Building up a fat bike from scratch is a unique experience. There are no serious standards that have been set for what they should look like, or how they should be used, so you pretty much have free rein to do as you please. However, when faced with so many options, sometimes your choices can become overwhelming. Here are some quick tips to help you on your way to your dream fat bike.
Wheels
Fat bikes have their own special range of wheels available to them, and the range is growing rapidly. The big difference from one rim to another is width. Wider rims tend to give you a wider tire footprint, and give you the chance to ride lower tire pressures. They are ideal if you're gearing up for rides in really loose conditions. Narrower fat bike rims are still super wide by most standards, but will give you a better all-around feel. These are perfect if you're hitting packed snowmobile trails in the winter and switching over to hardpack trails in the summer. If you have any fatbike racing ambitions, they also tend to be lighter.
Brakes
Disc brakes are the way to go when it comes to fat biking, and realistically, they are the only way to go, unless you know of a cantilever or caliper break that will clear a 3.7 inch tire. If you decide to run cable disc brakes, be sure you run housing all the way from the brake lever to the disc caliper. Chances are you'll be riding in some icy or muddy conditions at some point, and you'll want to keep your cables clean. I've heard concerns over the years about hydraulic brakes freezing up in extreme cold, but I've been down to -10 F with no issues. The freezing point of the hydraulic fluid used in disc brakes is around -40 degrees F, so most of us are going to be in good shape there.
Handlebars
Whether you plan on rolling flat bars, mustache bars, or drop bars, I've found that wider bars can really improve handling. When you think about it, you're turning a pretty heavy wheel in loose conditions, so getting a good amount of leverage over all of that really makes a difference.
Pedals
There's nothing wrong with riding clipless pedals on a fat bike, but if you do, it's not a bad idea to go after a clipless pedal with a good platform around it. If you put your foot down in the snow or mud, chances are some of that will stick to your cleat, making it difficult to clip in. A platform will give you some good real estate to scrape some of that gunk off your cleat.
Crankset/Bottom Bracket
That 100mm bottom bracket shell you see on fat bikes helps your pedals clear the chain stays, but it limits you on crankset options. There are some fatbike specific cranksets hitting the market, but they can be pretty spendy. The best budget option is to take a time machine back to 1995, and grab a square-tapered bottom bracket, and mesh it up with a mountain bike crankset. If you see yourself riding this on pavement, or hardpack in the summer, a triple will give you a good high end for that. Otherwise, a double with a low- and middle-range gear is a great option.
Fork
Check out Paul Hansbarger's awesome post from earlier this week about the Salsa Enabler fork.
Between now and next winter, I'm sure there will be plenty of new advancements coming out on the fatbike scene, but these are pretty basic tips that I'm guessing will withstand the off-season.
Photo by Josh Tack.
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TOURING GEAR & TIPS is written by Joshua Tack of Adventure Cycling's member services department. It appears weekly, highlighting technical aspects of bicycle touring and advice to help better prepare you for the journey ahead. Look for Josh's Fine Tuned column in Adventure Cyclist magazine as well.Source: http://blog.adventurecycling.org/2013/02/fat-bike-custom-build-tips.html
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