Im in the market for a budget fat bike to ride around town and XC for fun, im in california , there is no snow if thats a concern.
so i just wanted to get some feedback about 135mm rear spacing vs 170mm. since im new never owned a fatbike. i dont know wheather which one is better. either spacing ill be replacing the hub with hope hubs. and just wanted to see how hard is it to calculate out, lace and tension. never done it for a fat bike.
my budget is $1200-1500, both bikes have really crappy parts on it. i want to keep the frame and rims basically everything else upgraded. hope brakes, hope hubs. decent cranks. hopefully have a fat bike around 30lbs.
Sorry but I just don't see the point of getting a fat bike for XC on hard dirt or around town. But whatever floats your boat... they are just bikes after all... trends tend to make people who don't "need" something "want" it. Fat tires are meant for soft conditions. Otherwise they are bulky and slower than a "normal" mountain bike.
So according to your theory, every fatbike owner all "need" to have one to ride in snow, mud or loose dirt. they dont ride it for anything else. to me biking is just something to be fun, not trying to compete to go fast. sorry i dont think there is a trend yet for fat bikes. honestly i dont think there ever will be one trend like fixies. i want a fat bike for years, but price were very steep untill recent year.
I'm purely saying that is what they are "meant" for. I just think it's the cool thing now so everyone wants one... then followed up by a bunch of threads with people complaining about self steer, tire prices, they are slow, these things are dumb and so are all of you, etc. etc.
If you want one for fun then get one. Just giving my perspective in this forum about fat bikes.
Also, there's seriously like a bajillion pages on the 2 bikes you posted about already... ask in one of the threads about those bikes and you will get lots of answers, or I'm sure the info is there for you to make a decision.
i apologize if i came out rude or strong. i understand what im getting into. my 04 SC v10 is super heavy and running 3.0 tire in the front 2.7 rear. i cant say i know for sure what im getting into here, but i have a rough idea. about what you said about complaining, apparently i dont come here enough now, dont know actually people complaint and call names here, i used to post here years ago when i didnt know much about bikes, people were really nice. it was truely like " no questions are dumb".
i really liket he Fantom even its more expensive. but the rear wheel with offset looks scary. im not used to the idea of spokes are not in the center of the rim. i dont if that could be an issue.
I would simply go for a better bike based on what your asking.
IMHO nothing wrong with either hub size from a riding stand point.
I think you could find upgrades for either size pretty easy.
ive build quiet a few bikes, i know the game too well. the thing with a better bike is, its going to be hundreds dollars more for a name brand frame, sure the componets are slightly better, but its still so so. unless its something like the new salsa carbon beargrease, im certainly not going to drop that kinda money on a bike now. im dont want the newest and the most expensive components, just fairly good parts . dont get me wrong, i think i get your point. but to me a frame is a frame. its welded heat treated. as long as the material is within spec and welder is experienced, i dont see how one production frame is different from another. so i think a bike direct fat bike with good upgrades for $1200, is still better than a same value used surly or salsa. this is just my point of view.
I would think that based on your experience of building bikes, you would know what you do/don't want?
The only differences in frames currently on the market are ones from manufacturers who did the research to nail down geometry, and the others who have ridden the coattails of those manufacturers, and are now undercutting their prices because they don't have to cover R&D prices.
So if a frame is a frame is a frame, then buy whatever is the cheapest and hang whatever you want on it. Problem solved.
I would think that based on your experience of building bikes, you would know what you do/don't want?
The only differences in frames currently on the market are ones from manufacturers who did the research to nail down geometry, and the others who have ridden the coattails of those manufacturers, and are now undercutting their prices because they don't have to cover R&D prices.
So if a frame is a frame is a frame, then buy whatever is the cheapest and hang whatever you want on it. Problem solved.
exactly what you said, i know what i want. but i didnt know about the 135mm/170mm, so i had to ask here.
seems like 135mm is the way to go. i like the moto Fantom frame better im just seeing if i can get one at the cheapest and just hang parts on it. and itd be black. now they only have a expensive version in black. im just not sure yet.
Since I just finished what your thinking of starting, here is my $.02
I built a set of wheels for the mrs. new comp using hope fatsno front and evo rear hubs, origin 8 (weinman single wall 80's pre drilled, $50 on amazon) and 160mm revos front, comps rear. The rear was my first attempt at an offset build and came out surprisingly symmetrical tension wise, more so than the front, so don't let that scare you away.
I ended up replacing the oem shimano stuff with sram x.9. rear shifter, a shorty type 2 and a raceface N/W 32T chain ring.
The finished bike is pretty sweet, and would not hesitate recommending it to you.
Having said all that, I am waiting on a Boris, and see BD is talking about a frame set with fork for $199, since you plan to replace everything but those pieces, that would be IMHO the no brainer choice.
As for the framed and gravity bikes, I really did not want to deal with a cartridge vs. outboard cup style BB.
Let me know if you have any more questions.
