Any Fat tire bike owners out there?

[Lil Foot]

Been thinking about getting me one of these, thought I'd ask for some input.
Any preferred brands or brands to stay away from?
Features to look for or stay clear of?
I have seen prices from less than $300 to over $7100.
Thanks in advance.

 

[mikester]

Costco had some nice looking ones - electric too!

No idea on good brands these days, seems like they all come out of the same el-crappo chinese factory. At least costco has a good returns policy.

 

[WhitleyStu]

In mid August I purchased a RECON Ranger from RECON Power Bikes in Fort Wayne since I could actually ride one rather than shop online for my first bike. The only other option was the rather expensive TREKs at several local bike shops. I wanted one to exercise my knees and hips to lower my pain level. It's working!!! I have 370 miles on the bike already. RECON sells these bikes to Secret Service, FBI, Border Patrol and thousands of other law enforcements departments around the world.
I wanted a "do everything-go any where" for my first bike. In the future I would like to have a full suspension mountain bike like a Frey or Luna Cycle.

 

[skeets]

Last fat tire bike I had was on the Fat Boy

 

[Vlach7]

My wife and I have a Velowave Ranger, $1600 Amazon, and a Rad Rover "Step thru six plus", $2100 on line, we love them, need a good quality rack, I welded brace inside the rack for extra strength, bikes 70lbs each, took them cross country behind our truck camper, almost anywhere people hike we rode our bikes, you will ride more, great exercise or not, 40-50 miles per charge with assistance, 10-15 miles battery only, get high quality locks, thieves love them, forget using a cable, easily cut, we remove the 10lb batteries to lighten for the rack and deter the thieves.

 

[lugbolt]

place i worke for got vandalized by a guy on a fat tire bike. Broke into the boss's rv, busted out the TV's (expensive ones at that), broke a window in the building came in and destroyed a bunch of stuff on the showroom. Got into the electronics store next door too and did some stuff in there. Stole nothing that we can see, but got a great up-close photo of him while he was trying to bust out a camera. Guy was out of the store by 0715. I got to work at 0725 so I missed him by 10 min. Better be glad too because growing up the way I did, I don't put up with that stuff and I learned that the cops take forever to show up

 

[rc51stierhoff]

Been thinking about getting me one of these, thought I'd ask for some input.
Any preferred brands or brands to stay away from?
Features to look for or stay clear of?
I have seen prices from less than $300 to over $7100.
Thanks in advance.

Good day. I have a Trek Stash (I’d call it more of a chubby bike than a fat bike ). I don’t have any experience in a true fat bike….the stash is what I use for off road use including on sand and when we travel we typically take it (much better for all around use for us then our gravel or road bikes). IMO a fat tire bike is not for all day touring…but on the beach or trail or towns with crappy streets or something it’s just fine. Depending on how you plan to use the bike I think the gear set you choose and the seat/ergonomics are most important. Unless you really need more than one front chain ring a single fr ring sure simplifies things. Stash has a single front ring. After getting that, I wish one of my road bikes just had a single fr ring for days not doing many hills(I am usually only on one ring anyway and makes tuning way easier). If planning to ride on sand be sure about the gearing. Once you figure out the air pressure for the different types of terrain you love the ride…it’s like an old school caddy or Buick when you let some air out. Good luck.

 

[Lil Foot]

Brought one of these home today:

Farley 5 - Trek Bikes

Discover your next great ride with 37018_2023. See the bike and visit your local Trek retailer. Shop now!

www.trekbikes.com

It is awesome!

 

[Lil Foot]

And if you are not familiar with the tires:

 

[rc51stierhoff]

Brought one of these home today:

Farley 5 - Trek Bikes

Discover your next great ride with 37018_2023. See the bike and visit your local Trek retailer. Shop now!

www.trekbikes.com

It is awesome!

Looks like a wheelie machine…a regular hooligan bike…awesome. At a glance it looks similar to a Stache? But maybe a little fatter tires…also looks like it has some extra mounting holes in the frame/forks to add racks…should be fun.

 

[Lil Foot]

Not familiar with the Stache, did a search on Trek and only came up with 2 Stache frame upgrades.
Tires are 27.5 x 4.5.
One of the techs at the dealer used to own a Farley 5 two years ago & commented on how much they have improved over such a short time- many more mounting holes, better tires, fatter rear tire, (used to be a 3.8) better brakes, better shifter, dropper post.
He said he was seriously considering buying a new one.

Did a short ride at the dealer, and another last night at home, really looking forward to getting back into shape, but I'm planning on taking it slow with this old bod.

 

[Lil Foot]

Kinda funny- I don't have the balance I had when I was younger, so I searched for methods to improve balance.
Top of the list was "Ride a Bike"

 

[rc51stierhoff]

Pedal harder maybe…wheels act like big gyros when under power they try to stay vertical. Drinking less alcohol can improve balance as well but I don’t see that as a reasonable long term solution.

 

[skeets]

Every bike run I have been on where we stopped along the way,,, Always 2 wheels, 2 drinks

 

[Lil Foot]

Did 16+ miles last night.
Found out that these lights, while great for letting traffic know you are there, are completely inadequate for illuminating miles of unlighted canal bank trails.

KTV DRIVE PRO SMART PAIR

The KTV Pro Smart Pair is the most advanced pair of cycling lights for commuters and cyclists. The pair comes equipped with our Smart Connect wireless technology, which allows the bike lights to be quickly programmed and customized by the companion LED Ally phone app. Max lumens: 200 front, 75 rear.

ride.lezyne.com

I will add this one for the next night time ride.
It came highly recommended by a shop owner who rides the same canal trail.

Swift™ 300 Front Bike Light

The Swift™ 300 bicycle front LED headlight gives you more than enough lumens at our lightest weight for headlights (82 grams). NiteRider® makes this headlight USB rechargeable for convenient on-the-go charging.

www.niterider.com

 

[DaveFromMi]

I would get a gel seat for the bike. Looks great!

 

[civlized]

I got one very similar to this one several years ago. It's from addmotor.com. Was around $1500 when I got mine. Almost had a stroke paying that much for a bicycle, but it was well worth it. We use when camping and my wife just hops on with me. Plenty of power. Only time I pedal is going up steep hills with 2 people. I see they have gone up a little, now. Would not go camping without it.

 

[Lil Foot]

I would get a gel seat for the bike. Looks great!

Thanks, already done!

 

[cthomas]

I have a Specialized bike that is carbon-fiber down in the basement that has 2 flat tires, does this count?

 

[bird dogger]

Did 16+ miles last night.
Found out that these lights, while great for letting traffic know you are there, are completely inadequate for illuminating miles of unlighted canal bank trails.

KTV DRIVE PRO SMART PAIR

The KTV Pro Smart Pair is the most advanced pair of cycling lights for commuters and cyclists. The pair comes equipped with our Smart Connect wireless technology, which allows the bike lights to be quickly programmed and customized by the companion LED Ally phone app. Max lumens: 200 front, 75 rear.

ride.lezyne.com

I will add this one for the next night time ride.
It came highly recommended by a shop owner who rides the same canal trail.

Swift™ 300 Front Bike Light

The Swift™ 300 bicycle front LED headlight gives you more than enough lumens at our lightest weight for headlights (82 grams). NiteRider® makes this headlight USB rechargeable for convenient on-the-go charging.

www.niterider.com

16+ miles......that's impressive!