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Phat bike?

canadmos

canadmos

Cake Tease
May 29, 2011
20,488
19,494
Canaderp
Thinking pretty seriously about grabbing a fat bike. There seems to be less used ones for sale that I thought there would be.

What would you pick? I want to keep it cheap; I assume the water/snow will quickly wear at parts, chances of falling will greatly increase and maybe cheaper might be slightly stronger for ham fisted trotts through the bush? Trying to find one around the $1000-$1200 mark.

Have discovered these....

2015 Trek Farley 5 - https://www.pinkbike.com/buysell/2278364/
Guy said in a PM that he'd take $1400 for it. His user name and pink bike registration date is kind of odd.

2015 Trek Farley 8 - https://www.pinkbike.com/buysell/2235580/
Looks ok, other than the rusty bolts. I could my XT brakes on it. In BC, so probably no room to wiggle the price or negotiate shipping. Looks like the best drive train.

Or

Could just go get a new Rocky Mountain Blizzard 10 for $1300ish - http://www.bikes.com/en/bikes/blizzard/2018

Norco Bigfoot 2 for $1100ish - http://m.norco.com/bikes/mountain/fat-bikes/bigfoot/bigfoot-2/ fuckin ugly duck and questionable tires though.

Kill list?
 
Jm_

Jm_

sled dog's bollocks
Jan 14, 2002
18,995
9,652
AK
This is a chinese XM carbon CS-197 frame with forward/rearward dropouts to adjust the chainstay length and take the biggest 2XL oversized tires that are available. Even though the frame is pretty inexpensive, like $350 or so, you can probably do better with a package deal like the Trek or any number of reputable manufacturer fatbikes, but I like building my bikes exactly how I want and I often have an excess of parts that can be used for a new build. The bike also allows for reasonable chainstay length though, while some fat-bikes use insane-stupid 18"+ lengths that make no sense unless running those 2XL tires, but they often don't have the clearance for them anyway.

(Edit: I think that was my last frame, my LaMere, before I got the XM CS-197. The 197 is definitely a better frame than what I had).

That said, if you want a fatbike to ride in the winter on snow, there might be more important considerations. We try to inform everyone to save some money for some of these important considerations:

Save money for good studded tires if you ride on frozen-liquid surfaces. Even if you don't experience that much ice, we got our first snow last week and just a few inches, but the trip of the studded tires digging into the roots and compressed snow was unreal, absolutely excellent. And of course, with any kind of ice you are going to be ok. I feel that the studs add a lot of grip on any frozen surface and they really have no downside, rolling resistance is not affected and the tires last many seasons, 3+ for me now, as long as you aren't riding them on pavement every single day. I like the Dillinger 5s. I'm not a fan of anything skinnier and I'm on 90mm rims. If you are going to ride in snow, the floatation is nice, and it's equally nice that you can air them down when there isn't snow for a softer ride over roots and everything else.

Framebags are nice, your frame size/shape should take this into consideration a bit. In the winter, you want to have things like an emergency pull-over or packable jacket, extra gloves, maybe your insulated water bottle, etc. This is an excellent way to carry that stuff.

Additional bags are also nice, eventually you get to the point where you can ride with nothing on your back, which is nice. Sometimes we still have to use camelbacks, but under our softshells with the hose routed underneath our arm-pit, which keeps it warm enough to not freeze.

Pogies, a godsend. Normal riding gloves in their own controlled climate. I've tried to ride a bike downhill with "winter gloves", it's all clunky and you can't control the bike. That and these keep your hands much warmer. You can roll them up when you get too warm too, so it's easy to regulate your heat.

Carbon-bar, helps to keep your hands warm. The amount of heat-transmission with a metal bar is significantly higher.

Lights, because it's winter.

