
However if there’s any trend, they seem to be coming from non-mtb backgrounds – either bikepacking/ gravel and looking for an alternative, or new to off road.
I've always tended to think that a fatbike could be a good choice for a beginner. Apart from the fact that they are just fun, they also provide a lot of confidence and a big margin for error. It is mainly when you try to push them a bit faster over technical terrain that the limitations start to show.
Think mr frog just bought new 2.6 rubber 😉
To be fair on Mr Frog
A) you do post a lot of opinionated crap that a lot of people disagree with, usually followed up by insulting anyone who counters your opinion. Characterising someone as a naive middle aged man is hardly likely to endear you to people is it? Some might even say it's a bit naive for a middle aged man.
B) the original point that plenty of people bought 4"+ bikes and discovered that width actually had far less effect on rolling resistance than they thought (Jumbo Jims actually have the same rolling resistance as 2.1" 120tpi Small bLock 8's) is correct. I'm not sure how much manufacturers learnt from it (kenda's fat bike tyres were just as bad as their conventional ones), but consumers certainly did. I was trying to buy some 2.0-2.1" tyres the other day, the choices is really quite limited, even XC race tyres that are made in 2.0 sizes don't actually appear on shops shelves. Maxxis <2.2 and Schwalbe <2.25 are like hens teeth unless you buy the top of the range race tyres.
The myth of skinny tyres being essential for mud seems to have been debunked, I was out on Sunday on the Vagabond with 2.1" SB8's and had a far easier time riding through the mud than the pure CX bikes.
I don't own one myself, but it would be cool to have something that climbed that well - for the very difficult technical stuff they must rule. I have a B+ wheelset and got up something in the Peak at the weekend that is a savage effort on narrower wheels, just rolled over the rocks and rose - a fat bike would be grippier still. Bit of a niche application I suppose, but a good tool to have.
<div class="bbp-reply-author">geex
<div class="bbp-author-role">
<div class="">Member</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="bbp-reply-content">
a 2.6″ tyre performs no better than a 2.5″ in situations where control against the clock is paramount
Especially since most of them so far are actually sub-2.5 anyway.
</div>
I would have thought that died-in-the-wool MTB'er should be grateful for fat bikes - they're the only ones keeping the 26" format alive 😉
Definitely seeing a growth in the alps and nordic regions in the 'shoulder seasons' where snowfall is less reliable. I'm not sure I'd want to share trail space with snowshoers though - mind you, after a few hundred metres, most casual snowshoers would be knackered.
Had a go on a fat bike once (an expensive one) and really couldn’t see the point at all. The added negative of tyres costing so much and having the carcass made of angel tears put me off even more.
Tried a 27.5 plus bike and they are better but the weight and drag are just too much in steep/rocky terrain for me.
Charlie - for me its all that extra grip is the major plus point. Being able to climb slippy stuff that I can't on a 2.3 tyred bike and also the extra grip at glentress made this bimbler much faster.
the other plus point is much lower footprint pressure on the ground so less damage to trails.
I agree with you about the drag tho - rode mine 30+ miles a mix of coastal paths and beach and it was much more tiring than the same run on a 2.3 tyred bike Less drag on soft ground as you don't sink in so far but a lot more on hard surfaces
@thisisnotaspoon - I also happen to post a fair amount of factual information to back up those opinions... As you've just shown, humourless snowflakes tend to miss the intentional irony and darker side of my humour in a lot of what I type. They're just tyres mate. Try not to take yourself (or me) so seriously.
Anyway. Here are a few more facts for you.
a 2.1 tyre is narrow in the grand scheme of things.
Kenda SB8s measure 50mm (which is undersized for a 2.1) and (hint in the name): have SHORT BLOCKS meaning they ARE a narrow tyre.
Not all mud is the same. The fact you were still managing to make progress on SB8s rather than a spiked mud tyre gives away roughly what sort of mud you were riding.
Try your local winter XC series using your 2.1 SB8s. By your logic you should win easily. *sigh* riding the entire course faster even than those silly CX riders who run the worst bits.
