Happy Onion

Hi Guys,
I'm thinking of buying a Fat bike, for fun. In addition to my daily ride (Specialised Hybrid)

Any comments appreciated?

Cheers JR

jf19451

Last year I bought a Trek Farley 5 and it is awesome. I used to dread winter and now I kind of look forward to it. It is a blast riding in the snow. It has amazing stability and works great on trails whether there is snow or not.

PedalingWalrus

I don't even have a mountain bike. I use fat bike on singletrack trails and it's a lot of fun. Winter trails are a blast. For a while I used it to bike local beaches, after the tourist season ended - that was fun too.

Flip Flop Rider

I don't have one but vote yes get one!

awesomeame

I went and rented one about a month ago for a few hours, you could always do that to see. I thought it was a blast, but if I'm spending the bucks I'd go full suspension electric assist....once one of the 'big' manufacturers makes one, I'd buy

Matt

FlamsteadHill

Did someone say "new bike"? Duh, yes!

fietsbob

Sell well here to hunters, LBS adds a mid drive Motor..

Leebo

N+1

indyfabz

A guy walks into a Cadillac dealer and he's looking at some Cadillacs. A salesman comes over and asks the man "Are you thinking about buying a Cadillac?" The man responds: "No. I'm buying a Cadillac. I'm thinking about 'sex'."


I say go for it!

bruce19

My friends all love theirs.

HerrKaLeun

Same here. I don't do technical jumps on MTB trails, so the fatbike is more than adequate. We also have a quarry and some housing developments nearby and it is a blast to ride where only tracked vehicles go (after hours when workers left, or they chase you away with frontloaders....).

For regular riding on paths and long distances i use my hybrid. I wanted to do some winter sport and thought of buying ski. but snow here is less and less frequent and i thought a fatbike can be my "ski" that also work in summer and as MTB replacement. And yes, a fatbike works as an MTB if you don't expect professional MTB riding. you get more traction than with any "real" MTB.

Slash5

Depends on what your expectations are. I've got one and wouldn't buy again. I bought when the only game in town was the Pugsley and they were very expensive.
I was expecting an ATV, go anywhere bike. Turns out, it won't handle more than 2-3 inches of fresh snow. Around here we get a lot of freeze thaw cycles so you just get a nice layer of snow, a day or 2 later everything melts a bit and then freezes and you get this churned up frozen mess that you can't ride on.
They don't handle ice any better than a normal bike and studded tires are $200-$300 each. You need excellent bike handling skills as you end up riding on a trail in the snow about 8 inches wide.
They are deadly heavy and slow rolling under normal conditions.
One guy I talked to had 29er wheels built for his for summer riding - a great idea but the custom wheels would cost almost as much as a second bike.

I've had more fun with my snowshoes and Altai skis.

HerrKaLeun

Don't listen to outdated information. Yes fatbikes are a bit heavier and more expensive than, say, a hybrid. Yes an off-road bike with 5" tires will weigh more than a road bike. No kidding...

They now also have 5" tires, which should help in snow. I have the Sturgis NX for $1,100 and it has all the new features (197mm axle, 5" tires, 1x11 etc.). It weighs 35#. This may sound heavy, but doesn't fell like it. you also can get carbon fatbikes for $2,000. But honestly, the weight doesn't bother me. They are tubeless ready.

you also can get $500 fatbike, which limits you to 4" tires and 2x8 drivetrain etc. Yes this also is more than a bottomline hybrid. duh.

Studded tires cost a bit over $100. Sometimes you may fetch them for under $100 (probably not now right before winter).
Yes everything for a fatbike cost a bit more, same way a truck cost more than a car.

Riding on pavement is a chore, not much coasting and the tires sound like a 4-engine WWII bomber coming on. Obviously it is a good workout, like being on a trainer. But off-road they just float over everything.

The choice is getting bigger, and prices are coming down.

I wrote a review of my Sturgis NX on MTBR if you want to see more about my specific bike and experience.

Edit: about the cost you need to decide yourself. For me the $1,100 fatbike substitutes ski equipment and hardtail MTB..... both at decent quality would have been at least twice. And I don't see a reason it not to last for decades with replacement of wear items.

violation

I've been asking myself the same question, will follow this thread with interest

taz777

Go for it! You only live once. A fat bike is next on my list.

rydabent

Why not if you have the terrain that is suited to that kind of riding.

koolerb

Fat bike light. I just got a 27.5 plus and it's pretty good.