It’s hard to say when the bike industry reached peak fat bike, but judging by news stories from the Singletracks archives, it seems to have happened around 2015.
It was at Interbike in 2015 that we profiled 22 brand new fat bikes that had been released that year, up from the 15 models we counted in 2014. Everyone from small, boutique bike brands to the major players either already had or had just introduced a fat bike to their lineup. At the same time, brands dedicated almost exclusively to fat biking were being established as well, swelling the number of models to choose from. In fact, the whole scene was not unlike what we’re seeing with gravel bikes today.
We decided to check in and see what the fat bike class of 2015 is up to and found 11 of the 22 bikes introduced that year are no longer in production. A 50% decline appears to be pretty steep, yet as it turns out, there isn’t a singular explanation as to what happened. As they say, it’s complicated.
The bike industry is tough
The saying goes that the way to make a million dollars in the bike industry is to start with two million (or maybe it’s more like ten). In any event, a few of the brands that introduced fat bikes in 2015 are either no longer in business or they’ve been sold to new owners.
In 2015 Advocate Cycles was set to change the bike industry as one of the first to establish itself as a B-corporation, pledging 100% of profits to cycling advocacy. Singletracks even completed a long-term test of the Watchman fat bike in 2016. Sadly, the Watchman and Advocate Cycles itself no longer exist. Esker Cycles seeks to pick up the mantle from Advocate, though that brand is not currently offering a fat bike in their line.
Fuji debuted the Wendigo in 2015 as a low-cost, mass-produced fat bike. About a year later Fuji bought Performance Bike, a US-based chain of bike shops that eventually bankrupted the whole operation. The Fuji bike brand is still around under new ownership, though it appears the Wendigo didn’t survive.
Ellsworth is another brand that debuted one of the slickest-looking fat bikes we had seen called the Buddha. Just a few months later the brand was sold for the second time in 18 months. The new owners appear to be focusing on a much slimmer line, which unfortunately for fat bike enthusiasts doesn’t include the Buddha.
Strategic shifts
Fat bikes occupy a unique space in the bicycle market and in 2015 it wasn’t clear where they fit exactly. Even today it’s hard to find fat bikes on many brands’ websites — are they under the “mountain bike” category or under a separate heading for “fat bikes”?
Raleigh is a brand that showed two fat bike models at the 2015 Interbike trade show — the Rumson and Pardner — which were subsequently dropped from the line. Jill Nazeer, marketing director for Raleigh parent company Alta Cycling Group, says the company “decided to focus on [sister brand] Diamondback fat bikes rather than having two brands with the same type of product. We definitely still see demand for those bikes and they’re a very popular Diamondback option!” Matt is currently testing a Diamondback fat bike this winter so look for that review later this year.
Interest in fat bikes has peaked
Of course another explanation is that interest in fat biking has simply peaked. Or, it’s possible that most riders who wanted or had a use for a fat bike bought one a few years ago. What’s left is a more sustainable stream of purchases from new riders and those looking to upgrade.
Fyxation is one of the brands we profiled in 2015 that’s no longer offering a fat bike model, though the brand continues to sell fat bike wheels, tires, accessories, and clothing. Ben Ginster, co-founder of Fyxation, has a good explanation for how this has played out over the past few years.
“I think the market peaked a few years ago and has been steadily declining since then. Originally sales were booming as people were introduced to the sport and new riders were buying their first fat bikes. Sales kept cranking as new fat bikers joined in but also the early adopters upgraded from steel to aluminum and eventually carbon. I think once that upgrade cycle leveled off, most people that wanted to have a fat bike had one and the sales volume has since shifted to upgrades like lighter wheels, better parts, studded tires, [etc.]”
Still, Ben is optimistic for the future of the fat bike market despite hiccups along the way. “[Fat biking] is a category that’s not going anywhere but I think the market grew pretty fast and a lot of manufacturers saw that and tried to grab a slice of sales but most came in at the end of the new purchase/upgrade cycle. Brands and shops got stuck with inventory and both had to discount inventory to move product and eventually, volume and price points went down to the point that a lot of people simply exited the market or went out of business.”
