The 2019 Sea Otter Classic has become the best bike show in the US and they just announced expansion plans for Sea Otter Europe. The US version of the Sea Otter Classic is held at the Laguna Seca Race Track out near Monterrey, California about an hour drive from Silicon Valley. It’s quite beautiful there. […]
Back in January the Secret Underground Fat-Bike Test labs received a set of Fatback Carbon Wheels. What can I say? Fatback continues to innovate the market with their latest product. This time they partnered up with Knight Composite to make this glorious love child of a carbon fat bike wheel set. I was super pumped […]
Way back in December I wrote an introduction to a new wheelset and fork from the carbon fiber maestros over at ENVE. This was big news given that one of the biggest names in carbon fiber was (finally) getting into the fat game. You can read all about the M685 wheels and Fat Fork here […]
Let’s be honest here, Surly is trying a few new things that you might not have expected. Sure, they’re usually one of the first to get weird when compared to other companies in the bike industry when they introduced fat bikes, fatter bikes, 29+ bikes and fat cargo bikes but it appears they’re willing to […]
I got this crazy idea to upgrade the drivetrain on my legacy fat-bike Otis from a 2×9 Shimano/Microshift set-up to a Box 1×11 with a 30 Tooth Wolftooth Oval chairing and Camo/Direct Mount spider. Let me begin by saying that it’s not our intention to disparage our long-time amigo ‘the front derailleur’ or the folks […]
Some time ago, 45NRTH released their tried & true Hüsker Dü in a 4.8″ width. Mi amigo Adam Blake had a pair and told me that they were the cat’s pajamas and hell man, Jay Petervary rode a set on his Salsa Blackborow a thousand miles to Nome in the ITI. I’ve never tried to […]
As I was loading up the super blingy Why Cycles Big Iron outfitted with Enve Fat Fork and M685 Wheels for testing (First Look here), Uncle Gomez says “Here – try these out while you’re at it and tell me what you think . . .” as he shoves two folded up 27.5×4.0 45NRTH Dillingers […]
Our amigos at Fatback have followed up their (5 Gnome Rated) Aluminum Big Su fat-bike rim and wheelsets with a cross-town collaboration with Knight Composites. In addition to the shop in Anchorage, Fatback has a shop and warehouse in Bend Oregon where Knight is also located. Fatback brings a ton of fat-bike expertise to the table […]
I have been testing the 27.5 x 4.5 Terrene Cake Eaters since late fall and up until very recently Mother Nature has not been very giving with the snowfall in our area. Luckily we got about 4′ of snow in 10 days recently and it allowed me to get out and get a more well-rounded […]
At the beginning of this winter I got a bunch of tires to test, mostly of the 27.5 fat variety. Of the tires I have available, I have been riding the 27.5×4 45NRTH Van Helgas far more than anything else. Part of this is because Mother Nature had been stingy with snow but even more […]
Fatback sent us a set of their new Sweet 16 carbon bars in December. I was honestly pretty skeptical about the prospects of this new bar’s 16-degree sweep improving the fit or comfort of the Fatback carbon riser bar that came with my Corvus FLT, Ten Beers because I felt pretty comfortable riding Ten Beers. […]
While there are currently a quite a few rim/wheel options out there in the fat-bike universe, one major player in the high-end carbon market has been noticeably absent – ENVE Composites. The same can be said for fork offerings … lots of choices but no ENVE. Well, that’s now changed with the launch of the […]
The 27.5 fat tire selection continues to expand and this is the second tire that 45NRTH has offered in the 27.5 size (the other being the Dillinger 4). For those of you not familiar with the 45NRTH line of tires, the Van Helga is their more aggressive 4″ tire that is designed for “all-round mixed […]
Back in September, we spotlighted the Fatback Big Su Wheelset and after a couple months of gnome roping, we’re back with a full review. I’ve been running the Big Su’s on my ‘murdered out’ Fatback Corvus FLT – [code name: ten beers] with a set of Schwalbe 26×4.0 Jumbo Jims (tubeless). I took a […]
There are a lot of people excited about the Terrene Johnny 5 because it has been touted as a potential Bud/Lou challenger and I have to list myself as one of them. That said, I think I am actually even more excited about another Terrene tire; the 27.5×4.5″ Cake Eater. I didn’t realize this until […]
