crandress

I know these are not C&V, but was wondering what you guys think about the fat tire bikes, like the Surly Moonlander or Salsa MukLuk. I was reading a blog about a guy trekking in South America on one of these and then saw the bicycling magazine article on several different models. Kind of perked my interest. Not sure if I would like one or not. What do you guys think? Anyone here have one?

balindamood

Where I live, they are a fact of life.

crandress

For snow?

scozim 

I've got a friend who just bought a Pugsley and absolutely loves it. Wouldn't mind one myself although I'm not sure why.

IthaDan 

I bought one of the first motobecane (BD) offerings this past October. It's a hoot. Riding it reminds me of the feeling of my first mountain bike 20 years ago. I feel like I can roll over anything.

Oh, and far and away the best two-wheeled conversation starter I've ridden. Even more than my gitane penny farthing.

Pics:






Even fits on my roof rack:



Thank goodness for extra toe straps



Have only had it out in the snow once so far. Wasn't quite as superlative as I'd have expected, but I think that's as much about the tires and air pressure as anything else. It's a work in progress,

crandress

Nice!

shoota 

The first time I rode a pugsley I felt like a kid with my first bike again. I can't wait to own one. 8 psi ftw

noglider 

I've looked at the Moonlander. It looks like a gas.

balindamood

Yup. That is why I originally got mine, although it is also becoming a favorite trail bike. The added traction and the suppleness that the tires give versus suspension are big hits with me. There is a bit of a weight penalty (I have a Pugsley), but not enough to make a big deal. I have beee leaving my FS 29'er behind and often taken the Pugsley instead.

I think others have compared riding one to the feeling they had the first time on a mountain bike, and I believe it to be accurate.

That said, it is not an "everything" bike. You CAN tour on one all the way to Argentina, but you can also do that on a Schwinn Varsity. You CAN put road tires on it, and it is kinda fun, but not the same, or as good, as a decent sports tourer. However, a fat tired bike will take you places the others won't.

I have a Pugsley. I like it because I can pretty much do anything with it. The only proprietary thing on it is the bottom bracket. I can go single speed, internal gears, external gears, whatever. It has mounts for racks, fenders, whatever. But it is a little heavy, and will not take the widest tires currently available.

The Fatback, Salsa, 907, fatter Surlys are maybe more refined, but may not be as flexible if you like to farble around and try a bunch of new things. I have seen the new Special Ed's and Kona, but have not tried them.

I think the think that matters the most with fat bikes are the wheels. I read once that 1 pound of wheel equals 7 pounds of bike (rotational weight=sluggish). You cannot get around the fact that fat tires can be measured in pounds, not grams, and the same with the rims. I can tell you that my original Surly Large Marge rims were dogs, and the bike behaves a lot differently (or at least feels like it) with drilled single-walled rims. Also, tire pressure is equally important. The difference between 10 psi and 8 can be a big difference in snow. The same with the difference between 20 psi and 22. This is mostly trial and error, and the time it takes to pump those big tires up on the trail seem like an eternity, not to mention that you really need a digital pressure gauge to get repeatable results.

Should everyone own one? Maybe. I cannot see it being my only bike unless I lived in a place where it snowed a lot, or you rode off road a lot. It is not my first choice on dry roads (probably almost last). As a third or 4th bike once you had other bases covered? Most definitely.

This seems to be the only picture I have of mine right now. This was on the way to work last winter.

SHOFINE

I got my Fatty back in Sept. mainly for riding on the beach & sandy roads.

gomango

My neighbor happens to be a bike nut.

He has a taste for new bikes that is rather insatiable and always seems to have new bikes around. This year I have had the opportunity to ride his Beargrease, Mukluk and a Surly ECR.

Nice to be able to sample like this for sure.

I am going to do two things. Save for an off season Beargrease deal and try to fit the widest tires I can find on my Salsa El Mariachi.

