[Closed] Would you buy a (new) fatbike for ~£1k?

It was a Trek Farley that opened my eyes to fat-biking. Took a hire one out at Coed-Y-Brenin last autumn whilst on holiday up there. Rode lovely with big 4.7 tyres on it

I'd ordered my Fatty Trail frame & forks (at silly cheap O-O sale prices) within a couple of weeks.

Always thought it would be my n+1 bike but right now it's my n bike.

I'd still say the Dune is a great bet though for the money. Add £80 for some Deore brakes and it's a complete winner

Still good fun though

Cheers 😀

I can't stop looking at Dunes, and the maintenance costs threads isn't helping. Also I was faster on the Fatty that I was on my full suss last weekend, OK it was snowing but it was grippy enough.

I really want one 😕

I really want one

If you're looking for speed it's Strava fast uphill and on the smooth sections. Elsewhere I find it a handicap. A recognised handicap that I guess for some people makes it 'fun' and for others a challenge but for me it gets a bit tiresome esp if I have the opportunity to ride the same loop back-to-back on a conventional bike.

It's nice to have a fat bike but I wouldn't have one as my only bike. If you do get one, hang on to your other bike(s) if you can 😉

Yeah, I could do with getting the wife one really 😆 It was perfect weather for one last weekend.

On the maintenance side, wheels and tyres are so expensive I think I'd be worse off anyway.

Elsewhere I find it a handicap.

Do you mean "going fast over bumpy/rocky ground"? That's where I find mine most frustrating, but I think that's more to do with the fact that it's rigid than fat.

Yeah, I absolutely love mine but only bike, **** that. Depends on your riding of course, for some folks it'll be ideal.

Cheers all, I'll keep it as an itch to scratch in the future. Luckily living where I do there's no coast riding to tempt me!

Having spent hours looking at options and reviews last night, I came to the conclution that I want front suspension.

So to get a Dune with the On One Bluto, Reverb, frame deal and sell the frame.

For under £1100 total (with my XT brakes), I figured it would be a great place to start.

Didn't actually check stock at On One (there isn't any) so back to the drawing board.

Now back on to the Trek @ Evans, or a Cube Nutrail Pro.

Really like the look of this, but not sure about the shop as they are much cheaper than anywhere else.

https://www.bestbikeproducts.com/m1b42s349p6428/CUBE-NUTRAIL-PRO-2016/RS_GB/27567

Am off ill today with a stinkiy cold. Can't concentrate much as my head hurts, but will try some more digging in a bit.

Keeping my eye out for a used Calibre Dune, not seen many though. One on eBay last week with Blutos but went to high for my budget 🙁

Do you mean "going fast over bumpy/rocky ground"? That's where I find mine most frustrating

...more to do with the fact that it's rigid than fat.

It was perfect weather for one last weekend

Tend to agree but I think the fat tyres absorb so much to begin with so it's like chatter-chatter-chatter then boing-boing-boing then BOING-BOING-BOUNCE-BOUNCE-BOING-KINHELL etc

That's an interesting point. There is certainly an optimum pressure window (which seems to be a bit wider on a 4.8 than a 4.0). Too low and you are dinging rims. Too high and as you say, it's like riding an out of control spacehopper. The problem is that the optimum pressure changes with the terrain and it's hard to find something that works perfectly for even a single ride. I guess the solution could be full-suss full-fat, but that way madness lies 🙂

A fullfat full sus could be an awesome do it all bike, but the cost to buy a bucksaw or similar and then keep it in tyres would be eye watering for me.

It would be nice though, going out for a pootle knowing you could ride almost anything you happen across.

The problem is that the optimum pressure changes with the terrain and it's hard to find something that works perfectly for even a single ride

A fullfat full sus could be an awesome do it all bike

I guess the solution could be full-suss full-fat, but that way madness lies

[img] [/img]

http://www.trekbikes.com/gb/en_GB/bikes/mountain-bikes/fat-bikes/farley-ex/farley-ex-9-8/p/1135600-2017/

There goes the £1k limit 🙂

It's high time the Dune 11 with Bluto hit the market

The best thing about the Fuel Ex is that once you realise Plus is bollocks, you can convert it into a proper bike.

