HerrKaLeun

It isn't the amount of rubber.. it is the fact them being very knobby. If they were smooth like road tires, they would roll easier.

BlazingPedals

The question is, are there more fat bikes out there than fat recumbent riders? I don't know. I don't see the draw for fat bikes, but there sure are a lot of them!

MarcusT

I thought that for a few years, while I watched fat bikes riding around, then I tried one. I bought a fat bike the following week and smile like a kid when I ride it

chaadster

Yes they’re outselling recumbents, but I think you’re conflating “fad” and “trend,” because trends are, by definition more durable than fads. If indeed you are, as it seems, calling fatbikes an “obvious fad,” I do not agree. The segment has been growing and developing steadily for nearly 20 years. That’s not how fads work, that’s a cycling trend.

I’ll never forget having my wig blown when I saw, and rode, my first fatbike in like ‘00 or somewhere around there. I was at the trailhead of Island Lake State Park when a guy rode up on a blue “monster bike,” a machine the likes of which I’d never seen. Really, I couldn’t believe it; I was deep into MTB and knew just about every boutique builder from Massachusetts to Vancouver, but outside of Hanebrinks ATV- wheeled creations, and never seen anything like that. Turns out it was a Wildfire Designs out of Alaska, and the rider said it made easy work of our sandy trails. He let me throw a leg over it in the parking lot, and it felt smooth, huge, and yet totally maneuverable.

I probably didn’t see another fatbike in the flesh for almost 10 years, until the Pugsley exploded, and brought pricing down to a level where acquiring one as an addition, rather than a replacement, was possible (I looked into a Wildfire, don’t you know, but it was a pricey, all custom, world back then). While I’ve never had a fatbike, the appeal isn’t lost on me, and the latest carbon fiber iterations are amazingly light.

I see fatbikes, around here, have really expanded the winter biking segment, but people campaign them in dry MTB races as well. I’m waiting for the Dutch beach racing scene to hit Michigan shores, and power the phase of fatbike popularity.

Moose

You’ve misread my intentions.

I don’t think fat bikes are a fad at all. I can plainly see that they’re here to stay. The commitment on the part of the manufacturers tells me that this is not a flash in the pan.

The actual purpose of this thread is to make the point that they are every bit as much of a credible niche of the bike market as the venerable recumbent.

Your post certainly helps solidify my point, thank you!

Juggy_Gales

I see Fat bikes mostly near the Beach here in FL.. They do look fun.. but wouldn't want to ride for miles and miles on one

jefnvk

I own a fat bike, I don't own a bent. Therefore, yes

I think it is simpler than you are making it though. Bike shops that are aligned with pretty much any big name manufacturers have easy access to fat bike distribution, and probably some expectations they carry them. I've never seen a Trek or Specialized bent, bringing in a niche bike from a new manufacturer/supply chain can't be as easy.

Moose

This goes right to my point...if recumbent bikes currently had a seriously viable market, don't you think the big guys would be making them? The fact that they have committed to fat tire bikes is significant.

Sure the fat bike is similar in construction to any other diamond frame but I am sure it is no less trouble to tool your production for as opposed to a 'bent. You have to accommodate the wider tires and hubs...to a large degree the frame has to be redesigned and most of the hardware sourced specific to the fat bike's requirements. Most recumbents I have seen are at least designed around standard drivetrain components and wheelsets.

ksryder

I feel like this is location-specific. In northern areas I think fat bikes will always sell. But the fat bike craze of 2-3 years ago has dropped off, and anecdotally I've heard that shops in less-snowy areas of the country can't give the things away. Since you work in an LBS maybe you have access to more concrete sales numbers from the industry than I do?

It's kind of like fixed-gear -- just because there was a fad for a while doesn't mean there wasn't, and isn't, a legitimate use for them.

Recumbents, on the other hand, have never been cool and therefore not subject to a fad.

Moose

The actual numbers at our store are kinda disappointing and probably not really out of line with most. Even though fat bikes have been around and in stock, they do not exactly fly off the rack and usually end up getting discounted deeply before they go out the door. But they are on the radar which is more than we can say for recumbents.

This doesn't really discourage my view that fat bikes are one of the more exciting and intriguing products out there. Even though they are not for everyone, they create a buzz and at least shows that there's more to biking than most folks usually consider. This lends credibility and interest in cycling overall in my opinion.

HerrKaLeun

everyone please visit this poll on creation of a fatbike subforum.

