leftthread

OK, so I'm looking at expanding what I ride and where. The majority of my mileage is two-lane county roads, with an occasional crushed limestone rail trail. I'm thinking doing more trail or singletrack. There are some county and state parks nearby with dedicated mtb trails.

Any thoughts on a fat bike or a full suspension mtb?

big john

I think a fat bike is best for snow or deep sand and very loose dirt. A friend has a 27.5+ bike, kind of a semi-fat tire with a light frame and full squish. He goes fast on it.

There are so many choices in off road bikes now it boggles the mind.

Maelochs

So, I hear you are getting a full-suspension fat bike. Cool.

fietsbob

My LBS has some fat bike cruisers, only wheel that wont fall in alongside the trolley track gap..

canklecat

I'd certainly consider a variation of that theme. Due to chronic back and neck pain I'm thinking of a balloon tire type gravel geometry frame for my next drop bar bike. A friend put Schwalbe Big Ones (now the G-One) on his drop bar gravel bike and loves 'em. And the tires are still nimble enough for cruising at 16 mph on pavement for long distances. That's about all I can manage on my skinny tire road bike, and far less comfortably.

I've already put fairly wide, soft tires on my hybrids and enjoy 'em. But they're still limited by the upright position on the comfort hybrid, and the other bike's flat bar with only one hand position -- fine for distances of 20-30 miles, but on longer rides I'd like another hand position without resorting to bar end extensions.

John E

I like my old school non-suspension mountain bike, which serves all of my fat tire, cruiser, inclement weather, multitrack trail, gravel, patriotic parade (it's red-white-and-blue and was made in the USA) and other applications.

TiHabanero

Having owned several full sus bikes, and ridden several fat bikes for a day or two at a time, I can confidently say the full sus bike is more forgiving, however it is more complicated. The fat bike requires more effort to move at the same speed as a standard 26/29 full sus. Without question the 29 wheel size is more forgiving than the 26 wheel. If you want to feel neat and up to date, get a fat bike, but plan on working harder. If you don't mind more potential maintenance, get a full sus. Me, I ditched suspension and fat tires and use a standard rigid frame/fork 29. Run tires at 28psi and call it good. If the bike were tubeless then psi would be set down around 25. I do not offroad anymore, only gravel and paved roads.


Edit: I use road bars on all my bikes. The extra hand positions are necessary for long term comfort.

DeadGrandpa

Since I only recently morphed from two lane county paved roads to gravel and singletrack, I jumped in with both feet. I got a rigid 29 plus bike for bikepacking gravel and mild singletrack, AND a FS trail bike for more technical trails. I found the rigid bike works well even on rocky and rooty trails (with the right tire pressure), that seemed to be more intermediate, though I'm not sure. The FS 29er bike is really fun on the same rides, and it has the capability to run 27.5 Plus tires and wheels. So I would say that if bikepacking touring is in your future, get a bikepacking touring bike, which could be rigid or hardtail, depending. If you only need to ride day rides on gravel and trail, get a FS trail bike that is Plus (great fun) and/or 29er (a little faster fun?). An extra wheelset is extravagant, but opens up more possibilities. Or you perhaps would rather test ride before buying, in which case, you can decide before you buy. If you're wondering, I have the Santa Cruz Tallboy 3, and it's awesome to this trail noob. Just my 2 cents. You can use a fatbike anywhere (from what I read), but you may only NEED one in the snow or sand. A Plus bike (or one that will roll plus as an option) is a nice compromise, IMHO.

Wheever

I got a fat bike as my N+1, and it's awesome good fun. I was riding some hard pack sand with a friend on a hardtail Mt bike and every time we hit something loose, he'd have to slow down, or fall over, and I'd just buzz on through. So! Much! Fun! And also amazing fun on loose sand (although a lot of work) and in snow.

If you're just looking for plain ol' fun, I recommend a fat bike.

Retro Grouch 

I think that it all depends on where and how you picture yourself riding your new bike.

If you've got some reasonably technical single track where you live, the suspended mountain bike will be an absolute blast until and unless you start breaking stuff.

If you just want to continue riding where you are but extending the season, a fat tire bike would be my pick.

Bob Ross

Having not ridden off-road in over 20 years, but just recently starting to get the itch again, ^^^this is the conclusion I've been leaning towards.

I don't want to have to overcome the bike itself (plus I rarely expect to encounter deep snow or sand) so a fat bike would be pointless, unless I was fishing for hipster points. otoh, I've read an awful lot of technical articles and product reviews and ride reports etc. on full-squish bikes, and I come away utterly convinced that the last thing I want to deal with is a whole new paradigm of geek-speak: I don't have the patience to learn what "preload" and "sag" and "squat" and "bob" mean, much less have to define preferences for those criteria before getting my ride dialed in.

So I'm thinking a fully rigid 29er is in my future.


"Dear Santa: A Jeff Jones Ti Spaceframe with Truss Fork please..."

MarcusT

I tried both and because I do mostly off trail, (yes, that's right), I went for the fat bike. I don't miss the MTB at all. Keeping in mind, I live in an area where I have river beds, bogs and beaches to keep my fat bike plenty busy.
Enjoy

rumrunn6

let the intended use guide you. then once you get the bike, seek out more trails (or whatever) that you bought it for. I've been looking myself but what I have suits where I ride so can't justify a purchase

Sindy

I'm on a Hard Tail 27.5 'Plus bike' and love it.
My Full suspension was fun but I got tired of hauling all that full suspension up and down my single tracks.
I'm much stronger now and my legs are my suspension.

I don't get air and I stopped flying down rock gardens so a condition three bike Is plenty for me.

Siu Blue Wind

Did you guys see the new Fatbike forum here? https://www.bikeforums.net/fatbikes/

martianone

Consider a Specialized Fuse ? More pragmatic than a true fat tire bike. At present, seven bikes in my stable. Since I got the Fuse, primarily riding just two. The Fuse and a full custom steel frame road bike. All the good things that I have said about my other bikes still hold, just like these two the best. My partner of 35 years thinks I am finally growing up, hope not ?

fietsbob

Moulton bikes have dual suspension..

Jseis 

Ain’t that the truth! Damned near lunched my Defy 1 on that plank-assed path.

Jseis 

My FB is a Minnesota 3.0, modded for the windy beaches. It’s a great rocky trail ride as well. All my other bikes hang as that fat bike is so fun.

fietsbob

& as those pressure treated 4 by 12's aged, they shrink, they were tight when 1st laid down on the trestles..

leftthread

I ended up with a plus 27.5 with full suspension, hydraulic discs and a dropper post. Rolling over and off stuff I used to steer around is just FunFunFunFun!

big john

How about a picture?

GoMtnBiking

Glad to hear you are happy with your full suspension. I just saw this thread and was going to suggest that. For single track mountain bike trails they can't be beat, and they can be a little more forgiving on aging backs and bodies too.

GAJett

When I move to serious snow, offroad, singletrack country I will be looking for a hard-tail with max-wide tires. Until then my Rivy AHH does just fine on dirt trails. Consider also narrow tires for snow. The reach down into the snow to the pavement / ice giving better traction. That's my experience through 3 Laramie WY winters on 27x1 tires. Only problem was mid spring melt when just standing on your own two feet could be a problem!
Cheers!