scrming

So i seen my first "fat bike" about a month ago... i literally laughed out loud... what that heck is that thing??? I had no idea there was such a thing as a "fat bike". I haven't been keeping up with biking stuff at all... so i decided to do a little research on them... dang, these sound cool... now it's been 20 plus years since i used to ride in the winter.... well, after reading up on fat bikes i've decided to try riding outside this winter.... and to buy a fat bike.... so i bought a Trek Farly 6 this week!

Took the Farley out for the first time today.... Took it to the local nature trail. Now i'm no mountain biker by any stretch. But i'm looking for ways to stay motivated so I though i would give the trail a try. The other day i took my Giant hardtail mountain bike out there and did the outer loop. It took me 41 minutes to complete. Today i took the Farley! OMG! The Farley was simply amazing to ride out there! The loop as a lot of low lying area with some pretty slippery, mucky spots. On the Giant, i felt i had to slow down or kind of skirt the edges. As i said i'm no mountain biker... I was fairly nervous in a lot of spots!

Well, today on the Farley all that changed! The stability the larger tires really inspired a lot of confidence in me! The mucky spot... i attacked them and blew right threw them! It was a completely different experience! I felt like i was really burning up the trail! And my HRM said i was getting a better work out! I felt really good! I finished up the loop and check my time.... I managed to do the loop in only 29 minutes!!! I knew i was going faster but was surprised i was able to shave that much off!

I am so impressed with the Farley. It's surprising light... the geometry seems to be spot on.... the ride quality is great... heck, i even like the really wide handlebar! Bring on the snow!! LOL!

Ok... some snaps from today....

bruised

AWESOME!

I'm going through a similar process as you - haven't been biking much/long, want to stay motivated and ride through the winter to get/stay fit - I need a Fat Bike!

My LBS let me ride the Farley on the road outside the store and I loved it. The thing has good pick-up, I thought it would take all sorts of effort to overcome the static inertia but no, it just gets on with it. I loved the ride, the geometry the wide bars etc. The only reservation I had was with the gear shifters, they seemed small and tucked away and I wondered how accessible they'd be with larger winter gloves or even mitts.

Anyway, I'm seriously impressed - send more pics when you're out in the snow!

Enjoy..

LGHT

Pretty cool looking bike. I think the fun factor is so under rated. I had a mtn bike I hated riding because it was uncomfortable and like 50 lbs. Fast forward to a 20lb beat up Fuji I found for a good deal and I had fun and loved riding that thing. If it aint fun you won't ride it.

Nikon shooter

I just saw one of those today and wondered what it was like to ride. I bet it turns a lot of heads. I love it.

scrming

yep, i am also very very impressed with the Farley! I couldn't believe just how well it performed... and like you I was amazed just how easily it seems to roll! No where near the penalty i thought there would be for those huge tires!

I have to start shopping for some cold weather gear... guess i really didn't think about gloves and shifters... will have to buy some gloves soon and try them out!

As for snow... hopefully we have a while before that stuff start flying around here!

Agree on no fun if you don't ride! I was afraid i was started to get a bit bored and needed to mix things up a bit to keep things fun! I have this really nice Giant Revel 29'er that i've been riding strictly on paved roads around the house... I went with the mountain bike due to my weight... and while the bike is very capable off road, unfortunately i really lacked the skill and confidence to really enjoy our local off road trail... The Farley on the other hand was so easy to ride on the trail that it made the ride an absolute blast! I literally can't wait to go back out there!!! And anything that makes me want to RIDE MORE has got to be a good thing!!!


There wasn't a single person yesterday on the trail.... thinking about hitting a dirt road tour on Sunday with it...

That being said, my daughters, 8 and 10 year old, think it is the coolest bike they have ever seen!! LOL

Ursa Minor

I bought a Trek Farley in June. I love it! This week I did an 18 mile ride on the beach very peaceful (except for the annoying dogs and their
idiot owners).

Charlie

scrming

Took the Farley for another ride today... went to a park/forest next town over. While the trails weren't very technical at all, i found the varying terrain to be a fantastic change from the very flat roads and rail trail i usually ride! Even though the trails were short, i managed to ride for about an hour and got a great work out! Once again the Farley was just so easy to ride on the trails... It made for such an enjoyable ride, even though i was pretty spent by the end, that it keeps me wanting to go back out and ride! And that has to be a good thing!!!

FLEXjs

I bet that would be fun as heck on the beach.

Ursa Minor

Yes its way fun on the beach. When I bought the fat tire bike I thought what a waste of money. But now Im sooo glad I did cuz I love it!

Charlie

scrming

Farley definitely has a huge fun factor!! I was really wishy-washy on spending so much on this bike, but after only one ride i knew i would have no regrets!

We don't have a beaches to ride here, but we do have a lot of sandy... what kind of PSI are you running on the beach?

Ursa Minor

I use 25 psi on the surly fat tires. Although I love beach riding I mostly do road rides. Friday I did a great 42 mile road ride in the
Santa Ynes mountains behind Santa Barbara with 4000 feet of elevation gain.

Charlie

scrming

Nice! And wow, on the 4000'!!! Here in mid-michigan the biggest hills i see on the road bike are the expressway overpasses!

scrming

One last update... i promise!

Went to a different City Forest today...



Trails were definitely more technical and challenging than my first tow rides. Trails were a lot tighter, lots of roots and more tricky dips and climbs.... here are just a few random thoughts...

