Fat Bikes / Fatbikes

A thread for all you chubby chasers. Post your own fat projects, new fat gear, fatty porn etc.

For past fat chat, readers are directed to Smallfurry's project thread and the Winter/Snow bike thread. With any luck, moving all the general balloonacy here will make more sense to future readers.

I'm big boned!

Smallfurry's fat monster.

Well done Tester. Charlie the bike monger has stock of the special red Pugsley with gum walls. Is 2K :-/ so incredibly rad though.

Well done Tester. Charlie the bike monger has stock of the special red Pugsley with gum walls. Is 2K :-/ so incredibly rad though.

Was going to post that.....I'm constantly looking at it and trying to justify/work out how to pay for one!
My inner fat is pushing outwards....

I feel queasy!

That's splendidly ugly.

From here: http://www.whileoutriding.com/south-america/peru/kurt-and-the-fat-bike

Owned by this guy going around the world on it: http://www.bikegreaseandcoffee.com/

Nearly finished....
I'd really like to paint it fluoro green.

I think this may be my favourite forum bike. Looks like it would be so much fun to ride.

Best to try it out really, it made the canal towpath feel like a smooth gravel.

They are pure, unadulterated fun.
You can get some great speed up on them, they're hard work, but good gear ratios sort that out.
I use mine as my commuter, admittedly I only have 5 miles each way... but I know I'm comfortable up to 20 so far. Soon to be tested in full with a long ride.
Watch this space.

the primary purpose of a bike is to be fun

#firstworldproblems

wow!
this reminds me of that ridiculous pink and yellow thing Gaston built.

Good thread.

Nearly finished....
I'd really like to paint it fluoro green.
You have one too?! Nice!

I think this may be my favourite forum bike. Looks like it would be so much fun to ride.

It really is.
Waiting for moar snow. Forecast says Thursday.

What is the appeal of fat bikes?

I accept that the primary purpose of a bike is to be fun (and I presume these are for their fans), but for me that comes from a bike being quick and nimble.

I accept that it must be fun ploughing through snow or sand where a normal bike can't go, but then again that must get a bit tiresome / tiring after a while.

What is the appeal? Does anyone really have one as their main bike or even their main off-road bike?

I am not having a go, just curious to understand the appeal a bit more. I'd love to have a go on one for an hour one sunday, but I just can't imagine thinking that I must get one.

I havent taken mine on many trails yet. Studding up the Big Fat Larry tyres was bloody expensive. So I wanted to wait untill snow came to properly test it.

Mine is pretty light. But the rolling resistance at optimum PSI is epic. So no. its not nimble like my weight weenie SS 29er. I plan to get some Vee8 4" tyres for next years trail riding.

Something about how unstoppable it feels puts a massive smile on my face. I may not be going fast. But I'm not slowing or stopping for anything.

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smallfurry has nailed it

Something about how unstoppable it feels puts a massive smile on my face. I may not be going fast. But I'm not slowly or stopping for anything.

i would add mine has been huge fun for trail riding, traction is amazing and technical climbing becomes very easy, so the weight gain has a pay off. it has also been taken to the beach for riding on sand dunes, which was hard work but rewarding, especially as a normal bike would have been unable to gain traction

My spelling is especially shite today.

Mines designed to be a compromise between snow trekker, and trail hardtail. The short effective stem length, and long fork. Put less weight over the front wheel than I'm used to. May need to lower the front end a tad (easily done) for trail stuff. Balance feels spot on for snow though. I can smash into 1/2 foot lumps of frozen sludge without feeling unstable. The light front end means its less effort over long stretches of what the merkin skiers call 'death cookies'.

I wonder if these forks are any good.

http://www.charliethebikemonger.com/fat-bike-suspension-fork-4298-p.asp

merkin skier sounds like a sex act, death cookies could be part of this deviance

Where do you Uk based people ride these things?? (I know SF is in Norway??)

You don't need snow to ride a fat bike.

Fair enough... I can see how 3 or 4 times a year (maybe 3 times in the snow and once when the mud is ridiculous) it might be an absolute blast... but (thank god!) I really don't need to get myself one. I have a reasonably wide variety of bikes and adding another to the list is probably a bit much.

Funnily enough when I posted last night I had just been playing around with one of my bikes... 9 speed charge blender, wide range at the rear, small chainring, front sus, and 2.4 wide holy rollers on it. That bike is probably not a million miles from a fat bike in many ways (slow, not very nimble, relatively good at low speed and on snow and mud and down steps)... perhaps I should understand the appeal when I have a 26"er MTB that is not a million miles from a fat bike. On the other hand I am seriously considering flogging the blender in part because it is just too heavy to be fun (partly the frame, partly the build)... which suggest my gut feel 'a fat bike is not for me' might be right.

I quite enjoy my near fat cruiser cargo bike too. 3" hookworms on 47mm wide rims. It just rolls.

Fatbikes are all about getting epic traction, and float on soft stuff. Mine should go down hill well too. Its my only offroader with sus, or gears. Thats why I went with a more 'hardtail' style geometry. With lightweight tyres in the summer at higher PSI. It wont be that sluggish a t all.

I rode my 29er the other day, which is set up to be stiff and light, and if was a real blast. I enjoy both.

When the snow comes back I'll be going on 2 hour rides at slow speeds, just getting out and about. It'll lovely.