I've ridden a fair amount of fat bikes in my time (my neighbor is the buyer for a bike shop and has access to like 7 fat bike samples), but none of them have had what I consider modern/good geometry. My local trail system grooms the single track during the winter, so I ride 12 months a year, but I usually just take my normal trail bike on winter rides as oppose to a fat bike because I can have more fun due to the geometry and full suspension, and the "skinny" tires work just fine on the groomed snow. Are there fat bikes out there with, for instance, 67° head tube angle, 340mm BB height, wide bars, and maybe a dropper post? (I know bars and a post can be changed after the fact, but it's nice if they come stock)
Have you considered a Rocky Mountain Blizzard? The new models have a 67 degree HTA, dropper post, wide bars, etc. I use a 2016 Blizzard as my year-round bike in Squamish and it handles the trails here just fine.
The only truly modern ones have to have some reach I think in addition to non vertical head tube angles. I've only found the pole, the norco, and the kona match this description. I think the seat tube angle doesn't have to be the 76 of modern bikes as you dont climb that steep stuff - at least when on snow.
Have you considered a Rocky Mountain Blizzard? The new models have a 67 degree HTA, dropper post, wide bars, etc. I use a 2016 Blizzard as my year-round bike in Squamish and it handles the trails here just fine.
THIS. The 2021 Blizzard's are the slackest yet (66 degree HTA) and even the medium has a 450mm reach.
... I think the seat tube angle doesn't have to be the 76 of modern bikes as you dont climb that steep stuff - at least when on snow.
Not sure about this, we climb the same trails in the winter that we climb in the summer so there are definitely some steep sections to our rides. As long as the snow is semi-packed and not loose/light/fluffy stuff, we'll climb it.
That said, I'm climbing that stuff on an old school geometry Moose with a 69 degree head tube angle and a slacker seat tube than more modern trail bikes.
I'd be wary of going slack on a fatbike. I wanted one with my favoured geo, so had one built by Waltly Ti two years ago.
Before pulling the trigger, I tried the fat front plugged into my two hardtails. One 63, and one 66 degrees.
As you know, a 4.8 tyre at single digit psi has handling quirks, self steer and following camber being the main ones. Runing it slack made this feel like too much of a handful. I stuck with 69 and a long reach / short stem. All the other aspects of modern geo work great on a fatty, long reach, lower BBand steep STA. I really love mine!
Hey, does anyone have a Pivot Les Fat where their frame is peeling? I bought a 2019 Les fat and my frame is "Peeling", but it looks like it's "cracking". I contacted Pivot and they said it's just cosmetic. Has anyone else had this happen to their frame? I can send pictures if anyone is curious.
I have a RSD Mayor V5 on order. 67* HA at sag with a 100mm fork (490mm a2c). Currently own a XL V4 and run a mastodon std 120mm, so 66* hta at sag, 65* static. The V4 is great, just not long enough. At 6’4 the XXL V5 with a 500mm reach is much better suited. I run a 170mm dropper on the V4 and that will fit just fine for me on the XXL V5 as they have reasonable seat post lengths with internal dropper routing.
Mayor V5 HTA: 67* (490mm a2c) Reach: 466 L CS: 435-450 sliding dropouts STA: 74* ETT: 635 L
One thing to look out for is short bikes with slack HTAs. I find that to ride like poop. Luckily other brands besides rsd like rocky mtn, pole, norco and some others are making fat bikes.
But for example, fatback look nice and all, but super short. Probably works ok for shorter people if you size up, but their largest size Skookum has a 433 reach That’s pretty much a size small on a rsd, pole or rocky. I would need a 120mm stem to get my bars where they need to be
Growler bikes are also one to check out if not too tall. They run a little short as well too though, but not too bad. Really like their bikes, but just need about 30mm more reach for me to be able to run a proper stem length.
As for STA not being steep enough; these are hardtails, they get steeper when you ride and don’t have rear shocks that compress and slackens out the STA on steep climbs. Also, most have a straight seat tube, so that is a true STA you are looking at not a full sus with a curved seat tube and a STA measured at the seat collar or handle bar height. But, if you must have a steep STA on a hardtail for whatever reason, then slide your seat forward on the saddle 10-20mm or so. Every 10mm you move the saddle, the STA changes a degree. Just make sure you have a bike long enough to allow for that.