Ravensfan52

I love these bikes

KJL

I love my Fat Bike - to me it's just another bike in my trusted line-up. If I could only keep one the Fat Bike would be it. Versatile... Great back up bike for the times my "other" Mountain Bike is on the I.R. I also use it as a great training bike on some very rugged long climbs - it's heavier and rolling resistance is higher so training on it helps me on the handful of endurance events I do each year. I also love adventure... misadventure rides. Where I live there abundant old logging roads, snowmobile trails etc that just beg to be ridden into the deep outback. I have had to bush whack a few times and if you can keep rolling it goes up and over damn near everything. And all this in the summer..... Winter/Snow ^not enough time to start the awesome times I have had

skids929

I thought i wanted one of these bikes, took a quick ride today on a leftover (2015) Salsa Beargrease and I wasn't impressed. It fit me well, but the brakes were woefully small for that size of wheel, and the shifter was ass backwards and it didn't feel so great. It felt ok over some of the terrain I took it on (light trail) but wasn't willing to plunk down $2200 for it.

I think I need to ride more of them, maybe the Salsa just wasn't for me, maybe the bike just needed to be tuned or dialed in. But overall I didn't think much of it. Looking to compliment my current bike, extend my riding season, when I rode my Sirrus I knew that was the bike I wanted, didn't get that from this bike. I will keep riding some until I find the one I guess. I need to see a Fatback and would love to ride a Canyon Dude, but that company can't seem to get their act together.

Hypno Toad

Fatbikes aren't for everybody. But I will tell you, the only test ride that maters is riding conditions that would force you to walk all other bikes:

skids929

Good point..The video on Lake M is cool, did you have studs on the tires? I am in MN all the time near Lake Minnetonka. Thats cool county for riding thats for sure. I live in New England, similar conditions, but more hills, less cold. Brrrrrrr.

Hypno Toad

Yes, I had the 45NRTH Dillinger 4 tires. These are pricey; Lisa pointed out that her SUV tires don't cost that much... but I only need two tires so it's half the price

I honestly didn't want to get studded tires on the Pug, but we had a very icy winter, we got a warm up and rain at the end of December right before January's deep freeze. Then no fresh snow for weeks, so studs were required to ride anywhere.

Now that I have them, I love them. They are great tires for snow and ice, roll very well on all surfaces. I was blown away when I did another ride across Lake Minnetonka with fresh snow, the drifts were deep and there was still patches of bare ice. So I stopped to dump air from the tires to get good float on the drifts. For my ride home, I took a plowed rail-trail and some roads. I was blown away at how well the tires rolled on dry pavement at 4-5 psi and no tire steering.

craigcraigcraig

Mine is in the back. Meriwether Cycles custom. Wife's rig in the front. Surly Pugsley. A bit too much snow this day but so fun falling in the pow.

Jseis 

I've run them anywhere from 15 to 35 psi. I use the "lower" pressure while bike backing on gravel trails (anything from cinders to 3/4 minus with occasional rail road ballast. They do just fine. I've tried running them on the beach but they just don't have the flotation of my BFLs. At 30-35 psi they roll smooth. Here's the thing: with all that rotating mass say zooming downhill at 30 mph, my fat behaves more like a motorcycle so I'm careful to pick a line so I'm not fighting the bike (and taking another rider out). I'm no geometry expert but fats are not really fast perse so maybe expecting roadbike handling is a fools errand. I run Salsa woodchipper bars with a Ritchey adjustable stem set up a bit. But my weight is still probably a bit more forward than with flat bars. I like the feel and I can bore into wind on the beach and switch back and forth between the fat & road bikes. That forward weight does accent selfsteerer. It's geometry & weight loading forward & tire pressure.

treebound 

Okay, I've been thinking about one of these types of bikes for awhile now, and yesterday I got a pair of near-new 26"x4 tires (Origin8 Devist-8er), so now I need a bike to go with the tires. Yes, I know, most people get a bike first and then look for tires, but I'm doing this backwards because the tires were free.

