Winter Fat Biking
Discussion
Hi! Just got back into MTBing after a few years off, forgot how hard it was! ha ha
Recently picked up a 2020 Rocky Mountain Blizzard 50, which I'm feeling more at home at that my last 29er. I feel like I'm sitting in it rather than on it, which inspires confidence.
I bought a bike stand off Amazon, very impressed with it so far! Pretty stable whilst washing, I can easily clean and lube the chain. Also found a couple of spots where cables were rubbing so I put some clear 3M tape on there to protect the frame.
Getting out for some decent riding (Canada):
And even though it's 20C at the moment, I'm getting prepared for snow and ice. These just came today! $20 for size. :rofl2:
Also put some 90's style Onza bar ends on that I bought a while back for my previous bike but luckily never fitted. I feel like I need them, the cockpit is a little cramped.
Any other fat bikers on PH?
Recently picked up a 2020 Rocky Mountain Blizzard 50, which I'm feeling more at home at that my last 29er. I feel like I'm sitting in it rather than on it, which inspires confidence.
I bought a bike stand off Amazon, very impressed with it so far! Pretty stable whilst washing, I can easily clean and lube the chain. Also found a couple of spots where cables were rubbing so I put some clear 3M tape on there to protect the frame.
Getting out for some decent riding (Canada):
And even though it's 20C at the moment, I'm getting prepared for snow and ice. These just came today! $20 for size. :rofl2:
Also put some 90's style Onza bar ends on that I bought a while back for my previous bike but luckily never fitted. I feel like I need them, the cockpit is a little cramped.
Any other fat bikers on PH?
Nice bike - jealous.
I was. Some git stole mine. Mine was a cube.
I utterly loved mine... Like big bmx and surprisingly fast on a dry DH.
A word of warning when riding in mud though. They 'aqua-plane' very badly so understeer like hell, which can be a sketchy on very steep terrain.
I had a couple of offs on mine this way.
Have you tried it in the snow yet? They're bloody hard work on anything other than hard pack.
I was going to replace my cube with a pole fat bike but fancied a change so got their rowdy hardtail instead which can run + tyres.
Good to see it comes with proper forks rather than the crappy re-crowned rebas that RS offer.
Let me know how get on with it... Really miss mine.
ETA - I did a lot of experimenting with tyres. Best summer tyre and by far the lowest measured rolling resistance are jumbo Jim's. They're poor in the slop though.
Best mud tyres / all rounders are from specialized - they do two. Can't remember the name now but it's the most aggressively treaded one. They have much better mud grip than maxxis, and better rolling resistance.
I was. Some git stole mine. Mine was a cube.
I utterly loved mine... Like big bmx and surprisingly fast on a dry DH.
A word of warning when riding in mud though. They 'aqua-plane' very badly so understeer like hell, which can be a sketchy on very steep terrain.
I had a couple of offs on mine this way.
Have you tried it in the snow yet? They're bloody hard work on anything other than hard pack.
I was going to replace my cube with a pole fat bike but fancied a change so got their rowdy hardtail instead which can run + tyres.
Good to see it comes with proper forks rather than the crappy re-crowned rebas that RS offer.
Let me know how get on with it... Really miss mine.
ETA - I did a lot of experimenting with tyres. Best summer tyre and by far the lowest measured rolling resistance are jumbo Jim's. They're poor in the slop though.
Best mud tyres / all rounders are from specialized - they do two. Can't remember the name now but it's the most aggressively treaded one. They have much better mud grip than maxxis, and better rolling resistance.
Edited by take-good-care-of-the-forest-dewey on Tuesday 10th November 06:22
take-good-care-of-the-forest-dewey said:
Nice bike - jealous.
I was. Some git stole mine. Mine was a cube.
I utterly loved mine... Like big bmx and surprisingly fast on a dry DH.
A word of warning when riding in mud though. They 'aqua-plane' very badly so understeer like hell, which can be a sketchy on very steep terrain.
I had a couple of offs on mine this way.
Have you tried it in the snow yet? They're bloody hard work on anything other than hard pack.
I was going to replace my cube with a pole fat bike but fancied a change so got their rowdy hardtail instead which can run + tyres.
Good to see it comes with proper forks rather than the crappy re-crowned rebas that RS offer.
Let me know how get on with it... Really miss mine.
ETA - I did a lot of experimenting with tyres. Best summer tyre and by far the lowest measured rolling resistance are jumbo Jim's. They're poor in the slop though.
Best mud tyres / all rounders are from specialized - they do two. Can't remember the name now but it's the most aggressively treaded one. They have much better mud grip than maxxis, and better rolling resistance.
Haven't tried it in the snow yet, I don't mind about it being tough, I'm trying to get fitter. We'll see how that works out ha ha!I was. Some git stole mine. Mine was a cube.
I utterly loved mine... Like big bmx and surprisingly fast on a dry DH.
A word of warning when riding in mud though. They 'aqua-plane' very badly so understeer like hell, which can be a sketchy on very steep terrain.
I had a couple of offs on mine this way.
Have you tried it in the snow yet? They're bloody hard work on anything other than hard pack.
I was going to replace my cube with a pole fat bike but fancied a change so got their rowdy hardtail instead which can run + tyres.
Good to see it comes with proper forks rather than the crappy re-crowned rebas that RS offer.
Let me know how get on with it... Really miss mine.
ETA - I did a lot of experimenting with tyres. Best summer tyre and by far the lowest measured rolling resistance are jumbo Jim's. They're poor in the slop though.
