Hypno Toad

Seems like one-Banzai battle against all the fatties ... how many threads did they start to fattie-shame?!?

It's been said a lot, it seems clear enough, tire steer on a fatbike is a tire and pressure issue. Also a quality issue, cheap tires are stiffer rubber and will tire-steer worse at lower pressures.

I've been through 3 different tires over the years: Surly Nates, Panaracer Fat B Nimble (FBN), and 45NRTH Dillinger. I get tire steer on the FBN under 8 psi, but over 12 psi, that are amazing when railing a turn; these are summer tires and suck on snow. OTOH the Dillingers can roll on pavement at 4 psi without tire steering (they are a lot of work to roll on pavement at that pressure, but easy to handle).

The biggest issue is know what tires are best for your conditions, there's limited information available ... a great opportunity to go to your LBS that deals with fatbikes. (In the Twin Cities, Tonka Cycle in Hopkins is great).

c_m_shooter

They do that if you are running too low of tire pressure. Add a couple psi, everyone and every tire is different.

pipeliner

My wife must be quite a bit stronger than OP. She rides a bike with 4.8" tires all of the time and really enjoys it. She doesn't do much knitting though. Maybe OP should try knitting instead?

djb

I hope some of your folks read this, an honest perspective from a newish fatbiker, but with lots of two wheeled experience.

I'm in my second year of having a fatbike, totally love it, its a gas, gas, gas.
I bought a used cheapie fatbike, but not that cheapie, aluminum frame, good deore groupset, but narrow rims (can't recall right now, either 50 or 60mm) and supposed 4in tires. (measure not a heck of a lot more than 3.5in on these rims)

The stock tires are fairly cheapo schmeepo ™ Kenda small block jobs, and man o man, they self steered like a son of a gun.
I've been on motorcycles and bicycles since I was a kid, and this bike really surprised the hell out of me with the self steering shenanigans going on.
Not a huge problem, I adapted, but holy bananas it was real and almost annoying.

cue my first winter and I put Jones bars on the bike and got some Jumbo Jims for better snow traction and saved a bunch of weight also---and presto, between tires and bars change, no more annoying self steer.

so yes, it does happen, must be a factor or frame geometry and specific tires and tire pressure.
Certainly the jones bars probably were a factor also, changing the steering input factor a certain amount also.

so there you go, I get the comment about it being a weird sensation, as it was a real thing for me, but also glad that changes got rid of it.

prj71

It wasas your cheap tires and tire pressure. Absolutely nothing to do with the Jones Bar.

djb

I tend to agree to a point, although regarding the pressures, this was in the fall when I got the bike and so the pressures were not that low, maybe 12 psi from memory, so not really low snow pressures.
I strongly suspect it is the profile of tire that does it, maybe also the very stiff sidewalls. All I know is that with the J Jims the bike doesn't exhibit this at a wide range of pressures or on snow or dirt.

This last summer/fall I did however put the Kendas back on the bike so not to risk damaging the J Jims riding on rocky trails, and I could feel it a bit, but it seemed that Jones bars helped a lot compared to the stock, straight bars. I suspect it is where it positions the rider weight more back and the wider hand stance seemed to lessen it as well.

guesses on my part, but just glad it doesnt do it like when I first rode the bike stock.

ClydeClydeson

I think OP has a problem with a loose nut in the saddle.

djb

Those sprung Brooks models are notorious for this.