My current budget will only get me a used Mongoose or Huffy, but I'm 99.9% sure that I wouldn't be content with one of those. So now I'm trying to figure out what is the next level up, seems like fat bikes are up to $200, then take a big jump to $900+ with little in-between. Oh well, let the active search begin. If I can barter or horsetrade or work my way into a fat bike than I'll come back with pics and an update.

MarcusT

I started decades ago as a road racer, then a MTBer and currently a tourer. The fat bike has made me smile while riding ( a rare occurrence these days). When I go out with the intent of a 1 hr ride, many times I'll return after 2-3 hrs. I do strictly no trail/path riding. I go over almost anything, through water, over rocks that most people avoid and even bush wacking.

Milkdudd

I know the obvious answer to the title is of course yes. There's a little more to the story in my case however. I bought this bike a couple of years ago to try something new. The thing is there are no trails anywhere near my house to ride. So like my six other bikes, I ride it around the neighborhoods and along the waterfront of Lake St Clair and the parks in my area. The plan when I bought the bike was to convert it to a 1 x 10. I liked the color and the crank of the SS model more than the Pugsley that came with the gears. I still might add gears and street tires for now, but trail riding is years down the road if I move to a more rural area, if at all. Did I mention that I'm a 58 year old Clyde? Just wondering if this was a low-volume bike that will be highly sought-after in years to come. The sparkly purple color (grape soda) SS model specifically that is. If I were to sell it, do any of you have a ballpark of what I should ask for it? As it only has a few Street miles it is in absolute showroom condition. Thanks, and sorry for the rambling.

dhunley1

20170829_160241 by D Hunley, on Flickr

HerrKaLeun

Got a fatbike as well. A Motobecane Sturgis NX. Really great. Also wrote a review

And yes, this forum needs a fatbike subforum. I started here to research fatbikes, but then ended up signing up on MTBR and hang out at the fatbike subforum a lot. Fatbikes are just too different from normal MTB.

Jseis 

North Jetty of the Columbia River.

taz777

I'm hoping to join the fattie fraternity in the next few weeks. Already planning upgrades even though I haven't got the bike yet!

browngw 

Just found the Fat Bike thread. Once a non-believer, I bought a 2017 Felt DD70 while it was on sale this spring from a local shop. I smile every time I ride this "critter" It came in charcoal and "pink" (magenta) and I decided to celebrate its pinkness with some Jet Black pink grips, pink water bottles and cages, white Giant pedals with replaceable pins and a white saddle. The cockpit now has a shorter, taller stem, Truvativ riser bars and TransX bar ends. A Filzer PR44 rear rack was modified to fit perfectly. I've been running the Schwalbe Jumbo Jims at 14psi rear and 10psi front for general trail use. I enjoy photography and the soft ride and load carrying capacity has made this my go-to bike on camera days.

taz777

@browngw - looks great, lovely photos!

MarcusT

At last it's cold enough, so the beaches are deserted. Time to try the fatty on some sand! Just have to wait for a rainless day

scottsmith

Had a short but sweet ride Saturday on the Fatty on some of the Simcoe County loop trail & some roads near my place. Should have done it again Sunday after the snow!

MarcusT

Nice pics, Scott

browngw 

Wild and windy for todays ride.

MarcusT

So, as my fattie has now taken the place of my MTB, because my MTB became my touring bike. I am thinking about putting bar ends on the fattie. I see some pics with bar ends and many without.
What makes you install/not install them?

browngw 

I like them on my Fat Felt DD70 for the different hand and body positions. On longer trail rides the bars ends get me down a bit and mimic the position of the horns on my STI drop bar bikes. I also cut my bars down to 680mm to accomplish the feel I wanted.

taz777

@browngw: do you have a kickstand on your Felt DD70? If so, which one and how stable does it hold the bike?

browngw 

I sure do. I consider myself free from the bonds of convention and have kickstands on most of my bikes. I have a lot of bikes to store and ride and it helps if they can stand up for themselves! The Felt presents a problem but I was able to mount a Filzer KS-1 Universal Kickstand. It works well and allows me to use my rack and carry stuff easier.
I am expecting some (kick)back for making this "stand".