Decide whether you want to go clipless or flats. Both are possible, but it's harder to do clipless and keep feet warm. Still possible, but you have to go to much more extreme ends. One thing to think about though is don't incrementally spend a bunch of money, try to get to the end-game. If you ride in the 20s and below at all, get some 45N wolfhammers or better. There are lots of "winter" shoes out there that are nothing more than glorified summer shoes and they suck balls. There are other ways to do this, but there are a lot of incremental steps that in my experience, are just a waste. But again, flats are a lot easier.

Stuff doesn't wear out much/fast in the winter for the most part (for me). Snow tends to clean the drivetrain and bike more than anything. I generally ride in colder temps though and soupy wet snow is kind of a pain to ride in and makes clipping in difficult. As far as wear though, winter fatbiking is one of the least abusive things I do, compared to summer mud-riding.

So, to wrap it up, there are a lot of nice bikes, I wouldn't necessarily rate many of these any better than the next, but if you want to ride in a lot of conditions, set aside some money for these other things. They dramatically increase your ability to ride in all conditions and be comfortable doing so.
01fe6493892f4205f23c8a825dc4ea46a811532f13.jpg
 
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Westy

Westy

the teste
Nov 22, 2002
54,434
20,234
Sleazattle
Would seem to me that for a fatbike the frame makes less of an impact as the actual tires.



In the fact that no matter how good the frame, the huge dumb tires will ruin even the best frame.
 
Adventurous

Adventurous

Starshine Bro
Mar 19, 2014
10,341
8,896
Crawlorado
StiHacka said:
It comes with:
* Increased Tangential Speed :twitch:
* Magnetic Component Reduction :panic:
* Spoke To Center :think:
* Proven Strain Gauge :tinfoil:

so you know it is good. Too bad that lizard skin saddle is not included! :oops:
Click to expand...
You know the Norco marketing team probably high-fived and synchronized orgasmed after dropping that buzzword soup into the bike literature.
 
jimmydean

jimmydean

The Official Meat of Ridemonkey
Sep 10, 2001
41,186
13,337
Portland, OR
@gonefirefightin built a pretty sick fatty a little while ago. While it would be fun to poke around on (I rode a Pugsly at the beach and it was cool), I don't venture to the snow enough to justify. I am still trying to justify a new trail bike. :panic:
 
canadmos

canadmos

Cake Tease
May 29, 2011
20,488
19,494
Canaderp
And for that reason I have to back out of purchasing a Norco (not to mention how ugly they are).

RoboDonkey713 said:
The Farley's are fun bikes. I enjoyed mine quite a bit last winter. Do it.
Click to expand...
Dude with the Trek Farley just said he'd take $1200, which is $200 less than my original offer and $400 than what he has it listed it for. Should I try to go for $1000? I might tell him to meet up tomorrow, find some random scratch on the frame and say "take this $1000 or I'm walking". :redface:
 
RoboDonkey713

RoboDonkey713

Monkey
Feb 24, 2011
678
462
Maine
canadmos said:
And for that reason I have to back out of purchasing a Norco (not to mention how ugly they are).



Dude with the Trek Farley just said he'd take $1200, which is $200 less than my original offer and $400 than what he has it listed it for. Should I try to go for $1000? I might tell him to meet up tomorrow, find some random scratch on the frame and say "take this $1000 or I'm walking". :redface:
Click to expand...
Tell him $1000 cash in hand and see what he says. The pics make the bike look almost new.
 
canadmos

canadmos

Cake Tease
May 29, 2011
20,488
19,494
Canaderp
RoboDonkey713 said:
Tell him $1000 cash in hand and see what he says. The pics make the bike look almost new.
Click to expand...
No go on the $1000 offer. :( Still going to try to grab the bike, it looks like its in pretty decent shape. Maybe the actual cash in hand part will sway him, in person.
 
