[Closed] Lots of fat bike love on here

I've reported this to the moderators. You're not allowed to think that kind of thought on here.

I know, it got me thinking i did something wrong with it, i can't be the only one though? My girlfriend wasn't too keen either.
Hope i don't upset the folk on fatbiketrackworld.

OP dissed 650b as well! 😡

Send him to the reeducation camp so he can learn the truth! 😛

I did not like beer when i first tried it.

@ trout
steady, thats beer you're talking about.

as for 650b, never heard of it. 😉

Your history suggests you come from a roady background so it will feel sluggish on all the surfaces in your list
get one on some rooty rocky muddy trails. or even your trail center stuff and you should see the point .

not for getting somewhere fast. but certainly for the grin factor

I don't like them, but I've not tried one. Just feel the need to voice an opinion for no reason.

Roady background?
I do own a road bike, but am selling it. although i may get another 🙂
i started out on MTB's.
I would have liked to try it in the woods but no time to ride that far out.
Perhaps i'm too soft for a fat bike. 😛

I didn't like 26" wheeled bikes after I'd tried a 29er, tried a 26" wheeled fat Bike & I like them again.

Btw I tried a genesis Caribou & Kona Wo & didn't like them much either. The charge maxi has a reputation of having odd geometry anyway

They're great for bearded, map holder types to get aggressive on.

Steady on!!

What's all this talk of 26" wheels aren't these banned already. The gravel at any trail centre is not designed for these wheels any longer

It was high tide. I'd have been happy to wait until we got back to the UK and had different areas to try it, but Sean was really keen on trying one. I didn't enjoy riding along the beach at all, but it won't stop me having another go in the future.

HERETIC 🙂

Yep on the normal boring flat stuff the big wheels are a nightmare.

Throw it down a gnarly trail in the wet or strangely enough a bmx track and you'll see why they're liked, you can really throw them about and thats were the fun factor is.

Maybe it's just me, I always thought the appeal for most folks was the same as a rigid mtb or a cross bike- they're fundamentally bad, but entertainingly bad

they're fundamentally bad, but entertainingly bad

That's about it, plus they make the same old trails different again as they've become too easy on suspension bikes.

They do flatter you though, over cook a corner? No problem the Fatty will pretty much roll over anything you encounter.

but:

Followed a number of different riders on muddy, rooty singletrack last night and watched them struggle with front and rear wheel traction whilst my fat bike just followed the line I wanted. And I was probably the only one not pushing up one slitherfest of a hill.

I think on hard surfaces that there's no 'advantage' to a fat bike in pure riding terms. They're still fun though 🙂

Whats the point of a bike that will just roll over anything,i quite like to feel a few bumps/get shaken up/have to choose a decent line,if I wanted something to flatten everything out i'd just buy a hybrid and ride down the prom.

climbing traction was very good. i'm in New Zealand so not a lot of mud to try it on. 😀

I might try another when i'm back in Blighty.

seanthesheap - Member

climbing traction was very good. i'm in New Zealand so not a lot of mud to try it on.

I might try another when i'm back in Blighty.

Odd, rained none stop when I lived there, was a relief to get back to Blighty.

mikey3, I take it all your bikes are fully rigid and you're still running 1.75" tyres at 45psi?

It's been really hot here on the Coromandel Peninsula, it did rain today though. Where did you live over here?

seanthesheap - Member

It's been really hot here on the Coromandel Peninsula, it did rain today though. Where did you live over here?

Maybe it's hot there at the moment because it's mid-summer?.....

I lived all over. It's green and lush for a reason....

I tried one and it didn't do it for me. Amusing side show but not a direction I'll be going in.

tried one and it didn't do it for me. Amusing side show but not a direction I'll be going in.

Ah, cheers, i knew i couldn't be the only one, what did you try and where did you ride it?

Fun isn't for everyone

Borrowed a mates for about 10 minutes, was amazed by quite how sluggish it felt, and also how sluggish/heavy the steering felt, though I will admit a was amazed by how easily it went up a particular steep rocky climb!

Fun isn't [b]the same[/b] for everyone

FTFY

Fun is different? You mean some people enjoy being miserable? How awful

Ah, cheers, i knew i couldn't be the only one, what did you try and where did you ride it?

Can't remember exactly but it was a decent one. Surly maybe? It was on a ride in the North York Moors. Don't get me wrong, I didn't test every aspect of Fat riding but as mentioned above it was sluggish, heavy and felt dead. I tried it whilst out on a 22 year old bike with the retro gang and can honestly say I preferred my old rigid bike as a side show.

I've ridden a few and been totally underwhelmed by how ordinary they are. If you like riding trails on a heavy slug that tends to bounce every where then more power to you. I'm also surprised by how touchy quite a lot of the fat bike riders are when you dont develop the 'Grinfactor' as soon as you swing your leg over one. I think sometimes people just say the bikes are the greatest thing since sliced bread just to justify spending massive amounts of cash on them . Just my opinion others are available.

I'm not a fan of fat bikes in general, ie have no need or real urge to own one, but who cares : ) I don't choose to ride a TT bike either. I have ridden a fat bike though, which is more time than I'd give a TT bike..