James from 9:zero:7 notes that one of the bikes the brand introduced at Interbike in 2015 — the Whiteout — was split into two models based on the frame material, while the Slider was discontinued due to a lack of demand. He notes there are “not many people running 170mm hubs and singlespeed on fat.”
Big brands are still rolling
Somewhat surprisingly, most of the major bike brands and even many mid-size brands still have at least one fat bike in their line, which shows there is still plenty of interest in the category. The fat bike class of 2014 featured models from brands including Felt, Norco, Rocky Mountain, Salsa, Scott, and Surly, all of which are still selling models introduced that year.
While the excitement around fat bikes has clearly cooled over the past few years, the market hasn’t contracted as much as our 2015 sample might suggest. Many riders continue to enjoy fat biking during the winter season and will upgrade and replace bikes as they wear out.
Bike brands will certainly come and go, but fat bikes will never disappear.
| Bike | Available? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 9:zero:7 Whiteout | Yes | The aluminum Whiteout is now the Tundra, while the carbon version is the Lynx. |
| 9:zero:7 Slider | No | |
| Advocate Cycles Watchman | No | Brand no longer in business. |
| Borealis Crestone | Yes | Fat bikes only |
| Borealis Flume | Yes | |
| Cannondale Fat CAAD | Yes | 2 models, rigid or Lefty suspension fork. |
| Charge Cooker Maxi | No | Last year appears to be 2017. |
| Coast Goliath FS | No | This bike was never widely available. |
| Ellsworth Buddha | No | The company has restructured in the past few years. |
| Fatback Rhino | Yes | Fat bikes only. |
| Fatback Skookum | Yes | |
| Fuji Wendigo | No | Company went bankrupt, under new ownership. |
| Fyxation Blackhawk | No | Still offers many fat bike parts upgrades and accessories |
| Heller Bloodhound | Yes | |
| Jamis Roughneck | Yes | |
| Origin8 Amarok | No | Seems focused on components. |
| Raleigh Pardner | No | Slimmed down MTB line |
| Raleigh Rumson | No | |
| Ritchey Commando | No | Scrubbed from website. |
| SE Bikes Fat Ripper | Yes | BMX-style bike. |
| Scott Big John | Yes | |
| Surly Wednesday | Yes |
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Riding a fattie for a little over a year. Live in Minnesota. 67 years old. Have studs that allow me to ride in a lot of different conditions here ie. snow and ice as a commuter bike. I agree that they do not make great mountain/singletrack bikes unless you like to bounce around at speed. But my riding conditions make this the ideal bike. I ride the ” Minnesota river bottoms” and in a single outing I will be riding hardpack, mud, and some extremely fine sand. I watch the mountain bikers struggle in these looser conditions while I just PLOW on ( my emphasis, this is certainly not a speed bike ).
My age! These wider sized tires add a measure of confidence, in terms of stability, to my outings allowing me to do things I would not usually try to do. Still cracked a couple of ribs last year.
To the rider from Colorado, I also ride out of Fort Collins and recently related my love of the fattie to a independent bike shop tech ( a over fifty tech ) that serviced my Jamis hardtail mountain bike. He relayed to me how he used to trash fatties but now he can not wait to take one up into the front range after it snows. A comment that everyone in the shop agreed with.
Plus they are just so God Darn fun to ride!
We are well and truly still going, one of the best know in the UK now, Smokestone Bikes make the Henderson, the Bow and more recently the Ti Pin LS.
Check them all out here http://www.smokestonebikes.co.uk
I have been riding a fatty since 2016 and wish I would have taken the leap sooner. The larger tires increase options in varied trail conditions. Finding myself reaching for the fatty about 90% of the time. NOT just a winter bike for me or many others I know. Haven’t heard anyone mention that you can run just about any tire and/or wheel size on most fat frames. RIDE ON!!!
