[whoiswes]

So I've been looking off an on for a fatbike for the better part of 18 months. Was initially looking at Framed (they're headquartered about 5 miles from me) but nothing they had really blew my socks off. I was leaning heavily towards a Growler, Salsa, or DIY Ican SN01, and have been waiting for a killer deal to come along.

That said, I happened to check the Framed site this week, and the new 2019 Alaskan is VERY intriguing for the price.

Pros:
Appears to be the same mold as the ICAN SN01 (shorter stays, slack head, should make for a snappy ride).
Mastodon Comp
Mulefuts with Pub hubs (which seem to have a good rep)
SX groupset (probably the low point but serviceable so i can replace stuff as it wears out).

Cons:
???

So, what am I missing here? I'm not looking for the lightest or most capable rig, just the best bang for the buck around $2K that I won't immediately be wanting to upgrade everything on. Right now, I can't even build a Chinese open mold carbon bike for what the Alaskan is going for (and that's not even counting the Mastodon).

Thanks in advance!

Wes

 

[Jayem]

Fatbikes are pretty simple, you make sure it has 197 rear hub for clearance, the stays and geometry you are looking for (on some bikes this will be the limiting factor for big "real" 5" tires like snowshoe/J5) and go for it. I have a chinese open-mold and it's been great for a couple seasons, if you can get a better deal on the "framed", I say go for it...except for the part where they are calling it "Alaska" and they aren't from Alaska

 

[gdb85]

Go for it man, you won't regret it. I have one of there previous model carbon fat bike with the swoopy top tube. Its a strong durable bike (not real light but absolutely not a tank) I have had it for three winter seasons now and its been rock solid.
The new design with conventional tubing and the ability to run the 27.5 wheel size is a plus and really caught my eye but I have no need to upgrade or change at this time.

 

[triathloner]

Have you checked the Canyon Dude? I bought one last fall and love it for what it is plus the price.

 

[DiRt DeViL]

I'm not looking for the lightest or most capable rig, just the best bang for the buck around $2K that I won't immediately be wanting to upgrade everything on.

Due to being a mod I try not to get into recommending things but as a former Framed (Minn 2) owner and current Growler owner (MBS), if you really want to avoid immediate upgrades go with the Growler plus you get the benefit of having your choice of color, decals and components. Framed has good CS but have never seen anything like Growler in that sense, they go out of their way to make things right for you.

When my son got his we picked it up and he put the decals himself, great guys and made the experience unique; highly recommend them.

On the topic regarding CS and warranties, mine had issues with the Magura MT5's, two days later had brand new MT7's and my son had a NX shifter break, we took it to one of the dealers, the shifter was replaced with GX at no cost to us, they dealt with the dealer. It only took a Facebook PM to get the process going and in no time we where taken care of, try that with Framed or any other company.