From a cult following amongst Iditabike racers and tour providers in the sands of New Mexico, FatBikes are on the verge of a popularity explosion.
From shed-builds to major manufacturer buy-in there can be no doubt that FatBiking is here to stay.
Rather than just re-word the history of the FatBike as posted elsewhere on the 'Net by folk much more skilled at this writing craic I decided to build an index of links to all things FatBike.
If you're lucky I might even attempt to categorise them in some way that makes sense.
Basically, a ever-expanding virtual wilderness of FatBike links for you to explore at your leisure...
General FatBike History Articles and Resources:
A brief history of FatBikes from AdventureCycling.org
The MTBR Forums FatBike history thread
Including contributions and posts from some of the original fatbike dudes...
Slowtwitch.com FatBike History Article
Alaskan Dispatch News - 2011
FatBike WebSites worth visiting:
General Fat-Bike ridin' articles:
http://www.bicycling.com/mountainbikecom/bikes-gear/rollin-large
The Makers, The Movers, The Shakers: FatBikes we like
Surly Bikes
Salsa Cycles
907 Bikes
Muru Cycles
Fatback Bikes
On-One Bikes
Borealis Bikes
Singular Cycles
Moots
FatBike Forums:
FatBike Videos
FatBike Bloggers of Note:
Worldwide FatBike Events
Try as we might to resist the modern urge to record every detail of every ride with a device other than the riders brain, there's something about the sudden appearance of a stunning vista that always has us reaching for a camera.
Even if it's just to show your trail-centre riding buddies what they're missing by not riding a fat-bike in the wilderness, sometimes it's nice to grab a photo, right?
Not so nice is the unclipping and unzipping involved in getting at the camera which is carefully stored in that drybag in the bottom of the daypack. This On/Off routine annoys me to the point where I just won't bother with photos.
There are many packs and bags out there designed to place your essentials within easy reach and here's one of them. Designed by Topeak to live at handlebar end of a toptube and probably not with a fatbike in mind.
We chose this because it looked pretty strong, kinda neat, claims to be fully waterproof and eh...it was the only one in the shop at the time....
There are certainly bigger bags out there and while a handlebar bag would probably tick a few more boxes in terms of accessibility and volume of storage, I just can't be dealing with things obstructing my view of the front wheel and I really don't like the way any additional weight up front affects the steering feel. Fussy, aren't I?
It fitted on the Wo quite well, the velcro straps having adequate length. Seems well made, the waterproof zip is decent quality and it has a handy internal side pocket that's just about smartphone sized. Nice external finish too with the carbon-fibre look sidepanels which should wear well.
Garry is going to run it for a few weeks and see how it works in the real world. We'll be back with updates...
Thanks to the guys at MBW Moycullen for the test gear...
Smartphone friendly internal pocket.
Might not fit so well if used with a dropper?
Wider BB on the fatbike means that the bag is well out of the way...
Nice, under-stated carbon-fibre looking material on the sides.
Welcome to FatBikeIreland, your resource for all things Fat Bike related.
We are a loose collection of road cyclists, cyclocrossers, XC mountainbike racers, DH mountainbike racers, singlespeeders, BMXers and dirtjumpers who have embraced the fat bike.
We want to share our experiences with you through our fat bike adventures in the West of Ireland and beyond.
We are less about the bikes and more about the places that these machine can take you so expect lots of photos of amazing Irish scenery and wilderness trail rides
There will be gear tests, bike reviews and more..
Sales and service queries also welcome.
Let's go exploring...