These are great bicycles for winter fun here in Minnesota and give me options between cross country skiing, snowshoeing and fat tire biking. Sure beats just running on the treadmill all winter!

bconneraz

My Salsa Mukluk. So far this year, I've clocked 1900 miles on it tearing up the trails in the Santa Ana mountains. Best and most fun trail bike I've ever owned. These bikes aren't just for snow.

gomango

Nice bikes guys!

I've ridden a Mukluk a fair amount as well and it's an outstanding fattie!

dwightisright

Would love to take a ride on one. REI had one it lasted about a week before it was gone.

YoKev

As soon as a used one pops up under 1g around me, it's gonna be tough to resist.

pastorbobnlnh 

Reading this thread has got the ol' "tires" spinning in my head.

I have found these Fatty bikes intriguing for almost a decade when I first spotted Sheldon Brown talking about one. At the time very few were out there and other than riding at the beach or on the bicycle version of the Ididirod in AK, there was not much written about them. Lately they have taken off and all of your positive comments have sealed the deal for me.

I think, however, I might go a different route. Frank the Welder is only about 30 miles away and as my retirement gift to me, I think this is the bike I'll have him build. This way, we can have complete control over how it is built!

Of course it will be pricey, but I have about 9 years to save for the frame and the components. Gives me plenty of time to dream and work with Frank to come up with an original design that has the features and capabilities I'd like, such as fenders and racks.

Who knows, maybe we can build a drop bar version of a fatty!

Thanks for the inspiration!

Barrettscv 

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<<<< I'm waiting for the Penney Farthing version

fietsbob

We sell a fair number of them , Sun , at a lower cost than Surly and simpler with 2speed kickback

or their deluxe model with Nuvinci CVR hub and discs . a ride on the beach rig, and to haul your gear

to stalk your quarry, the Mighty Clam ..

JAG410

I had a Surly Pugsley for 3 years, then upgraded to my new baby...a Waterford built steel Fatback. It's my main mountain bike, and main winter commuter. So much fun!

IthaDan 

This is exactly how I ended up with a bikesdirect bike. I had the same budget and ZERO luck finding a used fatbike.

That being said, the big boys are starting to offer fat bikes, so the earliest adopters are finally in a position to upgrade, with more and more exotic, desirable, high end bikes entering the market.

The best part about a used one, is you can pretty much guarantee it's been well taken care of- I can't imagine there are many fat bikes that aren't at least a third of fourth bike in the quiver.

crandress

I think they are pretty cool. I have no specific need for one, but still...

gomango

Very cool.

Would you prefer it over say, a Mukluk?

well biked 

I've assembled a few of the Surlys and test ridden them on very short rides when done. Our shop only special orders them at the moment, but they are catching on, and we don't get much snow at all. Deep down, I think everyone who's ever ridden a regular mountain bike on singletrack wants to take one out and see what it's like. I know I do. I see them occasionally on our local mountain bike trails. Based on my short test rides, I think the Pugsley might interest me the most, the Moonlander is a beast. I might change my mind if I took one off road. Another model that has our interest is the Krampus (and ECR), a 29er with semi-fat tires.

One thing I really like about Fat bikes is that they embrace the idea that there's no need for hard and fast rules in regard to what a bike should look like, what it can do/can't do, etc. It does amaze me how many variations are on the market now from more and more brands. And now, like most things in the bicycle world, if you're willing to spend the money, you can even shave the weight down to a reasonable level.

JAG410

I love this Fatback, my only gripe is minor, that the BB is a few mm's lower that I would prefer at 60mm. I had some pedals strike issues when railing through single track at Cuyuna, some thinner pedals helped though. Mukluks are nice, but have never wowed me. If I were to go aluminum, I'd get a 9Zero7 or On-One Fatty. The Mukluk front end geo bugs me, too slack for my liking. Nice looking though!

gomango

Thanks!

Yes, the Mukluk is a mean looking machine, for sure.

Also, what is the widest tire you would put on an El Mariachi?

It's a 2012 with stock rims.