B fat / mid fat / 27.5+

oobaa47

oobaa47

Well-Known Member
Hi all. Looking to expand my quiver (I know, just perfect timing). I have a fully rigid 26x4.8 that I really don't use much, just the occasional winter ride. I find it somewhat slow and unresponsive for everyday trail riding, but I do enjoy the grip and traction. So that is leading me to look into a 27.5x3.8 bike with a non-rigid fork. What are everyone's thoughts on this wheel size for every day trail riding? What are your opinions if you have one? I have a 29er trail bike but just am looking for something with a little more monster truck feel that the fat bikes provide, while still being able to take it out in the winter on groomed trails. I haven't been able to find to many options that come with that wheel size with a non-rigid fork. Has anyone had any experience with growler bikes or borealis? I found an Alaskan Framed and a RM blizzard that comes in that wheel size, but in a perfect world, I'd prefer a mastodon over a bluto. What are your choices in rim width? I've seen some come with 80mm, and other wheels being built with 50/65mm. I'm on the heaver side, so 80mm rims would worry me in that tire size with rim strikes, due to less of a sidewall. The majority of the bikes in that wheelsize seem built up with 80mm rims. Thanks
 
oobaa47

oobaa47

Well-Known Member
Paul H said:
Why not just build a 29+ wheelset for your fatbike?
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I looked into that a while back, I believe it was 7 or $800 for a decent wheel set. That, coupled with a bluto or Mastodon, brings the total price close into complete new bike territory.
 
Fire Lord Jim

Fire Lord Jim

Well-Known Member
I have a Scott Genius 27.5 plus boost. It runs 2.8 tires. I like riding it. I just sold my 29er hardtail with 2.3 tires, and my 26 x 2.4 dual suspension. I rode all three for a year or so, and the 27.5 x 2.8 became my go to bike.
 
Paul H

Paul H

Fearless OOS Poser
oobaa47 said:
I looked into that a while back, I believe it was 7 or $800 for a decent wheel set. That, coupled with a bluto or Mastodon, brings the total price close into complete new bike territory.
Click to expand...
Wouldn't a new bike with similarly spec'ed wheels and fork cost that much more?
I appears to me that new bikes comes stock with some pretty cheesy hubs. I mean my bike came with DT Swiss 370. Don't get me wrong... they are not bad but they are not great.
 
Mr.Moto

Mr.Moto

Well-Known Member
You have some options here. You can get a 27.5 wheelset for your fatbike and run 3.0 to 3.8's. Add a suspension fork for summer trail riding. It doesn't have to be a fat fork either. I run a Fox 34 with either 26 or 27.5 3.8's on my Bucksaw. It's tight, but works. http://www.mtbnj.com/forum/threads/26x4-8-vs-27-5x3-8.48294/post-937891

One other mid-fat option - https://rsdbikes.com/portfolio/sergeant-v3-aluminum/ if you are looking for a long travel mid fat.

I had built up an earlier edition of that frame - https://www.mtbnj.com/forum/threads/2016-rsd-sergeant-complete-bike-large-as-new.44041/

Tire / rim size is personal preference. You may need to try them out to see what fits your riding style. My thinking is that a 45 / 50 mm rim puts you in that mid fat range giving you traction, cushion and more maneuverability.
 
serviceguy

serviceguy

Well-Known Member
Interested in the outcome as well.

Not sure it would make much sense for me to go with 27.5x4.0 ot 29x3.0 since I don't want to buy a front suspension for the Mukluk, and while I can ride it pretty much everywhere in Ringwood, I feel much more comfortable coming down warm puppy with my 29x2.6 full suspension than with the 26x4.8 full rigid fat bike. Call me Captain Obvious...
 
oobaa47

oobaa47

Well-Known Member
@Mr.Moto thanks. I looked into the sgt. They are out of tires in that size, and it looks like I'd have to do quite a few upgrades to make it work.

@one piece crank Yes, it's definitely tubeless

I'll share my limited research so far for those that are interested. My perfect scenario would be to find a bike with 27.5x3.8 minions, mastodon pro fork, sram gx build and around a 3-3.5k price point.

So far, these are the ones I've come across that check some of the boxes:

rocky mtn blizzard 50
alaskan carbon gx build
growler american stout
borealis telluride
 
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Mr.Moto

Mr.Moto

Well-Known Member
oobaa47 said:
@Mr.Moto thanks. I looked into the sgt. They are out of tires in that size, and it looks like I'd have to do quite a few upgrades to make it work.

@one piece crank Yes, it's definitely tubeless

I'll share my limited research so far for those that are interested. My perfect scenario would be to find a bike with 27.5x3.8 minions, mastodon pro fork, sram gx build and around a 3-3.5k price point.

So far, these are the ones I've come across that check some of the boxes:

rocky mtn blizzard 50
alaskan carbon gx build
growler american stout
borealis telluride
Click to expand...

If you do your own builds, the RSD frames are priced very well shipped to you. You can build up a Sergeant or Mayor with what you want and be under your budget. I like the modern geometry of the RSD frames. Someone on this board has been rocking the Mayor and really likes it. Not pushing you towards RSD, just throwing out the options.
 
Leftymuk

Leftymuk

Well-Known Member
Just build or buy a set of 29 wheels for the fat bike.....it completely changes the bike
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pkovo

pkovo

Well-Known Member
I'm a big fan of this wheel/tire combo for general trail riding on my fatbike (Ice Cream Truck). For the last few years it has been my go to setup for everything other than the dead of winter. Rolls over stuff really well, but doesn't feel quite as vague and squirmy as full fat when pushed. A Mastodon and this wheel/tire combo changed my fatbike in a big way. If you like your fatbike geometry, a sus fork and a wheelset might not be a bad option.
 
Steve Vai

Steve Vai

Endurance Guy: Tolerates most of us.
I don't think there's enough ride difference between a 4" and 5" tire. It's a Fat Bike either way so you're going to have a Fat Bike feel. In most cases my big 100mm wheels with 5" are faster than any 4" setup I've ridden, which I think is all of them.

You need to go down to a 2.8-3 before it rides any different.
 
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