Salsa bikes still make awesome fat bikes and didn’t make the list. Fat bikes are a fun year round bike and even more in the winter for snow.
The reason fat bikes are perceived as sluggish is that bike manufacturers like to economize on the wheels and tires. With fat bikes there is *so much* tire and wheel that economizing there hurts even more than on a regular bike.
Just going tubeless saves you almost *two pounds* of rotational weight on a fat bike. That’s not weight weenie gram counting, that’s a serious difference. When I was done upgrading tires/ and wheels, I’d shaved 2500 grams of rotational weight. Imagine taking your trail bike and adding 5.5 pounds to the tires. Of course it’d feel sluggish.
Fat bikes, especially rigid fat bikes, aren’t just trail bikes with fatter tires. They’re different, and the tradeoffs are different. When you buy a road bike, you’re fundamentally buying a frame and the rest of the stuff you tweak. When you buy a fat bike I think you should think of it as buying a set of wheels and tires.
I live in probably one of the best areas of the country for winter fat biking. I just looked at last year’s data and I got 52 rides on groomed trails last winter over 20 so far this winter Fat bikes are essential here if you don’t ski to beat winter doldrums. While I absolutely love mine and I’m on my 4th one I doubt I would own one if I lived in areas that don’t get a lot of snow.
My brother owns one but he lives in Indiana and realistically only rides it when he comes to visit me. The bike is serviceable in summer but I personally have much more fun on full suspension mountain bike but I do respect those that enjoy riding their fatty in the summer. It just isn’t ideal in my opinion.
So I think most people who wanted one…have one. There will always be a market for them but maybe not as big as they once hoped. That’s ok though.
Four season fat biker here. I love it. I just enjoy riding it more than I did my normal bike. I also like the simplicity of having less to maintain. There still are a lot of choices for bikes and tires, which is awesome.
Like a lot of products, a few companies start a market, then comes some fast followers, then comes saturation, then market players start dropping out.
If what I have observed is any indication, it is likely that fat bike sales will likely either level-off soon or begin a gradual increase in the next few years as they fall into a more normal upgrade cycle. I’m basing this on both a noted increase in riders over the past few years and an increase in both quantity and quality of fat bike trails which, as many of us know, can greatly increase the enjoyment factor of riding a fat bike.
I know my observations are anecdotal at best, but in 2015 our Global Fat Bike Day ride was 9 riders while this year we had at least 50 with many people being brand new fat bikers. A local trail network has doubled their groomed fat bike trails twice in the past two years along with new areas opening and improving the quality of their grooming. Fat biking will never be anywhere near as mainstream as mountain biking in general, but as used bikes lower the financial bar to entry and people see both the uniqueness of the experience and benefits to their riding, I don’t see them really going away as long as we still have winters.
Great take. Seems like they have deflated to the proper size. While a lot of people may have been really excited about them in the beginning, that wore off for the most part, leaving a core group of fat bikers, just like those who ride single speeds or fully rigid.
Thanks!
I forgot to mention that, if properly maintained, fat bikes just don’t get nearly the abuse standard mountain bikes get (from a component fatigue standpoint) and the nature of the riding doesn’t necessarily demand cutting-edge technology. Both of those would contribute to a relatively low turnover rate for fat bikes, I just don’t see them being subject to the “normal” 2-3 year* upgrade cycle.
*I tend to hold onto a bike for significantly longer, I’m just acknowledging that a statistically significant number or “avid” mountain bikers seem to follow this.
Felt still makes fatbikes: https://feltbicycles.com/collections/fatbikes
I have mine for 3 years and love it.
If other peoples experience of Fat biking was like mine, I know why Fat biking didn’t catch on. For Fat biking to work, three conditions must be met. First, it must be cold enough and snowy enough for Fat biking to be practical. I own a Fatbike. However, I learned that we just don’t get enough snow and cold for Fatbiking and I ended up riding mud, frozen mud, slush and ice more often than packed powder. Having your bike and yourself covered in slush and mud quickly looses its appeal. Second, trails must be groomed. It is very difficult to make much headway on un-tracked snow. Third, Fatbike trails cannot be very steep. A Fatbike on snow cannot get the same level of traction as a Mountainbike gets on dry trails You just spin your wheels climbing steep sections and descending without adequate braking is even worse.
