BikeArkansas

I am starting to consider a fat tire bike. Just thinking about it is all, Maybe a Surly.

Biker395 

You had me thinking of the other kind of Fat Tire.

canklecat

Check out Old Man, Fat Bike on YouTube. He's having fun.

BikeArkansas

Actually, I rode a 6 day tour with a group last spring. One guy was riding a fat tire bike. I thought he would have a hard time keeping up. WRONG. Most of us were on Surly LHT or similar bikes. He was carrying the full complement of panniers and camping equipment and was a leader into the wind. Amazing. We did en****er some very rough pavement and some dirt roads, but mostly paved roads. He had no problem with any of this.

BobbyG

DaveQ24

Love my 2013 Pugsley.

IMG_0075 by DaveQ48XYZ, on Flickr

IMG_0081 by DaveQ48XYZ, on Flickr
I got rid of that fricking old man seat though, LOL. Thought it might keep my butt warmer to have more surface area under there - hated it.

NYMXer

Now that I have a fat bike, I rarely ride my Giant Anthem X.
I really enjoy the additional traction, supple ride of those fat tires and stability over loose rocks. I find that I can climb hills on the fat bike that I seldom make on the Giant.

If I spin out on the Giant, I hike the bike but often, if I spin out on my Framed Minnesota 3.0, I can usually get a second chance at a regrip because it doesn't spin out as fast.

Add to that, an extended riding season, higher degree of safety and the looks you get (and good conversation), it's no wonder that my fat bike is now my "go to" bike

DaveQ24

Hee hee .. people just can't believe you're out riding a bike in a snowstorm and loving it!

Hypno Toad

I have a Pugsley, and love it! Created a drop-bar fatbike with Woodchipper bars and Gevenalle shifters. Here's a picture from the Almanzo 100 early this year:

65778889-Almz16-00430.jpg
Photo credit TMB

Many friends really like the Surly Ice Cream Truck (ICT).

One guy I know that's well past 60 years old loves the Kona Wu (has A LOT of them).

Disclaimer: I'm not old enough to post here - but I can see 50 from where I'm at.

Hypno Toad

It's a TON of fun to fatbike in the snow!
IMG_20160408_093515418.jpg

And in the cold (40+ mile race @-5F):
12747488_1165273450157388_5447649305474107163_o.jpg

Wildwood 

I can see Fat for mud or snow, but beyond that the rotating weight penalty seems too high a price.
The 'old man, fat bike' video is cool, but easily ridden on a cyclocross (a much more versatile style of bike). Fat could be a blast depending on where/when you ride.

Hypno Toad

Not really, you clearly lose some speed with the knobby tires on black top (road tires are available... oddly); and getting the Pugsley up to speed is slower. However, once you're at speed, it rolls along just fine - it's physics, once in motion, the heavy wheels want to stay in motion (for reference, see the size of the front rotor).

I see a lot of shocked looks when other riders see me keeping pace, humming along with them. Notably, the looks on riders faces on the Almanzo 100 when I caught up to and rode with an echelon of 10-15 riders on typical gravel bikes (~35mm tires).

BikeArkansas

I did post previously, and it is hard for me to believe, even though I rode right beside the rider on a fat tire bike loaded with camping gear. He was running 4" tires which were for pavement. I believe he said he was running 8 poiunds of pressure. I rode it around the parking lot after the tour ride and was amazed at how easily it rolled. I like the idea of the drop bars seen in an earlier post.

Camilo

Fat bikes are great where the tires actually provide advantage. But around here, a lot of casual cyclists are buying them because coolness. I see them on paved roads, and solid dirt and gravel surfaces where a lighter bike with reasonable tires would work perfectly well.

Again, they're great where they provide an advantage, but as general, all around bike, mho is not.

My guess is that people who can move a fat bike as fast as people on other bikes better suited to the terrain and surface are just stronger. Similar to why I get passed regularly by crappy, heavy mountain bikes ridden by backpack wearing college students in jeans when I'm riding my 16 pound road bike. It doesn't mean the mountain bike is just as good for riding on a road, it means they're stronger.

Again, jmho.

Cyclist0094

I have been riding a Bikes Direct "Lurch" fat bike since October of 2014. Mostly I ride the beaches with it But I like it for urban riding and gravel roads too. Not much more effort to ride than a regular MTB until you try to push it over 18-20 mph.

catgita

I wonder if the knobies do anything for you outside of snow. Couldn't you ride a slick with a super supple casing and 1-2mm of tread? It isn't like much can puncture it at 8psi.

