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Fat Bikes Fat Biking

Ron

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I believe you can get by with the + tube on snow. I dont ride with one. Our base is typically a few feet. there is little chance for a puncture that sealant wont heal. And I ride the the dynaplug

And, it is sweet. :). credit goes to Routt County Riders (IMBA)
 

Ron

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@Tom K. a 27x 4 tires doesnt exist I believe but you can run 3.8's. depending on the snow you are riding, it will be more than adequate especially with studs. the 4.5 just gives added float and surface contact. (think snowshoe).
 

firebanex

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@Ron I should mention I'm running 4.6" Dillinger 5's and I weight 210.. but it seems to work as a starting point for most of the people I ride with.

I know in the summer time you can get by with a smaller tube, should be fine in the winter until it gets really cold out. Long as it gets you back home it should be fine! I still have not converted to tubeless with my set up, mainly because the tubes haven't given me an issue that would make me want to change it.
 

Ron

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I wouldn't go narrower than 4.5's personally but he's limited to 3.8's. those should be fine on hard packed snow/groomed trails. I haven't looked up the Bear grease to see if he could run a wider 26 but I really love the how the bike rides with 27.5's. DO you have much climbing there? Tubeless takes so much weight off the bike. We are riding the same trails as summer here so a typical ride is still 1500' of climbing.
 

firebanex

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Interwebz says he could go up to 26x5 in the front and 26x4.6 in the rear on 100mm rims. Local consensus for my conditions and trails is that 27.5 doesn't offer much advantage for a pure winter snow bike. As a 4 season bike it is a good advantage with the larger wheel size.

Considering that my fat bike already weighs less than my full sus.. not really concerned with that weight cause I'll just add another bag and things to bring. The trails we ride in the winter are all very different from the summer trails, winter lets us cross so much more terrain and go places we can't even get to in the summer. Typically these trails are dog mushing or snowmachine trails, the grades are not too bad and it's less climbing than summer rides for sure. Sweat is the enemy and climbing makes you sweat a lot.
 

Ron

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yeah, really different there, I've ridden 26"'s and the 27.5 just rolls so much nicer IMHO especially on long sustained climbs, Part of that though is head angle. Sweat is the enemy for sure.
 

Ron

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@Tom K. Check out the 45NRTH Van Helga 4.0's. these will most likely fit your frame.

 
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Tom K.

Tom K.

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@Tom K. Check out the 45NRTH Van Helga 4.0's. these will most likely fit your frame.

I. Will. Not. Get. Sucked. In. :ogbiggrin:

Sticking with the Dillingers for now. Might even stud them........time will tell.
 

Ron

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Why resist what you know you cannot? :). Studs will only help with ice. wider will increase float. OK, ride those for a while and see how they do.
 

Slim

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Not sure what you typically carry with you, but adding a frame bag and/or a large saddle bag is nicer than a backpack in my opinion. Extra storage space for things and layers plus it makes you look like a hardcore winter fat biker.

Grats on the bike! Swap for a GX shifter to make the shifting feel so much better.
+1 on the frame bag (and the pogies btw)

4 reasons:
  • Waterbottles freeze, and Thermos/hydroflask fit poorly in bottle cages. Frame bag solves this.
  • You should absolutely carry a warm jacket*, and might want to carry spare gloves**
  • Spare fatbike tubes are big.
  • I prefer not to use a backpack in winter, to avoid a sweaty back.

*when active, we don’t wear much for clothes. Plus, they get damp from snow or sweat. As soon as you stop, for something as minimal as a broken chain or flat tire, you start cooling off very quickly.

** Sometimes your hands get cold, even in the same temperature as a different day. Frozen hands mean poor control. A pair of warmer gloves is a good insurance.
 

Slim

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I was told I could "get by" with a 27.5+ tube for flat repair. Opinions? I've got two that will never be used.



Now THAT would be sweet!
I would use a 26+ tube. Since you are inflating it bigger than intended, the diameter will also increase.
yes it works.
 

Slim

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I. Will. Not. Get. Sucked. In. :ogbiggrin:

Sticking with the Dillingers for now. Might even stud them........time will tell.
I would not switch out Dillingers for Vanhelga. Dillinger is a pretty nice Allround tire. Surprisingly good traction, both uphill and cornering, for how fast rolling it is.

More importantly, you need studs. (unless, like @Ron, you always have feet of snow on the ground). Remember, side hills, Exposed to sun means meltwater sooner or later. Combined with heavy use, and warm ups, and most areas will see some ice sooner or later. early and late season also means ice. Plus, one reason to fatbike is when skiing is poor: icy refreezing , freezing rain etc.

Yes studs are expensive. Buy a cheaper bike if needed. When studs first came out, plenty of people here in Minnsepta said you don’t need them. Note that, a few years in, everyone has them.

If yours are not studded yet, buy some of the aggressive studs. If you must save some money, skip the center of the rear tire, but do all side knobs and all knobs on the front tire. If your front wheel goes, you go down hard, right away.

And put gripstuds in your boots. If it’s so icy and off camber that you can’t ride with studded tires, and you put a foot down, an in studded boot won’t help..


We groom our own trails with the mtb club. Most clubs in MN do.
 