If you live somewhere with lots of snow and cold, groomed trails, and that is not very steep, Fat biking is a great sport. For the other 75% of the country, owning a Fatbike is a waste of money. And, Fatbikes don’t make very good Trailbikes. In the end, I converted my Fatbike to a Plusbike.
Where I live, a Colorado mountain bike town, many people bought Fatbikes when they first came out. However, they mostly just hang in peoples garages and are seldom used. The local bike shops have mostly stopped carrying Fatbikes.
How about this for a reason in decline in sales: global warming. As winters look more like spring it’s harder to think about dropping 2k on a ‘winter’ bike. I’m in Indiana in January-it was 61 this week…could be a factor?
I have a 2015 Salsa Beargrase and it’s not a purchase I regret! Although I only use it a few times a year in the Midwest, I enjoy having it as an option for the shoulder seasons without mucking up my main ride.
A couple thoughts from a guy in the heart of fat bike country (Minnesota). As Bike Nerd points out, conditions in the snow need to be goldilocks – not too cold but not above freezing, recently groomed not rutty, recent snow but not too much. When the conditions are right, its a lot of fun and a great diversion from our SAD. But unfortunately, more often the conditions are quite tough and for me, not much fun. I do know some people that use the fatty year round, but I’m not one of them.
At least from my perspective, I do think that the fatty has peaked but will continue as a niche. I’ll keep riding mine when the conditions are goldilocks, but no more than 10-20% of what I do in dirt season.
I’m surprised there is no mention of big players Kona and Trek, who appear to still be carrying the fat bike banner. The introduction of wide tires, up to 2.8, made fatbikes irrelevant unless you live in a place with significant winter snow pack.
This analysis only looks at the fat bike class of 2015; since Kona and Trek didn’t release new fat bikes that year, they were not included. To be clear, this is just a sample and not meant to be an exhaustive look at all the fat bikes on the market. As stated in the piece, most of the big brands still market fat bikes.
A couple more thoughts. First, having one more bike in a stable of gravel, road, and mountain bikes has been a deterrent for me personally. Second, winter is the shortest and most unpredictable season of the year – especially in the Midwest. Snow today – mud and ice possibly tomorrow. Third, groomed trails are quickly closed in the freeze – thaw cycles, which can definitely shorten the amount of time you can access your favorite trails.
As someone who’s now riding a four-year-old fat bike, I think this quote from Ben Ginster is the key: “I think. . .most people that wanted to have a fat bike had one and the sales volume has since shifted to upgrades like lighter wheels, better parts, studded tires, [etc.]”
He hit the nail on the head for my personal experience. I dropped something like $300+ on a set of studded tires last year–so I’m still investing money and time into fat biking, just not necessarily on a new bike purchase.
What I don’t like about the FB phenom, is the tyrant attitudes towards winter trail riding that have accompanied it. Around my trails, you’re all but banned from riding the trails, unless it’s on a FB with less than 7 PSI in the tires. What did we do for decades before FB’s? I admire the advocacy for keeping up trail conditions, but for those of us who can’t justify dropping $1K on another bike to ride only a handful of times a year, it’s very frustrating. Thus, I’m banished to the road until Spring.
People seem to assume that fat biking is only for riding in snow. But some of us are looking for a more old school mountain biking experience on a rugged, mechanically simple bike with minimal maintenance, and a fully rigid fat bike fits the bill year round. An alternative might be some of the rigid 29ers on the market… They’re not for everyone, but they don’t have to be. It’s ok if people enjoy different things.
