Supporting Member
Get the Carve. I know all the cool kids are riding fatties, but you're going to enjoy having a better primary bike overall. Changing the fork isn't going to help making the handling better much. A bike with more race like geometry (like the carve) is going to be a lot more responsive.
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Poser
Upgrading from a stock, low-end OEM fork to a high-end fork from Rock Shox or Fox would be the single biggest upgrade he could make, over upgrading the stock wheelset to a custom set of course. Don't be absurd. ;-)Originally Posted by Gunchie
"ya, well...that's like...your...opinion. man."
Supporting Member
I didn't say it wouldn't be a sufficient upgrade, just that the bike geometry is going to help with making the bike more responsive more than the fork is. My race bike has the same fork as my fullie, but it's a lot more responsive because of the race geometry. The Carve sits between race and recreational so it would be more responsive than what he has, but still a good trail bike. I understand that durability is a concern, and the Carve Expert does come with double walled alloy wheels. It was just featured in Bicycling Mag: http://www.bicycling.com/mountainbik...d-carve-expert. He may not be a racer, but power-to-weight ratio is already against him. Why would he want to drag himself down more with bad rolling resistance? Fat bikes are fun, but I'd buy a good trail bike first, fattie second. But that is coming from the opinion of a racer, so take it for what it's worth.
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FORC'n Newbie
Meh. I will ultimately enter races, but at my age, 42 and size, I'm not worried about racing for the win; I would be racing to not be last. After 6 years of motorcycle roadracing and mediocre finishes, I'm fine with not setting the racing world on fire, as long as I'm having fun.
Lance Lau
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FORC'n Newbie
This...
... and this. That SR Suntour XCT 80mm fork with its 28mm stanchions is terrible. I hated mine and even the next step up XCM fork was a noticeable upgrade. A Reba or Fox would be a substantial upgrade indeed. A Reba fork and a set of Flows turned my cheapo Raleigh into a very enjoyable bike that I can ride year round even in the snow and sand. Some Ardent 2.4 tires on a set of P-35s or Gordos would give you some added float on soft surfaces albeit not as much as a fat bike.
I thought my fat bike was the bees knees and I would even admit I may have been a little bit obsessed with it. I could go anywhere and do anything! After a few months the honeymoon phase begins to wind down. The cost of maintenance begins to tear the relationship apart. I reckon owning a fat bike is akin to owning a Volvo.
My bottom bracket lasted 3 months. Luckily a replacement was only 40 bucks. I went through countless tubes which the cost of can add up rather quickly at 7 to 10 bucks a piece. There are ghetto tubeless tutorials on the web but after about 50 posts of failures and issues it turns out not to be the panacea for flats and weight reduction you'd hoped it would be.
Get a flat out on the trail, tubed or tubeless, and you will most likely end up walking. A frame pump takes forever to inflate a fat tire to a pressure that will allow you to ride out cautiously. Planning to carry spare tubes? A fat tire tube is a 6"x4" cylinder. Better have a lot of room in your backpack. You could carry standard 26er or 29er tubes but they scrub through and have a tendency to rupture at the seam near the valve stem. Slit a sidewall on a fat tire and you are out at least 90 bucks if you want a decent tire. You can get cheap Vee Rubber or Origin8 tires that weigh 1800 grams and roll like molasses for ~50 bucks.
When I sold my fat bike I was sad to see it go, but I was relieved at the same time. I've ridden my 29er in all the same places I rode my fat bike, with a slight change in technique of course. I feel the 29er does even better in places where there are big rocks and other things you can't necessarily plow over. The taller, narrower BB has considerably less pedal strikes than my fat bike, which could pedal strike a snail had it been in the way.
The good news is if you fall out of love with your fat bike you can easily sell it for close to what you paid for it since people are lining up for new and used fatties. Then you can put the proceeds toward a very nice fork, a bomb-proof wheelset, a pair of high volume tires, and have enough left over for a six-pack of the finest ale this side of the Atlantic.
Poser
have 'em both. not even close to the float of a true fat tire (3.8"+)
really?? all the dudes I've been riding with have had their fatties for over a year - none of 'em have replaced a BB...and that's with the BB completely submerged in the high quality water of the Mississippi River.
what pressures were you running? the only flats I've seen guys get were from sidewall slits or pinch flats 'cuz there wasn't enough pressure. run the correct pressure for the terrain and you should be fine. but, all bikes flat - not just fatties.
which consequently results in a less than 1 mile walk back to the parking lot at any of our trail systems. the longest being ScoCoPa, which at anytime you're right near the road so you can basically coast back to the trailhead.
gotta pay to play.
horses for courses. there's no One-Bike-to-Rule-Them-All, but for gigantic's needs I believe the fat bike is gonna bring him greater joy over the other option.
"ya, well...that's like...your...opinion. man."
Supporting Member
Got my first fat bike last fall a used Pugsley and rode it everywhere (don't ride a bike to count miles) and never had any problems or replaced any parts not even a flat. Traded it in this fall for a new Mukluk and rode it everywhere, just got my first flat on a fat bike the other day at Sylvan. Nothin wrong with a fat bike, best bike ever!
"I've spent half of my life riding a bike, the other half I wasted!"
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