2022 Norco Bigfoot 3 Bike Check

[@stevekimball7697]

Wow great video and review. I ordered this exact bike but in the green/teal color from the Norco website to be delivered to my lbs in Minneapolis. Can't wait to get it! One question - how many studs do the stock 4.5 tires take and what kind/size of 45nrth stud would you recommend for riding on frozen lakes in Northern Minnesota? Thank YOU

[@ivanmtb00]

I’m not too sure how many studs the Vee’s take. I think it’s around that 240-ish, I’m pretty sure it says on their website. I went with a 4” tire because we don’t have any groomed trails locally. Kind of weird because it’s labeled 3.8 but on every website including 45NRTH says they’re 4”. My LBS advised me that the more narrow tire is a better for ungroomed trails and I agree with them. The closest groomed trail network has 3.8” as a minimum so the odd ride out there I’ll still be good on the groomed stuff. I found my Dillinger 4’s for a great price but for ultimate traction and ice the Wrathlorde seems to be the go to. They look like they would roll slowly but I bet the grip is pretty awesome. If you plan to run on groomed trails as well as the lakes double check what the minimum width is. Enjoy the new bike! I absolutely love mine!

[@billp3995]

I just picked up the exact same bike, teal green instead of orange, studded tires. I think I would like 720mm bars with a 50mm rise. I’m not overly fussy about how the chain rides in the top sprocket position.

[@ivanmtb00]

Awesome! It’s a solid bike! I agree, it sounds a bit funny but I think chainline can be a bit tricky on fat bikes. For now the stock 760mm bars work but I also wouldn’t mind going to a 780 or 800mm bar with a 30-35mm rise. I have that on my other bikes and it seems to work well. So far I moved my bars up and put all the spacers under the stem. I do recommend a dropper post though! It’s an excellent addition!

[@derekarsenault3652]

I have a 2018 Bigfoot2 and will be buying this one tomorrow. I was nervous about going from my 26x4.9 to 27.5x4.5, but @ 50% off, too bad lol.

[@ivanmtb00]

I like the big wheels! The rollover is pretty awesome and although I’m not 100% sure but I bet the contact patch would be the same or bigger with the 27.5’s.

[@derekarsenault3652]

@@ivanmtb00 yeah, that’s what I’ve determined, therefore why I’ve accepted it haha. It’s like a 29er vs 27.5 mtb…. 29er for the win

[@ivanmtb00]

@@derekarsenault3652 for sure! My last fatbike was a 26 and this feels much better, more modern and rolls better.

[@smokeycanuck8058]

Blizzard??? That's a Rocky Mountain 😉. Think you meant Bigfoot. My local shop has that bike on for $1299 CAD, seeing HUGE discounts on fat bikes in Southern Ontario at the moment. I already have a Surly Wednesday but if I had more room in the garage, I'd be tempted to grab another FAT bike at these prices.

[@ivanmtb00]

Omg! Hahaha how did I not catch that. I got caught up what I was going to say and said Blizzard. There goes all my credibility haha 🤦‍♂️

[@ivanmtb00]

How do you like the Wednesday? A friend of mine has one and really likes it. I know what you mean with the prices it seems like they’re all really good right now across the industry

[@ivanmtb00]

I edited the video, might take a bit for KZbin to upload the new edit. Thanks!

[@JAL-333]

Solid vid. I’m deciding between the 3 and the 2 models. Do they both come with 120 T count on the tires? Are the mechanical breaks on your 3 actually more reliable than the hydraulics on the 2 in colder weather? You’d mentioned that and I’m in the Rocky Mtns. Canada. What did the dropper cost and how does it compare with the stock dropper on the 3? Any info is appreciated. Thanks.

[@ivanmtb00]

Thanks for reaching out! I’m pretty sure they have the same tire. I can’t see any other TPI options for the Avalanche tires. Just different sizes and studded vs non studded. I can’t find any 120tpi markings on my tire though. As far as brakes go mechanic do very good in super cold. I had hydraulic brakes on other bikes and once it gets to -20C the return is slower as the fluid gets thicker. They can also leak and have more problems. I had issues with mineral oil brakes before but the DOT fluid in the Bigfoot 2 would be much better. My LBS recommends going mechanical for super cold riding. That being said I upgraded my callipers to the Avid BB7 mechanical and they were excellent down to -40C. As far as the dropper goes the 3 doesn’t come with one. I ended up buying a PNW to put on my hardtail (Norco Torrent) and then the TranzX that was on the torrent went on the Bigfoot. I’m 5’9 and on a large and I could probably fit a 200mm dropper on the Bigfoot. The TranzX dropper that comes on the Bigfoot 2 is great though, it’s the same dropper I have and has been problem free. Again at -35C and colder it doesn’t pop up as fast but it still works!

