Fat Man buys a Fat Bike!
10-19-14, 02:42 PM
#26
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Awesome....just bloody awesome!
I can't wait to pull the trigger on a FB and hit the local trails. I just can't decide which way to go. I really like the Farley, it's the only one I've ridden and it was so cool. And your posts are pushing me in the Farley direction, no doubt. But it's more than I want to spend right now. I have a line on a Pug for less than a grand, but I'm worried that I'll regret not paying the extra....
Anyway, not your problem....keep the reports coming in!
I can't wait to pull the trigger on a FB and hit the local trails. I just can't decide which way to go. I really like the Farley, it's the only one I've ridden and it was so cool. And your posts are pushing me in the Farley direction, no doubt. But it's more than I want to spend right now. I have a line on a Pug for less than a grand, but I'm worried that I'll regret not paying the extra....
Anyway, not your problem....keep the reports coming in!
I test rode the Pugsley, Origin 8 and the Farley.... The Farley was the most expensive of the bunch... and was simply more money than i had ever spent on a bike, including my first carbon fiber bike back in 2001... So yeah, i was kind of nervous spending so much money on the Farley... So i completely understand where you are at and can sympathize... and yeah, i had some of those same thoughts about regretting not spending the extra on the Farley...
10-26-14, 06:58 PM
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So took a little trip today... went to Mid-Michigan Community College which has a nice 10 mile trail loop. Map My Ride says it was only 8.8 miles... all i know is it was an amazing workout! This was by far the most technical and challenging ride yet on the Farley! The area was formed by glaciers, so this was my first experience with ROCKS! LOL! First part was very narrow with tight turns, roots and rocks. Lots of nice climbs! The trail is pretty much rated Intermediate but being a rather wide, overweight Clydesdale, it really pushed me to my limit in spots. This was absolutely the best work out I've had since I returned cycling! In fact it's probably the best work out I've had in a very long time!
One great thing about such a challenging trail.... NO TIME TO BE BORED! Around my house the roads are all flat... the local rail trail is flat an straight... getting out in the woods today, was truly amazing... Kicked about half a dozen whitetail deer, was cool but beautiful sunshine! The Farley has really made got me hooked on this trail riding! (As if you couldn't tell!!! LOL)
For those interested...
Biked 8.80 mi on 10/26/14 on 10/26/2014 | CYCLING Training Log Entry | MapMyRide
One great thing about such a challenging trail.... NO TIME TO BE BORED! Around my house the roads are all flat... the local rail trail is flat an straight... getting out in the woods today, was truly amazing... Kicked about half a dozen whitetail deer, was cool but beautiful sunshine! The Farley has really made got me hooked on this trail riding! (As if you couldn't tell!!! LOL)
For those interested...
Biked 8.80 mi on 10/26/14 on 10/26/2014 | CYCLING Training Log Entry | MapMyRide
10-27-14, 09:44 PM
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10-28-14, 05:07 AM
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I love Santa Barbara County for biking. Today I'm off to Figueroa Mountain for another crazy ride on the Farley.
I'm a wimp though I'll stay on the roads lol
Charlie
I'm a wimp though I'll stay on the roads lol
Charlie
10-28-14, 08:19 PM
#30
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Awesome reports on The Farley!! Keep'em coming... BTW, what are you using to take the pictures they are awesome also!
10-29-14, 04:30 AM
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All the pictures have been with my iphone 5. Thinking about the iphone 6. I also have a nice little point and shoot camera that will fit in my bag...
10-29-14, 07:12 PM
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SWEET!! I guess the iPhone does take great pictures.... I luv taking pictures, since I do a lot of group rides I don't stop to do so because I hate playing the catch up game... But this thread is slowly changing my mind on not stopping to take pictures...
10-30-14, 04:19 AM
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While i've been pretty impressed with the iphone pictures, i really need to start packing my little Canon G16 which takes amazing pictures...
11-02-14, 05:47 PM
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So... my bike handling skills and fitness must be improving... on the climbs, i basically only felt comfortable downshifting, sitting in the saddle and spinning up the climbs. Today i found i could actually get up out of the saddle and climb.. and i felt comfortable doing it!!! WOOHOO!!!
Also, picked up a new little P&S camera.. Fujifilm XP70 - waterproof and shockproof... feel more comfortable toting it around than my good Canon P&S...
