I went on my first official "Fat-Bike" ride about a month ago, boy did I have my eyes opened. Being a traditional mountain bike racer etc...I was always hating on these larger circus sized tire bikes. Strange thing is...little did I know how much I would really enjoy riding one and how much of a game changers these bikes are.
How it all happened:
Phone call with my good friend at Growler Bikes," "Hey, I have a demo bike that I want to get you to ride...JUST GIVE IT A TRY."
Me: "Agh, not really sure that it's going to change my perspective in anyway but what the heck..why not? "
Well, then we insert my shit eating grin when the Growler demo bike shows up....The bike was dialed and ready to go. Essentially all I had to do was,adjust the seat height,dial front shock pressure, and put my pedals on. The weather that particular day was a nice crisp Upstate New York fall kind of day. So of course what better what better way to put it to the test? Yep....DEMO ride !!!! Whoo-hoo.
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| 2017 Growler Mr. Big Stuff |
My initial thoughts:
First off I guess we should explain the terminology...before I go on. When you are talking a "Fat-Bike" the tire width in theory average 3.5 inched and up. However this from a consumers stand point is where it gets confusing....Basically the wheel size breaks down into to this 27.5+ & 29.5+ After chatting with a number of my hardcore convert riding friends...they with out question say that these particular category bikes are here to stay. In fact on my weekly night ride out of a dozen plus riders.... 75% ride a fatbike / mid-fat bike. Just to put it perspective we do ride a a generally brisk pace and ride some pretty dicey terrain at times. Never have I experienced any of my counter parts to slate that their choice of bike was a hindrance.
On the ride:
A bit of an adjustment I can tell you that.... My traditional 29r with much narrower tires..seemed to accelerate much faster. However after spending a few days on the bike this seemed to be a non issue. In regards to tire size..this was actually the first thing I really enjoyed. There was not alot of thought that needed to be put into where the bike was going. (Which was good and bad) I do love riding technical terrain generally and don't mind having to find/pick my line. Now the big difference here being the tire width...AND interestingly enough the much lower tire pressure. The lower pressure was a bit of adjust I must say...to me at first with both general riding and cornering it felt like a was getting a flat tire. However this is EXACTLY the intended way of bike set up. Honestly it took me a little be longer that I expected to be able to build up the confidence to actually trust the bike. Cornering in particular was actually spot on...leading me to believe that I might just be missing out on something with my traditional ride.
Performance across the board was very solid...I did enjoy the way the bike climbs. It seemed that at times I was almost part mountain goat LOL. Actually the one benefit of the wider tires that I really did like. During both seated as well as climbing efforts the bike kept on moving. There were probably a few minor instances where I did get the tires to slip...this coming from quick aggressive pedaling while standing. Also want to add I found the overall geometry and cockpit very user friendly. On the the descents the bike actually felt quite at home....did actually find myself taking on descents that I normally ride with a more speed that normal. The overall wheel base and tire foot print was shinning through here without question. Stability wise...VERY confidence inspiring which I found to be a huge plus. In punchy, technical riding I was using at least a third less energy that I normally would to keep the bike tracking. This again where the bike was instilling more confidence and need for more speed !!!
So in conclusion I say to you give one a try. Yes you may find it's not for you, then again you maybe convinced this is your next new thing. Overall these particular category bikes give you a fresh perspective on both the riding as well as your local trail system. To me I find these bikes the ideal choice for introducing someone to mountain biking once again or even for the first time. It is with out question a nice alternative to "leveling the playing field" for not so technical savy riders.. Or if you are looking to riding pretty much year round...here you go the 27.5+ or 29.5+ bikes could be your next new thing!!
A special thank you goes out to Willo Glynn at Growler Bikes, definitely appreciate the nudge to give your bikes a try. Also for allowing me to keep the one I have now on an "extended demo" lol. Please check them out on Facebook.
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