Wot happened to fat bikes

[MattiThundrrr]

Jamis Dragonslayer 26+ would be an awesome one too. It only has 3" tires, so technically it is half day, but that's Reynolds tubing...


https://www.bikemag.com/gear/review-jamis-dragonslayer-26-pro

 

[Imlach]

I want the dirt cheap one that mongoose made. it's steel, it's heavy, it's a bit pants, I'm stupid and want to build it singlespeed.

Yeah that high tensile lump seems good value. Ridewill had a frameset I wanted to buy a while ago but decided I had better things to build

 

[2manyoranges]

Still ride and love mine...takes me to places that other bikes can't reachView attachment 772156

Excellent ... proper use ....

 

[2manyoranges]

I put 2.6 Schwalbe and Maxxis on 26 35mm rims which makes for a fairly fat (phat) experience. These then went on a COTIC SIMPLE giving zero mud clearance. But a fine ride.

PHAT and SIMPLE.

It actually worked. In a kind of floaty zen like way.

 

[MattiThundrrr]

They are still going on over at the "purchase new gear" oriented forum.

https://www.mtbr.com/forums/plus-bikes.197/
I don't visit too often, as the culture is a bit of a dumpster fire, but there are some good contributors. Mikesee out of Alaska knows his stuff, can write a fantastic ride story, and his pics are unbelievable

https://www.mtbr.com/threads/places-that-are-wild.1214655/

 

[brocklanders023]

Didn't normal tyres just get bigger, therefore pinching the best bits of fat for most people without the disadvantages?

 

[greencat]

Didn't normal tyres just get bigger, therefore pinching the best bits of fat for most people without the disadvantages?

I think there's probably an element of this.

I had a charge cooker 27.5+ - and it was one of my favourite bikes. Could ride up almost anything, and used standard parts. Very nearly the sweet spot for my kind of riding. Only the geometry let it down a bit for going downhill.

 

[2manyoranges]

Oh God ... it means that Phatness hasn’t gone ... it’s gone underground and is insidiously infecting us all !!!!

Schwalbe
Maxxis

Even for us normals they’ve all gone Phat

 

[yakboy]

And look you can get Tanwalls and HED look alike rims as well...what's not to like

 

[Titiritero]

Fat bikes were a fashion, and once the fashion was gone, so were the bikes. Sure, there's a niche where they are the best choice (snow and sand), but this is such a reduced field that interest has nearly disappeared.

Actually, it's easy to see when a new bike trend will become a fashion to disappear or is coming to stay. If it improves the practicality or versatility of what's currently available, it will stay. Otherwise, passing fad.

-In the 80s and mostly 90s: MTBs. They would let you go where existing bikes could not go. Here to stay.
-2000s: fixies. They looked cool, highly customizable, etc. but couldn't do anything better than existing bikes. Out they went.
-2010's: fat bikes, great to use in sand and snow, where 3% of the world population live. A pain everywhere else. Out they went. Plus bikes were offered as a happy medium, but people quickly realised they brought most of the issues of fat bikes (heavy, slow rolling) without much of the advantages
-2020s: gravel bikes. They look "fast" like their road sisters but you can actually ride on many more surfaces, so they improve the existing offerings. Here to stay...
-2030s: don't know, maybe 28.5" MTBs??