[@ivanmtb00]

Hey there, I was just looking at the Vee Tire website. They don’t make a 27.5x4.5 Avalanche in anything but 120tpi. The only options are studded vs non-studded. I must have missed it before. Hope it helps your decision!

[@JAL-333]

Thanks for the info a few days back. I’m leaning towards the 2 for the dropper and tiny upgrades even though I do like that orange. If I head down that way with the BigF I’ll see if you’re up for a rip. Enjoy, Jf

[@ivanmtb00]

@@JAL-333 No problem! One of the reasons why I went for the 3 other then the price was having no dropper because I planned to do a 2 for 1 upgrade for my Torrent. The 150 that was on that bike went on the Bigfoot and the Torrent got a new 200mm PNW. The Bigfoot 2 already has the dropper and brakes so it’s perfect out of the box. Enjoy the new bike and let me know if you ever come down!

[@gbitts]

If you see the bigfoot 2 and 3 beside each other in person the 2 (and 1) have wider slightly nicer tires. It seems like 60 tpi on the 3 and 120 on the 2 and 3. I also got the 3 but am upgrading the tires.

[@garysmith643]

Did you happen to try the bike without studded tires ? Cheers

[@ivanmtb00]

I’ve done trail rides without the studs but anything in the snow I’ve had my studded tires on. The Vee’s have been fine on dirt, the big footprint makes a ton of traction. I did a fatbike snow ride years ago on some groomed trails with regular non-studded tires. They did great for the most part. Later on on the evening things started to ice over and at the time I wish I had studs when I was looking at a downhill run we were about to head down. I aired down a bit more and made it safely but I was dabbing a lot more then my 2 friends with studded tires.

[@garysmith643]

Thanks

[@ivanmtb00]

No problem!

[@snowman22ism]

Do you know how much the bike weighs?

[@ivanmtb00]

It’s not light! With the dropper post, tubes and Chester pedals and the factory Vee Tire Avalanche 4.5’s it came to 39lbs! I think it’s actually a bit lighter with the Dillinger’s bc they’re 3.8’s. If I set this up tubeless, picked up some oneup bars I bet it would be 35lbs or so. For reference my hardtail and full suspension are both 33-34lbs. The fat bike isn’t terrible but they do weigh more overall. Part of me wants to go nuts and get some lightweight wheels, CF fork etc and get it as light as possible but then again I’m usually slogging in snow anyways with a couple pounds of snow caked on the bike too lol

[@tinman7551]

The fat bike is absolutely gorgeous. I freaking adore it. There is something about the fat tires that makes Hulk want to go SMASH 🤩🤩

[@ivanmtb00]

Thank you! I appreciate it! I absolutely love the bike, and I totally know what you mean about the tires haha. Looks like #BeastMode 😂

[@tinman7551]

@@ivanmtb00yeah Beast Mode LOL 😅

[@ivanmtb00]

@@tinman7551 haha! 😃

[@MrKing1961]

The big foot 3 is good bike the only issue it has mechanical breaks, you need hydraulic breaks, Norco need to catch up, Ride safe

[@ivanmtb00]

I found most manufacturers at this price point also have mechanical brakes other then the Gros Louis 3. I don’t think it’s necessarily a bad thing for a fat bike either due to the nature of their use. I upgraded to Avid BB7 mechanicals bc when things get really cold they’re less problematic.

[@MrKing1961]

@@ivanmtb00 My Norco Big foot 3 was the worse fat bike I ever own, the brake's ware garbage, now I have 2 good fat bikes A specialize Fat boy carbon and a trek farley 7

[@ivanmtb00]

I’m not surprised a Carbon Fatboy and a Farley 7 would be better, they retail for almost twice as much as a Bigfoot 3. A more fair comparison would be the Bigfoot 1 or S1. I still prefer the geometry over the Farley and Fatboy, components wear out and can be replaced.

[@MrKing1961]

@@ivanmtb00 If you enjoy the biking is best to get good bikes and save time and aggravation, some times we learn from are owns mistakes.

[@ivanmtb00]

@@MrKing1961 I get where you’re coming from, I enjoy biking and this is my 4th bike. I bought it specifically for winter riding. I decided to go for the Bigfoot 3 because I liked the geo and drivetrain. I didn’t need a dropper or suspension. I planned to pull the dropper post off of my hardtail and install it on the Bigfoot. I was also going to stick with mechanical brakes since I ride down to -40C/F and have had leaky hydraulic brakes at those temps before. My LbS also recommended mechanical brakes. I upgraded my mechanical Tektro to Mechanical Avid BB7, my hardtail got a new 200mm PNW dropper and the 150mm TranzX from that went on the Bigfoot. I also picked up some studded tires. The bike is perfect for what I need it for, had a new PR cold temperature ride this season (-41C) and the bike did extremely well.