Fat Bike - snowbike update

Bicycles for campers, rvers, or just riding around where ever you are

Fat Bike - snowbike update

Postby Fenlason » Sat Dec 18, 2010 9:42 am

Our bikes came in last week, and I finished building them Thursday, and brought them home. I took mine for a spin on the lawn once getting it home. We had about 2" of snow on the ground, which is not enough to challenge it.. but it felt good.

Friday I went out for a trail ride with it. Of course there is still not enough snow, to have to need this bike, my regular mountain bike would do fine with it. Although, the other conditions did contribute. In some places the ground is frozen rock hard. In others there are lots of hoar frost, that just gives out under you. In other places.. ice..others mud. There were also places with downed trees and branches. Some of the trails I rode, were some I had just made a week ago. They need to be ridden and broken in. The first rides on a trail are always tougher.

This bike rocks.. :thumbsup: :thumbsup: I have been riding a 29er for a few years now, so I already have that "advantage". [for those that don't know.. these fat bikes have 26" wheels, but the tires have so much volume, they are as tall as the 29ers.

The bike was amazing in the variety of stuff I was riding in. It is stable.. and solid feeling, and you just ride through.. whatever is in the way.

The stock handlebars are swept back a bit. I suspect I will change them in some way. The sweep back makes it sit more upright than I think I want.
I might go to a more conventional mountain bike bar, with bar ends. Or I might put some dirt drops on it.

It has Advid mechanical disc brakes on it [with 160mm rotors], I do know they need to seat in, but I might want more brakes on it. I will perhaps trying larger rotors. My 29er has 185 on the rear and 203 on the front.

After more trail work today, we hope to get on them again. :D
glenn

Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair.
Kahlil Gibran

We don't stop playing because we grow old. We grow old because we stop playing.
George Bernard Shaw
User avatar
Fenlason
Tour de Post Yellow Jersey
 
Posts: 75849
Images: 221
Joined: Sat Sep 23, 2006 2:33 pm
Location: Winslow Me.

Postby Steve_Cox » Sat Dec 18, 2010 10:09 am

I was wondering how you were doing with the pug.... :snappy: :QM
Steve
User avatar
Steve_Cox
4000 Club
4000 Club
 
Posts: 4903
Images: 196
Joined: Sun Apr 03, 2005 8:46 am
Location: Albuquerque New Mexico

Postby Fenlason » Sat Dec 18, 2010 3:50 pm

Steve I haven't taken any photo's yet with my camera.[ Laurie has posted some on Facebook. ]

I felt much better on the bike today. Also the brakes felt much better. We were on brand new trails.. trails that are quite technical. We are riding sections that in these wintery conditions.. we we could not have ridden on anything else we have. :D
glenn

Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair.
Kahlil Gibran

We don't stop playing because we grow old. We grow old because we stop playing.
George Bernard Shaw
User avatar
Fenlason
Tour de Post Yellow Jersey
 
Posts: 75849
Images: 221
Joined: Sat Sep 23, 2006 2:33 pm
Location: Winslow Me.
Top

Postby mikeschn » Tue Feb 22, 2011 6:31 pm

You definitely need to add some pics! ;)

Mike...
The quality is remembered long after the price is forgotten, so build your teardrop with the best materials...
User avatar
mikeschn
Site Admin
 
Posts: 19202
Images: 479
Joined: Tue Apr 13, 2004 11:01 am
Location: MI
Top

Postby Noob » Tue Feb 22, 2011 10:22 pm

So what is it ? ... a fatback ? ... pugsley ?
Bend the knees, watch the trees, 5$ please.
User avatar
Noob
The 300 Club
 
Posts: 367
Joined: Sat Apr 08, 2006 9:10 pm
Location: Columbus, Ohio.
Top

Postby mikeschn » Tue Feb 22, 2011 11:11 pm

A Mukluk?

