Anyone ever ride a Fat Bike/Fattie/Snow Bike?

ValeTudoGuy

Just out of interest has anyone here ever used one of these Fat/Fattie/Snow bikes? If so what are they like... Are they unweildy?
Also Do they have any/much following in the UK? Do they even have a use in the UK (Apart from the obvious "when it's snowing").
Could they be used to ride on free flowing solids like very loose sand with any success or could they be used for improved traction in extremely muddy conditions?

Sorry for the bunch of questions but I find the idea of them interesting and just wondered what you guys thought of them.

paulneenan76

ValeTudoGuy wrote:

Just out of interest has anyone here ever used one of these Fat/Fattie/Snow bikes? If so what are they like... Are they unweildy?
Also Do they have any/much following in the UK? Do they even have a use in the UK (Apart from the obvious "when it's snowing").
Could they be used to ride on free flowing solids like very loose sand with any success or could they be used for improved traction in extremely muddy conditions?

Sorry for the bunch of questions but I find the idea of them interesting and just wondered what you guys thought of them.

You need to speak to Brant Richards at OnOne or Ed Oxley as they just spent a long time aboard the OnOne Fatty in shoot loads of snow. They do look tremendous fun.

ValeTudoGuy

Yeah the On-One is one that I had been looking at, people have said they go well on sand but I have only seen pictures on wet sand. I wonder how they would be on dry/free flowing dunes?

"BTW I'm thinking Steel framed, single speed, full sus, 29er, fat bike FTW!" ......... J/K

mcnultycop

I rode Ed Oxley's for 5 minutes, when I did a course with him. It made me want one. I have no need for one though.

Monty Dog

We have lots of loose sand or soft peaty soil in these parts which means going fat is often the only option to pushing - I'm running 2.4" Contis on P35 rims at sub-20psi on my rigid 29er but still encounter conditions where more traction would be nice. I recently took a day-trip down to the Quantocks and the water-logged conditions mean that it was traction rather than power that dictated progress - my mate running 2" 26ers was digging divots. I'd love to try a Fat Bike but presently thinking about fitting some Surly Knard 3-inchers as a happy compromise.

TheJohnClimber

ValeTudoGuy wrote:

Just out of interest has anyone here ever used one of these Fat/Fattie/Snow bikes? If so what are they like... Are they unweildy?

I've two of them and another half fat bike (plus "normal mtb's)

The blue one is a Salsa Mukluk which I've had since 2010 and the On One Fatty for a month. They ride very differently.

The Mukluk is great for long rides and beach riding, including longer races


The On One Fatty isn't as good on the beach as they tyres are a bit rounded and sink in more, but around a trail centre or on the open hills on technical trails it's amazing with the best level of grip I've ever experienced

ValeTudoGuy wrote:

Also Do they have any/much following in the UK? Do they even have a use in the UK (Apart from the obvious "when it's snowing").

There quite a following and if you need to ask any questions sign yourself up on here http://s436462119.websitehome.co.uk/index.php

ValeTudoGuy wrote:

Could they be used to ride on free flowing solids like very loose sand with any success or could they be used for improved traction in extremely muddy conditions?

Tyre choices are just as important here as any other bikes, here are my findings
Fast rolling and sandy beaches - Larry's or Big Fat Larry's are the best
Sand dunes and mud - Nates are the best
Trail centres and normal trails over hill and dales - On One Floaters are the best

paul.skibum

I rode one round a car park and it was like a perpetual motion machine on tarmac - I pedalled two or three times and it just kept going round and round the car park with no additional input. Turn in was very good, the big tyres and a little lean hooked up well and took it into turns quickly.

Brakes were a little underpowered on the one I had for the rotational momentum of the tyres.

ValeTudoGuy

paul.skibum wrote:

I rode one round a car park and it was like a perpetual motion machine on tarmac - I pedalled two or three times and it just kept going round and round the car park with no additional input.

How peculiar, I would have expected more friction from wider tyres would have the opposite affect.

TheJohnClimber

ValeTudoGuy wrote:

How peculiar, I would have expected more friction from wider tyres would have the opposite affect.

There is a lot of friction and resistance in the tyres, especially if you run them at the right pressure which is about 8 or 9psi.
One thing to note, if these bikes don't make you fitter then they will kill you.
I rode two laps of Llandegla's black this morning

For fast riding I've fitted Surley's Larry tyres over the original On One Floaters.
Started at 9am finished at dead on 12 o'clock, did 25.4miles and 3471ft of climbing.
Fastest lap time ever according to Strava was on my Niner race bike when I was fit 1hr 05mins 55secs
Today on the Fatty knowing I was going to do a 2nd lap straight after I did it in 1hr 20mins 32secs

Tyres choice is very important on these bikes as they are on other bikes
On One Floaters for all day fun awesome grip levels
Surly Larry's for speed when grip isn't as important and floating over sand
Surly Nates for muddy trails and sand dune climbing and descending

cat_with_no_tail

That pic on the Brandywell descent is poss my all time favourite E2E pic. The proportions of everything just look so odd it almost looks photoshopped (I know it isn't).

