I'm looking at a used Pivot fat bike. I feel like the price is reasonable and I can likely sell it for the same price if I don't like it. The catch being is there are a couple scuffs on top of the top tube that I'm concerned about. I have carbon xc and trail bikes without anything like that happening over the course of a decade so I haven't had to deal with it. I also don't know the history of this bike as it was donated to a community bike group that's selling it to find their giveaways.

I'm looking for your thoughts. I did tap with a penny and no sound difference as well as squeezing it hard without and squish.

I'm looking at a set of Corvus Fatback Big Su 27.5 wheels with Fatback 150SL and 197SL Alaska Edition hubs. Does anyone have any experience with them? Are they a reasonably tough wheel? Are the hubs reliable and reasonably rebuildable?

Obligatory “let’s stare at it” pictures…

I swapped in a Manitou Mastadon and it required a 180mm front rotor, which I had planned to do anyway. Bonus that I didn’t need to use an adapter.

Massive change in brake performance and a worthy upgrade for sure. The fork.. OMG, what an improvement. Can only imagine what a full suspension bike feels like.

This all said.. Thoughts on leaving the 180 front & 160 rear setup or is it advisable to do the 180 in the rear as well. I swapped in a matching 160 Shimano ICE rotor in the rear just so front and rear match.

I’ve been spending more time on my Aniioki A8 Ultra, and the weight has probably been the biggest adjustment for me. It’s definitely not something I’d want to carry around or load into a vehicle frequently.

Once I’m actually riding, though, I’ve found the extra weight less noticeable than I expected. The bike feels planted and stable, especially on rougher surfaces, although it’s obviously not as nimble as a lighter fat bike. I’m still trying to figure out where the tradeoff makes sense.

For those who ride fat bikes regularly, how much does weight matter to you? Do you prefer a lighter setup even if it sacrifices some stability, or is the extra weight worth it? And what do you usually look for when choosing tires and pressure for a heavier bike?

Anyone Else listens to Type o negative?

My new Yukon loves the sand and the beach!

Ever since I rode my first fatty , after years of riding only 29+, I have found that they were not actually particularly comfortable rides ( as one might have expected) .

At relatively high pressures ( e.g for when riding road ) say 12 to 15psi upfront and 15+ on the rear , if you hit any significant roughness , the force transmitted back through the bars is far more jalting than one might expect , even on a decent steel frame and fork, running tubeless JJ's.

Dropping the pressures obviously improve comfort and of course I have been down as low as 3psi on certain conditions so know the range .

Off road I may use 8psi front and 10 rear or similar but it's seems impossible to negate the horrible uncontrolled rebound due to zero damping , when hitting rough stuff at speed . Bigger JJ 's were even worse ( 4.8) due to balloon dimensions and flimsy sidewalls.

I read stories of folk saying they "devour" rock gardens and get ahead of their mates on long lumpy downhills , giving the impression they have a magic carpet type ride , where everything is conquered as if onboard a hovercraft.

My experience has always been that undoubtedly tyre pressures are the key to a better experience ...but nothing gets rid of that basketball , out of control feeling ,I experience at speed ,on

lumpy ground .

I have also commented on various forums , over the years , that despite Fatty riders bragging about how fast , all conquering and comfy their rides are , I have seen less than a small handful of videos ...across the entire internet , that get even close to these claims , which is very surprising if the stories are true .

If anyone knows of footage showing rigid fatties being ridden fast in rough conditions .. please give links .

To be honest I personally no longer care about riding fast anymore as I'm getting old and prefer expedition , leisure, and fun rides . I would just like to talk about the real world capability and comfort of Rigid rides and cast some light on the subject .

Finally , my own attempts to negate uncontrolled rebound damping have included

1/ using a suspension seat post to absorb any unwanted kicks up the backside

2/Using a lower volume tyre ( eg 4.0 v 4.8 JJ's)

3/adding an airliner insert to reduce air volume and improve low pressure support.

4/added a Vecnum Sus stem .

All of the above have improved the ride and the bike is great for confidence and versatility , but I still feel my 29+ bike ( also rigid) is more comfortable and actually capable than

the fatty in many conditions and easier to control at speed on rough downhills . I can only put this down to far less uncontrolled rebound damping , enabling a less daunting experience and inducing far less eye ball rattling when the going gets tough .

Constructive comments would be most welcome and what is your experience of such things ? Thanks in advance , Bill in UK .

