[theantihero]

So im fairly new to the mt biking world, rode when i was younger and just started to again, got myself a cheap Genesis bike so id have something to learn to work on that wasnt expensive if i screwed it up.Id like to try a fat bike now, i live up in the woods and it would be nice to have a longer riding season. I ride mostly dirt/fire roads and single tracks.Id like to keep it under 500 bucks, i wish i could spend more but thats what i can afford right now. The fat bikes i know of in that range are the Mongoose Dolomite, Mongoose Beast, Sun Spider, Gravity Bullseye and the Gravity Bullseye Monster.Ive done a bit of research on all of them, the Beast looks totally unsuitable for what i want. I rode the Sun Spider and really didnt like the whole kickshift thing. The Dolomite seems pretty heavy, doesnt seem to be geared well and with the price going up to 299-350 it seems a little too expensive for what it is. At 225 id probably give it a try but...... The Gravity Bullseye seems to be a good choice but it looks like it has 3 inch wide tires? Seems a bit small.... and the Monster vesion seems very nice but im a little worried that 2x8 might be too little gears for hills and such around me.So if you read thru that whole long paragraph props to you lol, but am i on the right track here? Is there anything else in that price range? Anyone ride these and have some comments for me?

 

[theantihero]

Hmm...for some reason it just lumps together and doenst do the nice paragraphs i wrote out......

 

[Velobike]

...Is there anything else in that price range?...

I've nothing against the budget fatbikes, but if it was my money, I'd be looking at a secondhand quality bike.

There's been quite a few new models recently, so there's bound to some people who have upgraded and have a fatbike for sale or traded it in.

 

[AZ]

So im fairly new to the mt biking world, rode when i was younger and just started to again, got myself a cheap Genesis bike so id have something to learn to work on that wasnt expensive if i screwed it up.

Id like to try a fat bike now, i live up in the woods and it would be nice to have a longer riding season. I ride mostly dirt/fire roads and single tracks.Id like to keep it under 500 bucks, i wish i could spend more but thats what i can afford right now.

The fat bikes i know of in that range are the Mongoose Dolomite, Mongoose Beast, Sun Spider, Gravity Bullseye and the Gravity Bullseye Monster.

Ive done a bit of research on all of them, the Beast looks totally unsuitable for what i want. I rode the Sun Spider and really didnt like the whole kickshift thing. The Dolomite seems pretty heavy, doesnt seem to be geared well and with the price going up to 299-350 it seems a little too expensive for what it is.

At 225 id probably give it a try but...... The Gravity Bullseye seems to be a good choice but it looks like it has 3 inch wide tires? Seems a bit small.... and the Monster vesion seems very nice but im a little worried that 2x8 might be too little gears for hills and such around me.

So if you read thru that whole long paragraph props to you lol, but am i on the right track here? Is there anything else in that price range? Anyone ride these and have some comments for me?

Here ya go.

 

[theantihero]

Also a good idea, i havent seen much in my area. In fact ive only seen one used in a year of off and on searching.

 

[theantihero]

Thanks for the paragraph help too, why does it post as one black of text? Am i missing something?

 

[deuxdiesel]

Welcome to the madness. For $500, the Gravity Monster looks like an OK bike. 2x8,9 or 10 doesn't really make a huge difference when you still have a double or triple crankset. No way are you going to get something fairly light in that price range, even used- used Pugsleys, which are still no lightweights, go for $800-1000. On-One occasionally has frame/crank/wheels/tires bundles that are pretty cheap, but you still are looking at close to $1k when you are all done.

 

[skopiec]

The Nashbar fattie is ~800 today with the 21% off deal. I liked my friends enough to buy one myself...

Welcome to the madness. For $500, the Gravity Monster looks like an OK bike. 2x8,9 or 10 doesn't really make a huge difference when you still have a double or triple crankset. No way are you going to get something fairly light in that price range, even used- used Pugsleys, which are still no lightweights, go for $800-1000. On-One occasionally has frame/crank/wheels/tires bundles that are pretty cheap, but you still are looking at close to $1k when you are all done.

 

[roadbymeto]

great info,you still are looking at close to $1k when you are all done. thanks

 

[Canoe]

On the cheap, you can put a 14-34T rear ($10 to $34 online) on a Dolo for better climb.

And put a 28/38T on the front for even more, and manually shift it for the country you're riding at that moment. Or a 22/32T depending on your hills.

Then better tires, like the 120 TPI deals that have appeared on the forum in recent weeks, along with a pair of downhill tubes.

Depending on the tires you choose and a used vs. new crank/set, with the Dolo currently at $300 you can squeak in under $500.

 

[theantihero]

Bump

Thanks for all the replies so far

 

[hectorlandaeta]

Jump into the lowest price point you can first, then upgrade components as you go.
Almost a year ago you had to cough up near or beyond $2K up front, you could go Surly or Salsa, no alternative. Now? there's a LOT of choices.

 

[AdamJay]

Not too many people seeking to keep Missions that came stock on their bikes, so the Gravity Bullseye (non-Monster), seems like a good option that gives you a pair of 3" tires for trailin' around on. Why pay $50 more for a pair of tires you're not going to want anyway? $449 is pretty solid. I like that it comes with 50mm rims, a versatile size.

 

[blown240]

Get the gravity, if it's too expensive, then the dolomite. The beast isn't what you want. Or find a used bike.

 

[trojan9x]

Check out the new Boris X5s that bikesdirect are selling. Great frame with budget parts.

 

[RocktonRider]

The 3" bikes from BD don't appear to have clearance for 4" tires, so you might want to steer away from those unless 3" is "fat enough". There's also a very limited selection of 3" tires on the market.

The Bullseye Monster and Boris X5 both appear to be pretty decent deals: you'll have more options in sizing than the Dolomite, a proper granny ring/front derailleur, plus be at least 10 lb lighter out of the box.

Don't worry about the 8-speed on the Bullseye: the low gear is 22/34 and moving to a 9- or 10-speed only drops you to a 22/36 (unless you shell out $90 for a 42-tooth cog). More speeds generally just makes the gaps between gears smaller for more efficient pedaling... the high and low gears don't really change much.

 

[RocktonRider]

care to share how you know this? Doesn't make sense that they would have a special frame for 3" only

I wouldn't have thought so either, but the detailed photos on their site make it pretty clear: Last photo in here. Perhaps these are the same frames as the G29SS?

 

[AdamJay]

I wouldn't have thought so either, but the detailed photos on their site make it pretty clear: Last photo in here. Perhaps these are the same frames as the G29SS?

View attachment 881005

No, this bike still has a 170mm rear hub spacing.

Difficult to tell the angle that that photo was taken at. The frame specs on the 3" and 4" are identical. In fact, the only differences on the spec sheet are crank, fd, and tires.

I seriously doubt that they're making two different frames. I don't know of a 170mm rear hub spaced frame that can't accept 4" tires. I've inquired with BD to set the record straight.