Where the hell TJ struggles for uphill grip at Glentress I do not know. It's either hardpacked armoured trail centre surface or fireroad on all the official climbs fer clist sake
Two differnt things geex. faster downhill at GT as the extra grip makes me more confident. climbs better on slippy rooty muddy stuff on "natural" trails There are two climbs on routes I do that I can get up on the fat bike that I can't on my ordinary MTB
I fully accept a better rider both these effects might not be as obvious
a 2.6″ tyre performs no better than a 2.5″ in situations where control against the clock is paramount
I'd agree, given the same tread pattern. However Maxxis (not sure if others do) space the knobs differently on, for example, the Minion DHF, the gaps between the knobs are noticeably bigger on the 2.6 than the 2.5WT, so they are better in sloppier conditions at the expense of rolling resistance. I imagine that is little to do with that extra 0.1 of an inch in the width of the carcass.
There are certainly climbs that I can do on my fat bike that I’ve never managed on narrower tyres, despite multiple attempts. Some of that is the tyres and I suspect some of that is because my fat bike is fully rigid. Certainly putting a bluto on it meant I couldn’t get up at least one climb that I’d managed in rigid mode. Which is partly why it is now back to being rigid.
OK - new UK Fatbike forum is up and running.
Sorry to those that were looking forward to a resurrection of the previous one and all its content - that's just not going to happen. That means that we are starting from scratch.
Membership requests are currently via email, (please bear with us for a few days while we handle the expected flood of requests 🙂 ).
Please send an email telling us your name, preferred username and what make and model of bike you ride to:
Fat is alive here in the Midwest.
Infact my Orange has sat in the house and the fat has done more miles over the summer. Now there is snow it’s fat all the way.
Makes dull trails interesting and passing over invested Americans fun.
Cant see myself wanting to bring it back and ride it in the peaks though.
SHORT BLOCKS meaning they ARE a narrow tyre.
I dont think the name has anything to do with their width. They make them all the way from CX legal sizes to 2.3.
And isn't particularly narrow compared to what most riders had on sunday which were an assortment of CX treads, which tend to sink meaning the riders have to push a bow wave of mud with them as well as being slower over uneven surfaces.
The reason I actually picked SB8's as an example is theyre shit for rolling resitance, hence a Jumbo Jim matches them (a racing ralph has almost half the rolling resistance). Which proves the point that there's more to a draggy tyre than its width.
OK – new UK Fatbike forum is up and running.
Sorry to those that were looking forward to a resurrection of the previous one and all its content – that’s just not going to happen. That means that we are starting from scratch.
Membership requests are currently via email, (please bear with us for a few days while we handle the expected flood of requests 🙂 ).
Please send an email telling us your name, preferred username and what make and model of bike you ride to:
admin@fat-bike.co.uk
Good work scotroutes. Email sent.
Good work scotroutes. Email sent.
Thanks should go to that whitestone fella!
And it's Small Block. Since when does the size of the tread affect the volume of a tyre?
theyre shit for rolling resistance
They sound cool on tarmac, though!
£479.20 for a Calibre Dune at Go Outdoors!!!
https://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/calibre-dune-fat-bike-p347149
For anyone swithering - DO.IT.NOW!!!!
They sound cool on tarmac, though!
Especially when combined with the whimper from the roadie you've just overtaken... (I've been on both sides of this...)
Further to what @scotroutes has said I don't know if ther are any backups of the old forum or if we can get hold of them
@andyflaw
Has your Mukluk been dispatched yet? I'm assuming you bought it on Monday?
winston
Member
@andyflawHas your Mukluk been dispatched yet? I’m assuming you bought it on Monday?
Not yet. Saying it's "in picking" at the minute.
Ordered 22:59 on Monday. To be fair I think they say a couple of days for full bikes to be sent out.
Ha mine was 23.51 I guess I'm one behind you in the queue!
Just ordered some fatbike adapters for my Thule bike carrier as I suddenly realised I wouldn't get it home otherwise....