This Bike Makes No Sense, But You’ll Want One

[@Steven_Falcon]

I ride a fat bike - Surly Ice Cream Truck - as my main mountain bike… in FLORIDA. Every single time I ride it, it makes me smile and giggle. No snow in Florida, but we have trails with deep sugar sand and my fat bike flows through the sand and gnarly tree roots with ease. I can go deep into Florida swamps where people are too scared to go. I love my fatty!

[@Charlie-wt7ct]

That's what I do. Only difference is I am older than dirt, so, I modified a kids 20 x 4 fat bike (much easier to get the wheels turning) An extended seat post, with a D-Cruiser handlebar (15' rise) and I feel like a kid again :>)

[@Steven_Falcon]

@ Yes! Me too. I’m 54 and I feel sorry for people that don’t experience the joy of being outdoors. Don’t ever stop riding.

[@___asd159gh43]

dude, Surly makes such nice bikes. the ice cream truck is so great

[@levlx7788]

Oh Yeah, We Good 👍

[@johnfrancisrobinsoniii3409]

Come to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan from December through March and we will show you when the fat tire bike is needed and where it shines.

[@tommyvan4609]

YES!!! I love my fat tire bike riding RAMBA trails in the winter! It’s pretty much the best!

[@derekneumann]

Word! South Trails MQT

[@cberg9480]

He’ll ya ! New England is fat bike territory. Throw a Mastodon and 3.0 in the summer… bang’n

[@davelier9572]

As a Minnesotan I love my Fatback fat bike, especially in snow and muddy conditions. Tire pressure is the key, and it may need to be changed for every snow ride, and even during the ride as conditions change. I love riding groomed mtb trails, but with fat enough tires and low pressure you can break trail in a decent amount of fresh snow. Fat biking has been a game changer in tendingriding season year round. I also have a suspension fork so I ride mine as a hardtail when i get that itch in normal mtb season. It climbs like a billy goat and soaks up roughness better than a smaller tired bike. Have fun!

[@tinshield]

Use mine primarily in the winter. Fat bikes are a different breed but even in the dirt they will rip corners faster than anything. With the right wheels and tires they’re fast. Once the trails get icy we use studded tires. That’s the negative with fat bikes, between the tires and cold weather gear is a lower return on your investment but if it keeps you outside through the Winter it’s worth it.

[@forest_biker684]

Besides winter riding they rule in slow rocky tech trails of the northeast and after a rainy day. Make it tubeless and start playing with air pressure for grip and suspension.

[@PatrickReynolds98]

The key to fat biking in snow, is lower tire pressure. Not going to give specifics as to what psi, because that is different for every biker, but lower than normal to allow the tire to spread out over the snow. This is especially true for climbing in snow.

[@notice_fpv]

Fatbikes were once exclusive to riding on sand and snow. Now that the geometry has come around, I rode my fattie on all my regular trails in Colorado. Monster trucking over rocks, roots, everything is so amazing. You can run much lower pressures (lower the pressure til you feel it steering itself, then bump back up 1 or 2 psi. GET LOW!) The GRIP from those massive tires is awesome.

[@comounaverdura]

I don't see many people riding fat bikes. I think some people buy then because they are attracted to the look of the bicycle.

[@ralva2779]

Fat Bikes are fun year round! They roll slow and require more leg work but they are just fun with the ride. My Farley always proves itself fun in the snow and in the dirt . 😎 🤘🏽

[@johng9033]

I have 27.5 x 4.5 wheelset for snow and beach riding. I also have a summer wheel set 27.5 x 3.8 for trail riding. It’s been my go to bike for all seasons. Livin the fat rigid life. ✌🏻

[@fortesfortunajuvat6782]

Works great on sand roads, too. Talk about a great bikepacking ride in the real wilderness areas of the Southwest.

[@owenminor]

4-7psi. Bring a pump. When it's slick and no studs, the whole fatbiking thing opens up when you realize you can adjust traction and suspension by airing up/down. And most people are aired up waaaaay too much. If the sidewalls aren't wrinkling, you're leaving traction and softride on the table. If you air up, pedaling is easier on long, groomed sections.

[@fid420]

Novelty? lol I ride one year round on everything. I did the Marji on mine and doing a 250mi ride next summer.

[@juggalodog1983]

Out of my 3 bikes, my fatbike is by far my favorite ride. I take it everywhere. No hesitation, I take it everywhere. If I have to think about what bike to ride, I just take out the fatty

[@PHFishingBiking]

The fat bike is the most capable bike ever I go through the craziest conditions that my mountain bikes cringe at! LOL!! If you go riding in extreme conditions rocks roots water crazy stuff the fat bike can do it all and a normal mountain bike well NOPE you have to try your hardest to even attempt to try and go in places you can with your fat bike. In that snow you can let out a lot of air in the tires you will get much better traction I am 150lbs I ran 3 to 4lbs or less in the tires in the snow with mine!

