wow that sounds like a pretty savage ride....but if you don't do things for strava or the gram why do you do things?
I recently picked up a pair of vee rubber snowshoe xl studded tires. Wow, sooo much better than the chaoyang tires that came with my bike. Lower profile sidewall, former sidewall, flatter tread profile and about 250 studs per tire. I've only been able to use then for one brief ride because the day they arrived the temperatures went about 10 above freezing and nuked the nearby trails.
Our snow has melted but the fatty is still in play for the wet and boggy trails. Took the Buzzkill into the shop to get serviced but I gots the Pugs to roll around on. Maybe make the shop ride next week.
Thinking of a lighter, narrower wheelset to turn the fatty into a summer town/gravel/light trail machine. Any advice for going this route?
Rolly holey Darrels is what I have.
Do it!
I turned my Wozo into that. Spends more time as a hardtail vs. just a fatty, but with the ability to run the fats when conditions are right.
Same kind of hubs, put on another set of rotors and cassette makes for easy swapping. Running 34mm IW rims with 2.6-2.8 tires. A -2* Works headset and a 120mm fork in the frame makes it for a nice and fun slack/low bike about 66* HTA with a short fork works quite nicely. A good alternative to the full suspension bikes some days. All of two minutes to swap wheels.
YMMV depending on what particular frame and setup you've got.
7/34th of a dick.
Also, it snowed in the Wasatch... again.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...5e561b9d5b.jpg
You could get a nice set for that much.
At that price you ought to be able to do alright, just don't settle for a rear hub that isn't up to the task. Many of the less expensive fat hubs are junk. These are a solid value and should take care of you pretty well with 10* engagement, 4 heavy duty leaf spring pawls and Enduro bearings. https://www.dirtcomponents.com/dirthubs Use the code Trailhead for 10% off.
bump
my almost 14 yo has outgrown the 26" frame (small) that he's been using. He really wants a fat tire bike now. i need some starting points. we have not yet made a budget. we always buy used and I wrench when and if needed.
i'm thinking on the less expensive but functional/fun side of things. he currently rides mellow-ish trails and cruises with friends. flow-style trails are getting more popular around me. want 2-3 rings in the front (we have plenty of steep long climbs in my area). rigid, medium frame. he may outgrow a medium frame, but it'll likely fit me, too, and his younger siblings will inherit it.
where do i start? what am i looking for? i live between sac and truckee. we drove to reno to buy his current bike after a long online search.
cheers!
You should demo a fat bike for him to ride with his buddies and see if he still wants one.
Also hardly anyone runs more than 1 chainring anymore.
For ~$1400 new take a look at the Zeus from Reid bikes. There's another that's sub $800 that isn't bad but, meh.
Just got a used Mukluk for $750, been riding it around trails and bike path lately. Has a Jones H-bar that I might switch out for a regular bar. Came with new Ground Control 4.6". Pretty sweet, looking forward to a little white stuff to take it out, and hopefully get a few days on the local lake as well.
I'm hoping to use it as a commuter a few times a week this winter if I can motivate. Not exactly an easy commute.
Thanks for the input of bikes. Our LBS May still rent/demo fat bikes. I’ll check (good suggestion). I have not paid more than $500 on a mtn bike since the mid-90’s because I buy used and have willingness to compromise with slightly older tech.
In terms of older fat bikes, I believe there have been a few models of surly bikes that’ve been around for a while. What are the other brands/models? Which brands/models should I ignore because they suck?
Cheers
Not sure where you are between Sac and Truckee, but Tahoe Donner may be local*. They rent fat bikes trailside at the Alder Creek Adventure Center, and the website lists both Surly and Framed brand fat bikes rented year round. Before they added Surly to the fleet (not sure what model, ICT?), they started with a bunch of these:
https://www.the-house.com/qfmin216bg...fat-bikes.html
My daughter rented one of these a few times, and they seemed pretty decent. Maybe he could take a lap on both brands and get familiar w/fat bike handling & weight at the same time. Def call for availability in his size before heading up the hill.
As for gearing, go 2x for Fat Bikes, especially with a growing kids’ knees and those big hoops. Weight saving benefits of 1x on a low- mid-range fat bike is super low %, and front derailleur complexity is a myth.
Good luck,
Paul
* If you can keep a secret: there is nobody up here this weekend, could be a quick <1/2 day trip...
The older Pugs have the offset frame and rear wheel. Unless you need that I would go with the newer frames. Local shop where I ride has fatty rentals they sell for great prices. That would be a good way to go.
Trying to decide whether to get rid of the bluto for this coming winter, I generally haven’t ridden in conditions that would ‘need’ it.
Carbon fork, perhaps?
That is what works for a buddy that regularly rides Iditarod.
I like my rocky mtn 20. Decent starter bike and quite reasonable
Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums
I ditched the Bluto a couple of years back for a cheap Chinese carbon fork and haven't looked back. I found the performance of the Bluto to be pretty poor especially when you consider the added weight. I find tire pressure modulation to be a much easier and predictable form of suspension.
Sent from my XT1635-01 using Tapatalk