Working to Make my Fat Bike Lighter

goodvibe

goodvibe

Well-Known Member
My wife wants to get me something for my birthday and I can't think of anything but to try to make my Fat Bike lighter. Currently, I have a Salsa Mukluk 3 and I have already upgraded a lot of stuff on it, but I think that I might try to go for lighter wheels and or tires.

I currently have:
Surly Nate tires 26 x 4 and the stock Salsa hubs on Surly Unholy Rolling Darryl rims. I know that the rims can be drilled, but I was thinking of getting the wheels rebuilt with a Holy Rolling Darryl, or just purchasing a new wheelset.
Also, thinking that something like the 45North Escalator tires will shave off a few pounds as well.

I guess I am looking for suggestions and wondering about availability because I see many of these things out of stock online since it is the off season. What do you think?
 
How about getting a set of slightly narrower rims and tires (aka the Rabbit Holes with 29X3.0 tires)....This way you can have both a Krampus (summer trail riding in a lighter package) and a Muk (Snow and beach riding) in one. I'm not 100% sure they'll clear, but think with the alternators you should be fine?
 
Wheels/tires will make the biggest impact. I built up a set with Hope hubs, Marge Lite rims, DT Revolution spokes and Escalators with Q-Tubes light tubes. You should be able to drop a few pounds off the stock setup this way. Definitely noticeable when riding.
 
I agree with the tires and tubes. I don't think that I want to go with the narrower rims though. I like the novelty of the super fat wheels and I have a 29er and a 26" all-mountain bicycle and I am a big fan of the 26x4.
 
goodvibe said:
I agree with the tires and tubes. I don't think that I want to go with the narrower rims though. I like the novelty of the super fat wheels and I have a 29er and a 26" all-mountain bicycle and I am a big fan of the 26x4.
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Yeah, I get that. I was worried that going from the Darryls to the Marges would take away too much fatness, but it's fine (and good for almost 3/4 lb.).
 
The wheels I'm running now are light as hell but the Nates are still pretty heavy compared to other options.

Hope hubs
Revolution 1.5 Spokes
Ghetto Tubeless
 

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If you don't mind me asking, how much and where did you purchase them?

Jason said:
The wheels I'm running now are light as hell but the Nates are still pretty heavy compared to other options.

Hope hubs
Revolution 1.5 Spokes
Ghetto Tubeless
Click to expand...
 
Marges are a great way to drop weight but they really stink in snow and sand. I couldn't ride on the beach at all when I had them so I went back to Rolling Darryls. Drilled and tubeless. Ultimately not the lightest setup but it's by far the most versatile.

I'd also run a Husker Du or some other 120TPI tire over the Escalator. They're light but cut very easily. I ripped quite a few of them riding Chimney Rock so now I run the 120 Husker Du in the rear and a 120 non-ultralight Larry in the front. Again, not the lightest, but a great all-around set-up.

My bike complete sits just under 28 pounds and can be ridden all year-round in any conditions. Once you set it up with narrow rims and lightweight tires you might as well just ride your normal MTB as you take away most of the advantages of being on a fatty...

-Jim.
 
I wound up purchasing a set of Escalators. I know that they rip easily, but I was thinking of using them with studs once it gets wintery. I am probably going to sell my Surly Nates with the wire beads once I get off my kiester to do so.
 
I am looking to buy a Nate if in good condition. I think that there are two versions of Nate. I'd be looking for the heavier one.
 
The tires I have are Surly Nates, 26x4.0. They have approximately 100 miles on them and are practically brand new. I am pretty sure that they have wire beads and are the heavier models. They came stock on my Salsa Mukluk 3.
 
jimvreeland said:
Marges are a great way to drop weight but they really stink in snow and sand. I couldn't ride on the beach at all when I had them so I went back to Rolling Darryls. Drilled and tubeless. Ultimately not the lightest setup but it's by far the most versatile.

I'd also run a Husker Du or some other 120TPI tire over the Escalator. They're light but cut very easily. I ripped quite a few of them riding Chimney Rock so now I run the 120 Husker Du in the rear and a 120 non-ultralight Larry in the front. Again, not the lightest, but a great all-around set-up.

My bike complete sits just under 28 pounds and can be ridden all year-round in any conditions. Once you set it up with narrow rims and lightweight tires you might as well just ride your normal MTB as you take away most of the advantages of being on a fatty...

-Jim.
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I never even looked at tire weights-the 27tpi Nates are about 3/4 of a pound more than the 120. Damn. Change them, and drilling the hoops would save me three+ pounds. Geez. $150.00 each tire does leave a mark though.🙁

Jim,
I do like the Nate's (nearly unlimited traction) but like icebiker said they aren't as good on smooth rock. I'm not too worried about rolling resistance, so the 120tpi Nate's are an option, but if the Husker Du's are good I'd consider that. Only thing is the Husker's seem to be a bit shorter overall and I pedal strike quite a bit already. I guess I'm looking for the best overall tire that would save me weight. And I also don't want to go smaller, I'd like to keep the fatbike FAT!

