MacRetro chat and rides thread

[velomaniac]

I know you guys think i'm down on fat bikes but this is not the case they're just not retro is all. However here's an idea i've seen and read about which quite apeals. For UK conditions ie insufficient snow (current conditions excluded) a full fat bike is possibly over kill so what about a half fat. You get either a 29er or a long travel fork 26er and you replace front fork and wheel with a fat tyre and fork. Basically fit a Surly Pugsley front end to a conventional bike.
What is folks opinion on this as it seems to me most of the major advantages come with the front wheel ie its ability to run over anything.
Admittedly it looks fugley but it does look fun and considerably cheaper.

 

[kaiser]

I thought about it a few years ago V, from what I've read they are ok > dissapointing. Remember everything that the front can do the back can't, and that is where your weight is. They can be used in lieu of suspension though ala Jones but this is using something as a solution for something else. Of all the half fat experiences I've read the folks that have done it have went full fat sooner rather than later. If your still considering it you can get a Surly fork with 100mm spacing and can use a trials rim (well a wide one) and either go for the Surly tyres or use a big eckesque 3.0 zilla. Another tyre option is the On One on which should be around £40 or less.

 

[velomaniac]

Probably cant afford this option either but for me it wouldnt be for snow or sand more for tackling stuff less defined by trails, a go anywhere option. The risk of a hole you cant see or mud of unknown depth swallowing the front wheel is often what stops such riding but a big baloon job should take that into account .
I believe Surly have now created a 3.7" wide version of that Knard 29er tyre, will the madness ever end

 

[clockworkgazz]

Ive got a surly fork you can borrow velo if you want to give it a go? I think the option I would go for is the 29er plus, the surly krampus with2 sets of wheelsseems to cover all bases albeit you cant go clown bike tyre sizes on it.

 

[zigzag]

The Krampus looks really interesting, although it's neither fish nor fowl. The reviews paint it as a best of both worlds compromise, but curious to see what real folk make of it once they hit the UK.

 

[kaiser]

Velo the Knard is 29X3 and 26X3.7 its not a 29X3.7. Remember the Pugsley will take 26" fat tyres, 29" regular and(though I've yet to see it) the 29+ of the Krampus.....and it has rack mounts and sliding dropouts and works with drops..... For me its shaping up to be a bike of many possibilities.

 

[velomaniac]

What i'd really like to do if I had the engineering skill would be build my own sand/snow bike going the Hanebrink road with the quad bike style 7-8" wide jobs. They are ugly but they have a huge footprint

 

[velomaniac]

Whats the snow like with you guys, its coming down hard over here in the east, been at it all day and is set to go all night. I was the only work cycle commuter to show by bike, 3 miles almost all on snow covered paths on my fixie, great fun. looking forward to homeward run

 

[Tazio]

Whats the snow like with you guys, its coming down hard over here in the east, been at it all day and is set to go all night. I was the only work cycle commuter to show by bike, 3 miles almost all on snow covered paths on my fixie, great fun. looking forward to homeward run

Absolutely sod all

Coming down but refusing to lie anywhere. I cycle to my Mums every Monday on road and was looking forward to the novelty of taking the cycle paths in thick snow.

 

[velomaniac]

Really :shock:

Midlothians got a thick blanket and we're not far apart Taz.

Not lying on the salted roads but everything else is white and fluffy.