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Fatback 27.5 Big Su Wheelset Review

It’s kind of funny that I’ve reviewed the 26″ version of this wheelset and never really asked about the story behind the Big Su Name. So when it came time to write the review of the 27.5 Big Su Wheelset, I asked Fatback’s Head-Honcho, Greg Matyas ” I’m curious to learn the story behind the (Big Su) name? Is it after the river, the race or a boy named Su? Greg sent me a reply that read “The Big Su name comes from the river, which is a part of several of the winter ultra races here, as well as a popular place to recreate.” I love many aspects of recreation and so do these wheels.

Fatback’s 27.5 Big Su Wheelset paired with 45NRTH Tan Helga Tires on a Fatback Corvus FLT

For the majority of the test period, the Big Su wheelset donned a pair of 45 NRTH Tan Helga Tires. You can read the review of the tires here and read onward if you’d like to know how the wheels in my head are turning about the 27.5 Big Su’s that sometimes turn against the earth as we fly through the woods like those stormtroopers riding speeders through the arboreal outback on the Forest Moon of Endor in the Return of the Jedi. Yep…the one with the frick’n Ewoks.

Fatback’s 27.5 Big Su wheels come to the arena with high expectations. Their 26″ counterparts earned a perfect five out of five gnome review back at the end of 2018. These wheels are laced to Fatbck’s Alaska Edition hubs. The 26″ set that we tested in 2018 were laced to the very same set of hubs. Fatbackā€™s Alaska Edition Hubs feature EZO Japanese bearings with arctic temp grease for minimal rolling resistance. The freehub features a 6 pawl design with 72 points of engagement. That translates into increased cold-weather performance with faster engagement.

I’ll let the cat out of the bag a little here…these wheels are the bomb. They’re light stiff and set up tubeless extremely easily. They shipped with nice tubeless valves installed all taped and ready to go tubeless. The tubeless set-up was a snap!

The Win-Man Groomed Fat- Bike Trail

The wheels ran quiet and trouble-free during a winter of really nice snow conditions and some really sweet trail systems! These are one of the wheelsets that I recommend my friends that are looking to build a set of fat-bike wheels take a good hard look at, especially if they’re looking to build a set of wheels with double-wall carbon rims. These wheels can be just as light and there’s a ton of performance plus real value built into this offering. MSRP on the wheelset as tested is $750

On the shop floor at Speedway Cycles in Anchorage

The Fatback Big Su 27.5 Wheelset earns 5 out of 5 Danger Gnomes

For more information visit – Fatbackbikes.com

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2 Responses to Fatback 27.5 Big Su Wheelset Review

  1. Nicholas April 27, 2021 at 7:30 am #

    Gomez,

    I am trying to build up my first fat bike and have been looking for a good set of 27.5 wheels to build up that where durable and had some good hubs. I was going to go with the Mulefut and Dt swiss big ride and have a custom built cause I read some bad reviews on the HED big al rims pertaining to durability. Then I stumbled on these Fatback big Su wheels and they look pretty sweet. From the reviews you have on the 26/27.5 it seems you like these a lot. Do you think the wheelset will be durable and stand the test of time?

    • Gomez April 27, 2021 at 8:52 am #

      Let me look into my crystal ball…..I can just make out a vision through the mists of time and I can see the future (not).

      However, I stand by everything I stated in the review. The Big Su’s are lighter than Mulefuts and go tubeless easier than a Mulefut. Mulefut rims are what comes standard on $1500 complete bikes. They’re something that I’d upgrade asap if I bought a bike with those rims. DT Swiss Hubs are a good choice. You could probably have Fatback lace a set of Big Su’s to DT Swiss Hubs if that’s your preference. Have you looked into availability? That’s the dose of reality that you’ll be facing until the bike industry catches up with demand.

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