(only half trolling)

Contentious post 🙂

I've never ridden a full suss (or even a front sus) fatbike before, so I'll defer to those who have, but what bothers me is that it could end up being a bit slow (for me) to be the only bike.

Taking an old 29er hardtail as my reference (since it's the fastest offroad bike I've ridden), my own stats suggest that a full suss 29er is about 5% slower overall (i.e. full suss seems to be 5% slower than a hardtail for me). A rigid 5" fatbike is also about 5% slower than the hardtail (i.e. about the same as the full suss). So a full-suss fatbike could end up 10% slower, which doesn't sound like much but would probably be enough to annoy me over time.

But that's all theory.

Isn't that one a Farley EX? They do do one, not sure how big the tyres will go, but the spacing is the same as the HT, comes with 27.5 3.8"s

it is indeed an EX it could be the bike we're all looking for *cough*

Only £3.5k for the basic one, hmmm.

Might keep the Bossnut and buy a Dune and then have a week in Majorca with the family instead.

Dupe!

going out for a pootle knowing you could ride almost anything you happen across.

I think that sums up nicely the exact reason I like my Dune so much. It's an adventure curious bimblers delight.

It would indeed be great to see the updated Dune hit the shop floor. What could be the hold up I wonder? I'd imagine it's very hard to provide 11sp and Bluto without having to ask for the same money as the big boys

Strictly speaking, this breaks the £1k rule, but...

Canyon outlet factory has a number of Dudes, starting from £1229 for a large "fatrol" rigid CF8.0 and ~£150 more for Bluto equipped mediums! 😯

https://www.canyon.com/en-gb/factory-outlet/#category=mtb-bikes&sort=price&order=1

IIRC, the Dude frames are long, as someone with the torso of a typical ~6'1" total height (but tiny legs for total height of ~5'10") I suspect the large frame would stretch me out too much and upset my lower back.

Sorry to follow up my previous post, just missed the 15 mins cutoff to edit...

Wazoo is £400 before in-store BC/Toyota discount or online cashback discount! 😯

http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/mountain-bikes/voodoo-wazoo-fat-bike

n0b0dy0ftheg0at

If your 5ft 10 the medium should be fine..

I'm 5ft 9 on a medium..only thing I don't like is the stand over height is a bit limited for my short 31" inside leg.

The top tube lengths are a bit exaggerated as there taken from the very front of the head tube not the centre..

If the cf8.0 Dude was a medium, I would have been really tempted, amazing how it is ~4Kg lighter than a default Wazoo and those lovely BR2250 wheels...

My legs are ~31.5" at best by a self-done book wedge measuring, my 18" Wazoo has a ETT of ~595mm and a large Dude's ~640mm ETT might be a bit too much.

@Goldigger What are the front and rear hub widths on your Dude, 150/190mm?

Not sure why I couldn't find the Canyon deals but, if they are still around in 7 days I'll be having one 🙂

Nobody of the goat...

Thanks of the Canyon link. Had some friends over and after fat biking this weekend, one mate bout a Dude off the Factory Bikes site.

He's really happy....

I saw the large Dude fatrol cf8 went, enjoy, whichever one was bought! 8)

https://www.canyon.com/en-gb/factory-outlet/#category=mtb-bikes&sort=price&order=1

Dude CF 9.0 available in M £1389
That's what Ive got, personally I think it's a bargain for a carbon frame, dt Swiss wheels and the bluto.

If I measure the ETT centre to centre on my medium it's 590mm
Canyon quote 604mm

Hub spacing is 150/197mm

Nobodyofthegoat, if your near hemel your welcome to come get your leg over mine...

I suspect the large frame would stretch me out too much and upset my lower back.

Just fit a nice short stem?

You and I have almost identical stats, although im taller at 6'1" (on a good day) - and i'd always go for longer top tubes.

As much as I love my Dune, those dudes are shweeet, and thats a nice discount.

Which (Dune?) frame did you go for, slimjim? ETT?

Thing is my back is quite happy on the 18" Wazoo (~595mm ETT) with a 35mm Corto stem and the 25mm rise 747mm "chewy" Knuckeball bars. To begin with, I found the Wazoo front end too low on rides longer than ~15mins.

