half fat bikes

[Co-opski]

I'm wanting to do more winter riding, for years I ran Nokian Hakkapeliitta studs on my full ridged 26 single speed, mostly on plowed bike paths and such.

Last year I road some fat bikes (907, Fatback and Salsa Mukluk) wow I'm hooked.
This fall I put some Snowcat wheels 40mm wide and stretched the Nokians 2.1 around these rims, but I'm looking at adding a fatback fork and putting a 80mm fat wheel up front for more float. I know this is not the best way to get into fat bikes but it is what I have to work with. Most half fats I've seen are built around 29ers not a 26 inch beater like I ride. I'll post up some pictures As my build takes shape. :elkgrin:

 

[Gooseberry]

whats the cost on the fork and wheel. i'm thinking of upgrading my pugsly to a salsa and was thinking of selling it for $1300 with the larger rotors.

 

[DJGoo]

What's a half-fat bike? Is that like, a snow bike but with free-ride tires?
I can honestly I have never heard that term before.

 

[Co-opski]

whats the cost on the fork and wheel. i'm thinking of upgrading my pugsly to a salsa and was thinking of selling it for $1300 with the larger rotors.

I have a steel Salsa fork for a 1 1/8" that I got for around $75, tossed on a mechanical disc brakes (free from parts bin), and now I'm shopping for a front wheel. I hope I can find one where they are up grading to a 170mm hub and 100 rim and they are trying to sell their 135mm hub and a 80 mm rim. That price for the pugs sound fair for what I've seen up here.

What's a half-fat bike? Is that like, a snow bike but with free-ride tires?
I can honestly I have never heard that term before.

No it is me just taking a normal mt bike and putting a fat bike fork and tire on the front. It is more common with 29ers, but I have an old beater 26 inch single speed that I don't mind messing with.

 

[Gooseberry]

Run what you have and have fun. Our night ride tonight they like me better on the pugsly because they can rest while get it spun up but on the spearfish I'm trying out they had to work the whole ride.

 

[Gooseberry]

eBay had a few wheels not to long ago when I was looking

 

[DJGoo]

Did you think about puting screws ino a Freeride tire? I dunno how great it'd be going uphill, but it's pretty popular in BC during the winter months.

http://www.pinkbike.com/video/250332/

 

[Belltownbikes]

Reverse mullet: the party is in the front!

 

[ywen]

dude forget the half fat.. just get the bikesdirect fat bike.. Less than $700 shipped for their lowest model... full fat and it's a proven fat bike design that has been sold in norway for a few years... Fork + wheel + tire will get you close to $700

 

[Co-opski]

DJ- I've done the screw set up before I got my hakkapeliitta studded tires, but with my frame I can only get a 2.3 tops in the back. Right now I have it set up with Snowcat Rims front and rear with the Nokian Hakka tires.
http://www.allweathersports.com/winter/snowcats.html
http://616fab.com/wheel/snowcat-wheels/

Reverse mullet: the party is in the front!

dude forget the half fat.. just get the bikesdirect fat bike.. Less than $700 shipped for their lowest model... full fat and it's a proven fat bike design that has been sold in norway for a few years... Fork + wheel + tire will get you close to $700

I know I don't take the easy route, as a ridged single speed biker, telemark skier, wood kayak paddler, and now a home made winter biker, I often find myself asking why, usually at the top of an icy couloir, rocky beach or navigating overflow on the Iditarod trail. So far I have $75 in a fork $50 in the rear wheel and if I can build up or find a front wheel for under $200, I'm still less than a dedicated fat bike. I'm down to one bike from having four at one point, now I'm trying to have a do it all bike on the cheap. Once I get the wheel tracked down I'll get some trip reports and bike packing photos in this thread.

 

[Co-opski]

DJ- I've done the screw set up before I got my hakkapeliitta studded tires, but with my frame I can only get a 2.3 tops in the back. Right now I have it set up with Snowcat Rims front and rear with the Nokian Hakka tires.
http://www.allweathersports.com/winter/snowcats.html
http://616fab.com/wheel/snowcat-wheels/

Reverse mullet: the party is in the front!

dude forget the half fat.. just get the bikesdirect fat bike.. Less than $700 shipped for their lowest model... full fat and it's a proven fat bike design that has been sold in norway for a few years... Fork + wheel + tire will get you close to $700

I know I don't take the easy route, as a ridged single speed biker, telemark skier, wood kayak paddler, and now a home made winter biker, I often find myself asking why, usually at the top of an icy couloir, rocky beach or navigating overflow on the Iditarod trail. So far I have $75 in a fork $50 in the rear wheel and if I can build up or find a front wheel for under $200, I’m still less than a dedicated fat bike. I’m down to one bike from having four at one point, now I’m trying to have a do it all bike on the cheap. And I also know that a do-it-all you name it, is realy a not good at much. Once I get the wheel tracked down I’ll get some trip reports and bike packing photos in this thread.

 

[Co-opski]

So the parts are coming together. Salas enabler fork ($75), vicious cycles grateful fat Sheba, laced to a surly rear hub, wrapped in a surly Larry tire ($150).
Here is the bike in my old winter mode.
Gary Fisher Grateful Dead edition hoo koo e koo, single speed 32 22 gearing, Snocat wheels, nokian hakka 300 2.1 studs.

 

[Flagster]

nice coopski...what is the story behind the plate?

 

[Co-opski]

nice coopski...what is the story behind the plate?

haha back in college when I lived in Wisconsin I would build up junker cruisers (bar bikes) kind of like ratbikes for friends. It's a Milwaukee bike plate and I guess that it's only funny if your from the north woods of Wisco. I still have my 1960s Rollfast from back in the school days and took the plate off of it (it had moss growing on it from the last two summers of not riding it.) I just put a new Shimano nexus 3 speed coaster brake on it (not hooked up of coarse) so it will be good to go again.

BTW: Surly and Salsa (S&S) have been life savers for a cheap bike builder/rider like myself. S&S with their selection of hubs, forks, singulators, bars, racks, spacers and cogs. I would love to have one of there bikes one day (spearfish, troll or beargrease).

I almost got a FatBack fork but it did not have the brase-ons like the Salsa enabler fork did, now I just need a nother Salsa Everything cage to even out the fork and make room for a frame bag.

 

[Co-opski]