Are Fat Bikes Good Mountain Bikes?
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 11 ก.ค. 2024
- I make a lot of fat bike related videos and I often get the question "does a fat bike work well as a mountain bike?" Obviously I'm a bit biased, but in this video I go over the reasons for and against fat bikes being a part of the mtb family.
Fat Bikes In This Video:
Panorama Torngat Ti - bit.ly/4145f61
Otso Voytek 2 - bit.ly/486WWcb
Wyatt Maverick - bit.ly/3Nohl45
RSD Mayor V5 - bit.ly/4aoqFPz
State Bicycle Co 6061 Trail+ - bit.ly/3TS123K
Discount Codes:
5% Off RSD Bikes - Use code "5%yeararound" - rsdbikes.com
Use code "ryr" for $100 off the Macfox X1 - bit.ly/42OFPcK
Parts I Recommend:
Bucklos 4 Piston Brakes - amzn.to/3eJ2x1H
Gel MTB Saddle - amzn.to/3xjkdHs
PNW Dropper Post - bit.ly/3NV2vCy
Basic Maintenance Tools I Recommend:
My Favorite Multitool - alnk.to/apRSSqd
Metric Hex Key Wrenches - amzn.to/3LV7P6v
Housing And Cable Cutter - amzn.to/3rZrQRj
Cassette Lockring Tool - amzn.to/3By2Vr9
Bottom Bracket Removal Tool - amzn.to/3gWlkVe
Chain Whip (or build your own) - amzn.to/34Jh0WV - กีฬา
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I love my fat bike all year long and I've had way more fun on it than any other bike I've ever owned or ridden ❤
I was always turned from fat bikes because people say they’re heavy… BUT… when I actually got mine in the mail and realized how light it actually was, compared to the old mountain bikes I used to ride- I laughed a little. I was relieved. Everyone makes them sound like they’re super heavy.
It's always a good idea to remember, opinions, are just someone's subjective thoughts. I can't tell you how many times I've been told X,Y, and Z, is no good, only for me to try whatever it was, myself, and realize the opposite.
My current mountain bike is 40lbs(3x6 26inch, rim brakes), what's the weight of your current fat bike?
Surly Ice Cream Truck is 35-37lb. Same as many full-sus bikes with typical tires!
I just bought a Motobecane Night Train Bullet from Bikes Direct and I absolutely love it. At $1500 and free shipping I was sold. My primary bike is a Trek Fuel EX 7 and on my first 3 rides I felt the fat bike did everything as good as the Trek except corner. We just got a foot of snow here in NY so riding is not an option on ungroomed trails but I can’t wait to ride it in snow. Great video and I totally agre with you on everything.
I just bought a Motobecane Night Train Bullet from Bikes Direct and I absolutely love it. At $1500 and free shipping I was sold. My primary bike is a Trek Fuel EX 7 and on my first 3 rides I felt the fat bike did everything as good as the Trek except corner. We just got a foot of snow here in NY so riding is not an option on ungroomed trails but I can’t wait to ride it in snow. Great video and I totally agree with you on everything.
I had a 27.5+ trail bike and never rode it so I sold it. I even decided I was just flat out done with mountain biking. Ever since getting my Surly Wednesday with 29+ WTB Rangers, I often will reach for that bike over my gravel bike as it just rolls so well on the stuff I have around here and is crazy comfortable. I enjoy riding it so much I started taking it on singletrack and love the simplicity of a fully rigid monster truck. I credit you for deciding on 29+ over 26 fat for my year round wheel size. I did get 26 fat wheels this winter and have studded Dillinger 4s, but alas Chicago has yet to get enough snow. Cheers and happy holidays.
It's my goal to keep 29+ alive so I'm glad I have at least one person convinced! haha
My only bike is a full suspension carbon fatbike and I love taking it on the trails in the summer. So much fun!
I raced XC this past season on my fat bike (in the fat bike category) and it was so much fun! It's really can go just about everywhere. Yes, my trail bike is faster, but my fat bike feels more fun.
I have raced MTB for years now I'm full fat bike.
Great vid. I love the moustache handlebar, gonna get one.
