The Bike Black Ribbon Test Pilots are in the middle of a long-term test of the Vee Rubber Vee8 26 x 4.0 fat-bike tire. Spinner, Sven and guest tester Aris have all had a shot at putting these promising tires through their paces so here is what we’ve learned so far… BBR Test Pilot Spinner [...]
From the moment that I laid eyes upon the VeeRubber Speedster tire at Interbike’s Outdoor Demo out in the LasVegas desert, I knew that I just had to ride a set. The first thing that crossed my mind, for this 26″ x 3.5″ set of snake skins, was how they would work on my rat-rod. [...]
By: Chris Zito The puppeteers at Black Ribbon HQ, delivered a set of 45NRTH Dillingers to me just in time for one of the bigger dumps of the snowy season. In the past I have mostly ridden Endomorphs, well, since the time when they were THE option and gum-walled. Up until recently when I [...]
Anyone that follows singlespeed mountain biking, knows White Industries and their ENO line of hubs, freewheels and cranks. I run their hubs on my 29r and the front of my rohloff’d pugs. Quality and serviceability is what I love about the White Industries hubs that I own and I’ve put thousands of tough miles on them. Way back [...]
Northpaw Components recently introduced its new Northpaw-29+ bicycle rim, a 47mm, 29′er sized version of the Popular Northpaw-S rim that will be available at the end of April. The new rim will come in Black, Gunmetal or Silver and sell for $149. While the development of the Northpaw-29+ was spurred by the inevitable availability of [...]
We’ve been in touch with our amigos over at Vee Rubber about their new Fat-Bike Tires and this week we received two of their brand new Vee 8 - 26″x4.00 , 120tpi, Folding Bead Tire. The tread is comprised of rows of ramped knobs, reminiscent of a small block 8 – 29r tire, on steroids. The knobs [...]
Back in November we sent avid Detroit commuter and all-season cyclist, Chris Cunnington, a set of Grip Studs to test out and here is what he has to report so far. Thanks to the guys at Fat-bike.com I was sent some Grip Studs traction studs to evaluate. I have previous experience with 26×2.25 mountain bike [...]
This is a preview of the Fyxation Mesa 61 pedals that Nick from Fyxation dropped off a couple of weeks ago for us to check out. The Fyxation Mesa 61 Pedal is very similar to Fyxation’s other Mesa offerings in size, with a modified shape, but is made from 6061 Aluminum for more aggressive fat-bike [...]
Well, Lizard Skins don’t officially make a BB seal this is, in truth, the venerable Headset Seal that has been around for MANY years but that doesn’t mean that we can’t give them a go to see if they help keep sand out of the outboard bottom bracket bearings like you might find on a [...]
Today is Thparkle’s 1st Birthday! I’ve been shopping around for a nice birthday present and have had a difficult time finding just what I wanted. Parts inventory and back-order issues are commonplace for anyone that has tried to build a Fat-Bike from a frame set to a complete bike. One of the most elusive items [...]
Three months ago I threaded a brand new pair of 45NRTH Helva Platform Pedals on to my Moonlander and I’m checking in to share a progress report on how these platforms have been performing. When I found out that I was getting 45NRTH’s top of the line pedal to test, I was a little concerned [...]
Gomez wrote a while back about the damage beach riding can do to your fat-bike. Well, new for 2013, Hope brings us 11-tooth Sealed Bearing Aluminum Jockey Wheels that address at least part of those issues. Designed as an upper and lower set and CNC machined from solid billet aircraft grade Aluminum. The jockey wheels [...]
Hope has made a Q/R set available for their FatSno hubs. The FatSno hubs are made for symmetrical fat-bikes with a 170mm rear axle and a 135mm front axle. The CNC machined Q/R arm has a new profile and a brass seat to give years of trouble free use. Stainless steel skewer rods stay rust-free, as [...]
Lookie here what we got in for testing! The new Paul Component Engineering Disk RHUB 170 is designed for symmetrical fat-bikes with 170mm rear axle spacing. Made right here in the good ol’ US of A in Chico, California. If you’ve been around mountain biking for any amount of time it is likely that you [...]
