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Is this a good plan

1K views 25 replies 14 participants last post by  33red 
#1 ·
I think i would be well equipped with 29+ because i weight 135 pounds. Adding 30 for a good bike that i would enjoy about 4.5 months totals 165. Comparing to a 175 pounds cyclist with a 35 pounds 26X4in Fat or 210 pounds i could FLOAT in the same conditions. I could buy a 2016 1,600$ bike for about 1,200$ at the end of this season get some light wheels for what 500$ ? and have a versatile bike for some years. I guess i need to discuss with a LBS but your views would help me. I enjoy riding for hours many days weekly, often alone so speed is not my priority but without a car it has to do more than 10 miles rides. Since i have a 16 pounds road bike and an 18 pounds tourer i think a 36 pounds 26x4 might be a fun novelty but a lighter option would have longevity. Thanks
 
#5 ·
I do not have a mountain bike so i am not into single track but with a bike i might get into it. Mainly i like to ride about 35 miles north of Montréal, Qc.
I love the outdoors. Around here road bikes are used by many for 5 months some stretch it up to 8 months depending on weather and salt.
 
#7 ·
35 miles north of Montreal puts you around St. Sauveur? A fatbike with compatibility for a summer wheel set would be a great bike for up there. 27.5 or 29er plus would be a decision based on where you plan to ride up there.

Don't wait till the end of the season

Get out and ride!
 
#12 ·
35 miles north of Montreal puts you around St. Sauveur? A fatbike with compatibility for a summer wheel set would be a great bike for up there. 27.5 or 29er plus would be a decision based on where you plan to ride up there.
Don't wait till the end of the season
Get out and ride!
I can start from Montréal but often i go to St-Jérôme by train(the bikes ride for free) and i end up about St-Sauveur but the other side of the 15 Autoroute.
 
#9 ·
If I weighed 135 lbs and was built the same as I am now, 29+ would be stupid big for me.

You might be better off with 24 inch fat wheels. You'll still float fine but they might handle better.
 
#10 ·
Well it might be a used bike so the brand is still open. If some LBS or manufacturer offers 30% off this spring it might steer me. Sofar around montreal the Norco Bigfoot 6.3 is almost the only one with decent price and specs and weight(1,060$CAN) so i will try it soon. There is one sold direct so i might have to take the train and go try it moose 20 speeds 1,099$CAN The Fat Bike 20-speed 2016 - Bicycles
(Presently we need about 1.30$ to buy a US$)

- my inseems is 34.5 inches so i guess it means the 24 was never designed for me
- if i go with a second set of wheels it might be 29 or 27.5
- the 27.5 x 4 has not reached us yet, it seems last year they stocked many 26 x 4 and there was demand for 5 inches so this year it is 4 or 5 inches the + is almost non existant around Montréal for bikes/wheels/tires.
Thanks for all your input ;)
 
#18 ·
The thing is most cyclists do have a car and i do not.
It makes us look at bike selection very differently.
For example there are over 3 well knowned club for road bikes around here.
It is impossible to be on time if we go to the starting point by train.
If i ride there 35km, i can ride 50km with that group then 35 more by myself.
I have to take into account calcium/rust and i already have too many bikes so i am not planning to use a fat 365 days.
 
#21 ·
I don't have a car either, I only one bikes, 1 with a motor (that can carry a bike) and 3 bicycles, soon to be 4: a 70's vintage Motobecane single speed (made in france,) that is my urban cruiser/barhopper (I can afford to have it stolen). A road bike. A 9:ZERO:7 fat bike and I'm in the process of building a Salsa Bucksaw, that may very well turn out to be a quiver killer off road bike. It will have 26 x 4" wheels and a set of 27.5x3's. Last year, I put about 1500 miles on the fatty and 700 on the road, down significantly from the previous year.

one thing to consider: if you don't currently ride off road, but are accustomed to road bikes, a fat bike may or may not be the best option for you. The wheels and tires are heavy and it takes a lot of effort to spin them up. A lot. When I first got a 29er, I thought that they took a lot of effort to get going, but fat is exponentially more labor intensive. As a roadie, you may conclude that this sucks, is not worth the effort and the fattie will collect dust in the back of your garage or basement...

or, conversely, perhaps riding in the snow will open your eyes to a whole new world of adventuring by bike and you'll get into it enough that when the snow melts, you'll want to continue exploring off piste. You may also find that after a season of cranking out miles on a fatty, that your road bike now feels like a rocketship and you work in riding the fat bike as a training tool.

At any rate, to answer your question: 29x3 is no substitute for fat, but it is a good compliment. The best answer is to get a fat bike and add a set of plus wheels, 29x3 if the bike will fit 5" tires or 27.5x3 if it only fits 4" and you have a very flexible, versatile mountain bike, excellent for all seasons and conditions.
 
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