[@dennisfloyd8514]

Here in New England Massachusetts. When it snows, we groom the trails and ride our fat bikes. And you can lower your air pressure to 5-10 psi. I have the same Argus. Upgrades: 1x9 Advent X w/ Clutch PNW handle bars Shimano MT200 Brakes SO….MUCH….FUN.

[@michaelstage5116]

I had a fatbike a couple years back and I miss it very much they're known as the monster truck of bikes LOL

[@cycologist7069]

Fat bikes like this are considered part of mountain biking, or a sub sector of it. Actually they do make sense as far as riding in the snow or deep soft sand. They were a pretty popular thing up untill a few years ago and seem to be making a comeback.

[@mrvwbug4423]

Fatbikes are great in snow, if you want to try it on a full fatbike trail system the Happy Jack trail system up by Laramie, Wyoming (about 90min from Denver/Boulder) has a full network of groomed fatbike trails, just keep your tire pressures low on snow, like 3-5psi max. The low tire pressure on snow helps with traction and also with keeping the bike on top of the snow.

[@jimjigga]

Fatbikes are the move, especially where you have trails with beach. I live on long island so no brainer for me. It's not my main bike. I have a rocky mountain blizzard and have added rockshox bluto in the front, 120mm travel, an angleset for more aggressive geo, a 28t oval black chainring that can climb anything, fast rolling shwalbe jumbo jim tires. Bike is a beast on the sand, in the snow, dirt trails, and the shock makes a huge difference. It can be a quiver killer with an additional wheel set, or not. Super fun to ride.

[@stiniusdahl9789]

I live in upstate NY and ride a Specialized Carbon Comp Fatboy. I ride it year round. I put studded tires on it for the winter riding. 9 years and counting!!

[@scottmccutcheon9828]

After 30+ years of being a "roadie" (a couple of Pinarellos), a couple months ago I got a new Bigfoot 2. I LOVE IT!! 27.5 x 4.5 knobbies, 1 x 12, I ride it everywhere.....tarmac to trail. Working on setting it up for my first ever bikepacking trip on a section of the Continental Divide. I'll begin from far West Texas and head North in to New Mexico. First stop? Pie Town, New Mexico. From there, high probability of continuing North, with a side trip in to the Rio Grande River Gorge near Taos. After that? IDK? May be "get lost in the wilderness" for a month or so. FAT BIKES ROCK!! 👍💪

[@m.j.5681]

I love my fat bike with 100mm bluto fork and 4.8" tires. It is capable on most technical single track trails and should be fun to get it in some snow this winter. Fat bikes make sense because they are fun as hell! Mine has decent components with maxxis minions tubeless, GX eagle groupset, and weighs less around 33 lbs. I ride it all the time.

[@bradvdb4136]

I have a fat bike ,living in Michigan and if you want to ride the winter you need one for sure. I ride mine to stay in shape for summer and its a great work out so when spring comes my full sus trail bike feels like a rocket ship. You really need studded tires to give you the traction out there and piece of mind . I found out real fast how easy it is to have your wheels come out from under you.

[@alainbergeron1675]

From Montreal Canada! Matty, you have more snow than us! Like you channel.

[@___asd159gh43]

fat bikes are perfect for snow and sand! we dont have too many options here (Denver), but definitely a great winter past time. ive found if you can get out to Moab this time of year, youll love Falcon Flow on a fatty. Its a blast.

[@sportster1996]

I use a Wednesday as my everyday bike. Has a 120 mastodon ext love how it works

[@RobertGMuller]

Fatbikes are a blast, Matty. I’m glad to see you try one. We don’t get much snow on Long Island these days, but we have lots of great beaches. And they’re good for exploring, especially in coastal areas. My Farley has even done DH in the snow (at the Winter Woolly at Highland Bike Park).

[@stephenkohler3472]

Fatbikes are so much fun! Getting the tire pressure right is key. I usually run anywhere from 4 to 7 PSI depending on how loose the snow is. Lighter riders go even lower.

[@eXaviar]

Nice video. Like the scenes where you are far away from the camera and still talking. New way to film something. Very refreshing!

[@interceptorjg]

I ride my fat bikes year-round here in the Denver Front Range area. I have a bike with 4” tires for general trail riding, and a 5” tire bike for snowier conditions. I recommend that you put a dropper post on yours. Makes things a lot simpler for dropping your center of gravity on the slick stuff.

