[jackman]

Fatbikes are like a cult!  Every guy I know who gets one, suddenly abandons all of his other bikes!  I know three guys who have not touched their other bikes since acquiring a fat bike.  Congratulations!

At RAGBRAI this year, I saw so many cool Fatbikes.  A girl (Canadian in awesome shape) passed me up on a hill with her custom titanium fatbike.  I didn't mind because the view was much better from that angle...

 There were also large groups of fat bike riders.  I'm a fat dude but my bike is pretty skinny.  There is a fatbike in my future, no doubt!  Keep us posted on the mods.   

[Rocket_Ronny]

I guess I don't get the appeal for the fatbike other than floatation on snow, or perhaps cheaper to buy due to no suspension. That's a lot more rubber and weight to spin around. Looks tiresome.

I remember when I thought it would be a cool idea to fatten up my tires on my Yamaha RZ350 2 stroke street bike. Went up to the largest tire size front and rear, a size or two. What a mistake, it killed the bike in handling and acceleration. The extra weight of the rubber made the tires feel like giant giroscopes that did not want to move in any other direction than what they were spinning.

Rocket_Ronny

[coke]

I ride to have fun, and the fatboy is the most fun bike I've ever ridden.  Stock it weighed around 30 pounds, which isn't too bad.  The traction more than makes up for the weight.

[jackman]

I guess I don't get the appeal for the fatbike other than floatation on snow, or perhaps cheaper to buy due to no suspension. That's a lot more rubber and weight to spin around. Looks tiresome.

I remember when I thought it would be a cool idea to fatten up my tires on my Yamaha RZ350 2 stroke street bike. Went up to the largest tire size front and rear, a size or two. What a mistake, it killed the bike in handling and acceleration. The extra weight of the rubber made the tires feel like giant giroscopes that did not want to move in any other direction than what they were spinning.

Rocket_Ronny

Like they say, don't knock it until you try it!  Motorcycles are different than bicycles.  Fat bikes are not necessarily cheaper than FS bikes.  There are some really pricey fat bikes on the market.  The custom Ti bike (made in Colorado) I saw at RAGBRAI was not cheap.  They are not as fast as comparable FS bikes and even the expensive ones are heavier than FS bikes, but several people I know love their fat bike. 

One friend recently completed a 100 mile ride with 4600 feet of climbing and averaged 16 MPH on his Pugsley (an entry level steel fatbike that weighs about 35 lbs).  He's around 60 years old and can beat most people half his age on the fatbike.  I'd love to see some legitimate times for people on this site (garmin or strava data, not "personal estimate" type data).  He is even faster on flats, and rides the most technical trails in the Midwest (there are some decent trails in WI and MI).  Another friend has several pro level MTB's including a 3 year old FS Trek and a Gary Fisher 29'er hardtail but he always grabs the Fatbike when he hits the trails. 

There is a company called Frame that offers a set of 29 inch wheels along with the fat rims on their fat bikes. The 29's are for speed and the fat wheels (and tires) for when you want to have some fun on snow, sand or any trails.  This is the bike my friend has.  It's entry level.  He hasn't tried the 29's on his bike yet, even though he has a set. 

[coke]

Finished upgrading my bike.  I also ordered my girlfriend a frame, and I'm going to use my leftover parts to build her a fat bike.

[low.pfile]

Well, I went looking and test riding today. over the recent years I have observed the Mt. Bike developments out of the corner of me eye. no one I know rides off-road these days so I rarely do myself. I have a hardtail Kona circa 1998 that gets use 6 times a year. The hardcore downhill/all mountain craziness is not my ride at all and it seemed to me that that arena was driving all the development. which seems right. like Formula 1 driving the performance of passenger car engines.

So I rode about 4 bikes over the weekend (Scott, Santa Cruz)--I passed on a couple (Trek) purely based on the sales associate I met with.  But test rides around here means city streets and that means flat. so I did a lot of curb drops and ups. nothing resembling trails!  I even got a nice screw in the tire on a 10 minute ride on city streets.

I am still trying to justify the over $1500 prices for a pedal bike. Of course the ones I lean toward cost more than an entry level motorcycle! read IBIS, Seven, Santa Cruz carbon bikes

I am leaning toward the Scott Spark as it is a Cross-country/trail bike. not a downhiller or race bike. It does have suspension lock out , as well as a mid-level lock out and that feature is awesome. I will test ride a comparable Specialized full suspension, once I find a local dealer-weird because they were everywhere 10 years ago-and they are local. I am aware that there are some amazing hand-build/specialty brands of bikes out there but given my mild riding style and budget I can only admire them from afar,  so I will stick with the mass-market brands for the value factor.

Want to add that during my recent visits the favorite bikes I've encountered [without test rides]: a 1990s Moots Ybb Ti Softtail and a new Matte Black Scott Scale 700 hardtail with 1x11. The former was not for sale.

Well, that's it for now.