Also, picked up a new little P&S camera.. Fujifilm XP70 - waterproof and shockproof... feel more comfortable toting it around than my good Canon P&S...
11-03-14, 09:38 PM
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Dumb question: Is the Farley bike named after the comedian Chris Farley?
11-10-14, 08:42 AM
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11-10-14, 09:02 AM
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11-10-14, 09:07 AM
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ya ya...lol
I'm sitting here looking out the window at the snow coming down hard. Could get over an inch today.....first chance to ride the bike in the conditions for which it was purchased!!
I'm sitting here looking out the window at the snow coming down hard. Could get over an inch today.....first chance to ride the bike in the conditions for which it was purchased!!
11-10-14, 09:29 AM
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Heard parts of WI was getting hammered... along with Michigan's UP.... just cold here in Mid-Michigan...
11-10-14, 10:07 AM
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We're suffering from perfect weather here in SoCal: 75 degrees with blue skies. I've done sweet beach rides the last 3 days
on my Fat Tire bike. Unfortunately I just caught my sons cold so gonna have to take a break.
Charlie
on my Fat Tire bike. Unfortunately I just caught my sons cold so gonna have to take a break.
Charlie
11-11-14, 08:13 PM
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I have a Trek 7.2 FX with Schwalbe Winter Marathon tires. They are excellent on ice but lose all traction in >3" of snow.
I bike as the primary means of transportation, namely my work commute. My LBS had some Salsa fat bikes in the store but they told me the air pressure is very low in the tires. So that you can't go very fast (you said your top speed was only 20 MPH??!). I can go at least 35 MPH downhill on my Trek. I'd like to get one of these bikes for heavy snow days, but the top speed concerns me. Is that really true that the tire pressure restricts the top speed to around 20 MPH? And does the low air pressure also require a lot more effort to pedal the bike around?
I bike as the primary means of transportation, namely my work commute. My LBS had some Salsa fat bikes in the store but they told me the air pressure is very low in the tires. So that you can't go very fast (you said your top speed was only 20 MPH??!). I can go at least 35 MPH downhill on my Trek. I'd like to get one of these bikes for heavy snow days, but the top speed concerns me. Is that really true that the tire pressure restricts the top speed to around 20 MPH? And does the low air pressure also require a lot more effort to pedal the bike around?
11-12-14, 05:42 AM
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I have a Trek 7.2 FX with Schwalbe Winter Marathon tires. They are excellent on ice but lose all traction in >3" of snow.
I bike as the primary means of transportation, namely my work commute. My LBS had some Salsa fat bikes in the store but they told me the air pressure is very low in the tires. So that you can't go very fast (you said your top speed was only 20 MPH??!). I can go at least 35 MPH downhill on my Trek. I'd like to get one of these bikes for heavy snow days, but the top speed concerns me. Is that really true that the tire pressure restricts the top speed to around 20 MPH? And does the low air pressure also require a lot more effort to pedal the bike around?
I bike as the primary means of transportation, namely my work commute. My LBS had some Salsa fat bikes in the store but they told me the air pressure is very low in the tires. So that you can't go very fast (you said your top speed was only 20 MPH??!). I can go at least 35 MPH downhill on my Trek. I'd like to get one of these bikes for heavy snow days, but the top speed concerns me. Is that really true that the tire pressure restricts the top speed to around 20 MPH? And does the low air pressure also require a lot more effort to pedal the bike around?
Tire Pressure on a Fat Bike... on a Fat Bike the tire pressures are much lower than say a standard mountain bike tire. The max PSI on a standard MTB tire is probably around 65 PSI.... on a Fat Bike 25 PSI feels as SOLID as the 65 PSI MTB tire. So yes, the PSI is lower but it still has the same firmness... For example on pavement/hardpacked dirt i'm running just under 20 PSI and my tires roll very easily... now if you are riding in sand or snow where you want to float on top or get the most traction then you can let some air out of the tires... some people i believe will go as low as 4 or 5 PSI... Again at these low PSI, a Fat Bike tire is going to feel a LOT firmer than a MTB at such a low PSI...
Top Speed.. ok.. 20 MPH is not the Farley's top speed... it is more of MY top speed on the Farley... remember i'm a middle aged, out of shape, morbidly obese Clydesdale weighing in at close to 300 pounds... even on my CF road bike i'm only cruising at 18 MPH on a good day... I'm sure on a downhill i could easily exceed 20 MPH!