slyfink

slyfink

Turbo Monkey
Sep 16, 2008
9,328
5,085
Ottawa, Canada
jonKranked said:
Where do you live?
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yeah. this. do you get enough snow where you live? while you can ride a fatbike on dirt/mixed conditions, it doesn't mean it's fun. My fatbike is reserved for on snow. On dirt, they corner like shit. and forget trying to go fast downhill.

but on hard packed snow, especially on snowshoe trails, oh my are they ever fun.
 
jonKranked

jonKranked

Detective Dookie
Nov 10, 2005
85,933
24,502
media blackout
slyfink said:
yeah. this. do you get enough snow where you live? while you can ride a fatbike on dirt/mixed conditions, it doesn't mean it's fun. My fatbike is reserved for on snow. On dirt, they corner like shit. and forget trying to go fast downhill.

but on hard packed snow, especially on snowshoe trails, oh my are they ever fun.
Click to expand...
here's the rules for fat bikes:

snow: OK
not snow: kill list
 
StiHacka

StiHacka

Compensating for something
Jan 4, 2013
21,560
12,505
In hell. Welcome!
slyfink said:
yeah. this. do you get enough snow where you live? while you can ride a fatbike on dirt/mixed conditions, it doesn't mean it's fun. My fatbike is reserved for on snow. On dirt, they corner like shit. and forget trying to go fast downhill.

but on hard packed snow, especially on snowshoe trails, oh my are they ever fun.
Click to expand...
I think that we have 3-4 days in all winter when fat bikes work but regular studded tires don't. When snow is fluffy, you cannot ride on fat. When icy, good luck. When melting and mushy, no way. Only in certain density or crust, regular tires drop through while fat don't.
IMO, fat tires work the best on beach sand.
 
canadmos

canadmos

Cake Tease
May 29, 2011
20,488
19,494
Canaderp
It definitely snows enough to warrant the bike. Enough to ski in the middle of some forests. And being so close to the city, there is lots of places with packed down trails from snowshoes, hikers and other bikes. Some forests even have "groomed" trails where they drag a heavy roller through them to pack down the snow.

From the day we got back from NC last winter...
 
canadmos

canadmos

Cake Tease
May 29, 2011
20,488
19,494
Canaderp
Plot twist: local bike shop just sent me a message saying they have a 2017 Rocky Mountain Blizzard -20 for $1119 + tax, so total would be $1264.

I think I'll go with that. It looks to have a way better rear hub, better tires, similar drive train and in the end, its new with a warranty.

 
Jm_

Jm_

sled dog's bollocks
Jan 14, 2002
18,995
9,652
AK
slyfink said:
yeah. this. do you get enough snow where you live? while you can ride a fatbike on dirt/mixed conditions, it doesn't mean it's fun. My fatbike is reserved for on snow. On dirt, they corner like shit. and forget trying to go fast downhill.

but on hard packed snow, especially on snowshoe trails, oh my are they ever fun.
Click to expand...
This. I feel like I'm riding drunk when I try to ride it in the summer.
 
slyfink

slyfink

Turbo Monkey
Sep 16, 2008
9,328
5,085
Ottawa, Canada
canadmos said:
Plot twist: local bike shop just sent me a message saying they have a 2017 Rocky Mountain Blizzard -20 for $1119 + tax, so total would be $1264.

I think I'll go with that. It looks to have a way better rear hub, better tires, similar drive train and in the end, its new with a warranty.

Click to expand...
seems like a good deal. just make sure you can set them up tubeless. you drop at least 2 pounds going tubeless.

and when you get it, try and organize a trip up here. We have lots of great trails. seriously. by late february, the conditions will likely be optimal.
 
canadmos

canadmos

Cake Tease
May 29, 2011
20,488
19,494
Canaderp
slyfink said:
seems like a good deal. just make sure you can set them up tubeless. you drop at least 2 pounds going tubeless.

and when you get it, try and organize a trip up here. We have lots of great trails. seriously. by late february, the conditions will likely be optimal.
Click to expand...
Sounds like a plan. :cheers:
 
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