Great video! I’m a huge fan of all tire sizes and agree with your conclusion. I race enduro (Ibis Ripmo) and I like to race XC on my rigid 29+ (Trek Stache) but I love riding my fatbike during summer (EVO OMW) the “cons” aren’t as bad as they seem, I love all bikes, if I had to choose 1 bike I would definitely go for wider tires, I have snow so I would go fat, luckily I don’t have to choose
Great video, I am 10 years on a fatbike. I choose Salsa Beargrease back then and it is still my nr.1 bike up to now. I shared some videos on my non-commercial yt channel, take a look, fatbike is a real adventure for me, I still ride my Beargrease 2015 year model bought on November 2014.
Great vid! Living in western Canada I own both a Norco bigfoot and a full squish Trek Powerfly, and sometimes I just want to rip some flowy trail and riding the fat bike is a blast, plus you have the flexibility of throwing some 29ers+ on it and almost rides like a XC bike
29 plus just wants to roll on forever!
ditto on the fat bike leading into me picking up mountain biking again. When I heard you say that I screamed out.
To me it is what ever gets you out and biking.
I’m in the Fatbike camp for quite some time now. While it was quite fun in the beginning, the party starts once you get foam for your rims.
I guess that’s the game changer for that kind of bike
I am looking to make my Giant Yukon a year round bike with a suspension fork. Your videos are helpful in making those decisions.
I think what people often miss is how much a dropper and a suspension fork improves the fat bike off-of-snow experience. The boing of the fat tires is great but its even better with a little dampened suspension action up front. If people are used to a dropper and their fat bike doesn't have it, it's never going to be feel as shreddable. I absolutely love my Otso with the Mastadon and 200 mm dropper all year round, especially when the trails are soft in spring or winter (when there's no snow).
Totally agree. You wouldn’t expect a rigid mountain bike with no dropper to be very “shreddy”, so why expect it from a rigid, dropperless fat bike?
I have a full squish fat bike (Framed Montana Carbon with a Wren fork up front), and it's every bit as fun as a full squish mountain bike. Yes, it's slower going up, but going down with the suspension, the boing tires and all that great traction, I ride faster downhill on my fatbike than my mountain bike. Probably as much due to my skill level as a rider (intermediate at best). I keep my 27.5 by 4 van helgas on year round. Ridiculous fun all the time!
No snow around here, but just rode my Ice Cream Truck around some of our famous Santa Cruz trails (black diamond-ish), and then rode right down to the edge of the surf on the sand and around the cliff trails. I actually bought it to ride the Rubicon near Tahoe which was pretty wild (on 5.5psi). I also ride a lot of mountain fire roads. Doesn't get much more all-around than that! I am looking forward to building a 29+ wheelset for it and adding a suspension fork.
Fat bikes for the win. So much fun on singletrack. Unlimited, they are like jeeps of the bike world.
I totally agree!!! I can go over ,on, and through anything my skills let me do on a Fatty. I ride year-round in the AZ desert. I have two fatties, one set up as an Ss and one geared. I also have a 29er+ .
Ab~Soooo~Lutle..... love mine all year round. Running a Borealis Crestone and Manitou Shock for almost 3 years. I had been saying though.....it wouldn't really replace my Yeti 29er for traditional mountain biking conditions. But man is it an awesome desert bike. On many of my long wander-a-bout trips if I was using my truck & camper, I'd stuff both bikes on board. With my Jeeps it was becoming a hard decision which to grab.
So in that vision to only pack one do-all bike, I -- just -- got a set of 29 plus wheels/tires. And of course snow season hit for my local trails and I haven't yet got to test them on a good single track ride. But I am confident they will be the game changer for picking the one do-all bike when I travel. I have ridden all conditions with the fattie. You will never 'not' be able to ride, but there is that compromise running only the 4.8 - 5 inch wide tire on some trails. I'm pretty confident now it will be a great jack of all trades with a fast wheel set/tire change when its called for.
I have a REEB Donkadonk, and I rode about this on The Radavist, but I really wanted my fat bike to mostly be a sick ATB (with 27.5+ or 29+) that can also run studded fat in the winter. The Donkadonk has been perfect. Like you said, it’s great that it can run any tires. So far I’ve ran 26 fat, 27.5x3.8 on 50mm rim fat, 27.5x3-3.25, 29x2.6, and 29x3-3.25. All of them except 29x2.6 has been awesome, I basically just decide which feel I want and go for that wheel size. For example, I wanted a more direct steering feel that the lower trail a smaller wheel size gives you, so I switched from 29x3.25 to 27.5x3.25. The giant 29’ers carve incredibly though. And the rollover is almost too good for a rigid bike.
