[BigwheelsRbest]

OK - I've checked through the FAQ's but can't find the answer.
I can understand the Fat Bike rationale for soft conditions or in snow, but if conditions are not soft / snow, why add so much weight to your bike?
(I know there's a good answer cos there are so many people doing it!)
Sorry - I need these things spelled out for me...

 

[Clickboomtap]

Because FUNNNNNNN !

 

[Velobike]

...I can understand the Fat Bike rationale for soft conditions or in snow, but if conditions are not soft / snow, why add so much weight to your bike?...

A fatbike rolls so easily you don't notice/care about the weight.

If you do care, then you can pay the WW tax and get one down to 19.7lbs (shown somewhere in this forum).

 

[shanesbw]

Traction, fun, smiles, control, just sensational offroad Best bike I have ridden on trails in over 20 years

 

[dtaylor]

stability, control, traction
can enjoy riding as opposed to trying to go as fast as possible.
more comfortable riding position
did i say just more fun?

 

[Saul Lumikko]

I have a sub-20 pound 29er and a Moonlander. For regular trails the 29er is more enjoyable, because a fat bike doesn't really offer anything there. On smooth and hard trails it makes as much sense as a mountain bike on pavement. However, when I hit certain trails with very rooty and/or muddy sections, the fat bike is easier to ride.

A fat bike isn't really that heavy to ride, so normally I don't rationalize and justify my choice of the day too much. I pick a bike, go ride and enjoy.

 

[deuxdiesel]

Hard to believe, but there are a few bikers out there who are not driven by Strava, and enjoy riding just for the sake of riding. The same places that I ride in the winter have a different feel in the summer, so it doesn't get boring. I have a couple of light 29ers, one SS and the other AM-ish, but those hardly get ridden. My fat bike is my first choice, because it is so simple and versatile.

 

[sisu]

^plus, his brakes actually work on his fat bikes.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[jonshonda]

Because not every time I get on a bike to I want to ride on the road or groomed singletrack!! Because I like variety, because I like to go on adventures not possible with even the fatest of 29" tires.

Because I ****ing can.

 

[OfficerFriendly]

I just discovered fatbikes, and my god are they fun to ride. I'm not sure what it is, but it has to be the crazy grip you get! I'm so pissed off about mine being broken, I had it for two hours and I NEED to ride a fatbike! Like now!

 

[Guest]

OK - I've checked through the FAQ's but can't find the answer.
I can understand the Fat Bike rationale for soft conditions or in snow, but if conditions are not soft / snow, why add so much weight to your bike?
(I know there's a good answer cos there are so many people doing it!)
Sorry - I need these things spelled out for me...

It's a legit question, same question single-speeders probably contemplate when they talk to their multi-speed friends when discussing rides with hills verses relatively flat rides. I don't have a ton of Fat Tire time but I love riding up stairs and over things with them. I'm also a big fan on rocky trails and fast singletrack when it's dusty (because the traction limits are approached with lots of forgiveness). Sure you pay a weight penalty, but I do that everyday I ride 2.2s on my Fargo when I'm going to work on gravel roads/hiking trails and pavement. If you recall a few years back there was a NORBA race won on a road bike (because the course was only a dirt lap track). Really proving that we could all pare back some tire from time to time.

 

[Ze_Zaskar]

If off road was all about going fast and light I guess we wouln't see many Jeep Wranglers and Land Rover Defenders around

 

[BigwheelsRbest]

If off road was all about going fast and light I guess we wouln't see many Jeep Wranglers and Land Rover Defenders around

I guess this makes sense IF you have extreme off road conditions to ride on

 

[gcappy]

If off road was all about going fast and light I guess we wouln't see many Jeep Wranglers and Land Rover Defenders around

Oh no, I may be in trouble. I ride fat bikes and I drive a Toyota FJ Cruiser.