Here’s the rest of what I collected, while working the show today. Surly Rubber Tree I revisited the production sample of the new Krampus and took some detailed shots for y’all. The Krampus demo fleet is rocking a 3rd generation prototype yolk, so all of the photos that you’ve seen before this are not exactly what you’ll [...]
Sven has been here before, but today was my first time in the maze called Interbike. We popped my interbike cherry today, to bring you all of the fat…all of the time! Just like we promised! Phil Wood fat-bike design exercise! Custom Fork crowns on the Manitou Fork. 185mm Cassette Hub. Also available in lower [...]
Thanks to Carver and Bikeman we had a super special deal on the Ti O’Beast fat-bike fork for our newsletter subscribers a while back and I just had to shell out my own hard-earned bucks for one. I replaced a White Brothers Carbon Snowpack fork on Tatanka Prototype #1 because I needed the White Brothers [...]
Schlick Cycles today announced their new 47mm Northpaw S rim designed for all-season fat-bike riding. We had a chance to ask the guys at Schlick Cycles a few questions about their new rim and what motivated them to enter a competitive fat-bike market. FB.com – We are familiar with Schlick Cycles fat-bike frames, what motivated [...]
John from Old Man Mountain sent us two of their racks to test on the front of K8′s Pugsley and a variety of Sven’s Fat-Fork configurations. Sven has all the coolest toys. Their newest generation Pioneer front rack is super beefy! (Check out the side by side comparison in the upper corners of the photos above). Sven and [...]
In an article a month or so back we looked at the NuVinci N360 as a fat-bike friendly hub with a standard chain drive and the promise of a belt drive setup using the Gates CenterTrack system to come. Well, here it is! To install a belt drive system on your bike you will either [...]
Chris King announced two new BBs. An 83mm version and a 100mm version. While the 100mm is a no brainer for many fatbikes using the 100mm shell, the 83mm, while aimed at the downhill crowd may find some uses for fatbike builders who are building for non-conventional drivetrain setups. Let’s see what you can do! [...]
We first saw the NuVinci CVP continuously variable hub at Interbike back in about 2007 and were impressed by the idea of a hub with no gear steps, just a smooth twist of the grip to change the resistance. The hub worked great albeit with a few notable concessions. It took quite a bit of [...]
You normally don’t think too much about your chain until it’s giving you problems. And of course, nothing kills a ride quicker than a broken chain and the long walk back to the lot that follows. However, a good, reliable chain buys you piece of mind. I’ve been putting the Wippermann Connex 1R8 through its [...]
For the past year and a half I’ve been riding my Schlick Northpaw year-round basically eschewing most of my other bikes in favor of the fatness. Heck, I even sold my 29’er and my 26-inch MTB leaving me with a sole 650B MTB to fill the need if it should arise. I’ve been running mostly [...]
How many different bar shapes do you offer? What is the philosophy behind each shape? I offer three main bends, a “standard” 5 degree bend, a middle of the road sweep, and a super wide sweep. I have developed them through trial and error for optimal ergonomic fit, control, torque out of the saddle, and [...]
The new fat-bike specific Hope hubs have arrived in the US and we’ve got our paws on a set! No, Hope didn’t hook us up. In fact, we didn’t even ask. Yet! With a small number originally shipped we simply let Sven pony up and do it! The Fatsno is an evolution of the Pro2 [...]
Most of us have had the jaw-dropping experience of holding a Surly tube in our hands, but we have to ask ourselves, ‘Are they necessary?’ ‘What are the advantages and is it worth the weight for the riding I do?’ A bunch of us in Alaska (and many other places, too) have been running standard [...]
Out of the Sierra Madre Mountains - Old Man Mountain (OMM) has a rich history in Mountain Bike touring racks that reflect their company philosophy – “don’t discriminate, innovate”. That’s why OMM built the first mountain touring racks designed to work with suspension mountain bikes and why they’ve brought that mind-set to their racks made for Fat-Bikes. [...]
Fat-Saddle? This past weekend at the North American Handmade Bicycle Show Selle An-Atomica officially launched Titanico X – the saddle for riders between 190 and 280 lbs. Titanico X builds on a dual layer laminate technology developed for their Limited Edition Ostrich Hide saddles to reduce stretch and provide maximum comfort to heavier riders. The [...]