I think fatbikes will always lag MTB sales because MTB also can be used for everyday street duty, at least easier than fatbikes. Fatbikes are more specialized to off-road. not necessarily because the size of the tires, but because they are extremely knobby. Many people have an MTB as their only bike. a fatbike is more likely a 2nd bike.

However, recumbents are a much smaller niche, so no surprise they are rare. I actually see many in summer on the paved bike paths, but never on roads. Mostly ridden by old people very slowly. honestly, i don't get the question of this thread... they are not mutually exclusive, but also don't have the same potential clientele. it is like the questions if computers outsell bread. I think the question if hybrids outsell MTB or road bikes makes more sense since one could decide on the one or the other for their use. Recumbents often are used by older people or people with bad backs... maybe comfort bikes are a comparable. I don't think many people cross-shop recumbents and fatbikes.

Moose

Thanks for linking to the poll!

The reason I thought to use this comparison for my post is because fat bikes and recumbents are sub-niches that seem to both be struggling at the bottom of the food chain and I am curious as to which one really has less of a slice of the market.

Not so much that they are shopped by the same folks but that they both have relatively low sales compared to the primary types of bikes.

The same way someone might be curious about who owns the top of the food chain, road or mtb?

BlazingPedals

Here ya go. There's a whole sordid history about it, and how Trek screwed up at every possible turn in the road, from mis-identifying their audience to plain-old "we-know-better-than-you" hubris; but they DID make one. So did Cannondale.

tclune

There is a fat e-bike that I encounter on the bike paths around here relatively frequently. The pairing of fat tires and electric assist makes a lot of sense to me. I haven't really explored the market for this combo, but if I were in the market for another bike, I might seriously consider looking into one.

jefnvk

Fair enough, I stand corrected! Out of curiosity, were those on the LBS floor when they were an active model?

That said, I don't see either of them with a bent in their current lineup. In areas other than more snowy locations, I think you see fatbikes because Trek and Specialized and Co. make them and offer them to all their dealers and "encourage" their sale. I don't see a lot of Framed or Charge or 907 at shops (other than the used rack), again my belief would be they are not part of the shop's regular supply chain and few shops are going to invest in carrying them. I could even partially make that argument about Surly and Salsa fat bikes.

There is a shop near me that recently got in a pile of Trek 1120s. I don't think for a minute it is because off road adventure touring bikes with 3" tires are a huge thing in Detroit in December, rather it is Treks new offering and they want to push it.

Juggy_Gales

If I was to consider an EBike.. you are right.. Buying a Fat Ebike would def make the most sense with wheel resistance etc.. You still get exercise but also have assistance with maintaining momentum.
I think it's pretty smart.. These choices will be expensive at first.. but I am intrigued.

BlazingPedals

Yes they were. Every Trek dealer was required to order at least one for each year they were produced. Most dealers, though, didn't like them and didn't know how to sell them. Trek actually had to make a second production run the year they were introduced, and sales were good the second year too. Then in the third year the model was abruptly dropped. It was probably cutting in to their road bike sales numbers, although you'll never hear that as an official reason for dropping it.

BlazingPedals

Hmm... more stereotypes. Although I agree with your final thought, it's only because recumbents by their nature tend to be road-only, and fatbikes are just the opposite. I for one am just not interested in off-road. Been there, done that, moved on...

martianone

I've been Bent for over 20 years, Also riding a fat tire bike for around a year. Each tool for it's purpose. Most likely more fat being sold.

Kapusta

Perhaps it varies by region, but where I have lived in Virginia and Upstate NY, it is not even close. Between on the street and on the trail, over the past decade I have seen what I would guess is at least 10 times as many fat bikes as recumbents.

jefnvk

Yep, that right there feeds into my belief that you see fat bikes now because dealers have to sell them. Thats not to say that in some areas they dont sell well on their own (I had a couple bought out from under me when I wanted to think about it), but that a lot of areas you see them because the dealer had no choice but to carry them. LBS are under no edict WRT bents.

gettingold

In my experience fat bikes are selling more than recumbents. In my club, I know only one guy who owns/rides a recumbent. I know at least half a dozen who bought fat bikes within the last year.

jimmie65

I'm probably too old for fat bikes, but I will never be old enough for a recumbent.

chaadster

One of the classic flaws, and which has brought low many a hero.

Leebo

Ummm, the fatties are not for road. Much better on sand, snow and loose conditions. Do you ride your bent off road in the snow?