From Bicycle To Fatbike, The Titan Of Bikes

Bicycle - the embodiment of freedom of movement. It does not require rights and gasoline and is inexpensive and unpretentious to use. Every bicycle lover knows the feeling of enthusiasm that the bike gives. As well as a sense of annoyance when two-wheeled vehicles get stuck in the mud or sand. Are there bikes that can ride everywhere? They exist, and their popularity is growing every year. These are created to overcome routes of any complexity. Even though they are increasingly found on the streets, many still see the heavy-wheeled bicycle as nothing more than a toy, wondering why an E-fat bike is needed.

From Fatbike History

The first mention of a fatbike was found in the American bicycle edition in 1932. One of the rooms depicts a man on a bicycle with thick wheels. But in those days, few took the revolutionary idea seriously.

The official father of the fat bike is Mark Grunwald, and his birthplace is Alaska. For the first time in history, the inventor stretched 3-inch tires on 80 mm rims to a width of 3.5 inches. The resulting bike rode perfectly in the snow, which was its primary task. 

Mark also came up with the name Fatbike.

The first serial bike of mass production was the famous Surly Pugsley, who made a revolution in the world of bicycles. Today, many models of fatbikes are produced on various equipment using the latest technologies: carbon and titanium frames, soft shock absorber and rigid, rigid forks, rims, and other components. The mass popularization of a bike with a mountain bike character and high cross-country ability is not surprising: a fat bike is unique.

Any off-road ability is a verified fact for it. To understand what a fat bike is for, let's see how it works.

The thick wheels allow you to conquer the most challenging areas - a distinctive feature and the main advantage of a fat bike. Tire widths range from 3.5 to 4.8 inches - much larger than a regular bike (2 inches). The wheels are unique in their versatility. With low tire pressure (about 5-7 PSI), fat easily overcomes bumps and bumps. Its wheels “spread” over the surface, creating a high adhesion spot, concealing irregularities, and reducing pressure on the surface. This ensures an all-terrain fatbike. With increased pressure (20-25 PSI), a bicycle rolls on smooth roads no worse than a mountain one. Having picked up the correct pressure in tires, it is possible to noticeably facilitate driving on a particular terrain site.

Differences between fat bikes from other bicycles:

• Thick wide tires;
• Wide steering wheel (720 mm);
• The geometry of the frame and forks (the edge of the rear triangle are curved to fit the "thick" wheel)
• Disc brake system (mechanical or hydraulic);
• Weight ranges from 12 to 19 kg.

For What An Electric Fatbike Isneeded

What could be even more potent than a brutal fatbike with its characteristics? Only an electric fatbike! But why do you need a regular fatbike with a motor if there is a regular fatbike?

• A modern modification of the popular SUV bike allows it to overcome long distances and develop unprecedented speed, applying minimal effort. Electric bicycles are equipped with engines of various power (1000 W power is considered optimal) and batteries. Thanks to the motor, the fat bike is much easier to cope with loose soil, bumps, grass, and other "delights" of impassability. The weight of an electric motorbike is usually higher. But its dynamics, maneuverability, and speed are still the same. The simple operation only requires certain skills, and most importantly: If the battery runs out and there is no cherished outlet nearby, you can get home by pedaling.
• The popularity of this bike is increasing every year. The productivity of the electric fat bike is many times higher than a simple fat bike or mountain bike. With the support of an electric motor, you can appreciate the charm of extreme off-road driving!
• A bike with thick wheels on electric traction allows you to ride for your pleasure, regardless of the season and road conditions! Subjugate the terrain, making it a pleasant addition to the walk and not an obstacle. Ride along sandy beaches and rocky soils, wetlands and mud of the “eightieth level,” snow and firn. Visibly expand the geography of tourist bike rides! To shock and amaze the audience! That's why there is a bike with thick wheels!
• You should not expect the impossible from a fatbike - sometimes, it is better to go around an obstacle than to rush ahead. Experienced fatbikers do just that. However, exciting new sensations from riding a fatbike are guaranteed! Most likely, you want to stay on the same bike.

In Nordic countries, bicycles with wide wheels are considered the norm; they ride them all year round without fear of being stuck in a snowdrift. Some cyclists use such units for physical activity.

But Why Should You Buy Such A Bike?

For a little over a week, I rode a fatbike, and from everything I understood something about these unusual bicycles: for whom, for what and when?

Let's Start With "For Who?"

In fact, this category of riders can be attributed to anyone. Especially such a bike will appeal to beginners and insecure cyclists. It adds confidence and a sense of permissiveness, wanting to experience it to the maximum.

And what this maximum will be like depends on your skills and sense of self-preservation. Also, it will be an opening for experienced cyclists; you will open the other side of the mountain bike medal.

For What?

For fun! It is unlikely that you will beat speed records on asphalt, just as you will not conquer the highest summit in the country. However, you will go where you previously did not even dare to think about such a thing. Rides smoothly and decisively. You don’t need to “catch” it under you all the time, especially on an “interesting” surface. You just ride and enjoy your trip.

When?

The best thing is always, all year round! You can use such a bike in summer, autumn, and spring. Of course, the most exciting time for him is still in the winter, especially when there's snow. Where other bicycles will no longer ride, the bike will calmly row with its 4-inch cover. It can and should be used for a year.

It takes time to inflate large tires. The same goes for new trends. Look at the Pugsley model from the brand Surly, paving the way for the rest. At the time of its appearance in 2005, this bike had no analogs. Thanks to the 3.8-inch tires, it resembled a jeep, easily overcoming everything on its path.

Despite the proportions of the fatbike, one trip is enough to understand the advantages of this category. The wide 3.8-inch tires create a huge contact spot with the ground, providing good traction even on slippery and loose surfaces.

Of course, they are heavier than most other bicycles and turn slower, but speed is not the point. The large volume of tires allows you to ride with air pressure that is barely recorded on conventional pumps. As a result, fatbikes easily pass through snow, sand, mud, wet roots, rocks, and other terrains that would otherwise be impassable.

Recent advances in design have only increased bicycles' attractiveness on thick tires. Even Pugsley took a big step forward from its predecessor, Hanebrink Extreme Terrain, which appeared in 1991.

The latest models have finally begun to lose weight. Borealis, for example, produces a fatbike with carbon fiber rims, which weigh only 9.9 kilograms!!!

Researcher Mike Kouriak traveled thousands of kilometers on such models and plans to make an 1126-kilometer expedition to the Northwest Passage this summer.“Fatbikes allow me to get to places where a person’s foot has never set foot, where ordinary bicycles are compromised,” he says.

However, they have a reasonably broad scope. In the northern part of the United States, fatbikes were allowed to extend the winter season, and in cities with well-groomed snow trails, they became as famous as cross-country skiing.

In Minneapolis, where Surly is based, enthusiasts even organized a unique racing event. And bike shop employees worldwide are paying attention to the fact that the special features of fatbikes attract newcomers and increase the popularity of cycling.

“Since tires like this are less susceptible to slipping, have almost no grip on the rocks, and don't fall off the track on regular trails, riding a fat bike is hard to make a mistake,” says Ben Witt, who owned the Milltown Cycles store in Faribo, Minnesota, and now works at Salsa. People walked past his store, noticed a fatbike, and went in to ask what it was.

“I told them that when you climb onto such a bicycle, you will again feel like an eight-year-old child,” he says. Perhaps this is what attracts people on bicycles with thick tires.

Even Kouriak admits that wide wheels are addictive, regardless of your level of training. “There is something really nice about them,” he says.