[low.pfile]

Well... I went and rode the golden child today and I shouldn't have**... IBIS Mojo HDR 650B: one Large, one Medium size. only backstreet and parking lot stuff/ I found a loading dock too [no big drops ] . Then the Santa Cruz 5010[SOLO]. Then the Specialized Camber 29er. As I said I am a cross-country trail rider so likely all these bikes are overkill so I am looking at lightweight/moderate travel. Though I am drawn to carbon fiber....$$$. That said...when you hit a parking lot bumper dead-on and hardly feel it, that is something...IBIS! but $6200 !! My dad bought our family cars for less!!!

hard to gauge what will be best uphill as there is a bit of steepness nearby and I prioritize that. sure the scale will be a factor, but the suspension options will as well. All three have a special formula. I've learned recently about the suspension electronics options too but want to stay away from that.

Also I am not used to the new gearing options. being a 49 year old, we started with triple chain rings. the more the better. my mt bike now has a triple. so now the majority have one chain ring and 10 or 11 gears. a few have two chain rings standard. I like the simplicity, but it is all very foreign at the moment.

Lastly, I know Demo Days exist but I missed both big local ones with the manufactures I am interested in, and cannot wait until the next one.

Note that all three of today's bikes are homegrown. IBIS is Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz is Santa Cruz and Specialized is Morgan Hill (east of  Santa Cruz)

**The cool thing about bikes is you give them a credit card and they let you play for 20 minutes. I wish you could do that with audio equipment for 2 days though.

and just for the visual factor I'll add a couple of phone shots I took as note keeping....
ibis

santa cruz

specialized

[JoshK]

Hey low.pfile,

Given your penchant for climbing and cross-country priority, I would think the IBIS Ripley would be a better fit than the HDR Mojo (650B or otherwise).  I own a Mojo 140, three years old, so 26 wheels.   I love it but then I prefer technical riding to lung-busting xc.   I literally could ride it at my (easier) DH park.  Maybe not huge hits, but most of the trails I could clean with it. 

The Ripley seems more like a XC riders' bike for long epic rides, for some plushness on techy stuff and generally less fatiguing riding.   You could likely take the Ripley on gnarly stuff as well, even if you wouldn't first think to.

[DaveC113]

For pedaling efficiency it's hard to beat the DW link / VPP bikes. TBH, I would not even consider Specialized.

I'd also check out the Trek Remedy/Slash and Yeti SB5or6C, these bikes (along with SC) are at the top of the heap these days and what most people race here in the Colorado Enduro races. But otoh, it's hard to go wrong no matter what you choose as most bikes are very good right now.

[low.pfile]

I appreciate the input guys. I will take a look at those too!
cheers, ed

[brj]

I'm still riding my 12-year old Yeti and remain a fan of the brand, but I'll echo Dave's enthusiasm for the DW Link suspensions, and would thus mention Pivot Cycles as a result.  The Mach 5.7 model, in either carbon or alloy depending on your preference, is worth a look.  I've upgraded my Yeti enough that I can't justify replacing it without de-funding another hobby, but when I dream about it, Yeti and Pivot top my wish list...

(I'm amazed as the sea-change toward 650b wheels... I got really nice 26" wheels from Speed Dream a few years ago assuming that I'd be able to move them to my next bike.  Oops.)

[DaveC113]

I'm still riding my 12-year old Yeti and remain a fan of the brand, but I'll echo Dave's enthusiasm for the DW Link suspensions, and would thus mention Pivot Cycles as a result.  The Mach 5.7 model, in either carbon or alloy depending on your preference, is worth a look.  I've upgraded my Yeti enough that I can't justify replacing it without de-funding another hobby, but when I dream about it, Yeti and Pivot top my wish list...

(I'm amazed as the sea-change toward 650b wheels... I got really nice 26" wheels from Speed Dream a few years ago assuming that I'd be able to move them to my next bike.  Oops.)

It's worth demoing some new bikes, they have made amazing improvements in the last decade, the last few years in particular. My '14 Trek Slash is better downhill than many 5+ yr old DH bikes, it pedals uphill better than any 5 yr old 5" trail/xc bike and weighs under 29 lbs. It's capable of fairly ridiculous speeds while maintaining stability and control.

[ctviggen]

It's worth demoing some new bikes, they have made amazing improvements in the last decade, the last few years in particular. My '14 Trek Slash is better downhill than many 5+ yr old DH bikes, it pedals uphill better than any 5 yr old 5" trail/xc bike and weighs under 29 lbs. It's capable of fairly ridiculous speeds while maintaining stability and control.

That looks super nice.  Is that -- gasp! -- a single chain ring I see on the front?  And how big (in width) are those tires?  They look huge. 

[DaveC113]

Yes, it's a single 30t front ring with a SRAM 10-42t 11-sp cassette. The drivetrain is a mix of XX1, XO1 and X1 parts. Tires are 2.4 front and 2.3 rear but they are on Light Bicycle 38mm carbon rims which does increase width and volume quite a bit, allowing much lower air pressures and making the wheels much stiffer vs aluminum rims. The '15 version of the Trek Slash in carbon is the same bike but drops 1 full pound off the frame. The bike will cover a lot of ground fast on xc type terrain and still be able to handle the kind of trail you'd typically want a DH bike for.

