A fatty for her... to share

fourstringfletch

Adventurer
I tend to ignore new trends until the bugs get worked out, but the fat bug finally bit me this weekend.
A good friend who I ride with a lot just picked up a barely used mukluk and we swapped a few times on a favorite local ride (from my Trek Remedy).
My first thought was " hmm it sure has a mind of it's own ... but it seems to know where it's going. "

And now, I'm realizing that a plan I hatched years ago might not be so dumb after all.
My wife really enjoyed our first mtb adventure (sections of the mag 7 trails in Moab on a borrowed all-mountain Giant) and I've been pondering a bike for her all summer. Realistically, she's never going to win a DH race but the comfort of full suspension was at the top of the list - much as I wish I could just put her on my old feather light 26" hardtail which is rather small for me. I also didn't want to make climbing any more difficult and had ruled out fat bikes for this reason. After creeping up a hill that I never look forward to though, I realized that I didn't have to think so much about weighting my rear tire and being able to stand up actually got a smile out of me mid-climb (unheard of).

My conclusion is that the technical skills of exact wheel placement and weight balance are less important on a bike that just rolls over anything. Seems perfect for a beginner, right? Or am I still drunk on too little tire pressure? Would you subject your wife to such a bike as a beginner? Seems to me like it could both teach her a lot while being very forgiving. It also might feel more natural since she rides a TW200 too; and I sure love to borrow it :)

If you do see this as wise, I'd appreciate recommendations on best value these days in the direction of changing trends. (Don't say bucksaw - emphasis on value) There seems to be lots of competition now and the question of "how fat is too fat" is being answered. Why are brake rotors all so small on these big heavy tires??
Ideally, I'd like to find a bike that she can ride unloaded and that I can borrow in winter and add racks to. She's 5'-8" , I'm 6'-0" so I hope to share a 17/18" frame.

Thanks for your thoughts!
Cheers,
Fletch
 

Two-Wheeled Explorer

Proceeding on...
Fletch, look seriously at the Framed Bikes Minnesota 2 and 3. Good drive train, aluminum frame and best prices in fat bikes. You could get two for the price of one from the big bike companies. Google "Framed Bikes". They ship too.
 

fourstringfletch

Adventurer
Thanks 2WX. There's an 18" framed, semi local on CL with stans in the tires. Pretty tempting...
Any thoughts on tubeless? The 3.0 with the Bluto seems worth the extra $300?
 

Two-Wheeled Explorer

Proceeding on...
My limited fat bike experience (I got my Pugs in January) says that you don't really need suspension with 10 lb. inflation on snow. My buddies with Pugsleys, Mukluks, Moonlanders, etc. all have rigid front forks. I suppose it depends where you plan to ride it. Framed is a good company and their bikes have performed well at fat-bike races our volunteer bike patrol works. That is how I got to know them; they have become a big supporter of our volunteer group. Tubeless? If you tear up a tire, you're screwed. Post-hole back to the car in how-deep snow? I think the tube gives a bit more security. Either that, or carry snowshoes!:elkgrin:
 

fourstringfletch

Adventurer
Great thoughts, and thanks - I love doing business with guys like that.

Tubeless with one spare is how I think most rides will go down. Hard to say no to a nice fork when they're half the price of buying one seperately :)

The friend I mentioned is leaving the mukluk with me for 6 weeks, so I'll probably have one in my hands before his gets taken back.

Any wisdom or deals in the meantime is much appreciated.
 

Climberclimb

Observer
Hi there,
I have been riding tube-less for about a year. I weigh in at 200lbs and have not had a single issue. The bike is a full suspension mountainbike. I do carry a spare tube just in case! One benefit is how much lower you can run the psi. Hope this helps! Cheers
 

fourstringfletch

Adventurer
I too have enjoyed tubeless on my last 3 bikes. No snake bites! Stan's the man.

Seems to make the most sense with fatties since tubes are so bulky to pack.

So who's got a sweet ride they want to sell before Thanksgiving?
 