Shred on phatty
looks like what i have in mind is very similar to what you have built. im just waiting on a black moto fantom frame or whole bike at cheap price. im a big fan of hope parts, after all these years dealing with different parts. hope hubs and brakes are the best to work on, and most reliable too. i now have a hadley rear hub on my v10, its solid , swaping bearings is more complicated then hope.
I love my FB4 Elite. That said, I'm buying my lady the Gavity Bullseye (3") because I know she won't take it as seriously as me, therefore won't be put off by the lower component spec, and she'll do better on a 3" tire anyway.
Buy what you can afford. BD said they'll be selling Boris frame/forks for $200. If you're going to upgrade practically everything, perhaps that is a better avenue to take.
Another chapter bike you may want to look into is the Framed Minnesota 2.0 or 1.0. A stock one was used during one of the Red Bull crushed ice events. Granted the tires were studded.
Looking for a sub 1500 complete bike, my money is on an On-One Fatty. Some places at selling the Charge Cooker Maxi for just over 1000 if you look hard enough.
i do like the cooker maxi. its just it looks way too similar to the gravity bullseye. not that i dont want to support original frames, its just im on a budget and still want good parts, if i shell out 1200 on a used on-one or cooker maxi with a bunch of parts i dont want, ill end up spending another 7-800 on upgrades too. im not feeling the framed minnesota cuz it down tube curves at the headtube, and on-one has that tube reinforce top tube and seat tube i dont like that either.
Another cheaper bike you may want to look into is the Framed Minnesota 2.0 or 1.0. A stock one was used during one of the Red Bull crushed ice events. Granted the tires were studded.
Looking for a sub 1500 complete bike, my money is on an On-One Fatty. Some places are selling the Charge Cooker Maxi for just over 1000 if you look hard enough.
Im in the market for a budget fat bike to ride around town and XC for fun, im in california , there is no snow if thats a concern.
so i just wanted to get some feedback about 135mm rear spacing vs 170mm. since im new never owned a fatbike. i dont know wheather which one is better. either spacing ill be replacing the hub with hope hubs. and just wanted to see how hard is it to calculate out, lace and tension. never done it for a fat bike.
my budget is $1200-1500, both bikes have really crappy parts on it. i want to keep the frame and rims basically everything else upgraded. hope brakes, hope hubs. decent cranks. hopefully have a fat bike around 30lbs.
Since I just finished what your thinking of starting, here is my $.02
I built a set of wheels for the mrs. new comp using hope fatsno front and evo rear hubs, origin 8 (weinman single wall 80's pre drilled, $50 on amazon) and 160mm revos front, comps rear. The rear was my first attempt at an offset build and came out surprisingly symmetrical tension wise, more so than the front, so don't let that scare you away.
I ended up replacing the oem shimano stuff with sram x.9. rear shifter, a shorty type 2 and a raceface N/W 32T chain ring.
The finished bike is pretty sweet, and would not hesitate recommending it to you.
Having said all that, I am waiting on a Boris, and see BD is talking about a frame set with fork for $199, since you plan to replace everything but those pieces, that would be IMHO the no brainer choice.
As for the framed and gravity bikes, I really did not want to deal with a cartridge vs. outboard cup style BB.
Let me know if you have any more questions.
Shred on phatty
I love my FB4 Elite. That said, I'm buying my lady the Gavity Bullseye (3") because I know she won't take it as seriously as me, therefore won't be put off by the lower component spec, and she'll do better on a 3" tire anyway.
Buy what you can afford. BD said they'll be selling Boris frame/forks for $200. If you're going to upgrade practically everything, perhaps that is a better avenue to take.
I just don't see the point of buying a Walmart goose or what ever it's called and other cheap mass produced fat bikes flooding the market .. and then spend a ton on upgrades when it would be wiser to save and wait to invest in a better bike.
I would even venture to guess that (((maybe))) a bunch of mid class but good used fat bikes will go on sale as guys will want to up grade to lighter newer models coming out. Check the Fat Bike Trader on Facebook .. https://www.facebook.com/groups/fatbiketrader/
like i said in the previous post, a frame is a frame. i get what you said. but we all have our ways of living. this is not like a louis vuitton vs knock off different quality . its a bicycle frame. its welded with alloy tubes. if the mongoose is alloy i would buy it if i like it. sounds like you kinda dont like the idea of mass production. sure it hurt smaller brands. but it is what it is. after seeing how bad the weld on banshee and Karpiel bike, i think im gonna stick with a mass production frame. at lease i know the welder is more experienced, wont make uneven, crooked beads would lead to a cracked frame.
im set on buying either bike from bikedirect, leaning toward to Fanton Fb4. i dont see anything wrong with either bike/frame, they have good feedbacks
like i said in the previous post, a frame is a frame. i get what you said. but we all have our ways of living. this is not like a louis vuitton vs knock off different quality . its a bicycle frame. its welded with alloy tubes. if the mongoose is alloy i would buy it if i like it. sounds like you kinda dont like the idea of mass production. sure it hurt smaller brands. but it is what it is. after seeing how bad the weld on banshee and Karpiel bike, i think im gonna stick with a mass production frame. at lease i know the welder is more experienced, wont make uneven, crooked beads would lead to a cracked frame.
im set on buying either bike from bikedirect, leaning toward to Fanton Fb4. i dont see anything wrong with either bike/frame, they have good feedbacks
Another thing to consider is rim width.
