Fat bikes

parkkitchings

Adventurer
This is a great little ride https://www.radpowerbikes.com/ Now I know it's not for the purist out there, I use to be one and have done a ton of mountain biking over the years, but it's a great bike to take when out on the road for getting around and doing a little exploring from camp. The more you peddle the longer you've got some battery assist when you need it. Easily travels over sand, loose rocks, etc. Peddle assist and I've gotten over 30 miles out of a single charge without doing a lot of peddling. Sure it's heavy (almost 60 pounds) and you don't want to do much on it without a charge but it's fun to zip around on this thing. It'll do over 20 mph without any peddling. Five different peddle assist modes from a workout peddling to just sitting there. Not too expensive either, $1500. In the picture below I'd ridden it about 3 or 4 miles over sand and rock with no problem. I'd of been working my *** off on a regular ride.

Radbike.jpg
 

Jason911

Adventurer
Don't have a clue. My guess is not, but I do know DB has had other bikes on offer through Costco as well as REI, Performance, etc. Their distribution has certainly been a little...loose. :)

Answered my own question by doing a web search - Costco did indeed try to sell them...for about a month. S, M or L sizes only, for $999. Select markets only as well - turns out 95% of the stock was returned to the manufacturer. Wrong place to sell a fat bike I think, not really a Costco market type thing.
 

Christophe Noel

Expedition Leader
Answered my own question by doing a web search - Costco did indeed try to sell them...for about a month. S, M or L sizes only, for $999. Select markets only as well - turns out 95% of the stock was returned to the manufacturer. Wrong place to sell a fat bike I think, not really a Costco market type thing.
DB has had a turbulent journey over the years. When I think back to the golden days, it was really a killer brand. I had a Sandvik-made titanium DBR hardtail frame in 1993 that was the jam. The Diamondback Apex with the "smoke" paint job in the late 80s was stellar.

The brand now is a shell of its former self, but it definitely has high points. I'm not entirely sure the El Oso Grande is one of them, but the Haanjo I've been riding for several months is pretty fun. I hope they sort out their distribution plan and update a few of their designs.
 

jayspies

Adventurer
I also think that the DB Mason is a pretty legit little hardtail trail bike in its own right, and at a very good price point. Plus version of that bike exist as well. If you catch REI on one of their sale moments, you can score one for almost a song, comparatively.

Sorry, not fat bike related, so back on topic:

Fat Bike Caterham.jpg
 

Drjames

New member
My question is, for the guys that ride fat bikes in the winter, how rowdy can you get on a normal winter ride? I ride an all mountain hardtail 29r pretty aggressively in the summer months and thinking about going fat next winter. I'm just curious if winter fat biking is a lot of grinding sno-mo trails and post-holed snowshoe track. I would probably ride the fattie all year. Trying to decide between a fattie or splitboard set-up for next winter. Cheers!
 

p nut

butter
My question is, for the guys that ride fat bikes in the winter, how rowdy can you get on a normal winter ride? I ride an all mountain hardtail 29r pretty aggressively in the summer months and thinking about going fat next winter. I'm just curious if winter fat biking is a lot of grinding sno-mo trails and post-holed snowshoe track. I would probably ride the fattie all year. Trying to decide between a fattie or splitboard set-up for next winter. Cheers!

For me, it's all about exploration type riding. There's nowhere near the grip like on dirt, so even downhills are lackluster. Unless you're a pro with access to primo groomed trails. But being out there in the back country, taking in the scenery, while getting good exercise--that's what makes it worthwhile for me.

If you want speed and thrill, though, stick with your split board.
 

mathers420

Observer
My question is, for the guys that ride fat bikes in the winter, how rowdy can you get on a normal winter ride? I ride an all mountain hardtail 29r pretty aggressively in the summer months and thinking about going fat next winter. I'm just curious if winter fat biking is a lot of grinding sno-mo trails and post-holed snowshoe track. I would probably ride the fattie all year. Trying to decide between a fattie or splitboard set-up for next winter. Cheers!

we have a good community of winter bikers here, so there are 3 mountain bike trails systems in town that are groomed to varying degrees.

The main area is owned/maintained by the local cycling group and is mostly groomed with snowmobiles.
The other 2 areas are parks in the city that are groomed by snowshoers.

After a thaw/refreeze, the trails can be faster than dirt. Seriously, all the strava guys are getting PRs on trails in the winter, but the conditions have to be right. All the roots/rocks are smoothed out and the trails are like singletrack sidewalks.
If trails are icy enough, regular bikes with studded tires are faster than fat bikes.

The problem is it takes a lot of effort to groom the trails and quite often, a lot of work is put in, and then the weather will change before you can really ride and the new weather will cause you to restart your grooming work.
 

Co-opski

Expedition Leader
This weekend in Valdez
My question is, for the guys that ride fat bikes in the winter, how rowdy can you get on a normal winter ride? I ride an all mountain hardtail 29r pretty aggressively in the summer months and thinking about going fat next winter. I'm just curious if winter fat biking is a lot of grinding sno-mo trails and post-holed snowshoe track. I would probably ride the fattie all year. Trying to decide between a fattie or splitboard set-up for next winter. Cheers!

I would echo what others have said. A fat bike for me has been used for primarily distance remote exploring, I have taken it onto our Anchorage single tract in the winter but it rides nothing like it does in the summer. I think the best way to describe my winter single track is having to ride between 10-12 inches wide packed trail and if you hit the edge you endo over your handlebars into 3 feet of powder. I do like to grind out 60 miles on snowmachine tracks into remote parts of Alaska. Last weekend we did a ride to Spencer Glacier as the avalanche danger was to high to ski/snowboard.