Did you fiddle with tyre pressures? If you're outwith the sweet spot for any particular terrain, expect ride quality to be compromised. Also, avoid Tarmac, where possible.

justify spending massive amounts of cash on them

I got mine for the price of an "enduro" carbon wheelset.

Fun isn't for everyone, clearly

Fun is different? You mean some people enjoy being miserable?

No I mean that which is fun for some people is not fun for others. Simple isn't it?

Fun isn't for everyone

So you have now said 3 times . This is kinda my point about fatbikers getting a bit touchy when we dont all fall in love with them and give our opinions.

I like 29ers too, does that make me an anti fun-ist?

Its all about fun for me - having a giggle

I love my fatbike, but not as much as my main full susser

But running a 160mm bike around Berkshire isn't really necessary - especially in this weather

Its a bit like driving an old Land Rover 90. Bloody slow and awkward, but once you get some momentum up, its all very silly - seat of your pants - 'will i or won't i get through this' type of riding

Its retro in a funny sort of way - its just like biking back in the early 90s before everything became so capable

It has its place - i wouldn't dare use it on proper challenging parts of the country - but its made my weekly club rides really good fun

Horses for Courses - but i wouldn't get arsey if someone told me i was wrong. I'd just ride off and have a giggle 🙂

[quote=boltonjon] It has its place - i wouldn't dare use it on proper challenging parts of the countryReally? It's the challenging parts of the country I got mine for.

its just like biking back in the early 90s

I suspect a lot of the negative comments are from those who have only ridden bikes with suspension or were still on balance bikes in the 90's

scotroutes - by challenging I mean big rocks and drops - as i find it gets out of its depth quick

However, on stuff like the beaches on the Outer Hebrides - nothing beats it 🙂

APologies - my poor choice of words 🙂

boltonjon - Member
...Its a bit like driving an old Land Rover 90. Bloody slow and awkward, but once you get some momentum up, its all very silly - seat of your pants - 'will i or won't i get through this' type of riding...

Pretty good analogy IMO

You wouldn't take your Subaru into some of the places you can take a Landie, and your Landie can't do the speedy stuff that a Subaru can do.

Horses for courses, and it all depends on which courses you prefer.

Thanks Epicyclo 🙂

i went with a carbon beargrease and so is a little lighter than most. its about what you like 26-29 or fat you take it or leave it. my 29er hardly comes out now just ride the ridged fat. i get more smiles for miles on it now just need some tubeless carbon rims. and i dont want you all liking them as i like being the odd fella out on my ride.

Not much to add as ive never ridden one but recently saw them in the flesh for the first time. (On-one, surly and salsa) and they looked bloody great 🙂

[img] http://flic.kr/p/qeaJR8 ][img] https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8587/15901577025_72aaa74fc6_b.jp g" target="_blank">http://flic.kr/p/qeaJR8 ][img] https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8587/15901577025_72aaa74fc6_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= http://flic.kr/p/qeaJR8 ]Camera Roll-83 by -N Paul Evans-[/url][/img]
Is there room for one more on the bandwagon?

Bought in last week and have only had chance for one short ride so far. What a laugh! Don't know why, but anyway, what a giggle!

I'm not usually a fan of the aesthetics of fat bikes, but I must admit to being rather taken by the good looks of that :yes:

It's a good looking bike that Specialized, well it is to my eyes. Fat bikes remind me of the bikes that Jo Burt draws.
[img] [/img]

Stanfree +1000. We might be biased as we have the Fat bike police nearby.

I bought mine as I was looking for a winter bike to stop my full sus bearings getting destroyed in the mud. Wasn't really looking for a Fatbike, in fact I hadn't seen the point of them either. However went for a ride with a couple of guys on theirs and they were having a ball in the mud and muck so I got me thinking. Saw one come up secondhand near me so went for it thinking I could always sell it if I didn't get on with it. It's been a great bike for me and the analogy of an old LandRover is exactly how I had summed it up, it just keeps going no matter what you put in the way.

I like the fact that is makes some of my ride harder as it is draggy due to those big tyres running low pressure, I want to keep fit during my winter riding and single speed is a step to far for me. This was perfect for me as I work harder on the climbs but I have a laugh when it comes to the most atrocious mud that others are swearing at. It's great fun at trail centres but really, it's just a different dimension to riding. Same reason as I have a road bike, to experience a different style of riding, the Fatbike is totally different to my XC bike. No right or wrong here.

Sticks hand up timidly

I don't get the love for them either. I've tried a couple of my friends bikes and they just felt bigger and more cumbersome than a bike should be and also bounced off roots and bumps. Maybe I'm too light for a fatbike? I've concluded that the 2.4 'love handles' on my Surly 1x1 are as fat as I want to go.

Mostly Balanced - Member
...they just felt bigger and more cumbersome than a bike should be and also bounced off roots and bumps. Maybe I'm too light for a fatbike? I've concluded that the 2.4 'love handles' on my Surly 1x1 are as fat as I want to go.

