[JChasse]

Here’s some fat bike stoke for ya…

I was lucky enough to work with Chris Herting (you Yeti fans know who he is) on a fat bike frame, and thought I’d share the result.

I’m pretty sure this was Herting fatbike #1, since he finished welding my frame before he finished his own.

The components are mainly stuff scrounged off an old full-suspension bike, with the notable exceptions of the wheels and carbon fork from Speedway (Thanks to John G and the team up there for hooking me up!) Then Cliff and the guys at PtP here in town built the bike up beautifully (solving some unexpected problems along the way, in typical fashion).

It was a blast working with Chris on this, I couldn’t be happier with the frame, and I know it fits. It’s great having a little input in a frame’s design, as inane as it may have been in some cases. Then to have a craftsman with Chris’ experience build the thing…you couldn’t ask for more.

(By the way, the finish is better looking in person than in my crappy pics. It’s a metallic deep red powdercoat, and the panels are just the naked media blasted aluminum, with clearcoat over the whole thing)

Enough with the shameless plugs. Take a look, and do a dance for some snow around here so I can play with this thing!

Built weight is 30.2 lbs with cheap pedals and bottle cages.

 

[96gfjoshua]

uma II 70s? looks great. is the head tube 110mm? nice ride.

 

[JChasse]

uma II 70s? looks great. is the head tube 110mm? nice ride.

Thanks. Yes, UMA 70s. Headtube is closer to 140. I'll be able to drop the stem some more, and probably only keep one spacer. I prefer the taller HT with a short spacer stack.

 

[bdundee]

That is just the coolest FB ever! I like the straight lines!!

 

[tscheezy]

That's really a lovely bike. Very clean lines and well executed. I do wonder about the choice in cable routing though.

 

[JChasse]

That's really a lovely bike. Very clean lines and well executed. I do wonder about the choice in cable routing though.

We thought pretty hard about different routing options, and what you see was pretty deliberate. What are your thoughts?

 

[Velobike]

Tidy looking bike.

 

[the_eleven]

Really nice looking bike!!! Love the higher HT.

Could you share geometry info? CS length?

 

[bdundee]

We thought pretty hard about different routing options, and what you see was pretty deliberate. What are your thoughts?

It is run where all the ucky stuff goes!

 

[Jesterrider]

Gorgeous. Let us know how it rides.

 

[JChasse]

It is run where all the ucky stuff goes!

That it is.

But what we absolutely didn't want was housed cable running down under the BB, or a short section of housing running up to the front derailleur. Between wet trail slop and other moisture, enclosed cable running under the BB is a pretty solid bet for H2O eventually settling there, since it's the low point of the whole cable run - Potential Result: kluged up and/or frozen cables. And I just don't like full housing from front to back. Have it on my primary mountain bike and not a fan. Also, I briefly owned a Mukluk and didn't like that cable setup at all, either.

I've had derailleurs freeze, derailleur jockey wheels turn into discs etc. But the chances of an exposed cable freezing to the little cable guide under the bottom bracket (or into the frozen slag ball that slowly forms on the bottom bracket) so solidly that shifting or tugging on the cable wont free it…? The 2 bikes I used to ride in winter in New England had exposed cables run this way, and that was honestly never the system's weak link. So the other options seemed like solutions for problems that don't exist. At least around here.

Could be proven wrong, but I'm looking forward to finding out. :thumbsup:

 

[bdundee]

Could you share geometry info? CS length?

+1 pretty please.

P.S. can I use your bike as my screen saver? There's just something about it that is so coooooool!!!!!

 

[JChasse]

Actually I don't have a build sheet, so I don't know what the exact geo is. I know we kept it really close to my Medium (17") Salsa Mukluk (sizing and angles). Then I talked with Chris about what I liked and what I didn't, and let him do his thing. It worked!

Feel free to PM me or post with any specific questions and I'll try to help.

 

[tscheezy]

The rear der cable could easily mimic the routing for the rear brake housing (under the TT and down the drive side seat stay), and go full housing. That way it's 'downhill' and fully sealed all the way from the shifter to the derailleur, and any moisture penetration can run out the back end. Top pull front derailleurs make sense for the same reason, and the F der cable can also be routed under the top tube. In fact, all 3 cables can basically follow the same routing scheme with the F der peeling off at the seat tube.

This certainly isn't a big deal since you can run Gore cables or use the Shimano XTR ferrules and grubs, but as long as you are specifying a custom setup, may as well go whole hog. The front tire throwing slush can just be such a nightmare on shifting performance when there are breaks in the housing.

 

[Borgschulze]

I've had the same full length housing on my bike for 3 seasons now... and it's seen 4 different frames as well.

I've adjusted it a few rides after installing it the first time, and once again a few days ago.. but that could have been customers turning my barrel adjuster, since I leave my bike in the store for people to look at.

I use SRAM X0, and it's flawless so far after 3 years. Girlfriends bike has an SLX derailleur and XTR shifter, going on 6 months.. and barely ridden.. I've adjusted that 3 or 4 times now. Both are 9 speed, and full length housing.

 

[dougboykin]

Pictures don't do it justice. I saw it a couple of days ago and it is a thing of beauty!!!! Another masterpiece from Chris!

 

[Andy FitzGibbon]

Really excellent looking bike, very well executed.

 

[ward]

Sweet!

 

[JChasse]

Pictures don't do it justice. I saw it a couple of days ago and it is a thing of beauty!!!! Another masterpiece from Chris!

Hey, howdy! Good to see you here! Beware though, brossman will start stalking you here now.

 

[Monkeyrider1]

why did you get rid of the mukluk?