Cyclist0094

For my riding the knobbies are mostly useless especially on the beach. AFAIK slicks currently are in the 3.5-3.8 range when they go over 4.0 I'll probably switch to them

canklecat

GCN's sibling channel, GMBN, has done ride comparisons between fat bikes and full suspension bikes. While the full suspension mountain bikes usually came out ahead overall the expert riders were impressed by the versatility and user friendly rides of the fat bikes.

That in part was what motivated me to get somewhat fatter tires for my hybrid a year ago. The tires were nominally 700x40 but were actually closer to 45 wide. At 40-50 psi it was significantly easier to ride rough gravel and rutted roads than with the road oriented 700x38 tires the bike came with. And I might go even wider since there's enough clearance.

On several casual group rides this year around downtown one or two fat bike riders have joined us. No trouble keeping up with the modest 12-15 mph pace, but those guys are younger and stronger than I am. The bikes sound like Panzer tanks rolling. A lot of energy must be wasted on knobby tread on pavement. I'd guess that a chevron tread pattern like the Schwalbes or my Michelin Protek tires would be a better all around choice for a fat bike, including most off road riding.

Slash5

I'd have to say given the chance to do over, I would not buy a fat bike, at least at the prices when I bought. Prices have come down a lot in the last couple of years. I expected a ATV type experience, go anywhere in any conditions. Anything more than around 3" of fresh snow takes the fun out of it. Plus here in southern Ontario, there is a tendency to get some nice snow and then a few days later get a thaw and any trails with traffic turn into an icy churned up mess.
I think a lot of it depends on where you live and the tails in your area.

However, I'm a big believer in the + sizes. Bought a Krampus a couple of years ago, 29" X 3" tires. Haven't touched my other mountain bikes since. Started selling them off.

Daspydyr 

Surly is alwaysa good name you can trust. The biggest thing is just get riding!

Hypno Toad

Knobies are not needed for most riding, but are great on snow, mud, dirt, gravel...

You can get slick - like Black Floyds. I haven't tried them yet; but I've thought about it.

After having my Pugsley for a month, I found out that wide, low-pressure tires are actually easy to puncture with a thorn - this one left me calling for AAA* to pick me up.
IMG_20150204_190642_117.jpg

[knocking on wood]Gratefully, this is the only puncture I've had with the Pugsley in 2,300 miles [/knocking on wood]

* that'd be Lisa, my wife.

Hypno Toad

Fatbikes are not for every rider; and yes, the "coolness" has a lot of people buying fatbikes for no other reason. For the love of God, you can get fatbikes at Target, that's a clear sign that the market is too hot for it's own good.

I own one, and I love it. I do ride it at times where it make no sense - like on black top. There are times I'm riding with Lisa, she's on a road bike with 23mm tires and I'll take the Pugsley so that I can have a good work out while riding at her pass. (I try to avoid this, 'cause Lisa resents it a little bit).

I'll avoid passing you with my Pugsley, I don't want you to resent me.

Camilo

Oh, I am long past resenting or feeling bad when people pass me on heavier, knobby tired bikes. It happens enough, you get used to it. Related, I like to ride with anyone who is about my own speed regardless of what sort of equipment handicap on their part it requires.... as long as they are fun to ride with and not gloating!

For what it's worth, I'm thinking of adding a fat bike to my collection, especially it seems you're seeing quite a few of them on Craigslist nowadays. I was told by a local bike shop owner that they aren't that great on ice and studded tires are >$200 apiece! Can anyone verify? (performance on ice?)

I have studs on my 32mm cross bike tires (about $80 apiece and after 3 years spring and fall, I'm now thinking I have my money's worth at about $5 per ride) They really work well on solid hard pack and glare ice, but don't have flotation.

canklecat

Yup. I've noticed on urban group rides the two cyclists most likely to get flats are the fat bike riders and the folks with ultra-skinny racing tires. Apparently not all fat bike riders go tubeless with sealant. And fat tires that don't weigh a ton demand some compromises -- usually in ultra-thin rubber between the protruding tread.

NYMXer

Any fat bike tire will cost much more than a regular bike tire, more rubber and/or more studs = more $$$.

As far as traction on ice goes, no amount of rubber will help you there. A skinny 23mm tire is just as bad as a 4.8" fat bike tire because they rubber does not grip on clean ice. You will need studs to cut into the ice for traction but I prefer not to ride on that type of ice and weather. I'll wait a day for it to melt a little, but for the occasional spotty icing, a fat bike can be better, esp if the ice is "crystalized", aka, not clear but cloudy or white.