Fat bikes for ever..

[GirishH]

Hello Claudiajohnston, In the past, when I had space to own/store multiple bikes, I did have a road bike, a hybrid bike, and a fat bike. But, once I got rid of most of my belongings, the road and hybrid bikes went to new homes too. :-)

I am not racing, so I'm not really concerned about the percentage of extra energy I have to spend to pedal the fat bike.

I rode it for 9 months while bikepacking through South America and am now riding it through parts of India. While I might go slower, I have a lot of confidence in its grip and safety whenever I am forced to take unpaved roads or when traffic forces me onto unpaved shoulders. Long distance and duration bikepacking is a solo journey and this fatbike has been a great a complice..

https://www.cycleblaze.com/journals/mistergordo/chimbarazo-dia-4-de-semana-3-en-tembr/

Regarding flats, during my 9 months in South America, I had about 4, all of which could be attributed to the same thorn that I didn't properly remove.

I am sure time will make me rethink, but I love how the fat bike acts like an icebreaker, helps break barriers, helps me connect with strangers, and even got me invited to strangers' homes.

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Trailjoe, please try a fatbike when you get a chance.

I completely agree the it's not the fastest or nimblest.

I consider fatbikes to be Jeeps/ ATVs. One can take them anywhere without having to think twice. Because they are ATVs, they are not great on mileage or elegance but ride quality is next level and you feel so ground. Folks are always curious and love to come talk to You to find out reasons for the fat tires and such..:-)

Like i mentioned earlier, i had to leave the pavement a few times here in India and felt very safe, stable because i was riding a fat bike. Some of these unpaved shoulders are as deep as a foot or 2 feet high..

Again, i love it for the joy it brings..

(04-21-2024, 10:18 PM)TrailJoe Wrote:  I have yet to experience riding a fat bike myself. While I am intrigued, I imagine I would likely return to my reliable road bike. However, the idea of trying out a fat bike for a few weeks does sound appealing.

[DaleDee]

(01-03-2023, 11:24 AM)GirishH Wrote:  Please let me know if you are into fat bikes and what purpose do you use them for? What's been your memorable experience on a fat bike?

I bought a steel fat bike in 2016, from a bike shop. It came with a hub gear but it had a lug for a derailleur so I asked the bike shop to convert it. That didn't work out well because in the lowest gear the chain rubbed against the tire. I contacted the bike maker (Sun) and they said even though it has a lug for a derailleur, it's not suitable for the conversion. At the time I didn't know that fitting 4" tires instead of the 4.5" tires, it would have fixed the problem. So I traded it in for a Specialized Fatboy which was lighter and no chain problems. I soon discovered that riding in the long grass on a verge, the knobbly tires were easily punctured by sand burrs (which I couldn't see in the grass.) So I fitted road tires to it and no more puncture problems. I rode that bike for over 13,000 miles mostly on paved areas. I finally sold it and bought a new step-through bike which I love and has less rolling resistance. I think I should have kept the Fatboy which I used for morning rides, and the step-through for evening rides. I favored the step-through, though.

As far as rolling resistance with the Fatboy, I can't say I noticed it, being a casual rider and with road tires, but I kept the tire pressures at 20 lb, which is more than the recommended 15 lb. It depends where you're riding the bike.

One place I wouldn't go with the Fatboy is the beaches. Years ago I damaged the hub gears on a regular bike through riding on hard sand after the tide had gone out. I used to race along the sand, then stand on one pedal and hit the back brake, spinning the back around. I don't know how derailleurs handle sand but I didn't want to take a chance with it.

[GirishH]

Try it out, TrailJoe. That's how I got roped in and then ended up giving away my other bikes (road, hybrid)..:-(

(04-21-2024, 10:18 PM)TrailJoe Wrote:  I have yet to experience riding a fat bike myself. While I am intrigued, I imagine I would likely return to my reliable road bike. However, the idea of trying out a fat bike for a few weeks does sound appealing.

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Hello DaleDee, I spent some 10 years in the Boston area and would ride my "regular" and then fat bike through the winter. They did not appreciate the salt and sand. If the undersides of cars rust in this part of the US, you can only imagine what happens to poor bikes. I was not wise then and would not clean my bike, chain or the gearset/derailleur. And, you can imagine the toll sand would take on them. Sadly, I wasn't wise then, and now, I have gotten more lazy..:-(

(06-13-2024, 01:12 PM)DaleDee Wrote:  

(01-03-2023, 11:24 AM)GirishH Wrote:  Please let me know if you are into fat bikes and what purpose do you use them for? What's been your memorable experience on a fat bike?

I bought a steel fat bike in 2016, from a bike shop. It came with a hub gear but it had a lug for a derailleur so I asked the bike shop to convert it. That didn't work out well because in the lowest gear the chain rubbed against the tire. I contacted the bike maker (Sun) and they said even though it has a lug for a derailleur, it's not suitable for the conversion. At the time I didn't know that fitting 4" tires instead of the 4.5" tires, it would have fixed the problem. So I traded it in for a Specialized Fatboy which was lighter and no chain problems. I soon discovered that riding in the long grass on a verge, the knobbly tires were easily punctured by sand burrs (which I couldn't see in the grass.) So I fitted road tires to it and no more puncture problems. I rode that bike for over 13,000 miles mostly on paved areas. I finally sold it and bought a new step-through bike which I love and has less rolling resistance. I think I should have kept the Fatboy which I used for morning rides, and the step-through for evening rides. I favored the step-through, though.

As far as rolling resistance with the Fatboy, I can't say I noticed it, being a casual rider and with road tires, but I kept the tire pressures at 20 lb, which is more than the recommended 15 lb. It depends where you're riding the bike.

One place I wouldn't go with the Fatboy is the beaches. Years ago I damaged the hub gears on a regular bike through riding on hard sand after the tide had gone out. I used to race along the sand, then stand on one pedal and hit the back brake, spinning the back around. I don't know how derailleurs handle sand but I didn't want to take a chance with it.

[Markchange]

I prefer the stability and grip of a fat tire ebike.