Alex Roskin sent in this review about the Carver O’Beast Fat-Bike Fork. I really love the Fatbike format since I got my Mukluk2 around Thanksgiving. Even though here in the Northeast we haven’t seen much snow, I have been trail ridding on her every Sunday. Our 3 hour “A-train” suffer fests have my friends with [...]
Wide, light, grippy, and a good feel underfoot. What more could you ask for in a pedal? Durability, maybe, but I’m pretty sure high-impact nylon has proven itself in so many other applications that I have no worries here. I most recently took these pedals on a 100 mile backcountry ride on winter trails through [...]
During our recent interview with Andrew Watson of Watson Cycles about his Great Divide Fat Tire fat-bike Andrew mentioned that he also does custom titanium handlebars. I took a closer look at what he offers on his website and decided that I’d like to give ergo-swept bars another go on my fat-bike. I contacted Andrew [...]
The Magura MT2 is the entry level hydraulic brake from the venerable German brake manufacturer and we’ve got a set to test! Like all the brakes in the MT line the MT2 uses a full hydraulic system with a dual piston, floating caliper. In fact, all the brakes are mechanically the same. More $$ get [...]
Let’s review the SKS Fat Bike Fenders, Grand M.O.M. and Grand D.A.D. The Grand M.O.M. is a rear specific fender and the Grand D.A.D. is the front specific of the same type. As most SKS products I have seen or used, these Mud Guards have excellent manufacturing quality and nice design features. Installing the rear [...]
When I found out that Jagwire made green shifter housing I just had to have some, when I was informed that they also have the matching brake cable housing, and that Jagwire was kind enough to cough up a set of Ripcords for testing, I just had to have some of that too. The decision [...]
Nick from fyxation sent us a note that their new version of the Mesa V2 pedal will drop on January 20th (or so). Big news on the new version is that it has replaceable metal pins and (a personal favorite!) pedal flats on the spindle. Otherwise the new V2 carries on all the great virtues [...]
Selle Anitomica makes a riveted leather suspension saddle, much like other saddles that I ride on most of my other (non-fat) bikes, but most of their models have a slot cut into them. The slotted versions of their saddles are not made for the pounding that off road riding presents, so they recommended that we test their [...]
More weight info for you weight weenies out there. Cut to the chase, you want light and fat? Go for the Black Floyds if they suit your riding style and area. These are real world weights as measured in our shop with a Park Digital Scale. Where there is more than one weight, we weighed [...]
The 45NRTH Husker Du was available for a couple of days and the initial batch is now out in dealers who had the foresight to order them up when they were available. We got out order in last Wednesday and, just like a kid at Christmas, tore the box open, oogled them and then had [...]
I was in Fruita almost 8 years ago (or was it 7?) that I saw Dave Grey roll up on a 1×1 with the first ever Endomorph tire, Large Marge rim, and fat fork (all prototypes) up front. Was a big “huh” moment. And honestly, as much as everything made sense that Dave told me [...]
Thanks to our contributor from Rockford, Craig Smith for this test report on a couple of pedals and retentions systems! Here goes: Flat pedals are numero uno in the Fat-Bike pedal scene. Mostly because you can wear your warmest Winter boots, (or sandals for beach riding) and they make it easy to put your foot [...]
Origin8 recently introduced their first fat-bike tire, the 26×4.0 Devist8er. This tire, made by Vee Rubber in Thailand, is going to be, in one form or another, the stock rubber on the new Origin8 fat-bike called the Crawler that is due out sometime in the spring of 2012, though the tire is available now from [...]
I did the switch over to my winter fat-bike setup on my Northpaw and saved weight in the process! My warm-weather set up has been double-wall Large Marges, Larrys and a 450mm Northpaw fork with 50mm of rake and it has been flawless through the last 7 months with a variety of mtb trails, beach [...]
For my fat-biking pedal needs I am a platform guy all the way. I ride my Northpaw fat-bike year round and have found that the freedom from clips makes me happy. Lots of other folks ride platforms in the winter even if they are clipless fans in the warmer months. Snow riding can mean frequent [...]