Second, are you seeing any weight savings tubeless? Seems it might be a wash in that regard and I'm fine with the tubes for now.

Oh, any thoughts on the stock cranks weight wise? Worth an upgrade?

Thanks!
 
The Husker Du is the best all-around tire out at the moment. It hooks up well everywhere despite the tread looking a little shallow. I found the Nates skipped around a lot because the knobs are so tall. Even though the tread is deep, not too much of the tire touches the ground. Good for baby head rocks, bad for hardpack or slickrocks. They're also a 4.0 so it'll be just as wide as the Nate, just not as tall.

Weight-wise going tubeless is enough to be worth doing, but the real advantage is being able to run like 6psi without flatting. Unless you run Escalators that is, then you'll flat either way. (I really wish they'd make a 120 version of that tire)

The E13 crank is lighter than most of the stock cranks out there, but it uses a BB30 bearing and creaks like mad. I rebuild mine all the time and it still creaks. I think I'm gonna try the new Sram X9 fat crank next. That uses a normal GXP BB which will hopefully be quieter...

-Jim.
 
Is the x9 out yet?

jimvreeland said:
The Husker Du is the best all-around tire out at the moment. It hooks up well everywhere despite the tread looking a little shallow. I found the Nates skipped around a lot because the knobs are so tall. Even though the tread is deep, not too much of the tire touches the ground. Good for baby head rocks, bad for hardpack or slickrocks. They're also a 4.0 so it'll be just as wide as the Nate, just not as tall.

Weight-wise going tubeless is enough to be worth doing, but the real advantage is being able to run like 6psi without flatting. Unless you run Escalators that is, then you'll flat either way. (I really wish they'd make a 120 version of that tire)

The E13 crank is lighter than most of the stock cranks out there, but it uses a BB30 bearing and creaks like mad. I rebuild mine all the time and it still creaks. I think I'm gonna try the new Sram X9 fat crank next. That uses a normal GXP BB which will hopefully be quieter...

-Jim.
Click to expand...
 
jimvreeland said:
The Husker Du is the best all-around tire out at the moment. It hooks up well everywhere despite the tread looking a little shallow. I found the Nates skipped around a lot because the knobs are so tall. Even though the tread is deep, not too much of the tire touches the ground. Good for baby head rocks, bad for hardpack or slickrocks. They're also a 4.0 so it'll be just as wide as the Nate, just not as tall.

Weight-wise going tubeless is enough to be worth doing, but the real advantage is being able to run like 6psi without flatting. Unless you run Escalators that is, then you'll flat either way. (I really wish they'd make a 120 version of that tire)

The E13 crank is lighter than most of the stock cranks out there, but it uses a BB30 bearing and creaks like mad. I rebuild mine all the time and it still creaks. I think I'm gonna try the new Sram X9 fat crank next. That uses a normal GXP BB which will hopefully be quieter...

-Jim.
Click to expand...

I really like my 180tpi Escalators, but they are pretty flimsy. I haven't torn one open yet, but I've had pencil-sized sticks go clear through the middle of the tread. Twice. My understanding is that they're not making any more of the 180tpi and will be going to 120. When they'll be available is anybody's guess. Same for 120tpi HuDu's.
 
jimvreeland said:
The Husker Du is the best all-around tire out at the moment. It hooks up well everywhere despite the tread looking a little shallow. I found the Nates skipped around a lot because the knobs are so tall. Even though the tread is deep, not too much of the tire touches the ground. Good for baby head rocks, bad for hardpack or slickrocks. They're also a 4.0 so it'll be just as wide as the Nate, just not as tall.

Weight-wise going tubeless is enough to be worth doing, but the real advantage is being able to run like 6psi without flatting. Unless you run Escalators that is, then you'll flat either way. (I really wish they'd make a 120 version of that tire)

The E13 crank is lighter than most of the stock cranks out there, but it uses a BB30 bearing and creaks like mad. I rebuild mine all the time and it still creaks. I think I'm gonna try the new Sram X9 fat crank next. That uses a normal GXP BB which will hopefully be quieter...

-Jim.
Click to expand...

Well, you've done a pretty fair job convincing me to try the Huskers, which is awesome as there aren't any to be had. Drat. That does mean I won't have to get into the rim drilling anytime soon, so I guess that's a plus for my lazy ass.😛

The cranks on the Muk 3 are the Isis snow, not the E13 unfortunately. Not sure how they stack up.

I had a blast on the Muk this weekend on some techy stuff. If I could make it a little lighter, it'd be an awful lot of fun and a solid alternative ride.
Why in the world do fatbikes come with such dinky damn brakes?:hmmm:
 
extremedave said:
Why in the world do fatbikes come with such dinky damn brakes?:hmmm:
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Pricepoint. You started with a lower model so some of the components aren't going to be as good as they could be. Upgrade them like Andrew to some nice hydros.

-Jim.
 
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