Fat bike or not ??
#2
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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.
#3
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Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Maine, USA
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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.
#5
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Location: Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada
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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
Matt
#9
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!
I say go for it!
#11
Senior Member
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.
#12
Senior Member
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.
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.
#13
Senior Member
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.
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.
Last edited by HerrKaLeun; 10-22-17 at 09:36 AM.