Uncle Gomez sent me a set of 27.5 carbon fat bike wheels recently. You can check out the “product spotlight” he wrote up but the basic stats of this wheelset are the following: Exterior width: 75mm Interior width: 69mm Front weight: 1,053g (with tape and valve stem) Rear weight: 1,164g (with tape and valve stem) […]
Just when you thought (or perhaps hoped) that 29 plus might be fading into history, QBP’s newest tire brand, Teravail has come out with the 29+ Coronado. Our pair of test tires is the Teravail Coronado 29 x 2.8 Light & Supple Tan Wall version. They also come in black sidewalls if you happen to have a […]
Fat-bikers of the world with that newfangled 27.5” wheel size rejoice, for more tires choices are here! Fat-bike.com HQ has received some of the new size offerings from 45NRTH for testing, and today we’ll take a first look at the 27.5×4.0” Dillinger 4. The 27.5” Dillinger uses the same tread pattern and stud placement […]
Howdy campers. You may remember that back in May (holy smokes, how is it already almost October?!) we received a pair of Teravail’s Light and Supple Coronado tires for testing. If you missed the initial review, check the link here: https://fat-bike.com/2018/06/teravail-coronado-26-x-4-0-review-by-seth-bell/ After riding the Coronados over the Summer, we’re here with a final review and score. […]
Back in the springtime at Sea Otter, muh man Fuzzy showed me Fatback’s new Big Su Aluminum Tubeless Ready Rim. The new rim weighs in at an ultra-svelte 640g. I’m not talking about ‘light for an alloy set of wheels’. I’m talking lighter than a bunch of the double wall carbon wheels on the market. Last April […]
For some time now, Terrene Tire’s Tim Krueger has been talking about a true five inch wide, aggressive new tire that he’s been developing to give ‘the Surly’ Bud & Lou a run for their money as far as holding the title as the biggest and most aggressive fat-bike tires available (in the WORLD!) This new […]
“What my fat-bike did on summer vacation” Back in April, we published a comparison of 4 sets of wheels (Two 26″ & Two 27.5″ options) with the goal of demystifying how 27.5″ rims and tires compare with their 26″ counterparts. I was especially interested in learning how tall each of the four wheelsets measured along […]
A couple of days ago, our amigos up there in Bloomington (45NRTH) announced that they’ll be offering two of their popular fat-bike tread patterns in 27.5. The Non-studded Dillinger 4 and the Van Helga are available now. The Studded Dillinger 4’s will be in stores sometime in October according to the Q-Mothership. The two new […]
Back in the spring of 2014, we began testing a set of RaceFace Atlas Platform Pedals. In the Product Spotlight of the RaceFace Atlas platform pedals, I wrote “I have a new bike as of last winter and I’ve been lusting after these RaceFace pedals. My new Fatback 190, Otis, is built up with a heavy dose […]
Editor’s Note: We solicited ideas from the ranks of the bike black ribbon test pilots and we’ve posted quite a few of their suggested topics here over the last couple of months. We actually had two of our testers step up to the plate to explain how to set your regular normal fat-bike up with […]
If you follow bike media you will know that at one point not that long ago 2.8-3″ plus tires were the greatest thing ever. Now the talk is that they are too squishy and vague but 2.6″ tires are the goldilocks size, splitting the difference between traditional MTB tires and “full” plus tires. Personally, 2.6″ […]
Hello, lovelies. Coming atcha fresh from the Fat-bike.com testing grounds is our review of Teravail’s 26×4.0 “Light and Supple” Coronado tires. To give the Coronados the best test possible over the course of just a few weeks, I swapped them between three different bikes for a more well rounded review. Testing was done mostly […]
I know that bars like the Jones loop have been around for a long time, but I had never really given one a chance. I ride flat or low rise bars with 9/10 degree sweep for fat/mountain biking, but my current routine includes a lot of asphalt, gravel, and dirt. I live on the Glacial […]
Originally these pedals were bought for a cruiser bike with ‘old-school’ slippery sneaker pedals. Hey, they matched the look of the bike! Just trying to accessorize. Anyway, they didn’t fit, so I put them on my favorite fat bike instead. Turns out the fatty is way more worthy of this pedal adornment level. (Don’t underestimate […]
