My On-One Fatty: one year on.
Just over a year ago I finished building a fat bike; an On-One Fatty in small. It took ages to build - getting on for two years. Not my fault that one. At the time I wanted it built around a Bluto, and there were limited hubs available. Also my bike shop was less than helpful, taking almost six months to build the wheels.
Once built I loved it. Took a bit of fettling to get the tyre pressures happy, as it was either too hard or running as if flat. In the end I think I just got used to it, as my method of determining tyre pressure involves nothing more than a squeeze. Once used to the tyres I enjoyed the playful nature of the bike. It really seemed up for anything.
One month in the playful nature of the bike resulted in a broken collarbone on a group ride. Three months off thanks, over Christmas.
Four months in, hardly ridden, the crapy Surly bottom bracket seized solid. Just a mess of rust. The axle and chain ring bolts were also solid rust. Guess which brand I'll avoid in future?
Nothing else has gone wrong. The Bluto is fine, as is the Decathlon £30 dropper post. The bike just goes on, and on. The tyres, Panararacer Fat B Nimble are odd in that they do not grip well. The Brooks saddle went VERY quickly. Horrid thing.
In short I love the bike.
Up to a point. And that point is after 25 miles. After that the legs start to go. Sure I've done 110km rides on it. It's a bike after all and can be ridden. It's just that the drag from the tyres is hard work. As is the 18kg mass uphill. I'm also unsure as to my ride position, given that I use Jones bars. They are comfy, and the look is great. At 500g they do not help the overall bike mass.
Have to mention punctures. They take ages to fix!
Where does it shine? Rough trails. Places where their are no trails. Snow, sand and mud with low pressure tyres. Lone rides. Night rides.
Fail? Long distances. Trail centres are a chore. Riding with a fast mate. Getting on to a roof rack, or dismantling to get inside a car - these bikes are huge.
Would I get another? Or rather, if I was to buy another bike, would it be fat? Probably not. For most riding 4" tyres are fun, yet for me a little limiting. They are just too much. I'd be interested in 2.8" or 3.0" widths. 80% of my rides, the fat bike is fine. It's just when riding with faster trends, they see my usual slowness as being the bikes fault. I'm always at the back, yet on a similar bike to theirs, one that is not fat, I'm not so far back. Perhaps new ride buddies is the answer?
If I always rode solo, never bothered with trail centres (and to be fair, I hardly ever do), or was able to add an hour or two to a longer ride (or just eat less crap), a fatty would be great. I really quite like mine - certainly more than any of the full suspension bikes; preferring to take fat over my Orange 5.
Once again
Just over a year ago I finished building a fat bike; an On-One Fatty in small. It took ages to build - getting on for two years. Not my fault that one. At the time I wanted it built around a Bluto, and there were limited hubs available. Also my bike shop was less than helpful, taking almost six months to build the wheels.
Once built I loved it. Took a bit of fettling to get the tyre pressures happy, as it was either too hard or running as if flat. In the end I think I just got used to it, as my method of determining tyre pressure involves nothing more than a squeeze. Once used to the tyres I enjoyed the playful nature of the bike. It really seemed up for anything.
One month in the playful nature of the bike resulted in a broken collarbone on a group ride. Three months off thanks, over Christmas.
Four months in, hardly ridden, the crapy Surly bottom bracket seized solid. Just a mess of rust. The axle and chain ring bolts were also solid rust. Guess which brand I'll avoid in future?
Nothing else has gone wrong. The Bluto is fine, as is the Decathlon £30 dropper post. The bike just goes on, and on. The tyres, Panararacer Fat B Nimble are odd in that they do not grip well. The Brooks saddle went VERY quickly. Horrid thing.
In short I love the bike.
Up to a point. And that point is after 25 miles. After that the legs start to go. Sure I've done 110km rides on it. It's a bike after all and can be ridden. It's just that the drag from the tyres is hard work. As is the 18kg mass uphill. I'm also unsure as to my ride position, given that I use Jones bars. They are comfy, and the look is great. At 500g they do not help the overall bike mass.
Have to mention punctures. They take ages to fix!
Where does it shine? Rough trails. Places where their are no trails. Snow, sand and mud with low pressure tyres. Lone rides. Night rides.
Fail? Long distances. Trail centres are a chore. Riding with a fast mate. Getting on to a roof rack, or dismantling to get inside a car - these bikes are huge.
Would I get another? Or rather, if I was to buy another bike, would it be fat? Probably not. For most riding 4" tyres are fun, yet for me a little limiting. They are just too much. I'd be interested in 2.8" or 3.0" widths. 80% of my rides, the fat bike is fine. It's just when riding with faster trends, they see my usual slowness as being the bikes fault. I'm always at the back, yet on a similar bike to theirs, one that is not fat, I'm not so far back. Perhaps new ride buddies is the answer?
If I always rode solo, never bothered with trail centres (and to be fair, I hardly ever do), or was able to add an hour or two to a longer ride (or just eat less crap), a fatty would be great. I really quite like mine - certainly more than any of the full suspension bikes; preferring to take fat over my Orange 5.
Once again
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