As par the title I am fat bike shopping.
I have two choice in mind the sonders from alpkit and specialized fat boy.
What have yoh got and which would you pick out of the two?
I a leaning towards the fatboy for the frame mount but a frame bag on the sondera could negate this!
Help please?

I haven't got either but have got a Moonlander and had a pair of On-One Fatties before that.

Assuming you're going for bikes of a similar value I'd probably go for the Sonder as it's carbon. Not that weight is a big deal really, I don't notice that the Moonlander is heavier than the fattie, it just rolls over everything. Does the Specialized have a PF BB? The Sonder is a threaded BB iirc and that's an advantage on a Fatty.

johnnystorm wrote:I haven't got either but have got a Moonlander and had a pair of On-One Fatties before that.

Assuming you're going for bikes of a similar value I'd probably go for the Sonder as it's carbon. Not that weight is a big deal really, I don't notice that the Moonlander is heavier than the fattie, it just rolls over everything. Does the Specialized have a PF BB? The Sonder is a threaded BB iirc and that's an advantage on a Fatty.

Fat boy is PF which is -1 point for the fat boy
Thanks Johnnystorm I didnt clock that before

Just think very carefully before you go down this boggy path ... I know some people on here paint a bright and vivid picture of fat biking but it's not all sand dunes, picnics and flying drones on the beach. Just remember, a fat bike's for life and once you've bought it, you'll be stuck with it. When you discover that they're horrible and you want to sell it, unless you drop lucky or are willing to take a big hit on price ... you could find herpes easier to get rid of.

Going off at a complete tangent.....

Both models of Charge Cooker Maxi's have 30% off at Wiggle and have 0% interest too. Just over £600 for the alloy one.

Knowing both bikes a little bit (but only from car park tests) I'd clearly go with the Sonder.

But then me point of view only reflects the use in snow.

I would disagree with Stu. I sold my previous fat bike after having it for 6 months and only lost 100 quid. I've also ridden them on the last BB event, plus YD300, Braunton 150 and various other long distance rides. Generally they can be better that a HT for FS if you have the set up right, tyre pressure is critical.

The Vir Fortis is absolutely magnificent. Mine came in at just over 12kg fully built up. It has real race handling and is very fast and also very comfortable to ride. It also fatbacks very well.

Just got herpes stu!
Went for the fatboy after a test ride this morning, and I am sure the Sonders fat would have been just as good but the rack mounts was a must really.
I can see tyre pressure tuning being a important part of the bike as my first ride at 8psi was not quite right at 15psi it was better but I am sure I will need to tweek this even more.

Now the question is how to stop flats?

I've found that running at lower pressures and knobbly fat tyres generally don't flats as often.

Tried tubless but it's not worth the faff or expense for the minimal (if any) advantage and gone back to inner tubes.

Beaches and dunes are where Fat Bikes excel. Trails are good but as Stuart says (in a roundabout sort of way) other bikes are as good or better inland.

BTW. Travers can do you a custom frame with rack mounts ;-)

15psi?! Mental! I only run the Fatty at 7psi as any lower and the bead slips down the rim. The moonlander runs tubeless at 5psi. I have to disagree with John regarding tubeless, I found it rides much better without tubes but mainly as around here I pick up a lot of thorns. Getting a puncture when your tubes are heavy and take 300 strokes of a pump to inflate gets very boring very quickly! Converting to tubeless would be the first thing I's do.

johnnystorm wrote:15psi?! Mental! I only run the Fatty at 7psi as any lower and the bead slips down the rim. The moonlander runs tubeless at 5psi. I have to disagree with John regarding tubeless, I found it rides much better without tubes but mainly as around here I pick up a lot of thorns. Getting a puncture when your tubes are heavy and take 300 strokes of a pump to inflate gets very boring very quickly! Converting to tubeless would be the first thing I's do.

There are combinations of riding styles, terrain and gear that won't work without regular damage under 10 psi on dirt. But dirt's not where they belong ey

My pressure gauge goes down to 1.45 psi. I often run below that on virgin snow... put the fist on the tyre, give it a push and if my knuckles touch the rim the pressure's good to go.

If I had a suitable rim for tubeless I'd run it. Can't think of another bike where you benefit more from tl than a fat bike. Note to self; get some decent rims.

This really makes me looking forward to winter

dlovett wrote:I would disagree with Stu. I sold my previous fat bike after having it for 6 months and only lost 100 quid. I've also ridden them on the last BB event, plus YD300, Braunton 150 and various other long distance rides. Generally they can be better that a HT for FS if you have the set up right, tyre pressure is critical.

The Vir Fortis is absolutely magnificent. Mine came in at just over 12kg fully built up. It has real race handling and is very fast and also very comfortable to ride. It also fatbacks very well.

IMG_2274.JPG

Sick bike!

i really LOVE my Fatty, i ride it everywhere and enjoy it, it always puts a smile on my face and thats what we ride bikes for innit i run Tubed with a bit of Stans fluid and anywhere between 7 to 10 psi, i have had one or two punctures but that has been down to me being a bit rough through the rocks Fatbikes might not be for everybody but i never feel like im at a disadvantage on mine

If it's that good why have you just built a plus bike?

Firstly welcome to the club

You may have guessed that some people love 'em (me for one) and some hate 'em (Stu)
It all depends really on where you ride. For me I'm lucky as I'm near coast with the mountains only a short ride away. And tbh I've not rode my other mtb's in nearly 3 years!!

As for flats, well it was just over two years since I got my first one! But you could say I'm a lightweight and maybe not an agressive rider :/
the Fatboy is a good choice but I'm liking the looks of the Sonder everytime i look at it.....

At the end of the day, bikes are bikes and we use them to have enjoyment in the big wide world :)

More Sonder porn

I saw this lucky fella tonight.....I had to stop him and quiz him on his trike.....it was all kinds of vaguely exciting!

He's fitted an electric motor for his commute, making it capable of plenty of mph for his 21 mile commute, but he was under his own steam today....






I want one!

There is a guy who rides one of those up in the Surrey Hills near Peaslake. He said he can go pretty much anywhere on it.

Pat wrote:I saw this lucky fella tonight.....I had to stop him and quiz him on his trike.....it was all kinds of vaguely exciting!

He's fitted an electric motor for his commute, making it capable of plenty of mph for his 21 mile commute, but he was under his own steam today....






I want one!

A recumbent fat e trike

So many niches there!

But look at it!

It's like a real Tonka toy!

Slightly off topic... Anyone used/have experience of the DT Swiss BR710 rims on the Sonder? I might try those for another wheel build project... be my first go at fat wheels on Hope Fatsnos.

Bearbonesnorm wrote:If it's that good why have you just built a plus bike?

Diversification Stu and the unwritten rule of one bike out, one bike in

Diversification Stu and the unwritten rule of one bike out, one bike in

Thought you were joining the cool kids

Bearbonesnorm wrote:

Diversification Stu and the unwritten rule of one bike out, one bike in

Thought you were joining the cool kids

they wouldn't have me Stu

Just left the fat bike club, I am not 100% sure fat is for me. Going to cancel the order and get a refund.
I cant see where it would fit in to my limited time of riding at the moment, I was only tipped over the edge because the misses said she liked it and would get it for me.

No more herpes stu