commuting on a fatty

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Bought a used fat bike (Surley Pugsley) last summer so I could get back into winter cycling.

Winter finally arrived last week, so I've got several days of winter riding in. The bike is a blast - it's not fast, but does go through most anything.

I don't have particularly good balance, but do feel pretty stable. Due to high rolling resistance there's little to no coasting, so I'm getting a good workout as well. It saves about 20 minutes each way (4 km one-way) compared to walking.

I used to run to work, but the heavy backpack (loaded with shower gear, change of clothes, and lunch) was wrecking my back.

The tires are 3.8" in front and 4.0" in back. No need for studs yet.
 
Interesting review.. still waiting on snow here. Last year I quit in November but this year want to keep commuting even through the cold, snow and ice. Not sure how the current tires will do. May either get studded tires or just another bike.. most likely a fatty. Not sure about pushing it up those hills though (6.5 mile commute).
 
Originally Posted By: Eric Smith
Interesting review.. still waiting on snow here. Last year I quit in November but this year want to keep commuting even through the cold, snow and ice. Not sure how the current tires will do. May either get studded tires or just another bike.. most likely a fatty. Not sure about pushing it up those hills though (6.5 mile commute).
Eric, I commuted on a conventional mountain bike for years. Finally gave it up in late-winter in '07 - my last day, I was riding in a deep rut on a side street with no way to get out of it until the end of the block. A guy was hanging behind me leaning on the horn. Not fun.

Now I have a shorter commute to work and the Pugsley feels a lot better on the ice than my mountain bike did. Plus, this is supposed to be a mild El Nino year.

My friend is taking a different approach - he's riding a single-speed purpose-built winter bike with c. 2" studded tires.

Both his bike and mine have disc brakes - they're a big improvement in the snow.

How long is your snow season in Kansas? What are your January temperatures like?
 
Snow season here sometimes start in Nov or Dec or as late as Jan. Not sure on the temps no lower than -10. Ended up getting a Trek 720 Multitrack for a really good price yesterday so no fat tire bike this year. Did go ahead and order Kenda Klondikes today for the current Specialized commuter (Trek will be the good weather bike). More worried about ice than snow.
 
Eric, congrats on your new bike - it sounds great. Let me know how the Klondikes go.

I envy you your relatively short winter - I did support for my son a couple of years ago when he attempted TransIowa. The Northerners were at a distinct disadvantage competing in late April when they were only a few weeks into road bike season.

I just got back from a pleasure ride of about 13 - 14 km (8 - 8-1/2 miles) combined with a grocery trip - had the pannier (30 l) crammed pretty full.

Anyway, I thought the rolling resistance seemed really high yesterday, although the traction was great. Checked and found the pressure too low to register. Pumped them up to 13 lbs, and today they felt like my mountain bike @ 50 lbs. Still lots of contact area though, but they felt less grippy on ice. May try 10 lbs.
 
What tires are you running on that Pugs?
3.8 Knards roll pretty fast and grip well. You can absolutely run higher pressure on asphalt than on dirt-sand-snow.
 
Originally Posted By: Number_35
Eric, congrats on your new bike - it sounds great. Let me know how the Klondikes go.

I envy you your relatively short winter - I did support for my son a couple of years ago when he attempted TransIowa. The Northerners were at a distinct disadvantage competing in late April when they were only a few weeks into road bike season.

I just got back from a pleasure ride of about 13 - 14 km (8 - 8-1/2 miles) combined with a grocery trip - had the pannier (30 l) crammed pretty full.

Anyway, I thought the rolling resistance seemed really high yesterday, although the traction was great. Checked and found the pressure too low to register. Pumped them up to 13 lbs, and today they felt like my mountain bike @ 50 lbs. Still lots of contact area though, but they felt less grippy on ice. May try 10 lbs.


My ATV came with a low pressure, pressure gauge, 1 to 8 psi or something like that. I'm sure a ATV wrecker would have them kicking around from the toolkits that come with them. It's handy as the difference between 3.5 and 4.5 psi is pretty significant in terms of handling and traction on the atv.
 
Originally Posted By: NYEngineer
What tires are you running on that Pugs?
3.8 Knards roll pretty fast and grip well. You can absolutely run higher pressure on asphalt than on dirt-sand-snow.
3.8" Larry up front, 4" Nate in the back, both on Rolling Darryl wheels. Traction has been good so far, but we're getting a good dump of snow tonight, so we'll see how the commute goes ...
 
Originally Posted By: IndyIan
Originally Posted By: Number_35
Eric, congrats on your new bike - it sounds great. Let me know how the Klondikes go.

I envy you your relatively short winter - I did support for my son a couple of years ago when he attempted TransIowa. The Northerners were at a distinct disadvantage competing in late April when they were only a few weeks into road bike season.

I just got back from a pleasure ride of about 13 - 14 km (8 - 8-1/2 miles) combined with a grocery trip - had the pannier (30 l) crammed pretty full.

Anyway, I thought the rolling resistance seemed really high yesterday, although the traction was great. Checked and found the pressure too low to register. Pumped them up to 13 lbs, and today they felt like my mountain bike @ 50 lbs. Still lots of contact area though, but they felt less grippy on ice. May try 10 lbs.


My ATV came with a low pressure, pressure gauge, 1 to 8 psi or something like that. I'm sure a ATV wrecker would have them kicking around from the toolkits that come with them. It's handy as the difference between 3.5 and 4.5 psi is pretty significant in terms of handling and traction on the atv.
The Holy Grail for fat-bikers is a low-pressure gauge for Presta valves. I picked up three Accu-Gages: 15 lb Schrader, 160 lb Schrader, and 160 lb Presta.
 
Originally Posted By: NYEngineer
Larry is not an ideal tire for snow... Especially in the front. Maybe have a look at 45Nrth's Vanhelga.
Yup ... c. 10 - 15 cm of snow today while I was at work. Had to walk the bike part of the way home - perhaps 200 m in all that I couldn't ride. Slow going, but way faster than walking in new snow, and also faster than traffic, which was basically at a standstill. Larry did feel a bit slippy. I don't think I'm ready to go with studs though ... may look for than Vanhelga you mentioned.
 
It's the tail-end of winter here, with above-freezing temperatures expected for the next few days.

The bike has been great. I only missed one day of commuting - went a few dozen metres in deep fresh snow, turned around, put the bike back in the garage, and walked to work.

I settled on about 7-1/2 lbs in the tires - a acceptable compromise between grip and rolling resistance. Will run the fatty until the roads are dry, and then it will need a really good cleaning. I've replaced a few of the recessed-hex accessory bolts w/ stainless. The original black-painted ones have rusted really badly.

Anyway, in spite of my misgivings at the time, the bike has been great. I look forward to years and years of winter riding.
 
I have been using mine to bike with the kids, the problem was that I could go places they couldn't, LOL! My poor daughter kept getting stuck. Really enjoyed the winter driving, glad to hear you had a similar experience
smile.gif
 
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