So I have zero education when it come to Fat Bikes. I just sold my Sirrus Carbon Hybrid (2014) and my Stumy FSR (2014). I want a Fatty where I am able to use as a daily commuter. (Round trip about 10 miles, 95% road) Also use the fatty on single/double track, and other adventures. I will buy a new 5010 or stumpy after the winter is over.
paulb4257
Help choosing a Fat Bike as a Commuter/Trail Bike
Fat bikes are TERRIBLE commuters. Why wouldn't you get a road/CX or touring bike? I can't stand riding my mountain bike on the road let alone my fat bike. They are meant for soft conditions. Use the correct tool for the job.
I was thinking of getting a cyclecross but I dont want to own a All mountain, Fatty, and a cyclecross. Just thought there might be a road friendly fat bike where I could use it to commute.
They're fine for commuting. Just pump the tires full of air and enjoy ride ride in, if that what you enjoy.
Not the most efficient, but fun.
Not the most efficient, but fun.
Big Fat Larry tires roll like road bike tires when you inflate them to the 15 psi region. It's the air resistance that prevents you from going as fast as a road bike.
Maybe a less meaty bike would be a good idea, though. Pugsley?
Maybe a less meaty bike would be a good idea, though. Pugsley?
I smile more when I commute on my Mukluk. But what's all this nonsense about not wanting to own a cyclocross, an all-mountain, and a fatbike? :lol: I got the fatty after all those other boxes (and the main commuter, and the road bike box) were checked. :lol:
I'd rather ride my road bike and get home easy and fast, and then drive my car with my fat bike to places that are fun to ride. A cookie to you guys who wear down your tires in the pavement with them at 8 miles an hour, but that isn't fun to me. Going fast is fun, which you can do on a road bike for commuting. Fat bikes are fun where they were designed for - soft conditions.
Sent from my SM-T330NU using Tapatalk
Sent from my SM-T330NU using Tapatalk
Fat bikes aren't great for commuting, some other things to think about:
Usually fat bikes are ran 1x10 or 1x11 and going 2x often reduces the tire size, so if you run more gears, like you'd want on a bike that's only going to encounter smooth stuff and grades cars can climb, you'll restrict the tire size some. If you're going to restrict the tire size, why not go 29+ and then you debate cyclocross bike, flat bar road bike, and a bunch of others that make a lot more sense. Fat tires also seem to spray stuff to a much bigger extent, so if it's a little wet or muddy, expect to see a bigger effect compared to skinny tires. Most fatbike tires are relatively thin too, to keep weight reasonable, so they don't have the best durability in terms of repeated road use or resistance to significant punctures (screws, etc). You can get much tougher tires for commuting that have thicker sidewalls. It's also kind of a drag any time you start from a stop, as the bike takes longer and more effort to accelerate, and then there's turns. You might be cruising, but if you want to make a quick 90 degree turn to a different direction, you often have to slow down or plan it a lot more carefully, otherwise you end up going somewhere you didn't intend to.
I do commute on my fabike, skinny wheels in the summer and then fat in the winter, although I try to wait until we have serious snow on the ground to take it out with the studded tires. I only have two bikes though. If you are going to use the fatbike for other riding, then go ahead and get it. I think a surly would probably be best, hard to go wrong with one. Even then, I'd be thinking hard about a 29+ though, but if you aren't planning on doing other riding on the bike, many other bikes make much more sense.
Usually fat bikes are ran 1x10 or 1x11 and going 2x often reduces the tire size, so if you run more gears, like you'd want on a bike that's only going to encounter smooth stuff and grades cars can climb, you'll restrict the tire size some. If you're going to restrict the tire size, why not go 29+ and then you debate cyclocross bike, flat bar road bike, and a bunch of others that make a lot more sense. Fat tires also seem to spray stuff to a much bigger extent, so if it's a little wet or muddy, expect to see a bigger effect compared to skinny tires. Most fatbike tires are relatively thin too, to keep weight reasonable, so they don't have the best durability in terms of repeated road use or resistance to significant punctures (screws, etc). You can get much tougher tires for commuting that have thicker sidewalls. It's also kind of a drag any time you start from a stop, as the bike takes longer and more effort to accelerate, and then there's turns. You might be cruising, but if you want to make a quick 90 degree turn to a different direction, you often have to slow down or plan it a lot more carefully, otherwise you end up going somewhere you didn't intend to.