 

[Jisch]

The key word is fun and that's a pretty tough thing to quantify. Most of our trails are technical, rocky, rooty with short ups and downs. When I want to go fast and catch air, the RIP9 gets the nod, when I'm going on a slower ride where the focus is on fun (solo, with the wife, slower riders) I'll take the fat bike every time. Its a really fun bike to ride. As far as the rolling resistance, I don't even notice it, physics dictates that there should be an incredible increase in rolling resistance (I'm sure there is), but I really don't get on my fat bike and think "this thing is a pig".

Why is it fun? Its a combination of the monster truck like feeling, the incredible traction and the outright goofiness of those huge tires. I also think there's an element of "I'm on this fat bike so I don't HAVE to go fast".

I think you'll have a tough time finding a logical reason to ride a fat bike on dirt, but that doesn't mean there isn't a reason that all these people are enjoying them. I smile a lot when I'm riding any bike, but the fat bike brings a higher percentage of smile time than any other bike I've ridden.

 

[dfiler]

It's a legit question, same question single-speeders probably contemplate when they talk to their multi-speed friends when discussing rides with hills verses relatively flat rides. I don't have a ton of Fat Tire time but I love riding up stairs and over things with them. I'm also a big fan on rocky trails and fast singletrack when it's dusty (because the traction limits are approached with lots of forgiveness). Sure you pay a weight penalty, but I do that everyday I ride 2.2s on my Fargo when I'm going to work on gravel roads/hiking trails and pavement. If you recall a few years back there was a NORBA race won on a road bike (because the course was only a dirt lap track). Really proving that we could all pare back some tire from time to time.

The don't knock until you try it phenomenon is applicable to many types of bikes. Though you probably have the singlespeed analogy backwards. People wonder why you might want to ride a bike that is theoretically harder to pedal and thus less fun than a "normal" bike. The only explanation is that you have fun riding it. Neither fat or singlespeed bikes are for everyone but I definitely recommend that people give them a try and decide for themselves if they have more or less fun.

 

[NYrr496]

I have a fatty and a FS 29er. Of course, the 29er is faster and lighter.
One of my regular rides is SO sandy, the fatty is the preferred ride. The climbs are easier there because I'm not plowing my skinny 29er tires into the sand.
Another place I ride is perfectly groomed singletrack. I rode the fatty there once and probably won't do it again until there's snow. It was fun but it was really more work than it needed to be.

 

[DennisF]

I rode one on pavement at the SE Bike Expo. The rep mentioned that they roll over anything, so you don't really need to worry about line selection.

For what little I could tell about it on pavement, it rode nice. It didn't feel cumbersome, and turned sharp corners easily. It was a dog when it came to acceleration, but pedaled easily in spite of the tires feeling like balloons.

It was a carbon model. They have aluminum ones too that I wanted to try, but the rep was really enthusiastic about this new carbon model, so I rode it to make him happy.

I Definately want to do a proper demo ride next opportunity!

 

[mtuck1]

I've had my fat bike a year now and put 1,700 miles on it. In the same time I have ridden my carbon full suss wunder bike a total of 5 miles. I will add that front suspension on a fat bike (Mendon Lefty in my case) is amazing! If you haven't tried it you should. I think the 2 new front suspension bikes offered by Borealis, and Rocky Mountain will be very popular along with the new full suss from Salsa though I personally would not be in the market for one. On the other hand lots of people will stay with rigid fat bikes because that works well for them. Hey, to each his own.

The main ingredient in fat bike popularity is the fat itself. Everything else is just personal preference to make your fat bike perfect for you.

 

[byknuts]

Remember the first time you rode a mountain bike? You did stuff you could NEVER do on your bmx, and you felt invincible because that bike felt like it could handle anything, like you could go ANYWHERE.
Then your skills progressed and you got lighter, faster etc bikes and you tamed the terrain.
Then you started searching out "trails" you could ride quickly instead of "holycarpwhereamIthisisawesome!" bouncing through the forests.
The speed became the excitement, not the adventure.


stop being fast, feel invincible wonderment at riding on impossible ground again.


see? unquantifiable.