2022 Foes Mutz: Bike Shaped Monster Truck

Back in the day, fatbike aficionado Dan Mutz approached us to create an ultra-capable fat-tire race bike. Now the third iteration of the Mutz is shredding faster than ever. This mid-travel full-suspension fatbike disguises itself as a plus-sized enduro or trail bike. It has the clearance for running 29x2.4”, 27.5x3.0” and 26x4.0” wheels to cater to the needs of the one-bike-for-all-seasons rider. Like any disguise, the true monster-truck-like nature comes alive in full fat-tire mode.


FRAME DETAILS
Raising the Indie coolness to another level, our founder Brent Foes forms and hand welds each frame in-house. After checking alignment, the bikes are heat-treated off-site. The frame is crafted from 6061 T6 aluminum, while the CNC’d goodies are made from 6061 T6 Billet aluminum and feature Enduro bearings. The “delta box,” located by the bottom bracket, and top tube are hydroformed for maximum stiffness.

The ’22 Mutz features external brake and shifter routing while the dropper post cable is internal. Many at-home or shop mechanics appreciate the simplicity and practicality of this method versus the vanity of a fully-internal design.


GEOMETRY
We updated the geometry of the ‘22 Mutz to keep up with any average trail or enduro bike. The head tube angle is 2° slacker than the 2nd gen model at 65°, and the seat tube angle is 5.5° steeper at 76°. The reach lengthened to 444.5mm (size medium) and to combat a wandering front end, the chainstays are 6mm longer at 463.5mm. Our frame features a short seat tube at 432mm, or 17in (size medium) and increases by one inch per size. The straight inside of the seat tube also allows super long dropper post clearance for riders who want to squeeze every millimeter of drop they can out of their bike.


SUSPENSION
The most notable difference in the suspension is the increase in travel. The ’22 Mutz’s travel increased by 11-23mm, ditching the two position linkage to acquire 150mm of squish. To match the rear suspension, we designed the bike around a 150mm travel fork, which sets the 3rd gen Mutz as the longest travel fatbike on the market.

The bike utilizes a single-pivot suspension layout that Foes Racing believes is simply the best design for bikes. The design is stiffer, tougher, and prolongs the life of the suspension bearings, which are expensive to replace and a pain to deal with. The single-pivot uses double-row sealed Enduro bearings to keep out the grime and leave the suspension unhindered. The suspension features the Foes’ signature low-leverage ratio to create an extremely sensitive system. Another improvement for the 3rd gen is a rising progression rate during the last 20% of the shock stroke. Coil shock lovers will have zero issues with compatibility due to the progression. In addition, the shock size is now metric, which opens up the amount of choices for bike builders.


Who it’s for?
Foes Racing frames generally draw the indie market, bike builders, and mechanics because we sell are sold frame only, but don’t let this deter you from it. The wheel size interchangeability of the 2022 Mutz gives avid riders an extremely versatile bike for any season.



Photo Credit: @nplus1_mtb MrShreddypants