Best mud tyres / all rounders are from specialized - they do two. Can't remember the name now but it's the most aggressively treaded one. They have much better mud grip than maxxis, and better rolling resistance.
Edited by take-good-care-of-the-forest-dewey on Tuesday 10th November 06:22
Yes the forks are pretty good, the 2021 comes without so I was pretty happy to get the 2020 with the fork. I did slip around a bit in some wet mud recently, wondered what that was, seems weird for a tire so wide. I'm sure my old 29er would have just cut right through it.
Pros and cons of the fat tyre. They float over the slop but that means they don't find a lot of grip when you turn.
One thing I did is get a set of wheels built as normal 29er wheels on FB hubs. Best of both worlds then.
You can also run the fat tyres tubeless - there's a knack using clear gorilla tape but it saves a lot of weight.
Let me know if you go down that route and I'll write up how to do it. Too long to write if you're not.
One thing I did is get a set of wheels built as normal 29er wheels on FB hubs. Best of both worlds then.
You can also run the fat tyres tubeless - there's a knack using clear gorilla tape but it saves a lot of weight.
Let me know if you go down that route and I'll write up how to do it. Too long to write if you're not.
take-good-care-of-the-forest-dewey said:
Pros and cons of the fat tyre. They float over the slop but that means they don't find a lot of grip when you turn.
One thing I did is get a set of wheels built as normal 29er wheels on FB hubs. Best of both worlds then.
You can also run the fat tyres tubeless - there's a knack using clear gorilla tape but it saves a lot of weight.
Let me know if you go down that route and I'll write up how to do it. Too long to write if you're not.
Thanks. I did research tubeless a lot, but I think I'm going to stick with tubes as I'll be changing tyres twice a year, can't be bothered with the sealant mess etc.One thing I did is get a set of wheels built as normal 29er wheels on FB hubs. Best of both worlds then.
You can also run the fat tyres tubeless - there's a knack using clear gorilla tape but it saves a lot of weight.
Let me know if you go down that route and I'll write up how to do it. Too long to write if you're not.
Absolutely recommend going tubeless. It’s amazing how many opportunities you have to puncture such large tyres - and they aren’t as thick as they look to keep the weight manageable.
I managed to get a rather large 8 inch nail through my rear tyre while cycling to the office a while back - would have been a really nasty affair. Tubeless though - I just pushed it in up to the head and kept cycling. Cycled the 10 miles home later in the day and then got around to fixing the tyre at the weekend...
I managed to get a rather large 8 inch nail through my rear tyre while cycling to the office a while back - would have been a really nasty affair. Tubeless though - I just pushed it in up to the head and kept cycling. Cycled the 10 miles home later in the day and then got around to fixing the tyre at the weekend...
I got a Norco Bigfoot a year ago and absolutely love it. Mainly used it in sand so far, although I did take a short cut that turned into a bog but just kept pedalling and made it through. Absolutely hilarious! Just gutted I didn't get to take it skiing this year as I'm itching to have a play in snow on it.
take-good-care-of-the-forest-dewey said:
You can't just post the pics - what's the story.
Winter fat-biking through the Alaskan back-country. Interesting to sleep at -30 in the snow after a long day riding - suddenly you dint feel as tired as you thought you were..Was living in Qatar at the time, and felt the urge to be as far away as possible - doesn’t get much further than Alaska.
They open the Idatarod race to cyclists and hardcore runners, so I was training for that.
UnfortunateUserName said:
take-good-care-of-the-forest-dewey said:
You can't just post the pics - what's the story.
Winter fat-biking through the Alaskan back-country. Interesting to sleep at -30 in the snow after a long day riding - suddenly you dint feel as tired as you thought you were..Was living in Qatar at the time, and felt the urge to be as far away as possible - doesn’t get much further than Alaska.
They open the Idatarod race to cyclists and hardcore runners, so I was training for that.
Amazing stuff.
Bob_Defly said:
Cool, just watched this on Amazon recently: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOl8IA9N7Eg
Amazing stuff.
Great memories - Bill and Cathy from that Video were our instructors and guides. Wonderful people. The kind that actually do Make America Great...Amazing stuff.
UnfortunateUserName said:
Bob_Defly said:
Cool, just watched this on Amazon recently: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOl8IA9N7Eg
Amazing stuff.
Great memories - Bill and Cathy from that Video were our instructors and guides. Wonderful people. The kind that actually do Make America Great...Amazing stuff.
Bob_Defly said:
I watched that thinking, could I do that, should I have a go... Nope!
So they organize a week long training camp for newbies to learn the ropes of how not to die while riding self supported in those conditions.They wouldn’t even let you join the full race without being able to prove valid experience.
The training camp is well worth looking into even if you never end up doing the race.
UnfortunateUserName said:
Bob_Defly said:
I watched that thinking, could I do that, should I have a go... Nope!
So they organize a week long training camp for newbies to learn the ropes of how not to die while riding self supported in those conditions.They wouldn’t even let you join the full race without being able to prove valid experience.
The training camp is well worth looking into even if you never end up doing the race.
UnfortunateUserName said:
take-good-care-of-the-forest-dewey said:
You can't just post the pics - what's the story.
Winter fat-biking through the Alaskan back-country. Interesting to sleep at -30 in the snow after a long day riding - suddenly you dint feel as tired as you thought you were..Was living in Qatar at the time, and felt the urge to be as far away as possible - doesn’t get much further than Alaska.
They open the Idatarod race to cyclists and hardcore runners, so I was training for that.
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