I’m not a Luddite. I put a drop post on my fatties, upgraded the wheels and tubeless tires which are always places manufacturers cut corners, and replaced the aluminum fork with a rigid carbon fork. The result is a surprisingly lively, no fuss go anywhere bike. It might not be for you if you equate mountain biking with taking technical descents at hair raising speed, and that’s fine. I’m a weirdo who likes climbing more than descending, so to me a rigid fat bike is like a pair of seven league boots.
Bike nerd covered just about all my feelings on the subject. Trying to find that window of when fat biking is fun is tough where I live. There’s one other factor though — Zwift has made riding indoors tolerable. So in a winter where the dirt is inaccessible for longer periods (like this winter in Northern Colorado), I don’t get as desperate. I ride outdoors when it’s clear enough (and frozen to avoid mud), and indoors when it isn’t.
Why did you leave out the Fatback Corvus? Maybe the bet Fat Bike available. I’ll never sell mine.
I’m surprised that Specialized didn’t make the list. The company has been instrumental in the fat bike culture manufacturing various models to include children and women-specific bikes in both aluminium and carbon.
The Fatboy model has been near the top off all lists compiled by surveys and reviews since 2014. The company has existed for nearly half a century and revenues are 2 billion dollars.
How’d they get passed over?
Jeff (and others) sorry if this wasn’t clear.
This analysis only looks at fat bikes introduced at Interbike in 2015 as a sample. Also, please see the heading “Big brands are still rolling” toward the end of the article.
Pretty sure Specialized and Trek are still in the game. I live in the desert and have never ridden in snow. I have a Surly Ice Cream Truck and a Specialized Fatboy. One is for fun and one is for fast. If you live in the desert, a fatbike really opens a lot of opportunities for soft terrain. Don’t give up on them yet!
Fatbikes are fun, but the conditions that make good fatbiking also make for good cross country skiing. XC Ski equipment is much less expensive, lighter, you go faster, and skis don’t have tire spray. Its a far better winter sport. I love fatbikes for when we’re in a mixed group of skiers and cyclists, fatbikes can almost keep up. On those beautiful snow days, I need to spend those on skis.
Bike Nerd has it right. Fat biking is mostly a regional thing. It’s not a huge nationwide fad. You don’t even see Fat bikes in the shops around Charlotte.
Greg is right too. Makes perfect sense that people have their bikes and are now building them up with quality parts.
I love the Fat bike thing. I believe you can ride them anywhere and everywhere. If I only had one bike in the stable it would be a fat bike. It’s just not something you see here in NC. I get gawked at when I ride mine. People love it 👍. Fun times.
Maybe I missed the point of your article, but you didn’t mention several of the brands that continue to update fatbike models or that there are even some new options for tire size with 27.5. The sport is still emerging and those of us who enjoy biking in general and want adventures in snow as well continue to follow the changes in the industry. Fatbiking opportunities were a significant part of my decision to move to northern MN a year ago. In fact, many bike tire companies are coming out yearly with redesigned fatbike tires including new stud and tread designs, and 45North is innovating specifically in various areas of cold weather cycling to include some pretty outstanding gear and tires, focusing on things such as tpi count and various studded tire designs to meet specific terrain and cold climate conditions. I bought their Wrathlorde tires to put on a specialized comp carbon bike, and am amazed at the design detail and performance. Many people also commute with fat tire bikes in winter or use studded tires on hybrids to ride around town. Please do a better job of representing the whole picture rather than just revisiting an article you did several years ago. Up north, people ride fat tire bikes often in mountain biking rather than riding mountain bikes all summer long. Don’t forget fatbiking in AK, too.
I bought my first Fat bike today. I bought a Giant Yukon 2. Primarily interested in using it as a bike packing rig.
I live in southern New Mexico. Not much snow here, but lots of sand. Fat Bikes are great in the sand. I ride mine on the Rio Grande riverbed this time of year because the river is completely dry. Single track here has large stretches of sand. I have yet to ride on snow.
