Maelochs

Ahhh, silliness.

Speed is quantifiable, but "slow" and "fast" are relative terms. An mTB is slow ... compared to an IndyCar ... racing on an oval track. it is fast compared to an IndyCar on an MTB track.

Still most people I know are either elderly folks who cruise very slowly just to get out of the house, folks who can't afford cars and commute by bike because they have to (for whom speed is irrelevant,) and people who ride for pleasure, the vast majority of whom do seem to like going as quickly as they can withing the limits of what they are willing to spend in training and gear.

But as for fat bikes being slow ... it's relative. and in fact, immaterial ... if you can't ride another bike on given terrain, the bike you can ride is fastest .... and the bike you Want to ride is best.

First Pugsley I ever saw was a guy competing in a 12-hour MTB race. (Apparently people liked the idea because another guy rode one the next year.) There were also guys riding rigid singlespeeds (one guy did the entire 12 hours solo.) Both would have been the "wrong" choice for me ... and all of them could have kicked my but no matter what bike I had been riding (I didn't even enter because of insufficient fitness.)

What does all this prove? That people are different.

Well, I guess we need to fix that. How can we legislate homogeneity?

I'll tell you what to like, and if you don't ... off with your head.

Hypno Toad

This is a mostly stock 2015 Pug ... expect the bars and shifters. Surly put the Moonlander fork on the 2015 Pugs, with a 135 mm hub. The front wheel is easy enough to get in/out. But the rear with horizontal drop out, that's a pain; I remove the QR skewer to get the wheel out.

Banzai

Yeah, the track-ends on the rear have given me pause. Especially wondering if they play well at all with discs. I'd think the disc caliper would have to be moved as well?

I thought from the pic that maybe it was a 100mm front, and was wondering how the spacing was for squeezing the tire in and out. After all, 4" tire equals 101.6mm.

Hypno Toad

I got some Monkey Nuts to avoid any issues, but I don't think you need to adjust the caliber mount (& I could be totally wrong).

Early on, I found I could put enough power into the 4" rear tire that the wheel would slip in the frame. So the Monkey Nuts fixed that ... bounce, they make sure I remount the wheel in the same place every time.

Seattle Forrest

If you think you're disagreeing with me on this basis, you must have skimmed my post too quickly.

Maelochs

This is what I must have misunderstood. I thought it said "Mountain bikes are slow."

But I never disagree. I offer alternative viewpoints and cogent rebuttals to expand the scope of the discussion, so that it is more inclusive. I am all about political correctness.

And actually I was responding to various posts:

Plus yours.

And I am combining all these seemingly related but actually disparate comments totally without context not because I am trying to start a fight but because I am trying to assist my fellow BF posters to engage in an exhaustive analysis of their own feelings about the situation. I am all about helping others, after I am finished being all about being PC.

So it only appears that I was being deliberately offensive by deliberately taking your remarks out of context in order to stir up animosity and elicit even more irrational, highly emotional responses ... in fact, I was trying to help BF poster to both live fuller lives and to have more satistying BF experiences.

I mean, why would I care how many pages of inanity these thread eventually reaches?

And then there is this: So ... from now on, whenever people take issue with my decidedly Not provocative and Not deliberately misconstrued and misconstruable posts, I will suggest they get some Monkey Nuts.

“Yo, dude , grab some monkey nuts and work out you issues.” That line ought to calm down a lot of situations.

RollCNY

If you own more than one bicycle, one or more of them will be sitting 100% of the time. So what does it matter if one of those is a fat bike.

If we only get one bike for our entire life, mine would not be a fat bike. But it wouldn't be this forum's consensus definition of a road bike either.

Hypno Toad

As a fatbike lover, I totally agree, the Pug would never be my 'only bike'. I'm fortunate to have the resources to have a collection of bikes.

Jseis 

Roots.

PaulRivers

This is what it is, they want to do something that's faster than walking but otherwise don't care much about their speed. It's like asking "why isn't a couple going for a romantic walk on the beach jogging at their fastest pace??" lol. They just don't need to go fast.

Hiro11

I have a fat bike, it's one of four bikes I own. I think fat bikes are terrific for some people.