And of course speed is very relative.... 20 MPH on a nice, flat, paved rail trail maybe slow... but to me 10 MPH on a narrow single track is fast! Final thoughts... pedaling the Farley is a lot less effort than i thought it was going to be! When i first looked at it, i was convinced it was going to be slow and hard to pedal with those big tires! But i was very pleasantly surprised how little effort it seem to take to pedal compared to my Giant 29er MTB... One big thing for me was the extra stability on the trails that the Farley provides! I'm a complete newbie when it comes to trail riding and the Farley just inspires confidence! To give you an example, on the local trail... i took my Giant 29er out and did the loop... took me 41 minutes... i then took the Farley and because i felt so much more confident and comfortable, i was able to complete the loop in only 29 minutes!!! And when i got done I was grinning ear to ear!! It's been almost a couple of months now since i bought the Farley and I still look forward to getting out and riding it as much as possible!!!
11-12-14, 10:17 AM
#46
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I've seen 35 mph on the Farley on a downhill run. I love my fat tire bike and I usually go faster on it than my road bike!
However I should say that I'm way slow on my road bike like 10 mph (old man speed).
Charlie
However I should say that I'm way slow on my road bike like 10 mph (old man speed).
Charlie
11-12-14, 02:22 PM
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Thanks for the info. I believe the LBS was giving me bad advice then. They were urging me not to go with a fat bike because it would be slower than my Trek hybrid and it would take a lot of effort to pedal.
The first thing that really attracted me to the fat bikes was the extremely large and thick tires. Because that surely meant NO FLATS. I have Schwalbe Marathon Winter tires which have some puncture resistance. However nails, razor blades, metal tacks, will get through. There's just not enough thickness to the tire to stop it. I'm hoping with the thicker tire and tire studs, I can avoid those kinds of punctures as well.
Flats ruin my whole day. Changing an inner tube in bitter cold Winter conditions is not an option. So I really need a bike that won't get flats and can conquer snow and ice during the Winter. Otherwise I'm looking at walking back home from work in the middle of the night for 5 hours in below zero weather..
The first thing that really attracted me to the fat bikes was the extremely large and thick tires. Because that surely meant NO FLATS. I have Schwalbe Marathon Winter tires which have some puncture resistance. However nails, razor blades, metal tacks, will get through. There's just not enough thickness to the tire to stop it. I'm hoping with the thicker tire and tire studs, I can avoid those kinds of punctures as well.
Flats ruin my whole day. Changing an inner tube in bitter cold Winter conditions is not an option. So I really need a bike that won't get flats and can conquer snow and ice during the Winter. Otherwise I'm looking at walking back home from work in the middle of the night for 5 hours in below zero weather..
11-12-14, 02:26 PM
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Also, as a "clyde" at 6' 250 lbs., I REALLY like the fat tire/wheels for stability and durability. I have a 36 spoke rear wheel and a 35mm tire. It just can't hold up under the weight of myself AND the 30-50 lb. of groceries I take once a week. The tire is actually only rated for 190 lbs. lol.
11-14-14, 05:59 PM
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You will get twice the punctures on the fatbike as with a regular bike. More tire on the ground and the casings are pretty thin because so many riders select tires based on weight. Even so I have enjoyed the Pugsley for a couple years now. A use an entire bottle of sealant in each tube (weight be damned), and have done pretty well at avoiding flats for awhile. At the Salsa demo last weekend very few of the new Fatbikes made a full lap of our favorite local trail without a flat. The Salsa rep was doing almost nothing but changing and patching tubes, the local shop mechanic was handling bike setup to help him out.
11-15-14, 04:54 AM
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You will get twice the punctures on the fatbike as with a regular bike. More tire on the ground and the casings are pretty thin because so many riders select tires based on weight. Even so I have enjoyed the Pugsley for a couple years now. A use an entire bottle of sealant in each tube (weight be damned), and have done pretty well at avoiding flats for awhile. At the Salsa demo last weekend very few of the new Fatbikes made a full lap of our favorite local trail without a flat. The Salsa rep was doing almost nothing but changing and patching tubes, the local shop mechanic was handling bike setup to help him out.