Some people get it, some don’t and I believe some of the root cause is grounded in many of the first marketing campaigns. As seen in many of the comments above, people truly believe that Fat Bikes are for riding snow in the winter, a single season bike, which is just not true. My Ice Cream Truck sees miles year round on dirt, sand, snow, pavement, gravel, everything and anything.
I see the segment contracting industry wise, getting leaner, less bloated, but people are still coming to the table to have fun with Fat Bikes. I am amazed that they are not more prevalent on the coasts, all that ride-able beach!
Cheers! #fourseasonfatbikes
New brand from Poland – BWB Custom Bikes 🙂
https://www.facebook.com/bikeswithbenefitscom
It’s clear that many people like to ride fat bikes year round on any kind of surface. But it’s a stretch to blame marketing for a prevailing attitude that fat bikes are for snow and sand. The fact is, if you’re not riding on snow or sand, I can’t think of why I’d want to ride a fattie over another. They’re heavier, bumps send you bouncing along for a while, and the cornering is sluggish. I guess low speed maneuvers are better in some cases.
Sure you can ride a fat bike year round and if you love yours, more power to you. But I don’t think it’s marketing, it’s physics. At least where I live, I saw a lot of fat bikes a few years back out on the trails. But they’re all gone unless it’s snowy now.
I love my fat back year round. It’s rarely seen snow. It’s just a fun bike to ride and gives my confidence in most conditions. It’s not fast and that’s fine by me.
Fair point, Matthew Leo, about the greater importance of wheels/tires on a fat bike. But won’t even the best fat tires “fold” under hard cornering? It’s the feeling I don’t like even on a plus bike — the feeling you can’t trust the tire not to fold on you.
Excellent point about wheels and tires! My bike came with low-end (heavy) wheels and cheap tires that just didn’t work tubeless and the tires were somehow slow, heavy, and couldn’t grip worth a damn. I found a phenomenal deal on tires (Maxxis Colossus, $35 each) and was able to go tubeless which totally transformed the bike. I’m thinking a Chinesium carbon wheel build might happen this summer.
I bought my Framed Wolftrax almost a year ago and it is my all year bike. I’m picking up a studded wheel set this weekend for the winter. I got this bike in carbon with RockShox Bluto forks. 27.5×4″ tires and it is so much fun without snow. Added a dropper post, too. I can climb over stuff I never imagined. Unless you have to bomb DH at breakneck speed this bike does it all.
Sorry in advance for the long. Post……. my FB is my only bike. I was a runner and obstacle course participant until I tore up my knee. At 60 I was told either stop impact activities or face knee replacement. SO… I’m the guy that hadn’t been on a bike since I was like 12. FBing grabbed me like a sticker bush on a blueberry hunt.
My FB is my only bike, I ride it year around here in New Hampshire. I even ride the 50 miler in the Berkshires each year to raise money for The Food Bank. I’ve been attacked by turkeys, squirrels, a rabid fox, and the cycling elitists.
Which brings me to my final point – my experience in cycling has been that road cyclists look down their nose at FBers. They even admit to it. I’m often asked why do you ride that silly Thing?
Seems odd you guys forgot to mention the Foes Mutz… It’s been in production since 2014 and it’s actually made here in America (rare these days). It’s the only true four season, one-bike with enduro geometry that can really be ridden on dirt with a visible advantage over the other MTBs that are out there. Granted, the right wheel/tire combo is a key factor to this claim. Never the less. 5.5 inches of travel in the rear and 6 (with a Wren Fork) in the front and coupled with 4 inch tires for added traction and bump absorption, is hard to argue with. I’m 58 and I was clearing every jump on Dirt Merchant with mine. You can open the throttle when you hit a rock garden or root sections without even needing to pick a line. Mine weighs in at 32lbs. I know 30 people who are riding this bike in my area, (Anchorage,Alaska) All of them have abandoned their previous MTBs for this do-it-all machine. I’ll be honest. I’ve ridden rigid fat bikes a little. Not much fun if you like to ride fast. Add some suspension and get rid of the bounce, and now you have something that has an actual advantage. Don’t take my word for it. Go Demo a properly built Foes Mutz and then see if you don’t want one.