Now for the splitty, I have been hiking in the backcountry for over 15 years now and have some questions for you to think about before a splitty purchase also. Do you have ample access to backcountry and partners to go with? How many days a winter could you see using it? I know there is backcountry riding to be had from my time on TelemarkTips and seeing the tree skiing that the Vt Kingdom guys would ride. Stay away from Karakorma bindings and stick with Sparks or Voile. :)
Riding up Placer Valley to Spencer Glacier
20170219_133645.jpg
Splitboarding off Ragged Top Mt
ragged top.jpg
This tour was a fatbike ride to trailhead/partners house then up a mountain back to bike downhill to my cabin. I don't think I'll have a day like that again in my life.
 
Last edited:

fortel

Adventurer
DB has had a turbulent journey over the years. When I think back to the golden days, it was really a killer brand. I had a Sandvik-made titanium DBR hardtail frame in 1993 that was the jam. The Diamondback Apex with the "smoke" paint job in the late 80s was stellar.

The brand now is a shell of its former self, but it definitely has high points. I'm not entirely sure the El Oso Grande is one of them, but the Haanjo I've been riding for several months is pretty fun. I hope they sort out their distribution plan and update a few of their designs.

Christophe, I had an Apex, bought new back in the day, with the purple smoke paint job and BioPace rings up front. Loved that bike all except for the chainstay-mounted u brake in the rear. It would be fun to find one to take a lap on the local trails again.
 

Co-opski

Expedition Leader
On to my 5th Fatbike and the wife asked me what the big box on the porch was. Well it is my new Ritchey Commando frame. I started the build last night and for now it will be simple loaner bike. It is a bike that I wanted to try out from a well known brand that has little exposure in Fat Bikes like the Soma Sandworm that I had last summer. Nothing cutting edge and mostly built from parts in my part bin. 1x10 Sram x9, Paul Fhub 36 spoke hub and Hadley 36 spoke rear hub laced to Fatback/Speedway Uma 70 rims, Husker Dus or Van Helgas for tires, Avid bb7 brakes, Jones H-bar, Cuben fiber Dyneema frame bag and gas tank bag, Raceface Atlas Cranks and BB. I still have to get the shifters and brakes hooked up before I get it out. maybe some Old Man Mt racks? Ride report soon. Not sure how I feel about the Tacticool paint but I like the homage to the vintage MTB Ritchey Commando.
20170419_181620.jpg
 
Last edited:

jayspies

Adventurer
So looky what Brown Santa dropped off yesterday!

Box 1.jpg

Box 2.jpg

Frame.jpg

Found it on Pinkbike for a great deal and pulled the trigger. Mukluk frame will be going on eBay/here/PB shortly. Looking forward to the build! Shoud be a radically different bike than the Mukluk.
 

Barrows

Adventurer
Nice Beargrease frame, you will love the change. What year is your Mukluk? The 2017 Beargrease and Mukluks have different spacing on the hubs.
 

jayspies

Adventurer
Nice Beargrease frame, you will love the change. What year is your Mukluk? The 2017 Beargrease and Mukluks have different spacing on the hubs.

Muk was a 2014. Sold the wheelset with the frame/fork, and sold the X7/X9 10-speed components separately. Having a set of Chi-Carbon wheels made by Light Bicycle with 65mm rims and DT Swiss hubs (150 TA front, 177 TA rear). Found a crazy deal on Pinkbike for a new old stock SRAM X01 shifter/cassette/rear der, so going 11-speed 1X for the build. Should turn out to be a pretty light ride when it's all said and done. My rides on the BG before I sold the wheelset were revelatory. That frame is stiff as a board compared to my Muk, and in a good way. Since I don't see a lot of snow where I am, the BG will be mainly a trail bike, with some bikepacking thrown in. I may miss all the braze-ons of the Muk, but not enough to outweigh the positives of the carbon BG. Looking forward to seeing how the new carbon wheels change the feel. I'l post some pics and a build list when the wheels get here, probably in a few weeks.
 

SGNellett

Adventurer
With the advent of 27.5+ tires, modern fat bikes can handle a large range of tire and wheel sizes, so in theory one bike can almost the "one bike" quiver. Even with modern materials, BB widths and hub spacing, it is still hard to beat a Surly Pugsley for versatility. But of course that violates the N+1 bike rule....

Only thing I dislike is the wide pedal stance, so thinking a 29+ would suit me better. Not as good for snow and sand as a fatbike, but better everywhere else.

There are fat bikes with a narrow Q factor. Tumbleweed makes one. I believe they're restricted to IGH, but pretty narrow Q factor.

Wide stance doesn't bother me, though.

Ya, if this is what you are thinking, geared hub or single speed if you use wide tires. http://bikepacker.com/tumbleweed-prospector-first-look/

The Rocky Mountain Suzy Q is a fatbike built specifically to address q-factor. As a longtime road racer, q-factor used to be a big consideration for me, but now that I've logged thousands of miles on wider fatbike cranks, I've come to learn that we humans can often be highly adaptable. It doesn't bother me anymore. Although I like 29+ for certain applications, it also has some significant drawbacks on its own. I don't think there is a one-size-fits-all solution. That said, I agree with the above comment that a fatbike, like my Mukluk, which can fit 5-inch 26 wheels and 2.8-inch 27.5 wheels, is my ideal adventure setup.

Man, I can usually decipher most conversations I stumble into here, but I am totally lost here. Fat bikes? Plus bikes? Q factor? I'm just trying to figure out what kind of bike my big *** can ride to the pool with my kids without making another car payment? Can someone clue in a novice here on some of the vocabulary please?
 

Forum statistics

Threads
185,538
Messages
2,875,659
Members
224,922
Latest member
Randy Towles
Top