Fat bikes

rruff

Explorer
I'm just trying to figure out what kind of bike my big *** can ride to the pool with my kids without making another car payment? Can someone clue in a novice here on some of the vocabulary please?

You know how people who are really into an activity will dwell on infinite minutia?

If you are strapped for cash, check Walmart. Fine bikes for riding to the pool. Disposable.
 

SGNellett

Adventurer
You know how people who are really into an activity will dwell on infinite minutia?

If you are strapped for cash, check Walmart. Fine bikes for riding to the pool. Disposable.

Oh, I know, I wasn't trying to be dismissive or rude, just lost, LOL!
 

jayspies

Adventurer
Without going too much into detail, Fatbikes are generally those that can support a 4" or wider tire, typically used for flotation over soft, loose, mucky or sandy surfaces. To put that in comparison, take your average skinny-tire bike of old and double the tire width. Wider tires float over stuff that would make skinner tires dig in and stop. Plus, they're loads of fun in a raucous, monster-trucky kind of way. Plus bikes typically have tires between 2.5" and 3.5", and have been seen as good compromise between the float-but-slow of fat tires and the fast-but-easily-stuck of skinny tires. Lots of bikepacking rigs sport them now, as well as many trail bikes. Q-factor is the width between the cranks. As tire size increases, the cranks need to get wider to fit around the tires. Many people find the wider stance to be a bit bowlegged-y. I personally don't mind, but some do.

If you just want a to-the-pool commuter for pavement riding, most anything will do, Walmart bikes included. If you want to get into cycling at even a modest level, I would stay far away from department store bikes, as they are typically anvil-heavy, poorly constructed and break quickly. Shop used bikes or go to your local shop and source some deals, you'll be glad you did.
 

SGNellett

Adventurer
Without going too much into detail, Fatbikes are generally those that can support a 4" or wider tire, typically used for flotation over soft, loose, mucky or sandy surfaces. To put that in comparison, take your average skinny-tire bike of old and double the tire width. Wider tires float over stuff that would make skinner tires dig in and stop. Plus, they're loads of fun in a raucous, monster-trucky kind of way. Plus bikes typically have tires between 2.5" and 3.5", and have been seen as good compromise between the float-but-slow of fat tires and the fast-but-easily-stuck of skinny tires. Lots of bikepacking rigs sport them now, as well as many trail bikes. Q-factor is the width between the cranks. As tire size increases, the cranks need to get wider to fit around the tires. Many people find the wider stance to be a bit bowlegged-y. I personally don't mind, but some do.

If you just want a to-the-pool commuter for pavement riding, most anything will do, Walmart bikes included. If you want to get into cycling at even a modest level, I would stay far away from department store bikes, as they are typically anvil-heavy, poorly constructed and break quickly. Shop used bikes or go to your local shop and source some deals, you'll be glad you did.

Thanks for the info!
 

p nut

butter
... I'm just trying to figure out what kind of bike my big *** can ride to the pool with my kids without making another car payment?...

A dad bike? Simple. Old school 90's mountain bike. Look on Craigslist for Specialized Rockhoppers, Trek 820/850/870/etc., etc. with a steel rigid fork.
 

Co-opski

Expedition Leader
A dad bike? Simple. Old school 90's mountain bike. Look on Craigslist for Specialized Rockhoppers, Trek 820/850/870/etc., etc. with a steel rigid fork.
Dang, dad bikes now with the dad body. Trek 930 1x9 XT but only 8 work with the franken'friction-shifter, Surly 1x1 fork, Middleburn cranks, White Ind. Hubs, Thompson bling, drop bar flipped cruiser bar, foam grips, MKS peddles and a springy Brooks and homemade poggies for the winter.
20170327_131251.jpg
 

p nut

butter
Dang, dad bikes now with the dad body. Trek 930 1x9 XT but only 8 work with the franken'friction-shifter, Surly 1x1 fork, Middleburn cranks, White Ind. Hubs, Thompson bling, drop bar flipped cruiser bar, foam grips, MKS peddles and a springy Brooks and homemade poggies for the winter.
View attachment 404269

Right on, buddy. I love those old Trek's. I'm building up an old 90's Gary Fisher with an Ogre fork and fat slicks. It'll be fun.
 

tgreening

Expedition Leader
They might not do much for the manly-man image but if just want something to ride to the pool I would imagine comfort to be king. Get yourself a townie and smirk at all the cat-callers when you're still walking straight and tall and they're all rubbing their sore arses. :)
 

Buddha.

Finally in expo white.
Right on, buddy. I love those old Trek's. I'm building up an old 90's Gary Fisher with an Ogre fork and fat slicks. It'll be fun.

What size slicks?

I've squeezed a 27.5x2.5 on the front and a 26x2.35 on the rear of my '97. I upgraded to a cassette style hub in the rear, hopefully no more bent axles. I kept it 3x7, I thought about going up to a 10spd on the rear but I wasn't sure what else needed to be changed so I kept it. I switched to v brakes recently too. It took two sets to find a pair that fit around the oversized front tire, it measures out at something like 28.2" tall.

1143138d1498160690-26ers-over-10-years-old-wp_20170614_10_07_08_pro.jpg
 
Last edited:

p nut

butter
What size slicks?

I've squeezed a 27.5x2.5 on the front and a 26x2.35 on the rear of my '97. I upgraded to a cassette style hub in the rear, hopefully no more bent axles. I kept it 3x7, I thought about going up to a 10spd on the rear but I wasn't sure what else needed to be changed so I kept it. I switched to v brakes recently too. It took two sets to find a pair that fit around the oversized front tire, it measures out at something like 28.2" tall.

I've got 26x2.3 on there now (knobbies), which seem like a good fit. I'll probably end up with some 2.4" slicks or close to (probably 2.35" Big Apples).
 

Co-opski

Expedition Leader
Looking Good JaySpies!

Little photo dump
riding the mouth to mouth race from Kenai River to Kasiloff River on the beach of Cook Inlit
20170529_131746[1]small kbeach.jpg
Crust riding Turnagain Pass
20170416_102510[1]small.jpg
 

Saguache

Adventurer
In May my eldest son and I rode the White Rim on fat bikes. Both of us have dropped our other off road platforms for a wider wheel set because it opens up possibilities for bike packing. Add to this that, if you wanted, you could easily replace a 4" or 3.8" wheelset with as big as 29+ wheel front and back and the frames with obscene offset starts to show its versitility.

I'll never be as fast as some of those lycra monkeys bombing down the trail, not if I only rode light and fast, but I can go as long or longer than most of them without blinking an eye. I really love to ride my NecroPug.
 

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