Mike...
The quality is remembered long after the price is forgotten, so build your teardrop with the best materials...
User avatar
mikeschn
Site Admin
 
Posts: 19202
Images: 479
Joined: Tue Apr 13, 2004 11:01 am
Location: MI
Top

Postby mikeschn » Tue Feb 22, 2011 11:13 pm

mikeschn wrote:A Mukluk?

http://salsacycles.com/bikes/mukluk/

Mike...
The quality is remembered long after the price is forgotten, so build your teardrop with the best materials...
User avatar
mikeschn
Site Admin
 
Posts: 19202
Images: 479
Joined: Tue Apr 13, 2004 11:01 am
Location: MI
Top

Postby SteveF » Wed Feb 23, 2011 8:53 am

mikeschn wrote:
mikeschn wrote:A Mukluk?

http://salsacycles.com/bikes/mukluk/

Mike...


I'm gonna own one of those someday...
SteveF
Teardrop Master
 
Posts: 163
Joined: Wed Jul 07, 2010 7:33 am
Location: Central Michigan
Top

Postby Fenlason » Thu Feb 24, 2011 7:58 pm

How did I miss all these? :thinking:

My wife and I both have Pugsleys

Image

These bikes are absolutely awesome. :thumbsup:
glenn

Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair.
Kahlil Gibran

We don't stop playing because we grow old. We grow old because we stop playing.
George Bernard Shaw
User avatar
Fenlason
Tour de Post Yellow Jersey
 
Posts: 75849
Images: 221
Joined: Sat Sep 23, 2006 2:33 pm
Location: Winslow Me.
Top

Postby Fenlason » Thu Feb 24, 2011 8:05 pm

If you have never seen one in person.. the photos don't really do them justice. The tires are huge.

As some of you know, my wife and I have more than a few bikes. These bikes have been one of our best biking purchases in years. Most of my purchases of the last decade or two.. have been just improvements to something we already had.

These things are so dramatically different, than anything else. [I am talking Fat Bikes in general not just the Pugs]

They greatly expand on the snow conditions one can ride in.. but the biggest thing.. is how much fun they are. :D :D :D
glenn

Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair.
Kahlil Gibran

We don't stop playing because we grow old. We grow old because we stop playing.
George Bernard Shaw
User avatar
Fenlason
Tour de Post Yellow Jersey
 
Posts: 75849
Images: 221
Joined: Sat Sep 23, 2006 2:33 pm
Location: Winslow Me.
Top

Postby SteveF » Mon May 09, 2011 1:55 pm

I got to test ride a fat bike for the first time this past saturday at a big bike demo in a nearby park. (A Salsa Mukluk) It was a lot of fun--a lot more nimble and lively than I had expected! The quality of the suspension provided by those big tires reminded my of my old Elastomer-suspended Proflex 756. Undamped, bouncy and springy. Not hard to adjust to and fun to pop off rocks and roots. (the demo test route was about 50/50 pavement and trail)

I definitely can see myself picking one of these things up someday...
SteveF
Teardrop Master
 
Posts: 163
Joined: Wed Jul 07, 2010 7:33 am
Location: Central Michigan
Top

Postby Fenlason » Mon May 09, 2011 7:43 pm

We have been riding ours since winter. After some time on them.. they just feel like a bike and you don't notice the weight. Most of our dirt rides so far.. have been just the wife and I putting around on our trails. Some of them are fairly technical so one ends up riding slowly anyways.

Saturday we were at a club trail work day, then went for a ride. Again mostly slowly, for we had a newbie with us. Towards the end we cranked a tight and twisty section. It felt really good. My biggest problem was I still had my platform pedals on.. and my feet were sliding around through the stutter bumps.

Tonight we just got back from an awesome ride. 8 regular bikes.. and my wife and I on our Pugs.... this time with our step ins.

These trails are quite technical.. with a lot of steep up and down hills. We had a freaking blast.. they were awesome. :D :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
glenn

Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair.
Kahlil Gibran

We don't stop playing because we grow old. We grow old because we stop playing.
George Bernard Shaw
User avatar
Fenlason
Tour de Post Yellow Jersey
 
Posts: 75849
Images: 221
Joined: Sat Sep 23, 2006 2:33 pm
Location: Winslow Me.
Top


Return to Bicycles

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 6 guests