I do commute on my fabike, skinny wheels in the summer and then fat in the winter, although I try to wait until we have serious snow on the ground to take it out with the studded tires. I only have two bikes though. If you are going to use the fatbike for other riding, then go ahead and get it. I think a surly would probably be best, hard to go wrong with one. Even then, I'd be thinking hard about a 29+ though, but if you aren't planning on doing other riding on the bike, many other bikes make much more sense.
pavement ride on my fatbike are a lot different than pavement rides on my purpose-built commuter.
I get where I'm going a lot faster on the commuter, and my commuter is a heavy, steel-framed, comfortable bike. I don't go nearly as fast as someone on a "real" road bike on 25 or 23mm tires. But I go way faster than I do on my fatbike. I can average just shy of 20mph on my commuter, with peaks at nearly 30mph. And that's for a 20+mi commute. Except...I'm riding through the city and have stoplights. Tons of stoplights. Brings the average down and puts my commute into the 1.5hr range. Fack no, I'm not riding a fatbike of any kind on that commute. Plus, I'm riding through some rough neighborhoods. No need to draw extra attention to myself with a flashy fatbike. Even without the bright colors on my fatbike, the big tires bring a lot of attention. People ignore road bikes with full fenders and a rack with repurposed kitty litter containers as panniers.
Around here, there just aren't many places to really take advantage of what a fatbike offers on a commute ride. Not without at least doubling the commute. And like duggus, I'd rather get my commute done with, then load the fatbike into the car and go ride somewhere more fun.
The handlebar setup on that Borealis above makes me cringe.
Tools for the job. Sure, you CAN commute on a fatbike, but it would not be my preferred choice to do so, except when there is a massive amount of snow that makes my purpose-built commuter impractical. Where I live, that much snow is extremely rare. More common is ice. And studded tires for my commuter are a lot less expensive than studded tires for the fatbike.
I get where I'm going a lot faster on the commuter, and my commuter is a heavy, steel-framed, comfortable bike. I don't go nearly as fast as someone on a "real" road bike on 25 or 23mm tires. But I go way faster than I do on my fatbike. I can average just shy of 20mph on my commuter, with peaks at nearly 30mph. And that's for a 20+mi commute. Except...I'm riding through the city and have stoplights. Tons of stoplights. Brings the average down and puts my commute into the 1.5hr range. Fack no, I'm not riding a fatbike of any kind on that commute. Plus, I'm riding through some rough neighborhoods. No need to draw extra attention to myself with a flashy fatbike. Even without the bright colors on my fatbike, the big tires bring a lot of attention. People ignore road bikes with full fenders and a rack with repurposed kitty litter containers as panniers.
Around here, there just aren't many places to really take advantage of what a fatbike offers on a commute ride. Not without at least doubling the commute. And like duggus, I'd rather get my commute done with, then load the fatbike into the car and go ride somewhere more fun.
The handlebar setup on that Borealis above makes me cringe.
Tools for the job. Sure, you CAN commute on a fatbike, but it would not be my preferred choice to do so, except when there is a massive amount of snow that makes my purpose-built commuter impractical. Where I live, that much snow is extremely rare. More common is ice. And studded tires for my commuter are a lot less expensive than studded tires for the fatbike.
My commute is 14 miles each way with a combination of road and limestone rail trail. It is mainly rural and I ride my Mukluk and love it! I have V8 Speedsters for summer and when pumped to 18-20 psi I can keep up with a lot of roadies. In the winter I slap a Bud on the front and a Nate on the back and away we go!
Until this year, my only wheeled transportation was a fat bike. Last year, I did 2500 miles. For every 10 miles of single track i'd ride, I'd have 12-20 miles of pavement to cover. It's doable and really not that bad, but you need to make some compromises to make it work. I suspect that one of the main reasons the naysayers are saying it will suck, is that many of these guys ride their fat bikes with pretty low tire pressure, anywhere from 5-9 psi. At those pressures, it certainly does suck, as it creates a lot of friction and rolling resistance. The tires will exhibit a lot of self steer and it will be tiresome to pedal. However, increasing the pressure to 12-14 psi will largely alleviate these issues- I've taken roadies on my fat bike before- it's still a chore to pedal, but it can be done.