Just read the write up you did, sweet bike!
I bought a Donkadonk last year too! It looks like Reeb don’t make a fatbike anymore tho. Mine’s been great-kind of fun to be able to adjust chainstay length, and the geo seems about perfect, at least here in the upper Midwest.
@@GHinWI yeah I noticed it’s not on their site anymore, after seeing a pre sale for them earlier in the year. Hope they didn’t axe it! I’m in the upper Midwest too and I agree- the bike isn’t too “progressive” or old school. What fork are you running? I have a 510mm A2C Kona fork on mine.
Excellent video on this topic! Folks-avoid the cheap, heavy fat bikes, the excess weight (35+ lbs) will drag you down and ruin the experience. Also, try to get your wheels and tires as lite as possible which was pointed out in this awesome video. I am stubborn and believe the 26X4.0 120tpi tubeless setup works best. It's easier to get rolling and quicker handling than 27.5 fat bike wheel plus almost has the rolling diameter of a 29X2.3 standard wheel. If you set your fat bike up properly, you'll be amazed at all the advantages and how much safer you'll be on just about every type of surface. You'll understand the saying, once you go fat you won't go back.
My fattie is mostly winter but I’ve used it a fair bit in other seasons too. Good for shoulder seasons with variable conditions due to all the grip. But I don’t have any suspension on it and a fork that also works in winter is a very expensive one. I find riding without one in summer sucked. Both me and the bike were getting beat up. So if you need your fattie for all seasons get one that’s properly equipped right out of the box. Don’t forget the dropper either as mentioned below.
They are, they go anywhere, any time of the year, on any terrain! Boom
I ride my road bike for long tarmac rides. My gravel bike for bike packing. I just got a Surly ICT this summer and wow what fun. It's all I ride off road now. Like you said it's incredible traction is a game changer. It took some time getting used to running 6 psi. I'm happy with 26 x 4.8 . Yes it's slower than my 22lb 29 x 3 plus bike but I will never ride it again. The fat bike is just way more fun and I can go absolutely anywhere. I've been riding back country wilderness trails with a Hugh grin.
Nice video! I love my fat bike!!! It is so versatile. Fun to ride! If I could only have one bike, it would be my fat bike. Thankfully, I have a wonderful wife!!! Being a retired firefighter I can ride or do trail work almost every day year round. What a life!!!
Sounds like you’ve got things figured out haha
About 2 years ago I decided to get a Fat Bike and I don´t regret it at all. I honestly even prefer the wider Q Factor.
The biggest downside for me, and something I wish I was more aware of before going Fat, is compatibility with Racks. I drive a small 3-Door Car and I need to use a roof rack when transporting any bike. My Fat has 26x4.7 tires and at least from what I could find at the time, there is only a single roof rack compatible with them, and even then I had to buy the Fatbike Wheel adapters seperately. Similarly racks you often find in front of shops and stores here in Germany that grab a wheel of the bike to keep standing won´t work. Same thing with the racks you find in parking garages for bikes. It just causes a few minor problems if you use such a bike in a Urban Environment from time to time.
I'm in the same boat right now. Just picked up a lightly used Velocirax 6, but can't use it on any fat bike right now which kind of sucks haha.
@@RideYearRoundvelocirax makes a fat bike tire basket, there like $129.00 for a set of 2
@bryanfulcher7162 yeah I’ve considered picking up those baskets and extended straps but haven’t decided if I really need it yet. I usually throw my bike in the bed of the truck anyway haha
I'm not a fat bike guy but I really enjoyed your explanation and you got me thinking I should at least give it a try.
If you can find one to try it out it’s definitely worth it!
Great video! Fat bikes are so much fun and are a great option for year round riding.
I live in a flat dense urban area so for its hard for me to not view fat bikes as a toy. That being said, I'm in a position to and am currently finishing up building up a really sweet drop bar fatbike for not much $ (albeit with old standards and probably geo) but I'm quite excited to ride the hopefully eventual snow and go through some river trails in the summer on the goofy build I've got planned!
Was that rock garden you were riding up Maple Mountain Trail? Nice video with some great points. I've go a Fezzari Explorer Peak on order (e-fatty) and I can't wait.