Probably had the tyre pressures way too high. A fatbike behaves like a pogo stick if you try to run high pressures in it. 🙂

The 1x1 is a great bike, and if you want to make it even better, stick a set of Dirt Wizards on it (or 3" Knards if you mainly ride dry stuff). I've just been out for a day on mine - it's what I usually ride when I'm not headed into bogs and loose rocks on my fatbike.

meh, its a bike, like any other. Some are good, some crap depending on geometry and intended use. like the old "29er" thing where folks used to assume that a wheel size is all that matters and that they are all the same. Just because its got big rubber doesn't mean its going to a riot to ride.

Like singlespeeds I prefer mine in the dry.
They make you suffer more uphill which is made worse in winter round here so I like gears.
In the dry it was ace going along and down. Still slower going up except for steep tech ups which they excel at.
Blatting over loose rocky sections my particular favourite.

Oh and I can't see them being everyones cupoftea.

Hang on a second.... Horses for courses, if anyone thinks a fatbike is going to be as fast as the latest f/s carbon do it all bike is deluded. So long as I can remember mountain biking has always been a fun thing and fun doesn't always equal speed or easy! Fat is just as much fun ..... Just a bit slower, unless your mega fit and then it makes little difference!

There is a mag out now for those that hate folk enjoying themselves on they fatbike things 🙂

[url= https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7533/15722593507_e8e820bc56_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7533/15722593507_e8e820bc56_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/pXmphp ]10690208_10152945703457526_6451673977587867604_n[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/people/33319577@N03/ ]coastkid71[/url], on Flickr

you need to avoid the fatside. it's not good. you loose all your friends, you get picked on, people keep pointing at you and laughing. it's not a good place to be. please just stick to your normal bikes at all cost.
you have been warned.

hishairyness - Member
you need to avoid the fatside. it's not good. you loose all your friends, you get picked on, people keep pointing at you and laughing. it's not a good place to be. please just stick to your normal bikes at all cost.
you have been warned.

You're right. Get a fatbike and you'll end up in places like this, all on your own.

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TBH I think most people overthink everything on here.......I just like riding and I do it every day...I like a change of bike but in the long run as long as I can ride somerhing I'm happy..and also a bike is just another consumable that wears out its only a tyre size FFS not a life changing decision.

Get a fatbike and you'll end up in places like this, all on your own.

They're excellent fun down here too jameso, waiting for my Bud to arrive for proper winter handling.
Hmmmmmm carbon Pinnacle fatbike.......

Took my fatty around W2 at Afan last weekend and it was great! I got laughed at a few times, but it amazed me how well it rode up and down. One rider actually just pointed and laughed. A few hairy moments, but it was amazing. Only running 9 speed and never had an issue as the grip is just insane.

The last time I rode there it was on my 23lb full sus, so a 28lb rigid was the polar opposite, but just as fun!

akira, I don't doubt it, but for me winter is for cross bikes 🙂
or singlespeeds.

jameso - Member
akira, I don't doubt it, but for me winter is for cross bikes
or singlespeeds.

You don't have to give up on the SS, but I can assure you, the fatbike works far better in winter than the CX 🙂

[url= https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4019/4483947595_d3ba5d6cc1_o.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4019/4483947595_d3ba5d6cc1_o.jp g"/> [/img][/url]

Yeah, you get proper winter up there .. not this 'colder with more mud than summer' southern rubbish : )

If I lived there, I would own a fat bike.

If i lived there i would own snow shoes. 😉

@jameso
Do you have a fat front on any of your Jones bikes? I'm 29+ on mine, i was thinking about a fat front but my fat bike test ride has put me off a bit.

^ likewise. Jeff really rates it and that is enough reason to give it a go, he makes a good case for it but he rides much bigger stuff than I could. I live in the Chilterns.

And if I lived somewhere with proper winters I'd probably climb and ski more than ride. Change is good.

Damnit, nearly went a whole week without wanting a Jones.
Dabbling with the idea of 26+ on a 650b frame and fork. Maybe Duallys or 40mm Spanks with 2.5 or 3". Just for giggles.

akira - Member
...Dabbling with the idea of 26+ on a 650b frame and fork. Maybe Duallys or 40mm Spanks with 2.5 or 3".

Not quite Jones territory, but a nice way to go 26+ is to use a Surly 1x1 because they can take up to 3" tyres. Makes for a nicer ride than a 29er, and if you use the 2.8" Dirt Wizards, loads of grip.

Doesn't cost the earth, and the fatter tyres improve what is already a decent bike out of sight.

Here's a pair of them. Mine is the scabbier looking one, but then it is 16 years old. 🙂

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seanthesheap - Member

Loads of folks on here seem to like them, we just hired a couple of charge cooker maxi fat bikes out
and i didn't like it that much, it felt slow and sluggish, we tried to ride them on as many surfaces as possible, we rode on the beach, tarmac, grass and fine gravel. Perhaps i've missed the point? It's a shame as i was really looking forward to trying one. Anyway as anyone else tried a fat bike and didn't like it?

No great surprise, they're not for everyone, we all like different bikes don't worry about it.

I don't see any attraction in CX but many people do, i'm sure i'll survive 😉