The problem then, becomes what to do when you get to the trails: you can leave them high and your bike becomes essentially a rigid 29er, with wide heavy wheels. you still have gobs of traction, albeit not as much with lower pressures and it kinda beats the heck out of you. Or, you can lower the pressure for the trails for even more traction and a cushy ride. To get home, you either need to suck it up in ride with semi flat tires over pavement, which sucks balls, or you can pump the tires back up, but even with the best mini pumps, this also sucks donkey balls. a third compromise, is to get a suspension fork and ride with about 10-12 psi all the time. I mostly do this, all though occasionally, I will lower the pressure on the rear, especially if i'm riding over rough terrain. the big upshot to riding a fat bike, is that it will ultimately make you hella strong. I've done metric centuries on mine and when I switch to my road or SSCX bikes, they feel like rockets!
The problem then, becomes what to do when you get to the trails: you can leave them high and your bike becomes essentially a rigid 29er, with wide heavy wheels. you still have gobs of traction, albeit not as much with lower pressures and it kinda beats the heck out of you. Or, you can lower the pressure for the trails for even more traction and a cushy ride. To get home, you either need to suck it up in ride with semi flat tires over pavement, which sucks balls, or you can pump the tires back up, but even with the best mini pumps, this also sucks donkey balls. a third compromise, is to get a suspension fork and ride with about 10-12 psi all the time. I mostly do this, all though occasionally, I will lower the pressure on the rear, especially if i'm riding over rough terrain. the big upshot to riding a fat bike, is that it will ultimately make you hella strong. I've done metric centuries on mine and when I switch to my road or SSCX bikes, they feel like rockets!
I just switched out my LHT for an ICT for this very purpose. Do not regret. My LHT weighed about what my ICT does. Sure, my wheels have more rolling resistance but the ride is Cadillac comfy and I enjoy the ride quite a bit. Will you be slower, probably. Does it matter, I dunno, how "valuable" is your extra time? I am about 4 minutes slower per 5 mile increments vs my LHT and a mere 8 vs my old 20lb roadie. How many miles are we talking here for your commute? 10? 20? I mean geeze guys, unless your commute is like over 25 miles, we aren't talking serious time differential! You all act like it's walking vs running stuff.
Are there better commute bikes? Sure. Do you all have Prius cars or something that make your commutes by vehicle so much more "reasonable" vs other vehicles you COULD drive and cover the same distance with more "economy"(you know, since speed limits negate any "time saving comparisons). I mean, cereal people, this is all a personal choice thing. Dude wants to ride a fatty to work, why not inflate those tires and enjoy the ride.
Are there better commute bikes? Sure. Do you all have Prius cars or something that make your commutes by vehicle so much more "reasonable" vs other vehicles you COULD drive and cover the same distance with more "economy"(you know, since speed limits negate any "time saving comparisons). I mean, cereal people, this is all a personal choice thing. Dude wants to ride a fatty to work, why not inflate those tires and enjoy the ride.
I'd have no issues commuting on the fatty. Probably not with Lou's I've got on there now, but give me some Floyd's or Speedsters, and I'd happily romp my way to work.
You can always get some 29er wheels built if pushing the fatties gets to be too much.
You can always get some 29er wheels built if pushing the fatties gets to be too much.
Before switching to a fat bike for all uses, be sure you are up for the wide q-factor. It affects different people differently. I have found that it is very noticeable, but not prohibitive. My compromise was to build up a light-fat using standard width components with the smallest fat tires and narrow rims. The better ergonomics to me outweigh the benefits of the wider tire.
I also have a road bike, a heavy touring bike, and a hard tail, but I've dreamed of setting up another light-fat for rough rail trails (i.e. loose and chunky) using the new Vee fat street tires. Maybe that kind of setup would be up your alley.
I also have a road bike, a heavy touring bike, and a hard tail, but I've dreamed of setting up another light-fat for rough rail trails (i.e. loose and chunky) using the new Vee fat street tires. Maybe that kind of setup would be up your alley.
Rode the Mukluk to work today. 12.6 miles, averaged 17.6mph (mostly rural with only a couple of stoplights). I have 4.8" Surly Knards on it, and they roll pretty well. Running about 15psi in both.
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