I’ve been riding mountain bikes for 30 years and only the past three years on FAT. I live in Western PA and on my second fat bike and currently ride a Trek Farley 5 which is their entry level bike. I bought a fat bike so I Wouldn’t have to stop riding in the winter and sit indoors all winter or be sick riding indoors. Personally, I love cross-country skiing but the we never have consistent snow.
Around here we break out the fatties as soon as the leaves start to fall. We have so many leaves you can’t even see the trails. So gators help with the stability when you hit unseen roots and rocks. Our leaf cover is almost like 4-6 inches deep.
Admittedly, fat biking in just slushee mud isn’t that fun but that’s why you need fenders.
Like many fat enthusiasts, I find myself breaking out the fattie for a few rides in mid-summer for the sheer enjoyment.
Yes, they are a niche product but it allows the addicts an opportunity to ride Year-round in any condition.
Agreed about year around riding and a fatbike being part of that. With the studded tires, there is some traction in our freeze/thaw combo here in MN, and as a woman who is light on the bike, (110 lbs) the studded tires, higher tpi, and lower pressure seem worth the cost of changing out tires in the winter. I disagree with the comment someone made about not being able to climb in snow on a fattie. It depends on the snow, grade, and other factors, but I climb most hills I can find!
Gearing can play a big part in climbing on a fat bike. Among people I know, 20-something tooth front sprockets are the norm. The comically low gearing helps a lot in low traction situations and smoothly applying power.
Agreed. I have 12 gears. it helps, as you say, in addition to the relatively light weight of the frame and tubeless tires.
Um, Specialized (Fatboy, many flavors), Carver (Titanium), Framed (went from 1 model to FOUR!!!), Canyon Dude (Super affordable and nice carbon), Surly (Ice cream truck, I always hated my pugsley anyway) I could go on Trek, Jamis,. Just because those particular bike brands don’t offer those particular bikes doesn’t mean fat biking id dying. Dumbest article I have read all day. (But it is only 6:30 AM)
Brett — I think the phenomenon you’re talking about is “self-steer”, and it can be a real annoyance. But it’s not as simple as fatter tires have more self-steer. You can take the same tire and run it on two different rims at the same pressure and on one it’ll be well behaved and on the other it’ll have a mind of its own. In general a tire will have less self-steer if run at a higher pressure. It will have less self-steer on a wider rim (which drives prices up if you’re saving weight). You can also get self-steer in a conventional tire if you run the pressure low enough.
A fat tire allows you to run at low pressures where you’d be riding a normal tire’s sidewalls. But just because you *can* ride a tire at 4 psi doesn’t mean it’s the best pressure for all conditions.
Some people run the lowest pressure they can all the time for comfort; they think of fat tires as a poor man’s suspension. This creates the impression that fat tires are badly behaved, because as suspension they’re just lousy. A poor man’s suspension should be his arms and legs. He needs to move around on the bike. I actually have an unpadded saddle on my fat bike because I spend so little time in it.
A fat bike will never be about speed, but it should feel agile. A *rigid* fat bike has to thread its way through obstacles, not over them. It needs front end responsiveness. That means a light front wheel and fork,steeper head angles and narrower bars than are in vogue right now. You can economize in the rear but the front has to move as if it is reading your mind.
It seems odd you didn’t include *insert bike not at 2015 Interbike* 😀
My apologies, I’m a bit sarcastic before I’ve had my coffee.
*looks at empty coffee cup*
And apparently after my coffee, lol!
All kidding aside, it was nice having my fatbike as a “Ride B” option while living in Michigan. The wider tires not only extended my riding season by allowing me to ride in the snow, they also offered better floatation on less-than-optimal-condition trails. While my regular ride might rut up the trail, the fat bike has no problem leaving the trail in decent condition. As an added bonus, it kept my regular ride running better as I wasn’t getting the increased wear and tear from the dirt/grime.