[@FloppyWaffle]

Hi Matty, FatBiker from the north. I live in NB, Canada and winter here is around 5/6 months and I try to ride outside once or twice a week but sometimes more. I ride and own all the bikes but the FatBike is one of my favorites. It's just so stupid, maybe that's the appeal? I have a local brand from my province and it makes a great summer trail bike with a tire change. I'm also going to try my luck at Bike-Joring this winter with my dog. Check out Quest Carbon bikes sometime and videos like these are your best. Love your enthusiasm in them.

[@dogawalk_adventures]

Hopefully Surly will send you an Moonlander 2 to try out. :)

[@krisvincentdesagun7807]

I ride a fatbike. Mine's set up as a fat gravel. I love riding it. It instantly erases my stress from working in the Hospital.

[@IMTB2.]

U need the surly moonlander it’s 6in wide tires

[@blockphi]

Fat bikes are a way of life in Alaska. We ride year round on them and in the winter time we take them all over the place - places you can’t ride in summer. I also use mine for mountain biking and bike commuting. Come on up to AK and we’ll ride out to a glacier and show you just how awesome fat bikes can be . Fat bikes for life baby.

[@dragonflygenetics420]

Snow and beach riding

[@gfxman14]

fat tire bikes are awesome, i bought my second one a couple months ago, they are silly but so fun!

[@abstraddic0442]

💯👍..I looked to possibly purchase that exact bike online, I'm concerned about the frame geo and wheel size 26' in wheels IDK. I want to use it for a beach crusher and desert riding. Seems like a blast. You may just sell a fell with this video. We may have to start calling you Fat Matty 🤔 yes ? 👍🏾

[@kenbest76]

Fatties are prob one of the most versatile bikes out there. That Mongoose is somewhat outdated but if you have something like a Trek Farley, slap on a suspension fork and a 29x2.8 wheelset and you have Trek Roscoe (of sorts). And for what it’s worth, looks like you’re running too much tire pressure. Tire pressure is pretty important on these bikes. And it takes some practice/experimentation to get it right for various conditions. And there’s nothing wrong with running it as-is in the summer. Four inch wide tires offer incredible grip: traction. = confidence.

[@jesseadams45]

In the UP of Michigan it's all we ride all winter. Lots of groomed trails.

[@realmsensor4766]

I prefer the stability, I ride on ungroomed swampy forests to get to my hunting area, my fat bike is perfect for that Cheers

[@christopherolguin6224]

I purchased a Mongoose Dolomite ALX. It looked comparable to the bike ur riding. It's 2 years old and is in the ride rotation with 7 other bikes. Yes great on snow and loose sink sand. At this point I've added carbon Aliexpress wheels I laced myself. FYI use spoke nipple washers. It is also a 1x10. Rides great. Want to try at the Great Sand dunes there if I can.

[@thecitychannelofficial]

Also super fun on flow trails without snow

[@gtmarkiii]

As someone who lives in northern MI... fat bikes are for getting to class when the roads are iced over

[@barriobikes68]

I'm in Minnesota. I'm somewhat of an odd ball since I'm a winter rider that doesn't own one. Our local bike shop has specific rides for fat tire only bikes... especially once we have had some measurable snow (lately no snow...too cold). 🤷🏾‍♂️

[@acamilop]

I don’t see many in Colorado but they are a thing in Minnesota.

[@mattj6676]

With you liking the simplicity of a rigid, you can drop the air pressure a LOT on those tires and have a little bit of cushion and extra grip on your ride. I'm no expert on those bikes though, but if I ran across one for cheap I'd definitely give it a try. I think they're a little goofy, but just enough to be cool. Not that I take myself that seriously when riding anyway...:)

[@jordanhernandez2937]

The roadies out there with the crazy drivers 😂

[@Unaidedfoot]

Popular up here in Canada but that’s likely because of the sweet sweet snow.

[@RobertWilliams-ox4hz]

I've had a Dolomite ALX which seems Identical to this. I have a carbon fork and some studded tires and use it all the time in the winter. Its harder but addicting lol I keep thinking about upgrading to a nicer fat bike but this one does what I need it to do.

[@kaytee858]

That looks fun. My local bike store just sent me an email invite to try out some fat tire bikes, i think I'm going to try them now.

[@Charlie-wt7ct]

Walmart just recently released an Ozark Trail 26" Fat bike. $370. Judging from the pictures, it's no better than a Mongoose, but it's a start, and easy returns, if needed.

[@tommyvan4609]

I love my fat bike! I do live in upper peninsula of Michigan so we get a lot of snow. RAMBA is my local trails and they do amazing job grooming! I still like to run the tires a lil lower PSI and have studs for ice patches. The lower psi makes the tires more supple and seems to help with traction. I have ridden my Salsa Mukluk on the trails for a few summers before going to a full suspension trail bike. If I could only have one bike, it would be a fat bike. They are the like monster trucks in the bike trails lol. Enjoy the fatty!