I live in suburban Chicago. Due to various laws, bike-legal single track is extremely rare around here. However, gravel MUPs and snow are both plentiful. A fat bike makes a lot of sense here in the winter. In mid-February, a fat bike ride with your friends on a deserted MUP in three inches of snow can be just about the most relaxing/fun/beautiful bike ride you can imagine. Going down to Palos (50 miles of singletrack) for a four hour ride on a snowy day with hundreds of people out is just awesome, it's a lot like cross country skiing.

Also, I find myself using the bike a surprising amount of time in nicer weather. Fat bikes are just fun to ride: 13 MPH in baggies and trail running shoes on a fat bike is the perfect antidote to yet another 65 mile group ride with lycra commandos. It also slows me down so I can ride with my kids without driving them crazy. Lastly, when I do take my fat bike on technical singletrack (which I do about ten times a year) the fat bike offers extreme levels of grip and lots of confidence on descents. I don't get a lot of time to practice my off road skills and the fat bike just makes things a bit easier for someone like me. I'm not exactly looking to shred gnar, myself.

Overall, I find myself trying to find reasons to break out the fattie. Don't knock it until you try it.

Seattle Forrest

Read the rest in context and you'll figure out how you misunderstood what I wrote.

Maelochs

read my post and you will see that I deliberately took whatever bits I wanted Out of Context ... really, was my post that opaque? I can't expect everyone to enlighten, but at least lighten up, folks.

Hypno Toad

No, not at all. In fact it's the winning post! I've read it many times, it's that good.

You just need to break this one out right away:

Seattle Forrest

I started but so far I've only made it to chapter 19.

Inpd

Thanks @Hiro11 excellent post. Two quick questions.

Riding on MUPs you mention as though a fat bike on a snowy MUP has an advantage over a fat bike on just snow. Is that correct?

These single track rides you mention are not gravel trails right?

Tundra_Man 

About 20 years ago (has it already been that long?) when the re-issue VW Beetle came out, I saw one parked outside a coffee shop. Having been an old-school VW fan from way back, I was intrigued by the new version. I walked into the coffee shop and announced, "I have two questions: who owns the VW out front, and what would I have to do to be able to drive it?"

A kid piped up and said, "I do." Then he tossed me the keys.

In retrospect it was pretty weird that some guy let a total stranger take his brand new car for a spin.

Back on topic, I've heard that fat bikes are fun to ride. I've never ridden one and don't have an urge to own one myself, but I have no problem with anyone who does. To each his own.

Hypno Toad

I'm not sure I understand this question, but I'll take a stab at it. I ride a lot of snowy conditions with my Pugsley. MUPs in the Twin Cities tend to get plowed, so you're typically riding hard-packed snow. However during or right after a snow, you'll be pushing through all the fresh snow. A fatbike is great on the fresh snow. For comparison, I used to commute with a 26x2 MTB and it was much harder with fresh snow, but the Pug is just smiles for miles.

The single-track courses in my area are mostly paced dirt (not gravel). However, the Pug can handle both with confidence. Here's my favorite local trail (Theo):



(Not my picture)

Maelochs

I am impressed by the way the Pugsley chewed through that tree. My Cannondale couldn't have done that.

WhyFi

I take it that you don't have a Slice?

Hypno Toad

Now you understand why I love my fatbike!

Agent Cooper

I used to live next to a preserve with trails that had some deep sandy sections. I used to mountain bike out there quite a bit and it was fun but I never got used to slogging through all that sand. I could have used a fat bike back then.

bmthom.gis

I've ridden a fat cruiser bike. It was seriously like I was just hovering. I don't ever see myself buying one. we don't have snow, I live too far from the beach for sand riding, and normal sized mtb tires work really well on the trails without all that extra weight. I've seen a person or two out on our trails and it looked a little ridiculous. Maybe those of us who like the technical challenge are thinning and people just want to run over all obstacles.

alexaschwanden

i bought a Momentum Rocker 3 Fat bike (made by Giant), it has about 700 miles in about 2 weeks. it is quite a workout with a total weight of 60+ lbs (panniers full of stuff). i can ride it anywhere. i got it for a good deal at my LBS for 449$. i climb medium hills with the stock gearing of 38 front only ring and 14-34 7 speed freewheel. it is a challenge to do 101 miles in 90+F heat for 8.5 hours but it is fun.

Hypno Toad

Do you feel the same way about suspension on MTBs?

For my part, I liked my rigid SS 26er for the technical single-tracks. But I cracked the frame last year and haven't replaced it.