If money was less of an issue, I keep thinking I should really get a "proper" bike fit done, my skewed body proportions at 5'10 (having shrunk since my peak in the mid 1990s) with ~+10cm ape index makes choosing correct road/mtb frames an absolute minefield, further complicated by my lower back injury from 2008!

'Large' - sorry, can't recall the ETT.
I waited what seemed an age for it to be released and bought one of the first.
If anything, i'd prefer an extra 10mm on the TT, but im currently happy with it running an 80mm stem (and 777 knuckleballs). Sounds like you may genuinely prefer a shorter reach than me though.

I totally relate on your sizing issues, I've done the measurements in the past but never a proffessional fitting. Everything always seemed to point to an 'inbetween' size. Ie, 57cm TT on road bikes. 19" on MTB (when 18 and 20 are usually only options).
Im certain I wouldnt get on with the medium Dune though.

Do you have anyone local that you can demo ride? Your welcome to try mine if you happen across West Sussex.

Goldigger - sush, that's the one I want !

Actually, it was the CF8.0 with Bluto, but that has gone already.

Never mind, will look what is available when I have the funds.

NoTg
He bought the CF 8.0 Dune, lime green / yellow, large, no Blutos

He specifically wanted 2 rings, no suspension so thats what he got himself. He is flying back from Germany today and hopefully gets a new bike early doors next week.

just spotted this on ebay,could be a bargain for somebody.i`ve no connection whatsoever to it btw.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/fat-bike-/272559682690?hash=item3f75d2b482:g:kusAAOSwWxNYpp-2

I road my friends large Dude and it felt absolutely spot on size wise. I am only 5'9 with a 30" inside leg and did not notice any standover issues at all. The longer reach of the large felt fantastic. It's a bloody great bike, when I buy a replacement fatty at the end of the year I'm going for a rigid Dude. Amazing value and a genuinely very good bike.

Bit of a loose connection, but is the Fatbike UK forum down again for others?

n0b0dy0ftheg0at - Member
Bit of a loose connection, but is the Fatbike UK forum down again for others?

Yes, it is for me. Was all day yesterday too 😐

So the calibre dune is available for about £540 with all the discounts. Do Go Outdoors usually have a 10 percent offer every month, or is it likely to be a while before that discount again?

Quite tempted by it!

I bought mine at the beginning of October when they were reduced to £499 for a couple of weeks,not sure if that will come around again but I have noticed the calibre bossnut is reduced by£100 at the moment .Not regretted buying mine at all though and I would say it's well worth it if you can get one for £540.

So the calibre dune is available for about £540 with all the discounts. Do Go Outdoors usually have a 10 percent offer every month, or is it likely to be a while before that discount again?

I paid £500 in Oct, I've since spent a small fortune and I'm still spending..

Don't regret a penny, its ace. Latest addition, a Bluto, way better if you want to ride it like a hooligan sort of hardtail.

Up for a SDW Dune ride collective this Summer chaps?

Other fatsters accepted 🙂

Why discriminate us other fatbike riders?
Invite the dudes too at least 😉

Crazy idea, but how likely would it be to fit a retro shimano 8 speed drive train to a fat bike frame - dune specifically? Maybe not the triple, but a double or just the rear mech? Crazy? Sure is.

How do I stop what I can only assume is pedal Bob on my dude (bluto)?
When I pedal hard it feels like I'm bouncing up and down only on the back wheel.

OK I could stop pedalling, but that won't get me far.

Run higher pressures, although I don't think this is the answer.

Any tips appreciated

Just learn to pedal in circles.

When I pedal hard it feels like I'm bouncing up and down only on the back wheel.

Is the "bob" in sync with your pedalling downstroke? If so then your pedalling action needs attention.

Get on a turbo trainer or static bike and pedal really quickly. If you start to bounce then it's you not the bike.

Can't say I've ever bounced on any of my bikes or turbo trainer...25 Years of riding.

Seem to remember someone saying an oval chain ring helped with this.

Oval ring does help.

I think there's 2 things here. One is yes obviously lots of undamped bounce in the tyres. The other is that I tend to be in a lower gear- the last climb of the day is when this was most obvious and I'll often be sat down, spinning and trundling, that's going to highlight any lack of smoothness.

