Summertime fat bike set up

[p nut]

I've been having a blast on my recently-acquired Blackborow. Lou's were great on snow; however, as summer approaches, I am thinking of going a bit lighter/agile. So, a second wheelset may be in order. Here are my choices:

Option A) Nextie 65 or 80mm rims. Husker Du, Fat B Nimble, Hodag or the likes (all 4") set up tubeless. This would drop a ton of weight (literally!) and would be a bit more nimble. Only negative is the drop in BB height. One question to those with experience: How do these 4" fatties hold up on chunky rocks? The relatively thin casing has me concerned.

Option B) Lightbicycle 38mm rims. Chupacabra, Chronicle, etc. also set up tubeless. This set up would be even lighter and more agile. Only negative? I already have a rigid 29er with a 29+ front tire. Seems too much overlap here; however, I will say that having a 29+ rear may make enough difference to pursue this.

Currently leaning towards Option A. BB drop on the Blackborow is 63mm. Considering other 4" bikes (Mukluk, Pug, etc.) also have ~55-60mm BB drop, this probably isn't a big deal. This would differentiate it enough from my 29er to give me a bit more diversified selection of bikes.

Type of trails I'll be using this on is smoother hardpack XC trails (Northern Utah), and few times a year, slickrock riding in Moab and Southern Utah. Gets a bit more chunky down there. Note: I will be staying with a rigid fork. I have no interest in the Bluto.

Any thoughts/experience in this would be appreciated, specifically those who have ridden trails on both sizes.

 

[Co-opski]

Pnut-
Sorry no real ride time on 29+ but it sounds like you have a nice 29/29+ rig in the stable now. The HuDu is an amazing tire for smoother hardpack. The Hodag or VanHelgas would be the tire I would rock if I saw little hardpack and lots of wet organics or slick wet clay. I'm running the HuDu on 50s and they work but a carbon 65 would give just a little less tire flex/lean at the lower bars. I don't think an 80 would be what I would want in the terra that you are describing. The 80s will just slightly drop your bb also. If you were doing majority of your riding on the sand then yes go with the 80s, if you see yourself occasionally ridding sand and arroyos the 65s will do just fine.
For durability the ultralight HuDu's have held up to some nasty river bed rocks, rainforest roots, broken shale scree, for two summers going on a 3rd. My next set up will be HuDu rear and Dillinger 4 front.

Wheels I've been on:
90s w/ 4.8s Bud Lou and Ground Control Winter
70s w/ 4.0s Larrys and HuDu's Summer/Winter
50s w/ 4.0 Hudu's Summer

 

[p nut]

Sounds like Husker Du's on 65mm is the way I should go. I live in the high desert, so dry conditions are the norm.

What hubs are you on? Seems like Hopes are the cheapest. I9's look nice, but more than I want to spend. Stock Fatback wheel set may be ok as well. I need 150/197 TA.

 

[squatch]

P Nut,

I am on a Salsa Ti Mukluk, I have two 29+ wheel sets for summer. One is Nextie 35mm carbon rims on I9 hubs with Knards 29x3 set up tubeless. This is my summer race/go fast set up. I also have a 29+ rabbit hole/I9 set up for deep back country riding/bike packing also with Knards. This is my only Mountain bike so it is a quiver killer for me. I ride in south west Montana mostly and I would say that the trails I ride are rough and rocky. I lived in Flag/Sedona for years and would have loved a 29+ bike down there. I love the way my bike rides in 29+. I do have a nice 26+ wheel set for winter but would not use it for summer. Happy Trails!

 

[Co-opski]

Sounds like Husker Du's on 65mm is the way I should go. I live in the high desert, so dry conditions are the norm.

What hubs are you on? Seems like Hopes are the cheapest. I9's look nice, but more than I want to spend. Stock Fatback wheel set may be ok as well. I need 150/197 TA.

PNut-
I'm on 616 hubs for summer and fatback hubs winter. 135, 170 I've had good luck with the hope hubs also.

 

[Christophe Noel]

One of my riding buds is on his third rear Nextie rim. He's blown out two rims in 8 months. While some people are just hard on stuff, I don't think he typically falls into that category.

 

[p nut]

PNut-
I'm on 616 hubs for summer and fatback hubs winter. 135, 170 I've had good luck with the hope hubs also.

Thanks. I've had good luck with Hope, as well.

One of my riding buds is on his third rear Nextie rim. He's blown out two rims in 8 months. While some people are just hard on stuff, I don't think he typically falls into that category.

That's a bit disconcerting. I haven't heard of anyone breaking Lightbicycle or Nextie rims. I actually got in touch with Mike Curiak and may go for the new DT Swiss BR2250 wheelset.

P Nut,

I am on a Salsa Ti Mukluk, I have two 29+ wheel sets for summer. One is Nextie 35mm carbon rims on I9 hubs with Knards 29x3 set up tubeless. This is my summer race/go fast set up. I also have a 29+ rabbit hole/I9 set up for deep back country riding/bike packing also with Knards. This is my only Mountain bike so it is a quiver killer for me. I ride in south west Montana mostly and I would say that the trails I ride are rough and rocky. I lived in Flag/Sedona for years and would have loved a 29+ bike down there. I love the way my bike rides in 29+. I do have a nice 26+ wheel set for winter but would not use it for summer. Happy Trails!

Thanks for the input. Sounds I need to up the wheelset count to 3, then.

 

[squatch]

P Nut,

Long winded reply on my part. At some point get a 29+ wheel set. A half fat 29+/29 is not the same.Maybe I have been lucky with my Nexties but wheel build plays a bigger role in a carbon build up. DT Swiss is tier one gear. Wheels are the most important part of your bike so yes get 3 wheelsets:wings:

 

[Christophe Noel]

I gather the Nextie rims are not fairing well in settings where sharp impact is likely, even if the rim doesn't suffer a direct strike. I guess other reports of failed Nexties are cropping up, but the scenarios seem to be the same. Guys riding hard in technical terrain are the common denominator.

 

[squatch]

Christophe, Which rim are they on? The trails I ride are plenty loose and very rocky. This has been a worry of mine with carbon rims.rim strike failure. Thanks for the heads up!

 

[reconmarine]

29 wheels on a Muk

Would love to know more aboutthe 29 wheels you had built for your Mukluk. I don't have a Muk ti but rather the "entry level" Muk but am thinking about getting either a Deadwood or having wheels built for my Muk...

 

[jayspies]

I would completely lean towards a 29+ wheelset for the Muk. I own a 2014 Muk 2 and will do this as my next thing, even though the DW is drool-worthy. Cost is the obvious consideration. I talked with Dusty Ott at Hubsessed.com, and he quoted me ~$1000 for a 29+ with WTB Scraper rims and Onyx sprag drive hubs, or ~$1600 for carbon Derby's/Onyx. Not sure the Derby's are worth the coin over the WTB's but either way, it's a ton less than a new DW, and with the exception of the drop bars and frame material, the two bikes are pretty close (geometry tweaks notwithstanding. Even if you go carbon rims, you'll still have a few thousand to spend on a custom set of frame bags and expeditioning/bikepacking gear. No brainer if it was me.

 

[reconmarine]

Wow, a thousand bucks for wheels...I got my Muk at a dealer looking to dump it for $1200. Thinking maybe a new Fargo...