[@MrKing1961]

I have 3 fat bikes I ride this bikes all year long. I rarely ride my mountain bike, I used the fat bikes to do it all, best bikes to do all you need to do.💯%✌

[@martinschwartz7342]

You should try the new Surly Moonlander with the 6.2-inch tires.

[@kwaktak]

Here around Pittsburgh we have a mix of Great Lakes/Midwest/Appalachian weather so our riding season is typically just from April to November; just 7 months. I could see having something like this the rest of the year, whether we get snow or the crushed limestone trails turn to muck. I hear the wider tires are less likely to cut ruts into the earth too. Are the tires studded though? We've been getting a lot of ice in the winters.

[@MattyActive]

They are not. Maybe I should try that sometime

[@PNWmtnBKR]

If there's a lot of sand or snow that's where you see them. I'm very close to buying one, but we just haven't as much snow as I'd like to justify buying one. What was your tire pressure at? It can be like 3lbs, but also most fat bike trails are groomed, it's pretty hard to just ride through soft powdery snow.

[@levlx7788]

Get some studded snow tires for that Beast! ( Like some Schwalbe Al Mighty Studded Tires)

[@dogawalk_adventures]

Great video. What did you use to mount your camera to the frame? Thanks for sharing your adventure.

[@marcs4091]

The Fat Bike is your winter bike, not fast but can handle anything, only bike that I own that sees road salt, my personal opinion only, is that steel is better on a fat bike, more comfortable.

[@darrenlutes8771]

But alum does not rust from road salt exposure the inevitability you will get …and usually lighter.

[@marcs4091]

@darrenlutes8771 have to try it, just absorbs the vibrations better if you're going to be fully rigid

[@jameshannigan2771]

Sand snow rocks anywhere really

[@-aid4084]

"Luxurious Mountian Biking" Personally I've only had the "Generational Bike," as in used no suspension mountian bikes lol

[@-aid4084]

Oh and add "old" to the attribute for bikes I've oersonally used

[@bonkasaurus_wrecks]

No one's mentioned your tyre pressure yet? It's never a bad idea to air down on a fat bike.

[@martinschwartz7342]

They can do everything, just with more rolling resistance.

[@levlx7788]

Oh Yeah, We Good 👍

[@Unaidedfoot]

Tire pressure is god on a fatbike.

[@billmartin3883]

You would probably enjoy it with a tubeless setup with less psi.

[@dragonflygenetics420]

Let's see you do some bmx racing on a track!!! 24 Cruisers....🤙🏽💪🏾💯✌🏽♾☂️☔🌂🙈🙉🙊

[@RC_John]

Hey Matty, where was this trail at?

[@mrvwbug4423]

That's some of the gravel bike trails out by Broomfield.

[@theOrkinMan1]

Winter roads are sh!t. I fat bike on snow covered open farm land. 1 mile = 5 road miles of exercise.

[@martinmalloy5997]

I personally would love a fat bike but I don't have a use for it.

[@aliz625]

Used for sand

[@jonesjoy834]

Wenn ich nur ein Bike besitzen dürfte, dann wäre es sicher ein Fatbike. Kein Bike macht so viel Spass wie ein Fatbike !

[@marcin4893]

In Poland no one 😅

[@dragonflygenetics420]

😂😂😂 fat biking!!! 🎯💯

[@darrenlutes8771]

Mattty I could tell your psi was too high try dropping a few pounds of psi for riding in the snow

[@FatDiabeticGuyonABike]

Matt sir! Please stop making me buy more bikes. lol😂 a sponsor would be sweet. Anyone want to help a fatty get back into shape?

[@MrWolf2212]

Aren't those bikes very heavy?? Somewhere around 50lbs.

[@forest_biker684]

Mongoose is heavy, but my aluminum Borealis Flume is around 32 with a suspension fork.

[@SingleTrackMind207]

Definitely not, my fat bike is WAY lighter than my full suspension enduro bike.

[@mrvwbug4423]

Surprisingly no. Fatbikes tend to be light because they usually don't have suspension. Aluminum frame rigid fatbikes are often under 30lbs. I rented a Salsa Mukluk a few times and even with 4.8in tires that bike was only like 28lbs.

[@homegrownexplore5367]

Bs bike

[@arnoldbroussard554]

Fat tire bikes make no sense that person must not live where they have snow but u don't need snow there Awesome away 🚴‍♂️😎👍 does this guy live in a cave.🤣