If you’re talking about the one on the blue Ice Cream Truck then yep, that’s up Mapleton Canyon. I miss that trail…
Also, the explorer peak looks super cool. Fingers crossed I can get one in for review.
Yeah, never mind, I saw in another video that you are in Montana, not Utah.
I was in Utah until the end of 2020, so you’ll probably see some trails you recognize.
Yup, several looked familiar.
For me, a fatbike can be adapted to be ridden year round, but then you don't have the optimal bike for most of the year. The trail bike is the most versatile option and I choose to sink the majority of my bike $ into my F/S and hardtail mtbs. However, buying an affordable fatbike to keep off the trainer for 4 moths is well worth it. Nice bike and vid.
Would a fat bike be good for an older rider (49) transitioning from road to mountain biking? We have several mountain bike parks in the area but now snow. I live in coastal SE US.
Good video! I just bought a surly ick I know you have or had one. I was wondering if you had any recommend on 29+ rim and tires for the summer?
RSD bikes has 29+ wheels available with the correct spacing for $409 which is a crazy good deal.
@@RideYearRound I,ll have a look thanks 👍
Cheers.
They also a great bike packing bikes
I'm still not sure what is better on forest trails with rocks and roots 29er or fat bike? For exploring purposes rather than racing only. I have 29er and it seems it doesn't do well in too dense forests with lots of roots, leaves and plants.
Yes, I bought a Fat Bike. The most winter fun I've had in a long time. Can't wait to get those studded tires off and rip the single track. Likely I'll get a suspension fork. Will I give up the Honzo, No! But it's good to have an alternative plan for the day.
I rode my full rigid Surly Wednesday all year which included 100 miles of the MDH trail in ND. I won't go back to my full squish MTB because the Surly is basic, fun, and does everything.
Riding an all rigid fat bike is like riding an adult sized BMX. I was still racing BMX at 40 and now @70 I love my fat bikes to bits. I have no other MTBs.
L❤VE this video
💯 True !!!
ive been fat biking for 20 yrs
& now have Fat Bike E-Bike due to very old ankle injury from motorcycle accident
🤦🏻🛑❌️🚫🤷♂️
i ride 10 to 20 miles mon to fri after work
n 40 to 60 miles a day on Sat & Sunday most of the time when i have weekend time ...
n all other bikes are 29ers
Cannondale Full Carbon Leftys
15lbs
Cannondale Bad Boy 20lbs
Cannondale Prophets 20lbs
JUST BIKE !!!
🤓❤🚵😁🚴🏼♂️💪💯👍
Fat bikes for me are one of two things, a do anything electric mountain bike with a suspension fork or a winter/snow bike were less is more(nothing more usless then an $800 Manitou suspension fork on a snow bike) love bringing out my fat bike every winter, but if i still lived in Florida I would have no use for it.
I rode a rigid Fatbike as my year round Mtb for 5 years. I live in MN so obviously...snow and no big mountains during the warm months. But, I took it to Bentonville, multiple CO locations, MT and many other locations all in 4" configuration. The answer to me is based on mindset. If you ride for fun all the time, yes fatbike full time is a good bike. If you have a need for weight or speed...you are not asking this question to start.
One more thing...I absolutely love the simplicity of the fat bike. Do you want to ride or spend your time in the garage/shop?
Yeah most people who ride a fat bike aren’t all that concerned with weight…at least not until the bike gets over 40 pounds haha.
Has anyone out there ever rode down railroad tracks on one of these? Do the tires hold up to the gravel? How about soft mud?
I Love fat bikes, I own 4 fat bikes 1 plus and 1 hybrid, bikes are the best way to stay in good shape💯%
I sure would like to see a comparison of a 29in bikepacking bike vs a fat bikepacking bike.
I want to ride the LA Barstow 2 Vegas route, but I don't know if a loaded fat bike would be able to handle the softer sandy sections much better than a regular mtn bike. I've never ridden a fat bike so I don't know if it's worth it to buy a bike specifically for crossing deserts.
Check out Foresty Forest if you want to see a good desert fat bike bikepacking example.