Benz carrera

Hello can you convert any bike into a fatty?
If so is it just the wheels I need?

cooldad

No.

ValeTudoGuy

Benz carrera wrote:

Hello can you convert any bike into a fatty?
If so is it just the wheels I need?

Due to the huge amounts of Clarence needed when dealing with tyres of these dimensions, the bikes are designed from the ground up to be Fat Bikes.... At least that's what my research suggests.

UncleMonty

Those tyres must plough a wide furrow in the mud & snow - thats got to be hard work.

I tend to use thinner tyres in the winter mud, these just seem plain wrong to me.

Clank

Two ways of dealing with soft - thin and dig, or fat and float.

Personally, I prefer fatter and float - often you can dig and find nothing to bite into. Fat bikes just make a LOT of float.

Works with skis, 4x4s and track-laying vehicles - same principles work for bikes, too. Which you prefer - different question!

TheJohnClimber

UncleMonty wrote:

Those tyres must plough a wide furrow in the mud & snow - thats got to be hard work.

As I said before, "if they doesn't make you fitter it will kill you".

I'm planning to use the On One Fatty at the Whinlatter Challenge in 2 weeks time.
The On One has 70mm rims and Surly Larry tyres come up at "just" 3.5"

If you want real fat my Mukluk is the best bike for this.
On it's 80mm rear rim the same tyre comes up 3.8"
and on it's "clown shoe" 100mm wide front rim the Surly Big Fat Larry comes up at 4.5"


Alternatively, you could just buy a Surly "Moonlander" and have 4.5" front and back to start with.

Monty Dog

The question on whether you can convert an existing bike? Probably not - it would need to be a 29er and few can cope with tyres bigger than 2.5". The next problem is BB clearance - MTBs have an inner chainline of 42mm - a bit tricky when your tyre is 100mm wide, consequently most are fitted with 100mm BB shells. Likewise, to cope with a wide rim and tyre and to give a bracing angle for spokes hubs are 135mm front and 170mm rear. Surly do the Krampus which is a 29+ for 3" tyres - about the fattest you can get with conventional components.

TheJohnClimber

Monty Dog wrote:

The question on whether you can convert an existing bike? Probably not - it would need to be a 29er and few can cope with tyres bigger than 2.5". The next problem is BB clearance - MTBs have an inner chainline of 42mm - a bit tricky when your tyre is 100mm wide, consequently most are fitted with 100mm BB shells. Likewise, to cope with a wide rim and tyre and to give a bracing angle for spokes hubs are 135mm front and 170mm rear. Surly do the Krampus which is a 29+ for 3" tyres - about the fattest you can get with conventional components.

What Monty Dog says is spot on.

Half fats with a fat front end don't count as the back skinny normal 29er wheel/tyre will sink in to any sand or snow like noraml bikes.

If you want a Fat Bike you need to buy a Fat bike, but if you do you get many more smiles per mile than any other bike.

The Northern Monkey

I really like the sound of a fat bike, not something to buy when its coming into summer though.

The One One fatty does look awesome though.

TheJohnClimber

The Northern Monkey wrote:

I really like the sound of a fat bike, not something to buy when its coming into summer though.

Why not?

Summer = Sun = Beaches = Fat Bike heaven = Another place to ride away from busy trail centres

stesteste

TheJohnClimber wrote:

UncleMonty wrote:

Those tyres must plough a wide furrow in the mud & snow - thats got to be hard work.

As I said before, "if they doesn't make you fitter it will kill you".

I'm planning to use the On One Fatty at the Whinlatter Challenge in 2 weeks time.
The On One has 70mm rims and Surly Larry tyres come up at "just" 3.5"

If you want real fat my Mukluk is the best bike for this.
On it's 80mm rear rim the same tyre comes up 3.8"
and on it's "clown shoe" 100mm wide front rim the Surly Big Fat Larry comes up at 4.5"


Alternatively, you could just buy a Surly "Moonlander" and have 4.5" front and back to start with.

what size is the big fat larrys on the 70mm rim ,or photo if you have one thx

TheJohnClimber

The BFL is only about 10mm wider on the standard rims than the normal Larrys on the same rims.

I upgraded to the Clown Shoe for the front to get all 4.5" of width out of the BFL's