The expedition team of Francisco Vázquez de Coronado is credited with the discovery of the Grand Canyon and several other famous landmarks in the American Southwest while searching for the legendary Seven Golden Cities of Cíbola. Exploration and discovery are two of my favorite things that go hand in hand with turning the pedals […]
Kona Wah Wah – Aluminum Edition The Kona Wah Wah pedals were dropped at my door via fat-drone with a little message that read, “Have fun”. I unpackaged the box to see some giant green platform pedals and I wondered, “Are my feet too small for these things”? I mean, I’m using these on my summer plus […]
Esker Pedals by Framed Bikes One of the great things about bicycles is freedom. Freedom to go wherever you want under your own power. For some that means going wherever you want, whenever you want, wearing whatever you want. Wanna ride the beach in your sandals and swimwear? Go for it. Breaking trail in the […]
ISSI Stomp XL Pedal Review The iSSi Stomp XL pedal landed here in Wales from their HQ in Minneapolis. The Stomp XL is their first attempt at a platform pedal and first impressions are they look and feel great. They are available in four different colours from black, plum, lime and blue. The platform is […]
We’re in the midst of testing 4 sets of wheels that range from 26 x 4.8 to 27.5 x 3.8. All 4 wheels are pictured below and labeled A-B-C & D for reference. Starting last November, I ran 27.5 x 50mm Wheelset C and wrote an article about how stoked that I was to be able to ride […]
In addition to hosting every denomination of bicycle racing, the 2018 Sea Otter Classic has become the best bicycle industry trade show in these United States. Even the corporate giants of the industry come out and show their wares and simultaneously support their race teams. Along with the big boys, the Sea Otter expo area features […]
We’re going to get deeper into the 27.5 wheel size over the next few months and the next set of wheels in the spotlight is the Pub carbon 27.5 x 75mm rims laced to DT Swiss hubs with Terrene Cake Eater 27.5 x 4 run tubeless. The Pub Carbon rims have an inside dimension of […]
About two years ago, back in March of ’16, then BBR Test Pilot, David Glover tested a pair of the Maxxis Colossus, but Moab doesn’t get too much snow, at least, not enough to groom, like we get in America’s Dairyland. This is what Glover shared about the Colossus “The Colossus tire looks to be […]
This winter I have been testing out a pair of studded 26×4″ Terrene Cake Eater “light” casing tires. For full specs on these tires, check out my Initial Look. My neck of the woods got bombarded with snow in December and early January but then Mother Nature turned off the snow spigot and gave us […]
The trend of bicycle tire manufacturers choosing to stamp their tires with enormous logos has reached pretty ridiculous (Hi-Viz Yellow) levels. But fear not fellow unsponsored riders…we’re here to show you how to cover up sidewall hot stamps permanently. When it comes to this particular category of dirty tricks, we generally turn to Bike Black Ribbon […]
Terrene Tires and the Krueger Brothers (Tim & Ryan) sent us an assortment of their newest fat-bike sneakers that they call Cake Eaters. I’ve been spending a fair amount of time riding the un-studded 26 x 4.0 Light construction version mounted tubeless to a set of 80mm wide Reynolds Elite Carbon rims bolted to my […]
We’ve been riding a couple of sets of the Maxxis Minion FBR/FBF 27.5 x 3.8 tires for the last ninety days on a variety of bikes and rims. We published a product spotlight about the new low-fat sneakers from Maxxis Here and we also posted an article about a plus/fat wheel configuration that we tested […]
So, there I was, sitting around on a Sunday morning, minding my own business when outta nowhere I get a message from everybody’s favorite uncle, Uncle Gomez! (in my mind, everyone is cheering like when someone says the secret word in Pee Wee’s Playhouse) “Do you ride flat pedals?” – Such an odd question […]
Terrene is the new kid on the block for tire companies but already have a second studded fat tire tread available in their line up. Last year they introduced the Wazia which falls in the all-round to aggressive range of “knobbiness.” This year Terrene is offering the Cake Eater as a faster rolling fat […]
Getting Dirty With Edna Few bike parts can affect a bikes fun factor like tires. You can roll with a generic stem or hubs and I doubt it’ll ruin your day but mount up some cheap, heavy tires to your favorite bike and you’ll probably want to trade it in before you can […]
