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How new do I need to go?

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How new do I need to go?
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flag whitebirdfeathers
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Posted: Jan 20, 2023 at 8:01 Quote
For some reason I moved to somewhere with snowy winters so I'm thinking of adding a fatbike. How new do I need to go to get more modern geometry? I'm assuming the more upright pedalling position and longer slacker geometry has made it to fatbikes. Any thoughts?
flag black4est
Posted: Jan 20, 2023 at 10:56 Quote
I wanna say 2015 or 16? Norco has had pretty modern geo on their fat bikes. not all companies use the longer approach though, just gotta look around. buy as new as you can afford I guess, buy what feels good to ride. I have a 2019 Norco Sasquatch and love the bike, its a bit heavy but is really fun and comfortable to ride even for a few hours.
flag johnovey
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Posted: Jan 20, 2023 at 11:32 Quote
I wouldn't get too hung up on the latest & greatest, when it comes to fatbikes. 27.5 wheels probably have more grip, compared to my 26s. Good tires are the biggest asset.
I have lousy tires & struggle on steeper climbs & cornering. My buddy has a set of Surly Bud & Lou tires that run circles around my Vee Rubber Bulldozers.
Fatbiking on snow IS NOT mountainbiking! Just a way of getting on two wheels & getting exercise in the winter, for me.
1-1/2 hrs on a fatbike is like 3hrs on your mtb.
flag zeeino
Posted: Jan 20, 2023 at 18:22 Quote
Most brands have relatively conservative geometry, so newer won't necessarily be long and slack, but it's not necessarily a bad thing since you're not likely to be riding the same knar you do in the summer.

If you can justify spending the money on something new with through axles and modern spacing (150mm front, 197mm rear), that would be your best bet. 27.5 wheels keep their momentum better, and 26 wheels are more nimble. Anything that gets you out will do though. My spare Fatbike is a northrock from Costco and I do take it out by choice from time to time. If you ride any tech at all, I highly recommend a dropper.

Depending on where you ride, the conditions, and how much traffic there is on the trails to compact the snow, fatbiking can be as much fun as mountain biking Imo.
flag leftypumpkin
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Posted: Jan 21, 2023 at 7:12 Quote
I don't have any idea on how new you need to go as I'm still riding my first fatbike (a used 2017 Moose I picked up off Kijiji). I also don't think it is super critical unless you are going to rip the super steep stuff. I've been riding a 71 degree head tube angle for the last four years and just last month added an angleset to get down to 69 degrees. Our riding is a good mix of packed climbing and blue and black diamond descents (some packed, some not, you need some steep fall lines to make the deeper unpacked snow rideable) and I don't think it's ever been peering over a too steep bike that has stopped me from dropping in - usually it's icy trail conditions that give me pause! You get an incredible amount of traction out of a 4.0 or larger tire if you modulate your brakes right.

Definitely get a dropper if there is any kind of descending, 4.0 tires are fast and light, 4.5+ tires are heavier but mated with a 100mm rim give you a very wide tire profile with tons of climbing traction, cable pull brakes suck if you ditch in the snow on your brake side, fat bikes don't have to be heavy (mine's 36lb, the guys I ride with built up cheap chinese carbon frames to hit 26lb) but 100mm wide rims definitely are (usually aluminum), you can make any wheel tubeless using Fatty Strippers and foot out-flat out is the only way to ride tight downhill corners.
flag johnovey
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Posted: Jan 21, 2023 at 11:16 Quote
Yes definitely a dropper. If you don't have a truck, a maxle or some sort of quick release on the front is handy, so you can put it in the back of your car(if you can fold the seats down). Packing it on a rack on the back of a car will just cover it in winter road crap & muck.
I have front suspension, it does calm things out, when the trails get postholed by hikers.
flag gabe999
Posted: Jan 21, 2023 at 13:27 Quote
I have a 2017 Cannondale CAAD fat bike. I would say go with a slightly newer bike even for a fat bike and consider doing what I did. My CAAD came with 26 x 4.8 tires. I bought a second wheelset (carbon rims) with 35mm internal diameter. The tires I bought for it are 29 x 2.6 Maxxis Rekons. I also bought 29 x 2.5 Grifter tires which are BMX/ slick. Awesome year round bike! Even though a hard tail, I've taken it road riding, dirt jumping, cross country in all weather, and believe it or not, even downhilling! I bought a suspension fork for it. Still need a dropper.
flag whitebirdfeathers
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Posted: Jan 21, 2023 at 15:15 Quote
Thanks for all the input!
flag tfdhusker
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Posted: Jan 21, 2023 at 17:51 Quote
Get a bike with 150/197 spacing and thru axles and you will have the versatility you need down the road when buying new or different wheelsets. This spacing is pretty much standard now.