I'm honestly not sure if it matters though. The bounciness feels wasteful but does it make you slower, or does it just feel bad? Still, I fitted an oval and it's the only time I've really felt like an oval lived up to the hype, it just smoothed things out a bit.

Riding a fixed gear is a great way to get a smooth pedaling style. Spinning at 180rpm down hills soon makes you adjust.

Last weekend I was in Finland doing the Rovaniemi 150 fat bike race. Quite a wide variety of surfaces from frozen rivers to ploughed roads to sugar snow to a couple of hike-a-bike sections. I use an oval chainring and I wouldn't say my pedalling style is anywhere near perfect but I didn't experience any pedalling bob. 99% of the race was done sat down - you just can't apply even traction in snow when stood up (well I can't). Actually I fitted the oval to provide even traction rather than deal with any pedalling bob.

I think the bounciness is more evident as I've never experienced it before.
Feels weird and I can only imagine looks odd to any bystanders. 😀

I'm going to pump my tyres up to 25 psi and see if the bounce is still there. If it is I know it's my peddling, but in the event it's not I'll give an oval ring a try.

Just need to wait for the next 25% off superstar, for a cheap solution.

Chears for the oval suggestion

25psi 😯

What we feel when riding on a bike is rarely obvious to bystanders - they are highly unlikely to spot any pedal bobbing.

It wouldn't surprise me if those of us running short stems like my 35mm are typically putting >60% of our weight through the rear wheel, so we should be putting >10% extra pressure in the rear tyre to compensate... Especially those of us that weigh north of 80Kg when kitted out to ride!

When I run my 4.0 JJs on solely tarmac rides, I typically run ~25/28PSI, but this hasn't happened that often since getting my FatNotfat 29er wheelset.

On rides that include some off-road, I'll drop the JJ pressures to ~18/20PSI if it's been raining heavily, because the ride will still include ~5+ miles minimum of tarmac riding to get there and back.

Must admit, when I first got the bike and pumped the tyres up to my normally thumb test..a little bit of give.
Zoomed round the block and didn't get any bounce.
It's only since I've dropped them Down to 10/8 psi.

I get some bounce on my Dune too when I bring the pressures down.

When you drop the psi there is a greater chance of your tyre not being seated properly and possibly bouncing you up and down as it goes out of shape.
Finding the psi sweet spot for your riding style/weight can be a pain and if you have cheap tyres then it'll be even more tricky.Good tyres cope with the lower psi better and some cheap ones will be a right pain in the arse to keep seated at any psi 😐

Opinions please, do I keep my Dune frame or Fatty frame?

My Dune is heading to the point where the only original bit will be the frame. Due to buying an on one bundle it is now sporting a 120mm Bluto.
I'm about to order Hope hubs (using my diggers discount) but need to choose which frame to keep first.

In the Fatty corner, it's designed for the longer fork.

Resale wise I would be able to rebuild the Dune as it came and resell it.

Both have easily damaged paint.

Anybody ridden both?

Seat tube angle is slacker on the dune if the specs are to be believed, but the fatty has old fashioned (at the moment) rear spacing.

Tricky one. Both have their flaws, but could come out ok. Would have thought the Fatty would have better resale though at least for now due to being a known frame.

I have a history of Inbreds too, most of them in fact..

Hope hubs are QR or bolt through and there are still plenty of 170/177 frames.

Cant be more than a few quid in resale price between the two. I'd personally stick with the wider rear end and drop the travel on the Bluto to 100mm

slimjim78 - Member

Up for a SDW Dune ride collective this Summer chaps?

Other fatsters accepted

Most definitely. Two days and overnight camp? Or a single day thrash?

Just stop calling me a fatster!

The Dune rides well enough at 120, I haven't noticed any negatives.

Tyre wise, I'm happy enough at 4" for trail riding so unless all new trail fatbikes end up at 197 I'm not it matters.

Fatty frame must be a little bit heavie.

Noticed that there is still 25% of UK made at superstar. So going to pick up a oval ring.
I've got an e-thirteen double 22/36 Chainset on the dude, 11-36 cassette.