So trails had a lot of roots... some of the climbs had some pretty good roots in them... The Farley just soaked up the roots! I was really impressed with Farley when it came to climbing! It just seemed to have so much traction, even when the climb went over some better sized roots. Other thing that impressed me during the climbs was when i had to shift.. I was able to easily shift to a lower gear even tough i was torquing on the pedals pretty darn good! Very impressed how smooth the rear derailleur works.

Now, being a morbidly obese Clydesdale, i'm not the most agile guy... And i was really kind of worried riding on such tight trails.... but the Farley seemed to really be able to stay nimble even with me piloting it! Now i wasn't going fast by any stretch, but the fact that i was able to ride this trails was a huge motivation boost! Also felt that the Farley was much more forgiving....i'm sure there was a couple of spots i most likely would have had an unplanned dismount on my Giant if i had been riding that! LOL!


Today was the first time encountered any type of sand. Now it was light sand, not deep at all.. but it was sand. The Farley went right over top like it was hard packed dirt! Some of the little climbs had the light sand, and the Farley showed no signs of slipping. Again, very impressed on how sure footed it felt!

Final thought... I'm a roadie... i've tried mountain biking a few times in the past... i just never really felt comfortable at all... so it was never really enjoyable... With the Farley, I just feel so much more comfortable and confident! It truly is enjoyable now for me to get out on the trails. The Farley has really opened the door to another type of riding.... and giving me some extra motivation to get out and ride! Heck, wondering if the Mrs. will let me sneak out for another ride this afternoon! LOL! Perhaps it's just the newness of the Farley... but honestly i think it is more than that! The Farley has quickly become my absolute favorite bike... ever!

intransit1217

Keep the reports a-comin' !

Sullalto

You're pushing my N+1 button with every post in this thread, @scrming

scrming

Will do!

LOL! All I can say is I'm having an absolute blast... I came home from the Midland City Forest, which is about 45 minutes away, where i did a little over an hour workout.... had some lunch, relaxed a bit and then i just had to get the bike back out, so i head to the local trail! Did about another hour! And the highlight of my second ride... was a family walking the trail... i rolled by very slowly... they son, who was about 8 years old, seen me and his jaw dropped and his eyes got as big as dinner plates! He goes, "WOW!!! Look at the TIRES on that thing!" I was all smiles! LOL

I've never owned a bike that made me want to go out and ride so much... even when my other bikes were new....

brawlo

My N+1 button has been pushed by these fat bikes. I've been contemplating a mtb for a while now and almost came to pulling the trigger on a 29er recently. But while doing some research for the 29er I came across the craze that is fatties! I've seen them before in the past as sand/snow bikes, but seeing the reports of people using them for everyday trails and how much fun they are has really hooked me. The only problem is they are a bit of a new thing over here and so there's not many to choose from, and they're still pretty pricey. I'm putting away some $$ to hopefully purchase a front suspended fatty for next winter.

scrming

I've tried the offroad trails a few times in the past but never really enjoyed it... all that has changed with the Farley! Now I can't wait until i can get out there again! LOL!

As for the front suspension... the Farley 6 is the non-suspension version and to be honest, i don't miss the front suspension at all! Amazing how the big tires soak up... and I'm running quite a bit of air in the tires! Could definitely let some out! And actually for today's ride i new it was going to be a bit rougher so i dropped the rear tire... don't have a good gauge but the tire gauge had the PSI around 17 or 18 PSI.. still was rolling really easy on the hard pack...

brawlo

Yeah, some say that the fats with rigid are fine, but with the fat suspension forks a fairly new thing, those that have them in rough rocky terrain like around my area, say they're a blessing. I also like the idea to opt for a second wheelset with narrower 29er rims to extend the range of the bike, rather than go for 2 bikes. I'm really hoping that the craze continues and so the cost of the fatties comes down a bit before I take the plunge.

scrming

Good point! Here's to hoping the prices come down for you!

brawlo

Here's hoping that the manufacturers bring some more models out to Oz too!

scrming

Headed out to a couple different spots today... little farther from home.... For those who might know northern michigan... I hit ***** River Rec Area and Ogemaw Hills Pathway.... Cool and damp... got a heck of a work out!!! I took a GoPro with me... no idea if the video will be any good... LOL!

View from the first work out...

scrming

So I am not a mountain biker.... i am a roadie... As i've mentioned in this thread a few times, i never really cared for trail riding... However, as I've also mentioned the Farley has changed that!

Couple more observations...

1) I seem to get a better workout! Around here the roads are very flat!! But in the woods the terrain is a lot more varied, with lots of little dips and climbs and in some place bigger climbs!
2) I'm really enjoying the varying terrain and scenery.
3) The downhills can be very exciting!!!

I'm sure I'm still in the whole honeymoon period...

So here is my completely boring video sample... LOL

scrming

Did something different today... Today i actually RODE the Farley out to the trail, so i had a mixed ride today.. Ended up riding about 9 miles on the cracked, broken and uneven cement roads around here. Love the way the Farley soaked up the bumps. Farley cruised nicely... i was doing around 14 MPH. I did test out the gearing... in the highest gear, i was pushing about 20 MPH...

Gosh, i love this bike.... LOL

bruised

Awesome....just bloody awesome!

I can't wait to pull the trigger on a FB and hit the local trails. I just can't decide which way to go. I really like the Farley, it's the only one I've ridden and it was so cool. And your posts are pushing me in the Farley direction, no doubt. But it's more than I want to spend right now. I have a line on a Pug for less than a grand, but I'm worried that I'll regret not paying the extra....

Anyway, not your problem....keep the reports coming in!