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Full Version: FAT BIKES !!! interesting concept
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I like my bikes to have at least 500cc engines but this development could be quite useful for preppers.


https://www.evanscycles.com/coffeestop/a...Fat+Biking

What are fat bikes?

Fat bikes are bikes that look like mountain bikes but they are fitted with “fat” tyres. Tyres start at 3.8 inches and can be as wide as five inches or more.

But unlike many mountain bikes, fat bikes do not have suspension forks, instead the “fattened up” tyres – and low air pressure in the tyres – create the suspension for comfortable off-road riding.

Because the tyres are wider and softer they offer great traction in mud, snow, sand and over tree roots and rocks.

Origins of the fat bike

It’s claimed that the original fat bikes were conceived in two different places at a similar time and as a means of transport.

It was in the 1980s that the first fat bikes were designed and used in the snowy wilds of Alaska and also in the sandy deserts of New Mexico. The larger and fatter tyres offered people the ability to get about in snow and sand.

Then, in the 2000s, fat bikes started being made by commercial brands. The first was Surley Bikes and their now famous Pugsley frame. Today, many bike manufacturers offer a fat bike or two as part of their range, including Specialized, Cannondale, Mondraker and Genesis.

The fat bike is now one of the fastest growing trends in off-road cycling in the UK.

What’s so good about fat biking?

Fat bikes are ideal for off-road terrain, especially in winter, because they make easy work of mud, bogs, rough trails, sand and snow.

Bruce Mathieson was one of the first people to own a fat bike in Scotland. He says: “I was once addicted to downhill mountain biking and now I am a convert to fat bikes. “I ride mine all year round, on rough trails, beaches and in snow in the winter. It’s an awesome way to enjoy riding.”

My first outing on a fat bike was a hired bike with four-inch tyres. I took it for a spin on local trails.

If you think of a super-comfy armchair and then combine this with the traction of a tank or a four-wheel drive car, you have the fat bike. The large and softly inflated tyres offer superb suspension and the bike rides smoothly over all kinds of lumps and bumps.

While I am not a skilled mountain biker yet on a fat bike, I easily coped with rocks, mud and rooty sections. I enjoyed the riding so much that I started to seek out more bumps and jumps to test the bike on.



If you are not confident on mountain bike trails, a fat bike allows you to take on bigger challenges without having to gain more technique or expertise. If you are already a good mountain biker, fat biking brings even more opportunities for riding on tricky terrain and allows you to ride year-round, even in the snow.

I had also imagined the bike would be heavy and really hard work to ride uphill but it wasn’t. These bikes are not as heavy as you might think. Fat bikes shed the grams because they do not need [but sometimes still come with] suspension forks [see below] and most come with great gearing so it as much fun to ride up and it is to descend gnarly routes.

You do tend to pay more for a lighter weight frame and components but that’s the same with most bikes.
Go Outdoors had them for sale at around £400 back early last year,as the season wore on they dropped in price a number of times, eventually below £200 as they hadn't caught on , I was tempted but I deffered on the grounds of difficulty to procure tyres and I figured those great big spongey tyres in my environs would be a thorn magnet......if they get down lower say £100 i'll think again(buy a stock of rubber ,tubes and gloop with the extra savings.
I wonder if someone like the Green tyre Company that makes totally puncture proof bike tyres makes them fat tyres ??
Just checked, no they dont they only do up to 2inch wide so far, pity.

http://www.greentyre.co.uk/bicycle-tyres.php