I picked up MT biking this summer and love it.  I'm really looking to stay active this winter so I figured a fatbike might be in the cards.  I'm looking to buy one from bikesdirect for like $500.  It will mostly be used in the snow on singletrack trails.  I'm hoping that you can still get some good speed on these things?

My buddy has one of the super fat tired ones (Surly, I think?) that he rides to work when there is snow on the path.








 

 

The rubber is a lot of mass to spin.  Consider it a good quad work out.  Go for it!!!!!

Fatbikes are buy once cry once items. You will NOT be satisfied with a 500 bikesdirect bike. Ask me how I know. Also they aren't even true fatbikes You need to upgrade the hubs and tires to something a bit beefier. They are more like heavy mountain bikes.

I was just looking at them last night, I really want to try one out too.

Take a close look at the components before you buy a bike from Bikes Direct.

I bought a Gravity road bike from them a year ago and, while I do like the bike, had to replace the shifters and front derailleur cause they were shit (Microshift).

What in the world. Lol

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I run a fatback 190x platform It is the tits. I bought previous model year and used saved me almost $1K. The bike was like new they had a trip computer installed and it literally had 5 miles on it. It just wasnt what the first owner thought or they didn't realize they were so out of shape

How big is the cassette on that one?

I want to get one for riding the local hard packed trail that runs through the National park.
I have snowshoed it and its a beautiful trip in the winter and would love to bike it year round.

For $181 bucks, how can you go wrong?

http://www.walmart.com/ip/26-Mongoose-Beast-Men-s-Oversized-All-Terrain-Bike/22861845

Seen that, about 45-50lbs

Surly FTW.

Salsa is making one called the Bucksaw that's full squish and geared. You can get a Salsa Beargrease in a full carbon build as well. Some guy got his down to low 20's. Now that's just going to be crazy fun right there. I would ride that all day regardless of snow and mud. Singletrack rollers and jumps would be a blast on that.

A fatbike is on my short Christmas list this year and I live in GA. Snow is irrelevant, the fun factor is not.

If your LBS has a demo day with Trek, they just released a fatbike this year. Go try it and you will see what I'm talking about.

 

A used one that someone bought and didn't like.

Try pinkbike maybe.

Look for a used 1st gen surly puglsey. They were 1,100-1,200 new should be able to find a used one around 700-900

You're hoping for speed on a fat bike? Yeah, there's speed if you're going down a big ass hill. Otherwise, it's pretty much the recipe for a slow ride - big tires, big contact patch with knobs, big rims and lots of rotating mass.

 

I live in NE Iowa, I don't ride but several acquaintances do and the group grows every year. They live for winter.

 

+1
The reason most of us here go through the hassle of becoming high earners is so we can buy nice stuff.

All over the place down here except the tires are a street tread and they call them beach bikes.

I'm wanting a fattie!

I just bought a Surly Moonlander, not even 5 feet of distance put on her, the 1st ride is Thursday.
I ride a Raleigh Talos 5 with 2.2" wide tires that does me pretty good, but there are some trails that are loose and sandy that suck to ride, and the Surly will be for those.

A pic to compare tire size to my other bike, they are both 26" tires.



And another of the bike. The pic was intended to compare tires, not show the bike per se, and I'm at work, so I don't have a better one to share.

This is what we do here in the twin cities, all year long.  I personally run two fat bikes.  One w/ 65mm rims, light tubes, and "lighter" tires.  The other has 100mm wide rims and the biggest baddest tires out there, a bud and lou.  Both bikes are made by 9:zero:7.  The 3.8" wide build has a 135mm offset rear and the 4.8" build is a 190mm spaced symmetrical rear.

The skinny fatbike is a blast to ride, and by NO MEANS SLOW.  It is all about the motor on these things.  The only thing that gets you is going up hills.  Other than that they are just as fast as a normal mountain bike on hard surfaces.  On single track it is a wash, what you loose in acceleration you make up for in cornering potential.  Now when things get loose, is where these bike shine.  You don't tend to dig as much as a 2.* wide bike, you float over the top to some extent.  The wider the tire the more float you have.   I tend to put about 1,000 miles a year on this ride and is my favorite bicycle to ride. So much so that my two 29er's mostly sit around.

Now the bike with the 4.8 wide tires, this is a whole different animal.  The tires are draggy and slow on hard surfaces.  It takes a dedicated effort to keep moving at a decent pace.  You pay a price in speed that you make up for in loose and soft conditions.  This bike goes where my other fat bike struggles or fails.  Thing sugar sand along the Minnesota River Bottoms after a flood, and crazy snow conditions.  This is my go to bike when things get shitty.

Now, to your question.  Spend the money and get a 190mm spaced frame.  You will not regret it as you can always get a second set of lighter less aggressive tires for fare weather riding.  When winter comes along with the snow, you have the option to go big on the tires.  You will see your friends on the 3.8" tires struggle as you just keep trucking through.  I won't waste your time or money on the super cheap models as you will regret it a few months down the road when you figure out what fat biking is all about.  The bikes direct Lurch model is probably the ideal bike for the price right now as you get all the new standards that just came out this year.  190mm rear and a 150mm front hub spacing.

http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/motobecane/fat-bikes/fat-bikes-lurch-x9-fatbikes.htm







FYI: My first fat bike was a surly pugsley, frame cracked with in two years of use.  Was heavy and flexy like a wet noodle.  Geometry sucked ass, and handled like crap.

 

Another cost effect fat bike to get into that is really popular around here for minimal cost is the Framed Minnesota 2.0.  These bikes go for $900 new and come with two sets of wheels.  Fatbike wheels and 29er wheels.  You can sell the 29er wheels for $200 and now you have a $700 fat bike.

http://www.the-house.com/fat-bikes.html?gclid=CKP8uvz5w8ACFRMLMgod_H8AyA


High end are: $2k+ for most models

Salsa
9:Zero:7
Fatback
Borealis
LeMere
Carver
And a few more


Don't forget this amazing resource!

http://forums.mtbr.com/fat-bikes/

 

XL would be a good size for you.  I'm roughly 6'1" 205# and my XL fits me perfect.  The other is a Large and it is a little on the small side.

My wife says I can't spend that much money on another bike right now, so you'd make me jealous.

I just bought this one a few weeks back and I'm loving it.

http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/motobecane/fat-bikes/fantom-fat-bikes_fb4comp_xiv.htm

It was my first bike purchase in 25 years. I'm either going to buy a suspension fork and another set of 29er wheels for it or a whole other bike to ride the gravel roads around the house. and save the Fat Tires for the sandbars and the snow.

Here's a few picks of my Motobecane FB4 Comp.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjpynA62_xY

My video skills suck, but this is why I bought a fat bike. I plan on doing some riding on the sandbars on the river.

Does that use a coaster brake?

Seriously.


I thought when I went to 35mm  tires I was on a fatbike.

Specialized
Scott
Surly
Salsa

All make really nice fatbikes. The Specialized Fatboy is aluminum, I recently rode one on our regular Wednesday morning hill climb ride and smashed a lot of guys on regular mountain bikes.

The Scott is a good deal because you can get one with a suspension fork (RockShox Bluto) at a relatively decent price.

The Salsa Mukluk is a great bike, but a little heavy compared to the Specialized and Scott.

The Surly is a great bike, and the fatbike that started it all, but its probably a better choice for those trans-Alaska mid winter bikepacking trips than shredding on your local trails in the summer.

The newest generation of alloy and carbon fatbikes are VERY fast, and very fun to ride on all trails, regardless of the season.