I'm looking forward to converting my 2020 Santa Cruz Chameleon HT into a skinny-fat rigid MTB with the RSD510 fork, i45 front and i40 rear WTB KOM Tough rims, and DHR2 29x3.0 front and Rekon 29x2.6 rear (tires aren't set in stone and I'd love to hear some recommendations). It's going to be a lot of work, but I've found I like rigid and full sus bikes, and much less half-squish HTs. All this while living in the SF Bay, where it never snows, but we do get a lot of loose garbage which is the bane of my damn existence.
Sounds like a fun bike! Rigid 29+ is one of my favorite set ups.
I have a lenz fatillac.Weighs 16.5 kgs which is no more than my friends Norco site and anothers Commencal.150mm mastodon pro up front and a Fox dX2 rear shock with 130mm travel.I ride it frequently in Australia's premiere lifted bike park Thredbo amd it rips!! Mates literally all say dont follow Matt as his lines are deadly!!😅 The full suspension and 4 inch tires make it an absolute monster truck that carries speed through or over everything
I'd love to get a Fatillac in to review. They look so fun for dirt riding!
I have 3 fat bikes, and they're my favorite bikes to ride. I ride them all year round too. I'm 6'4, 255 lbs, so a few extra pounds of bike, isn't a huge issue for me. Fat bikes are where it's at, for me.
You're doing excellent work out there dude, I'm 100% convinced if more people tried them, and they weren't maligned by idiots that just want to shred mad gnarr and do back-flips while getting rad (GMBN) then it could get more people out and about and enjoying life. I sort of hate that "smiles for miles!!!" mantra insipid halfwits come up with for describing fat bikes, but I think I'm probably one of them, because you're going to have more fun on a fat riding over all creation, than you are squashing your hemorrhoids on a bloody gravel bike and sailing over the bars every time you hit a rogue pothole, but again, my opinions are my own. Merry Christmas from the UK! lol 🤘🤘
FatBiker here!👍👌👊🏻❤️🇵🇭
What do you think about an electric fat bike?
Yup. Forget about the Q Factor and focus on the *Fun* Factor. 😃
you can't when it screws your knees up like many folk have found !
Fat bikes are where it's at. Hopefully I'll get a Wyatt Maverick next year.
I like to ride year-round. Omni terrain. Absolutely everything. Except pavement.
Just a side question. Whats snow? Never seen it. Never touched it. Aloha.😎🤙
Hahaha. I’ve only been to Hawaii once but I saw some snow way up there on the Big Island!
@@RideYearRound That's more like slush. Get some slurp and you can enjoy shaved ice. Come back soon. Aloha.🤙
The Mayor makes a great mountain bike. I regret selling mine.
i love Fatbiking all time 😁😍
I love running into goons on the trail who think fat bikes suck and think they know it all. I"ve raced BMX for years, raced Mountainbikes for quite a few years as well. Downhill and Mountaincross, when I first rode a fat bike and realized how much fun it was and the things you could do on it...I sold all my Downhill bikes and never turned back since. I have 4 Fatbikes, I've raced a few times on them as well. I dirt jump, hit drops, chutes etc. I love the look on peoples face when I blow by them on trails then see them at the bottom and they like wtf. The only disadvantage is laying into tight corners deep, but its very manageble.
Fatbikes remain my go to bike for any ride. They are totally great for year round riding and in my opinion they ARE mountain bikes on steroids. "Ride fat to stay fit!"
Wider tires are better only on sinking terrains. I’ve started biking exclusively on fat bikes and spent way more money in this that anyone on the planet. Believe me.
Fat bikes are not suitable for serious mountain biking. They are just for cruising around anything.
A good enduro specific mtb tire offers more grip and control than any fat tire there is.
i like fat bikes
"A" not "An"
Depends on if you read it as individual letters or "mountain bike"...maybe I should change it to "a/an" haha.
Once you go fat you never go back. Got rid of my full squish 29er and bought a new fatty.
A fatbike makes crappy trails fun to ride. Trails that would suck with 2.2" 29'er tires. A fatty opens up much more riding opportunities.
You betcha. Snowflakes in today's cycle world, are addicted to anything...electric, or with a crappy weed-whacker motor attached to the toptube. Anything that does not make'em sweat. Rigid carbon fork, is probably not gonna benefit on rutted/pot-holed trails. Get a suspension fork. And using thinner tires(650bx3.8 or 29x2.8) are awesome for traction & speed. I have low pressure in the front, high in the rear. Great traction & maneuverability on slick trails and rocks. A crank-guard, can make the difference of riding, or walking home.