Fat Tire Bikes?

I've been seeing these fat tire bicycles lately.

What's the deal? I don't understand the appeal. They look like a huge pain in the ass to ride. I was at Wally World today and they had a Mongoose sitting on the floor. I've seen them mountain bike and fixie form.

People around here have full articulated suspension mountain bikes fitted with more aggressive versions of those for riding trails in the snow.

That picture you posted is just hipster foolishness at it's finest.

The original intent was to easier riding/floatation on snow and sand. Then some folks discovered the incredible traction made them fun to rider all year on any terrain. I know of guys who have bought them for winter riding and then ended up riding them all year, often selling their other bikes due to lack of use.

I test rode one a couple of years ago and I'll admit they can be fun, although it's hard to explain why. I plan to get one eventually, but more as just for variety, which I've done for ages.

Judging by the bracket on the non-drive side, the Mongoose posted above appears to have a coaster brake.

My neighbor is an avid bicycle down hiller, does ski resort slopes in the summer. I would guess the fatties cushion against rocks and junk on the ground. BTW his also has a very small battery and drive unit to the front wheel.

Dan

They're pretty popular for winter riders in Minnesota, I see people commuting on them every day (people from warmer climates would probably be surprised at the number of cyclists out there riding to work when it's -20F.) If you don't have snow, then they probably don't make as much sense.

I came in expecting love for the TW200. I saw a KX500 on craigslist that had fat tires front and rear, made for the dunes. I think it was a 19" front and 18" rear, just a couple inches wider than stock dirtbike tires. It was a frame up job and looked awesome. It's a good thing I didn't have a spare 5 grand because I'm already out of room for bikes and motos that I have to rent a storage shed.

Needs more:

Here's mine: Surly Pugsley Spec Ops with Marge Lite wheels, XT components, and a brooks saddle because they rule. I built it up from a frameset about a year ago.

They're awesome! You can roll over anything, and on roots and such they feel very similar to a full-suspension mountain bike. Climbing on one is amazing–it will go up any hill if you can keep it in the right gear. For longer rides, it's super comfy.

Rolling-wise, on a mountain bike trail they really don't feel much heavier or slower than a regular bike. Yes, they're heavy and slow–but nowhere near what you would expect.

I ran my 29er with a fat front for a while instead of a suspension fork... 5" wide tire @ aroun 10psi is amazing on the trails I rode on in FL... didn't have issues with sand that we had issues with

they work well on soft stuff like snow and sand which is where they really started...

the compromise is BB width required for the chain to clear the tire and the weight... those tires are heavy, the tubes are heavy, the rims are heavy... oh and most of it is fairly pricey vs what you'd spend for standard parts.

but if you do have a fat bike you can also get a standard 29" wheelset and run them... just have to make sure to get the right size hubs.

I had the exact same idea the very first time I saw one of those. Great minds think alike.

bgkast wrote: Needs more:

What?