There are far more affordable wheelsets out there for the 135/170 combo than there are for 135mm offset. The Gravity's 50mm is attractive to me.
I'm already looking to shell out for a smaller front wheel, and the Gravity's 50mm probably has a bit more versatility. Plus you get a cromoly fork on the Gravity.
i thought surlies are like hand made in US. thanks for your input , kris7047th.
hey adam jay, i do like working on stuffs, from house, cars to bicycles. you said something i can relate to, i currently import bike parts from overseas and resell them online and locally, im in the process of opening a bike shop here in norcal. in a long run id like to launch my own brand for bike components. so i know how cheaply bike stuffs can be made to order or bought at a quantity from overseas. in fact, from reading some price lists posted here. quiet few of the BB7 brakes fatbike forum member bought are from my 2 ebay stores. getting parts at good prices is not an issue for me. so its just i need a good platform to start with.
i just emailed BD to ask about future availabilities on black color fantom Fb4 comp or even a frame, hopfully hear back from them soon.
Do you HONESTLY think those China Copycrafter companies give a darn about producing a *Quality* bike? Or is American dollars their main priority by cutting corners every which way they can to fatten their profit line by flooding the market? I think the answer is kinda obvious now we are getting complaints about *self steer* un responsive brakes HEAVY ..
I never had any of those issues with my bike(s) because those issues were worked out PRIOR to distribution/sales.
.......
Also .... QBP Surly research is here in USA .. not China.
Those other companies sit & wait for companies like Surly & Trek .. etc to do the extensive and expensive research & development so they can steal the design/copy using cheaper materials as well. They don't support the small shops privately owned in big cities and small towns. I just can't morally support that. But that's me.
AND ... a crucial point as with the auto industry over the decades thanks to NAFTA we have sold out and USA is no longer a self manufacturing Country. I hope that changes to where & when we can bring that process back .. what Walmart claims to be doing in their latest ads .. but I will believe that when I see it.
Anti-dumping duty has nothing to do with quality. What anti-dumping boils down to is the Chinese government promoting manufacturing in China. What they do is allow Chinese manufacturers to sell their products at or below costs, and also encourage them to lie about the amount and costs of the materials that compose the products.
At the end of the fiscal year the government tallies up the totals, and awards the businesses with a appropriate amount of funds. They are basically cooking the books in an effort to bring business to China. That is why the company I worked for pulled out of China.....it was no fun constantly dealing with, and answering to lawyers and the American Government.
Europe may allow a certain amount of duty because there may be something in it for them...aka kickbacks.
BD is really tricky, for instance, fantom FB4 they market the less common color neon green and orange for lower trim at cheaper price and the more desirable black one for only higher trim . IMO is not very fair, also the fantom comp model is exactly the same spec and frame as red and blue SE fatbikes, but those are charged $100 more for no reason.
and heard back from BD, they are not planning to offer fantom frameset nor fantom comp in matt black. looks like im back to square one, meanwhille ive been keeping an eye on the FB fatbike sale/trade group to see any deal pops up.
i read there is rear disc spacing front disc spacing. what problem i can run into? i dont intent to run the front wheel in the back as back up. there is a set of paul hubs locally for cheap, im just trying to see my options mayb can save on a dedicated 135mm front disc hub
i read there is rear disc spacing front disc spacing. what problem i can run into? i dont intent to run the front wheel in the back as back up. there is a set of paul hubs locally for cheap, im just trying to see my options mayb can save on a dedicated 135mm front disc hub
As for any other issues with running this type of hub up front, I'd love to hear what other people have to say, as I am also curious and drowning a bit in all the various offset/front/rear/symmetrical compatibilities, modifications, and incompatibilities.
wow, i tried buying the spacers, shipping is @ $11.49. i just dont get why these "big" retailers dont ship USPS. its no more than $2 via first class mail
i noticed those orgin8 front hubs. the thing is im never a fan of QR axle. IMO. 10mm thru is the way to go even tho is slightly heavier.
i just measured my regular 135 100 hub set. the front vs rear disc is about 3-4mm, thats like 2-3 washers stacked together . i think if i get a rear single speed 135mm hub, id just space out both fork tab and disc to bring them together. the paul hubs didnt work out , but i think DMR hubs are pretty sweet DMR Revolver SS Rear Disc Hub 32h 135mm Red | eBay
My husband is building mine as I write this. The quality looks awfully nice. I was pleasantly surprised to see "anything bolts" for an Anything Bag, on the side of the front fork. <smiles> I bought the green and love it. The frame is welded very well.
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