FREEBIRD1

Upgraded from my $200 Malus to this one. Picked it up at Cabelas for $699. It has 4.9 tires, 1X10 drive train, trigger shifter and decent mechanical brakes. It's fairly light for a fatty, and rides nice. We have 5-7 inches of snow coming which will make for some nice riding.

rumrunn6

wow decent price, off-the-shelf! 4.9 tires! oh man, that's gotta be fun!

FREEBIRD1

It's getting the job done, I have about 15-25 miles on it so far in 5-7" un-groomed snow on the trails. No surprises or failures, it's helping me get in shape for this spring MTB ing, way better than sitting inside on the stationary bike..

Hooligans

WAY better.

thorstein

For sure it is! Any updates on how the Ascend is going?

I also wonder how the Ascend would compare to the Framed Minnesota as they're both at about the same price-point, although I don't think the Minnesota can handle tires quite that wide.

FREEBIRD1

Going good, mechanical disc brakes needed adjustment (easy), no real problems or anything to complain about. We had a good amount of snow last 3 months and it has been working great.

sknhgy 

There's hope yet. I didn't know you could get a decent fat bike for that price.

prj71

You can't. No retail big box chain store has ever sold a decent bike of any kind. Only one to come close is REI.

FREEBIRD1

Went out tonight in some high moisture content snow and it did fine. I've pushed this Chinese bike pretty hard last few times out, big ruts obstacles etc. and no chain throws, bent rims, broken spokes or broken parts. It runs the golf course trails I ride great also, which is a lot of fun. For me the $699 was well worth it, I have a few local trails I hit right from my house this thing works great for it, I like it.

MarcusT

It depends. I have a lower end chinese fatty and that bike has survived everything I can throw at it. I've gone through deep water, sand, snow and with some bearing repacking, it has worked flawlessly.
Drawbacks? The rims are flaking. The frame cannot take more than a 4" tire and it has an uncommon axle and BB width. However I did not buy it believing it would last me a lifetime. It's a toy and has more than satisfied my expectations

prj71

OP just bought the bike at the end of January so it's practically new at the moment. The price point indicates a low end components that will eventually fail prematurely. And it will be the important stuff such as rear hubs bearings, chains, derailleurs, shifters, cassette, chainring etc.

Quality bike parts cost more because they’re designed to last longer than entry level parts. While you end up saving some money up front, you will need to pay more money down the road to fix or replace part. And replacement parts will have to be purchased at retail prices since the bike manufacturer gets volume discounts on bike parts.

FREEBIRD1

I was skeptical about this bike at the price, the components are not rock-bottom department store pieces like others, it uses microshift advent stuff, and bike shop quality cables, heck a replacement derailleur,freewheel, shifter and KMC chain bundled off Amazon is only $160, so it is quite economical. I'll only put about 300 miles a year on this bike, so the cost per mile is pretty good. I noticed other niceties other low end bikes did not have, like internally routed cables, and plumbing for a dropper seat post. They saved money in areas like the paint (it only comes in one color), fancy paint color changes in the factory add costs, mechanical brakes (I can live with that). If I were to buy a high end fatty it would definitely be from the used market, I've looked at plenty for sale at half the cost new people bought, ride a few times, and put in the basement. Best thing about this bike is it got me out riding in the winter.

Caseydc

Looks awesome

prj71

Microshift advent is bottom of the barrel components. The cassette alone on my fat bike cost $70 more than the entire microshift advent groupset.

Don't fool yourself into thinking you got some sort of great deal on that fat bike. Corners were cut elsewhere.

Hooligans

That would be my point of view too. Regardless of cost. Good enough for the intended purpose is good enough!

I didn't notice if you said it before, but how does the new bike compare to the Malus for riding enjoyment?

FREEBIRD1

It rides and handles better than the Malus, the gearing is better as well as the frame geometry, wider handlebars give better control. For me it was a great deal, it's a simple bike and I could repair it easily myself, and does what I need it to do. The Microshift components work fine, I actually see some of the Surley and Salsa bikes are equipped with these as well. I have not seen a better fat bike at the same price, I like it.

Hooligans

Cool. Thanks for the feedback.

pipeliner

Enjoy it... that's what we're here for. Microshift stuff works good and I've had good luck with it myself. The biggest downside to entry level fatbikes is wheels and tires. Heavy and real tough/impossible to set up tubeless. If you ever decide to go tubeless, you'll be better off selling and upgrading.