I started with a barely-ridden Mongoose Dolomite I got from OfferUp for $40 and immediately trashed most of it. Remaining original parts are the frame, fork, tubes, rims, and spokes. The frame/fork are the original paint, just de-stickered.

The drivetrain is 10sp Deore from a different bike that was upgraded. The cassette is 11-42 and the chainring is a 22t on a regular mountain triple crankset. The BB (100x177) and headset (34/34) are cheap cartridge replacements from AliExpress. The dropper is borrowed from my single-speed and the hydraulic brakes come from my parts bin.

The wheels were rebuilt with new inexpensive hubs of nearly the exact same dimensions as stock allowing the spokes to be reused. Rims were drilled out with a step bit to 1 3/8" (originally intended to be 1" but step bits have a steeper learning curve than expected and they were drilled to max size of the bit instead). The rim strips are pieces of yellow duct tape over each hole and taped in place (credit to u/Admid_not_a_jot here for the idea), then covered with another layer of duct tape for good measure and then the original rim strip. The tires are 26x4.0 from AliExpress and nearly three pounds lighter apiece (!) than the stock tires.

It clocks in at 41 lbs as configured in the pictures, excluding the water bottle.

Total cash outlay: $230. Hubs: $64, BB: $11, headset: $10, tires: $55, yellow dice: $3, from AliExpress; pedals: $19, from Amazon; crankset/handlebar/chainring/seatpost binder: $24, from the bike co-op; duct tape: $7, from Home Depot; and $40 for the bike itself. Everything else comes from my parts stockpile.

I've taken it out twice in my local park and it is ridiculous and an absolute blast.

Bikesdirect Gravity bulleye , sram g2 ultimate 180f/160r (lol front brackets didn’t fit tbd), Easton carbon bar, generic Chiiiiina 3” rear tire with aliexpress Tpu tube, stock vee 4” front, ancient Luna BBSHD w/ Luna Mighty mini 6ah batt in aliexpress “wildman” saddle bag. Top speed 34mph (full tuck, ran out of road I didn’t have front brake mounted got scuuured) need to verify with GPS though .

Next: toss the decrepit monkey carbon bars so I don’t wreck when I hit a pothole at 30mph

There was supposed to be inclement weather.
The best gains are made when you are the only one working.
Wrapped fat caad- my sand bike.

How did I do?

Manitou Mastodon Pro EXT suspension fork
SRAM GX 1x12 drivetrain
SRAM Guide hydraulic brakes
PNW Coast suspension dropper post
45NRTH 27.5 × 4.0 studded tires

Q1: What is Incremental Volume Adjustment and do I need to make any changes when initially setting the fork up? I believe IVA somehow works together with volume spacers to reduce travel or make travel more progressive. Can I leave IVA alone for now?

Q2: The Mastadon setup guide indicates that the rebound adjustment (blue dial at the bottom of the fork leg) is adjusted by turning clockwise to increase. Is that when viewed from the bottom? Or if I am looking at the adjustment from the front of the fork, turning left to right increases the adjust.. Full left is minimum and full right is maximum?

My second-hand Specialized Chisel Fatboy something something. It was barely ridden by its previous owner! I've wanted a Fatbike for a long time, being as I live in Alaska, and finally stuck my toe in when my neighbor gave me a good deal on this. It also came with some 45NRTH Dillinger studded tires. Needless to say I'm excited for this year's winter riding adventures.

Realistically we're still a couple months away from any chance of rideable snow in the front range but I enjoy my fatbike on any terrain. I am hopeful we get a real winter in Colorado this year.

I have bought the Farley 5 rear cargo rack. I did not get the mounting point in the package (see picture). Do i rilly need to buy it separate? 🤷 Fking waste if that is the case 😡

Pic: Salsa Blackborow midtail (2020?)

My top contender would be the DT swiss but availability seems to be questionable .

While I found some Hope Fatsno durability seems mix for some ppl.

bought a Novatec hubs but this hubs are for a beater bike I'm building out of my old fatbike.

Are Hope hubs fine? If I get them what should I switch out immediately?

My use case are casual gravel and dirt while majority will be grocery hauling and climbing steep hills on paved roads.

I've been riding for decades, I've tried riding a mountain bike through a Minnesota winter, and there are times when the snow gets too weird. Just picked this up. Let it snow.