Riding the fat bike did come with some compromises though, it was definitely heavier and not as nimble, but it was great for some carefree riding! Due to those factors, if the trails were frozen without snow cover, I would grab my regular ride. Frozen dirt = AMAZING
I think the fat bike scene is still growing in some areas. The Global Fat Bike Day held at Sleepy Hollow State Park in Michigan had around 50 riders in 2015 and steadily grew reaching 245 riders in 2019! New riders are still coming in, just probably not in the large numbers they had a few years ago.
245 for a global fat bike day event is awesome. The list of events has grown every every year, too.
Matthew makes a good point about tires and tire pressure. It took some playing around with pressures before I realized this would be my all season bike.
Thanks for rhe industry update but here in Canada I would say it is just starting to be a mainstream winter sport and the number of new urban groomed trials for cross country skis and fat bikes (shared) has only increased in the last 2 years alone.
Ebikes will revolutionize the bike industry and fat bikes will be along for the ride. I have a Norco and a Rocky Mountain and like other bike trends most cyclists aren’t replacing a frame every year 🙂
Just my 2 cents.
I was a Salsa dealer in Nor Cal for a number of years. Even though we were in an area that didn’t see snow, we still sold a fair number of fat bikes. A good number of them were sold for riding on the beach. Also, there were customers who lived East of the Bay Area who had a lot of sandy riverbed riding in the Central Valley who purchased them. They are great for that. One day in February a few years ago, a number of folks from Salsa came out to CA and some dealer personnel, the regional rep and a few invited customers who had fat bikes rode from the Santa Cruz area down the beach to Moss Landing and back. We covered miles of beach, a couple of coastal river crossings, and even went inland a bit and rode some pavement and trails before dropping down off the cliffs via sand “avalanche chutes’ and back onto the beach. I’ve been riding MTB since the 70’s and this still stands out as one of the funnest rides I have done over the years. Definitely a bike to keep in the quiver if you have soft-condition riding and/or snow in your area. Opens up another option to pedal…
This is what I like about this forum. Lots of knowledge. From running 20 something tooth front chainrings. I run a single chainring with 26 teeth. Less complexity, less mud getting caught and less weight.
Agree about studded tires being needed in snowier regions. But not where I live.
The comments about self-steering are spot on with relation to tire pressure and rim width.
I’m surprised Salsa and Trek weren’t included…maybe I skimmed past the reason behind those exceptions. When it comes to bikes I’m a bit odd as I desire the fewest bikes to accomplish the most riding. For this reason, I decided to go with a fat bike instead of a more conventional mountain bike when upgrading. Winters have been crap for cross country skiing the last few years and this past summer I got heavy into trail riding. I didn’t want to wait until spring to be out winding through the trees, so I went with a used fat bike. Planning on just making it my regular summer ride as well, likely with 3″ tires. I suppose, having bought my bike used for this first trial experience, I’ve offered little to the fat bike gods, other than alleviating money for the original owner to upgrade on his own. I imagine this might be part of the reason as well, enough people are upgrading that newbies can buy a used bike instead of new. Interestingly, I’m from Milwaukee, and picked up a bargain price pair of tires from Fyxation, as they seem to be divesting.
I ride my fat bike, a carbon Farley, year round. It has a Manitou Mastadon fork and a dropper and yet is under 30 lbs. Here in Vermont the summer riding is a lot of technical rocks and slippery roots, and the fat Barbegazi tires at 10 psi do not fold over at speed, yet offer better traction and bridging ability than skinny tires, even 29ers. The 27.5 x 4.5 tires do not fall down into the nooks and crannies of the trail.
I do not miss rear suspension at all, but having the front fork makes it a lot more enjoyable in summer. The comments about wheel weight are true, I can feel the weight difference when I switch back to studded Gnarwals, and running tubes instead of tubless is like riding while carry a barbell. Why would you do it?.
Two riding buddies just bought fat bikes, so I see it growing locally. People are buying groomers to better maintain the winter trails to allow for more riding. Cheers!