Slim

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Why resist what you know you cannot? :). Studs will only help with ice. wider will increase float. OK, ride those for a while and see how they do.
But it won’t be wider will it? Van Helga 27.5 is only 4”, just like the Dillinger 4
@Tom K. has right?


You could run a Dillinger 5 or Gnarwhal in the front. The only time I have wanted a fatter tire in front was for riding on frozen crust/sheet ice on creeks. In those cases, the fatter the better. For regular packed snow riding I wouldn’t bother (not at the price of fatbike tires).
 
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Slim

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My starting test for tire pressure it stand over the bike, and push down with all your weight on the handle bars, (fro front) and then on the saddle(for rear).

Tire should compress about halfway down.
This way, it corrects for surface firmness. In order to get the tire to compres in soft snow, you need lower pressure.
 

Slim

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Don't think that you can take off and ride on any random, winter trail. That 18" path that people walk / snowshoe / XC shuffle (they call it skiing) on? Totally miserable. Inconsistent. Come out of the 18" track, you hit deep, unconsolidated snow, and fall over.

Haha, I usually think that is part of the fun! It makes it challenging and hard work, both mentally and physically. So I usually mix that with gravel roads, snowmobile trails or such, bit of everything.

Groomed fatbike trails are a ton of fun to. close to MTB riding in summer.
Gravity helps too. If you live in the mountains, you can ride up gravel roads and descend on singletrack, even if it’s not groomed.

And finally, one of the best things about fatbikes, is you can ride where there are NO trails at all:
  • Beaches
  • frozen lakes(with little or no snow)
  • Frozen rivers. You need to hit this right, to get some overflow ice to form, so you are not wallowing in deep snow. Or enough snowshoers to pack it down
  • Crust riding in spring Or after a freezing rain event. Suddenly, you can ride straight through the woods!
For most of these places, you want the biggest, fattest tire possible, and studs. Skinnier tires will break through the crust

E43D9EC5-638D-4D52-B215-5B6549F0C1FE.jpeg
 
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Tom K.

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.....get a second wheelset....

When I mentioned the possibility of another wheelset to my wife, her response was "just two sets total?". We've been married a LONG time! I'll just have to figure out which way to go with all your guys help and mikesee's input. No hurry, but I suspect the D4s will end up on some go-fast light rims, and studded tires on the stock Mulefoot SLs.

My starting test for tire pressure it stand over the bike, and push down with all your weight on the handle bars, (fro front) and then on the saddle(for rear).

Tire should compress about halfway down.
This way, it corrects for surface firmness. In order to get the tire to compres in soft snow, you need lower pressure.

So far, at 195 lbs, I'm finding that 7.5F and 6R is working out pretty well in snow, and a bit firmer when it's a mix of snow and bare dirt on the trails.

Does that sound crazy on D4s?
 

Slim

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So far, at 195 lbs, I'm finding that 7.5F and 6R is working out pretty well in snow, and a bit firmer when it's a mix of snow and bare dirt on the trails.

Does that sound crazy on D4s?
I sounds unusual to have more pressure in the front than in the rear.
For snow, that still sounds a bit on the high side, but it it’s working, great! If you are leaving a rut, air down.(as long as you aren’t dinging the rim to much).

I wouldn’t be so quick to ditch the Dillinger’s. I still think they are one of the best all round tires out there, balancing grip, rolling resistance, tubeless set up and studable.

I just noticed I have a few bags of (new)studs in my basement, changed my mind about buying an unstudded tire. Let me know if you are interested. I promise it would be cheaper than your dental and ortho deductible :ogbiggrin:

PS: you made me laugh out loud with your wife’s quote. My girls asked what was going on :roflmao:
 
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Tom K.

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I sounds unusual to have more pressure in the front than in the rear.

Good catch.

I got that backwards, and didn't notice until it was too late to edit. Not sure why the edit option has a time limit, so

6 front, 7.5 rear.
 

Slim

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I would stud the 27.5 D4‘s and that will be your fast/firm conditions wheelset. On Mulefut, or a lighter wheel set, no big difference except a few grams.
After all, if it‘s firm, studs will more likely come in handy, and (except on pavement) they don’t slow you down.
Or keep them unstudded as a summer set.

You can fit 27.5 Dillinger 5 on the Beargrease . I assume Gnarwhal 4.5 also. (I have read listed width of 4.2” for that on 80mm rims).
In 26”, most of us like the Dillinger 5 better than the 4, generally speaking. It doesn’t really roll any slower, and gives you a bit more float(= reduced rolling resistance) and traction. I am assuming the same would hold true for 27.5.

Those I would for sure stud, as 27.5x~4.4 will be a great all round option, decent float and traction, but still narrow to roll fast on firm snow too. Would be good on ice too.

Then get a set of big wide rims and aggressive treaded tires for soft snow/exploration.
Listed max for 26” wheels is 4.6” tires on 100mm rims, so I bet you could run 4.8 (Surly Lou or Johny 5) on 90mm rim (Alex Blizzerk). Then up front you can run 100mm rim with 4.8”
 
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Pierre

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I look at studded fat bike tires as much cheaper than health insurance deductibles. I have fully studded Terrene Wazia 4.6" fully studded from the factory. I tend to run about 6-7lb front and 7-8lbs rear tire pressures. Me and the normal loaded winter bike weight about 280- 300lbs.
 

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