Christophe Noel

Expedition Leader
As I get to ride more fatbikes, I'm beginning to notice wild extremes in performance from entry level to top end. What this means within the scope of your question is thus: A beginner on a lower end fatbike may not have the same experience of fatbike benefits as might be gained with a high end fatbike. This of course doesn't jive with most consumer's abilities and desires to throw $5000 at a starter bike. But...you just have to keep this in mind when vetting people's opinions of fatbikes and how they work for them.

For example, the experience for a new rider on a Pugsly will be vastly different from that of a full carbon Beargrease. Fatbikes do have the potential to be heavy, sluggish, difficult to maneuver in technical terrain, and in general...a lot of bike to push around. You can imagine how much easier it is to pilot a 25 pound uber fat-bike.

So, within the scope of a bike for a beginner, there are bike-specific considerations to keep on your radar. It's not as easy as generalizing this with any and all fatbikes.
 

fourstringfletch

Adventurer
You can imagine how much easier it is to pilot a 25 pound uber fat-bike.

Thanks Christophe. I've certainly considered this; I would love to treat her to one of the Yampas outside my office window, but reality strikes again.

Given your experience with the Mukluk, I would really appreciate any thoughts in the vicinity of 37 lbs. If you find the time, please elaborate on your "bike-specific considerations" within this weight range and somewhere just above $1k.

I will also learn a lot more in the next few weeks with this borrowed Mukluk under my butt and hers. Happy to share my experience, so stay tuned!
 

Flagster

Expedition Leader
...I would really appreciate any thoughts in the vicinity of 37 lbs. If you find the time, please elaborate on your "bike-specific considerations" within this weight range and somewhere just above $1k.

37 lbs sounds really heavy!!!!!... is that what the mukluk or the pugsley weighs?

My beargrease with the cheaper parts spec is around 28 lbs (lost about 1 lbs from ditching tubes)

I would assume a moderately spec d aluminum frame fatbike to be more like 32-34lbs...No?
 

fourstringfletch

Adventurer
Here's a pretty good discussion on fat weights:
http://forums.mtbr.com/fat-bikes/complete-stock-fat-bike-weights-756475.html

The cheapest Framed Minnesota weighs 35, the mukluk 3 and pugsley are about 36.5. Rock Shox Bluto is 4 lbs, so I think 37 is a good ballpark target with suspension, 34 without.
So you only paid $330 for each lb in between, and I'm sure it feels incredible. I hesitate to trust myself with a carbon bike, so I think I'll save the extra $2k on a beginner. Plus, if she loves the first year on a relative clunker, it's all smiles moving forward and no arguments about why this rock is better than that one to lean your bike on.
 

Christophe Noel

Expedition Leader
I really loved my Mukluk. It wasn't my first fatbike experience, it was just the bike that started to get refined enough to really enhance the ride experience. The one thing I might have liked to change for regular day to day riding was the width of the rims. The Holy Rolling Daryl rims are in the neighborhood of 84mm if I recall. That adds a great deal to the float in sand and snow, but feels heavy and lethargic when on try trails and really trying to eek out some performance. The 64mm Marge Lights by contrast feel much lighter, faster and more nimble. But...you got it...don't float as well.

As for the Mukluk in general, it's awesome. The weight can be noticeable and the handling is in my opinion slightly relaxed making the Mukluk a stable and predictable ride, just not a rocket. I do think the addition of a Bluto fork is pretty sweet. It's counter intuitive, but the fork does make very spirited riding in rough terrain more fun and controlled. Without it, there's a significant amount of rebound from the front tire when hitting things hard.

I do think a bike like the new Mukluk 3 would be a better all-around starter fatbike than say one of the new, entry level fatbikes.

http://expeditionportal.com/salsa-mukluk-2-falling-in-love-with-bikes-all-over-again/
 

fourstringfletch

Adventurer
Thanks so much for the wisdom Christophe. As a late adopter, I'm catching up on the evolution of this movement and I value the experiences of pioneers such as yourself.

In my experience, bike geometry between brands is so deeply personal that I wish I could ride them all first (except the bucksaw - don't want to know what I'm missing there). If anyone does ride a Framed, and has experience with salsa, surley, etc. I'd love your thoughts.

Meanwhile, I'm off to ride!
 

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