Modern mtn bikes run a 470ish reach for a large. Some fatbikes (TREK) are still using older geo like a 450 reach in a large. Not really a big deal unless you want to have a similar fit to your current mountain bike. Rocky Mountain, Norco, Fezzari, Salsa are brands making a more updated geo fatbike.
flag leftypumpkin
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Posted: Jan 21, 2023 at 19:13 Quote
Yeah, postholed by hikers (or horses) sucks, but sometimes the hikers are the first tracks packing in a trail.

A rocky, rooty trail becomes a buttery smooth descent if there is enough winter traffic to pack it in so a fork isn't a total necessity - I ride fully rigid still (although I have dreams of fabbing up some brackets for the old lefty hanging on my wall) and its only early season and hiker postholes where I notice no fork.

Be amazed at getting away with 6psi, make sure you buy a fat bike tire gauge so you can set pressure properly, know that the temps in your garage/basement vs. the temps in the parking lot will have a big impact on riding pressure.

You'll also find that unless groomed the riding part of the trail will be incredibly narrow.
flag boot
Posted: Jan 23, 2023 at 0:07 Quote
Modern geometry makes totally sense in fatbikes also. I tested bunch of bikes but totally fell in love with my Pole Taiga. HTA could be one degree slacker still. It absolutely rips. Standing up I’m right in the center of the bikes generous wheelbase. Unless you want to just sit and pedal go as aggressive geo that you can. That said Norco and Rocky Mountain look pretty good on paper. You could propably easily get your hands oneither one of those.
flag jray02r1
Posted: Jan 23, 2023 at 17:20 Quote
You will quickly learn that fatbiking in the snow is wayyyy slower paced than in the other 3 seasons. While the newer bikes are a little nicer, if you can only afford an old Surly Pugsley or something and that gets you out there, well than you will have a blast and get plenty sweaty on the trails. We have long winters in wisconsin, so I built a full suspension fatbike (Foes Mutz). I also am building a summer wheelset (likely 29x2.6") so it can be all season bike. If you already have a good mountain bike for the spring-fall seasons, than you could probably get away with a simpler fatbike. But only you can really tell us how much you are actually going to use it and how big of a budget you have.
flag whitebirdfeathers
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Posted: Jan 23, 2023 at 19:06 Quote
I have a few other bikes already so the fatbike will only get a few months of use when the trails are snowed in. Most of the bikes I see around here are the Norcos and Rocky Mountains so I would likely go in that direction.
flag johnovey
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Posted: Jan 24, 2023 at 10:20 Quote
Best time to buy is in the summer, when interest is low. Usually some good deals then on PB.
flag bishopsmike
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Posted: Jan 24, 2023 at 12:13 Quote
I've been fatbiking for 5+ winters now, and I find that even if they don't get scratched up much from crashes, they do build up rust pretty fast on small parts (derailleur bolts, brake calipers, frame bolts, etc.). With the current over-stocked bike shop situation, I'm seeing nice new bikes (Norco Bigfoot 2, Rocky Mtn Blizzard 20, etc.) in around $1400-$1600. NEW. Obviously, you'll need to add tax on that, but with most people asking pretty much the same for their 2016 version, I don't see the benefit of buying used, unless you can find a REALLY good price. And those new bikes are finally coming with nice 1x Deore or NX drivetrains, etc. If you do decide to go used, I'd recommend a full rebuild of every bolt and bearing, just to regrease and check the condition.

Have fun!
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