So far I've hardly used the 36th chainring, if I was to go for a 1 x10 setup. Loose a ring,shifter and front mech and save a few grams.
Which chainring could I get away with? 30th?

Just noticed that superstar don't have a 30th oval chainring 104bcd, any other cost effective options?

Two days and overnight camp? Or a single day thrash?

I'm certainly up for a camp if others are. Let's settle on a location. Norf, Mids, Sarf? The SDW thread has me inspired to ride it in full..

From what I've read on this thread it seems that the dune is a fairly good frame and fork combo. If I did buy one I'd almost definitely upgrade lots of bits.

The question is, is the frame combo as good as something like a salsa beargrease? I could get one of those and upgrade a couple of bits and suspect I might end up with a better bike.

If a could start all over again I'd probably save the pennies and drop them on something like a beargrease or dude, but I had no real way of knowing if I'd be wasting my money on a fat bike.
The Dune took much of the monetary risk out of if for me, so I'll reward the frame (the only original part left!) with a couple more seasons riding before finding something a bit more upmarket perhaps.

After putting all the plus's and minus's down on paper I reckon your right, the Dune wins due to the 197mm rear end.

Comparing the two frames side by side, the medium Fatty is at least 3cm longer up front and slightly shorter at the rear. And yes the seat tube angle is steeper. I'm a bit of a short arse so I'll stick with the large Dune (50mm stem)

http://nextdaytyres.co.uk/details.aspx/VEETIRE-APACHE-FATTY-SLICK-MTB-26/2457

£107 rrp reduced to £97! 😯 😆 😯 😆 😯 😆

Regarding pedal bob I know what you mean. Years of full sus riding has given me a sloppy pedalling technique.
Fitting a suspension seat post has got rid of the problem.
After a year Ive finally got to give my bike some coast action. Loved it.
[img] [/img]

Few fatbike related bits at PX at decent prices...
http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/TOASTLIN/airshot-tubeless-inflator £40
http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/HBOOKNUCK/on-one-knuckleball-carbon-handlebar £40
http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/CROOTHTH/on-one-ringmaster-chainring £15
http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/TUVILIMTB/vittoria-lite-mtb-inner-tube £4
http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/BAPXSAPO/planet-x-saddle-pod-saddlebag £10 (frame bag)
http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/TYMAMA/maxxis-mammoth-120tpi-tubeless-ready-folding-tyre £30
http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/BAJOAPR/jobsworth-disc-brake-compatible-adjustable-pannier-rack £10

Airshot is probably the highlight, but I keep wondering about the pannier rack and then some panniers for food shopping... Or are they likely to fall apart/rust within months?

Cheers n0b0dy0ftheg0at! Pair of Mammoths ordered for [s]when[/s] if the summer arrives! 😆

zippykona - Member
Regarding pedal bob I know what you mean. Years of full sus riding has given me a sloppy pedalling technique.
Fitting a suspension seat post has got rid of the problem.
After a year Ive finally got to give my bike some coast action. Loved it.

Zippy, where was that picture taken mate?
Looks like a Cornish beach I might know? 🙂

http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/TYVEVMFB/vee-rubber-vee-mission-fat-bike-folding-tyre

These also may be worth considering for £10 a pop. They may well be crap, but could serve as a cheap back up or something.

Incidentally, what fat tyres for mud? Sticky gloopy South Downs mud, after all these showers I'm going sideways as much as forwards at the moment on my Floaters - and it's a matter of time before I lose the front end

That's a good deal on the Maxxiss mammoth tyres...
But what does Dry/ All-conditions tyre mean?
Dry/ dry mud, dry snow, dry rain..

@slimjim78 Those Vee Missions are 24" tyres, not 26". 😉

http://www.bicyclerollingresistance.com/fat-bike-reviews/maxxis-mammoth-2016

Mammoths are much more draggy than I thought they would be, especially at lower pressures. They perform better at high pressure, making them more suitable for tarmac riding, but they will still be draggy compared to Jumbo Jims.
£30 is the cheapest I've seen them, but the low price comes with compromises.

I would inclined to pay the extra for JJs, they were as cheap as ~£42 a month ago, now ~£51 from https://www.athleteshop.co.uk/sports/cycling/cycling-tyres/fat-bike-tyres?dir=desc&order=price