[rooze]

Yes, it's a single 30t front ring with a SRAM 10-42t 11-sp cassette. The drivetrain is a mix of XX1, XO1 and X1 parts. Tires are 2.4 front and 2.3 rear but they are on Light Bicycle 38mm carbon rims which does increase width and volume quite a bit, allowing much lower air pressures and making the wheels much stiffer vs aluminum rims. The '15 version of the Trek Slash in carbon is the same bike but drops 1 full pound off the frame. The bike will cover a lot of ground fast on xc type terrain and still be able to handle the kind of trail you'd typically want a DH bike for.

Do you run those tubeless?

Nice bike.

[macrojack]

I inherited a Transition Trans Am from my son a couple of years ago. Does anybody know about that model? It rolls easily and the shifting is smooth. Otherwise I'm not to sure what's special or not. For whatever reason they don't seem to be very common around my part of Colorado.

[DaveC113]

Do you run those tubeless?

Nice bike.

yes, and thanks! I use Gorilla tape and truckerco (on ebay) valve stems and latex sealant.

I inherited a Transition Trans Am from my son a couple of years ago. Does anybody know about that model? It rolls easily and the shifting is smooth. Otherwise I'm not to sure what's special or not. For whatever reason they don't seem to be very common around my part of Colorado.

Transition designs nice bikes, the Trans Am is a hardtail mt bike made for general trail riding. It would be perfect at the 18rd trails in Fruita but is less forgiving on rocky trails vs a full suspension bike. I'd ride it around 18rd until you get comfortable then move on to the trails off the Loma exit, starting with the easier ones. 18rd is much easier than most riding in the area and the Trans Am is perfect for it.

[brj]

It's worth demoing some new bikes, they have made amazing improvements in the last decade, the last few years in particular. My '14 Trek Slash is better downhill than many 5+ yr old DH bikes, it pedals uphill better than any 5 yr old 5" trail/xc bike and weighs under 29 lbs. It's capable of fairly ridiculous speeds while maintaining stability and control.

Careful, Dave... one of the upcoming purchases that I might unfund to get that new bike would the 5 pairs of balanced ICs that I need, and I literally just yesterday day had someone email me about checking out your cables! 

And I know you're right... my brother flies out every year to join me for a few days of mountain biking, and has typically rented a really nice bike (Golden Bike Shop is great), which I've then borrowed for a few miles to see what I'm missing.  To overstate things a bit, I still have to pick a line while he would just point and shoot!  Too many hobbies, too little time and money...

[macrojack]

yes, and thanks! I use Gorilla tape and truckerco (on ebay) valve stems and latex sealant.

Transition designs nice bikes, the Trans Am is a hardtail mt bike made for general trail riding. It would be perfect at the 18rd trails in Fruita but is less forgiving on rocky trails vs a full suspension bike. I'd ride it around 18rd until you get comfortable then move on to the trails off the Loma exit, starting with the easier ones. 18rd is much easier than most riding in the area and the Trans Am is perfect for it.

Dave - My butt already told me it's a hardtail. That same son moved on to a PBR Bottle Rocket which I have ridden. The difference is pronounced. I probably should have a full suspension recumbent with air conditioning and a stereo. A sofa on wheels sounds nice but I haven't seen any trails that will accommodate the width.

Let me know next time you're out here. I'm sure I can't keep up with you but I'll buy you a slice and a beer at Hot Tomato.

[DaveC113]

Careful, Dave... one of the upcoming purchases that I might unfund to get that new bike would the 5 pairs of balanced ICs that I need, and I literally just yesterday day had someone email me about checking out your cables! 

And I know you're right... my brother flies out every year to join me for a few days of mountain biking, and has typically rented a really nice bike (Golden Bike Shop is great), which I've then borrowed for a few miles to see what I'm missing.  To overstate things a bit, I still have to pick a line while he would just point and shoot!  Too many hobbies, too little time and money...

Haha, well... both are worthy investments

Riding bikes is always fun, I rented a basic Specialized hardtail not too long ago and it was great. I'm glad I don't own one as my only bike but it was fun.

Dave - My butt already told me it's a hardtail. That same son moved on to a PBR Bottle Rocket which I have ridden. The difference is pronounced. I probably should have a full suspension recumbent with air conditioning and a stereo. A sofa on wheels sounds nice but I haven't seen any trails that will accommodate the width.

Let me know next time you're out here. I'm sure I can't keep up with you but I'll buy you a slice and a beer at Hot Tomato.

Sounds good! The Bottle Rocket is full suspension but it's made to be very stiff for jumps. If you're into it I'd try out a regular 5" travel trailbike, it'll be much easier to ride and more forgiving than either the Trans Am or the Bottle Rocket. Not sure about a sofa on wheels but a moto / dirt bike is tempting...