I’ve been riding a set of Fatback’s Big Su 27.5 Carbon Wheels for the last month on my Fatback Corvus FLT. March is a great time to experience virtually, all four seasons in America’s Dairyland. I just mounted my third different set of tires on our test wheels to keep up with the rapid transition from snowpack to dirt and everything in-between that’s taken place in the last 30 days.
The Big Su Carbon wheels are 27.5 x 83 mm outer width and feature double wall construction with no cutouts. They’re made to be run tubeless at low pressure at extremely cold temperatures and built strong enough for riding rocks and dirt all year round. The wheelset features the Fatback Alaska Edition Hubs
Fatback Alaska Edition hub features:
- EZO Japanese bearings with ultra-low temp grease for minimal rolling resistance
- 6 pawl design with 72 points of engagement
- 32h, double-butted spokes with brass nipples
The tubeless setup on these wheels went very easy (all 3 times). I was able to set the beads on the last tire swap with just a floor pump. Our rims came taped and included top-quality black Presta valves (the kind with a rubber O-ring that nests into the knurled valve-stem nut).
The new wheels came in just in time for the Sweaty Yeti Alt and I mounted a set of 27.5×4.5 Terrene Cake Eaters for the event. We got one incredibly perfectly groomed trail ride all around Levis Mound. It was one of those days when the traction was just magical. I noticed some spoke noise in the rear wheel when I would really honk hard on the pedals climbing out of the saddle. I put the wheel in the truing stand to check the spoke tension. After that, I applied some T-9 to all of the spoke intersections and they’ve been quiet ever since. (but now my cinch chainring is making noise!)
The next set of tires that I mounted on the Big Su’s were a pair of 45NRTH Dillinger 4’s (one with factory studs and one that I hand studded). As the snowpack melted, I got out regularly for morning rides in temperatures below freezing. I also did a slew of gravel rides to help preview the route of a Grass Routes gravel ride on the Glacial Drumlin Trail (results above). When you’re pushing hard to keep the bike going through the spring slurm, it’s nice to feel that you’re riding a lightweight set of wheels. I’ve ridden a lot of fat-bike wheels. I’m a big fan of carbon fat-bike wheels. They make a fat-bike feel much more like a mountain bike.
Now that it’s officially Spring, I’ve mounted a set of Minions and I just got back from the first camping trip of the season. I’m registered to race the Fat Fish Forty at the beginning of May and I’m thinking about running a set of Bontrager Hodags on these wheels for race day.
So far, the Big Su Wheels are meeting my rather high expectations in all of the performance categories. The area that the wheels are exceeding all of our expectations is in the value that they bring with an MSRP of only $1,899. I’ll report back with a full review somewhere around the dog days of summer. Till then, Felices Caminos Amigos!
For more information about the Fatback Big Su Wheels visit – fatbackbikes.com
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