FATBIKE....which one would you want?

[Armyballer]

I'm having hard time controling this itch, I want one and the wife is just about on board for it as an early Christmas/Birthday/Bikeday/YouRockDay all in one present. So I'm asking my fellow riders if they had the choice, which would you get and why?

1. Salsa Mukluk 3

2. Surly Pugsley

3. Specialized Fatboy

[Armyballer]

Pugsley is 100% Surly 4130 CroMoly steel. Main triangle double-butted. TIG-welded.

Mukluk is 7005 Aluminum Tubeset Size-specific, double-butted, heat-treated 7005-AL tubing optimized for strength and weight.

Specialized is Aluminum Frame; Tapered Head Tube with Carbon Fork

Discuss please...

[jJohnson]

What kind of riding do you want to do with it?

[jJohnson]

Get the Surly, On One or Norco.

[jimithng23]

or get the Salsa ;-)

or get the.....dude, it's a fatbike.

just get one, you won't second guess your decision one bit.

[Armyballer]

What kind of riding do you want to do with it?

I'd like to do some distance/bikepacking/camping stuff ultimatly. This reason alone makes me want to not go with the Specialized and it's carbon fork but it is the lightest of the 3 I think. I can't find specific weights for any of them but my guess is the Pugsley and it's steel frame would be the heavyest.

[badfish41]

I love my Surly, for a lot of reasons. I would be more than happy with any fat bike, but Surly just fits me.

I love the idea of steel and the components are pretty good for what you pay. Surly is an awesome bike company with the same values and mindset I have when on a (fat) bike. Go to their website and read. Good stuff.

I also own one because I get it from a bike shop (Bike & Hike) that I am loyal to and treat me right. There isn't a price you can put on that- they take care of any problem I have right away and know what I like.

On One makes and affordable bike, but I'm not sure you'd want to go 1x right off the bat. It's nice having that small ring up front in the snow/sand/mud.

I haven't seen the specs on the Norco, but at that price I'm not sure the componentry is that great. No idea on the wheels or tires that come stock. Or availability for that matter...is there a local dealer?

Salsa is a rad bike, but seem a little pricey. I'm not sure what the new ones are going for.

Trek is another I have no idea about, but they make a solid bike otherwise.

907 and the like are above my price range, but I'm sure they are great bikes.

I'm with Mielke, you won't go wrong. I would encourage buying local- it pays in the long run.

Cheers to fat biking!

[SweetSVT99]

My Muk 3 weighs in at 37 pounds. With that said, if you're worried about the weight of a fattie, yer doin' it wrong.

Pugs and Muk would both be great bikepacking bikes since they have tons of braze-ons. Next years Bikepacking rig for me will be Surly's new ECR.

[badfish41]

I'd like to do some distance/bikepacking/camping stuff ultimatly. This reason alone makes me want to not go with the Specialized and it's carbon fork but it is the lightest of the 3 I think. I can't find specific weights for any of them but my guess is the Pugsley and it's steel frame would be the heavyest.

I think Surly is your bike then- and specifically the Pugs Ops or Moonlander. Lots of capability for racks, etc on them.

[Armyballer]

I'm getting it local for sure....good post so far, appreciate the post!!!

[dgw2jr]

I'm having hard time controling this itch

They make a cream for that.

I want one and the wife is just about on board for it as an early Christmas/Birthday/Bikeday/YouRockDay all in one present. So I'm asking my fellow riders if they had the choice, which would you get and why?

1. Salsa Mukluk 3

2. Surly Pugsley

3. Specialized Fatboy

Back to bike stuff! Geometry numbers are for medium frames...

1. Mukluk: 69.5° head angle, 1114.9 – 1131.9 mm wheelbase, 60mm BB drop

2. Pugs: 70.5° HA, 1082.4 wheelbase, 55mm BB drop

3. Fatboy: 71.5° HA, 1086mm wheelbase, 63.5mm BB drop (geo supposedly same as Spesh Crave)

Of all 3, the Fatboy will probably ride most like a "normal" MTB with the steeper head angle and shorter wheelbase. The Mukluk is stable through snow with its slacker head angle and longer wheelbase. The flip side is that it won't be as nimble on the single track if you are planning to ride it all year round. The Pugs will fall somewhere between the Fatboy and the Mukluk, leaning more towards the Fatboy in handling characteristics.

From personal experience, geo analysis aside, the Mukluk is a pedal striking mofo. My propensity to bushwhack led to a lot of flat tires (the bike is marketed as a bushwhacking machine). I lusted after that bike hard, fell in love with it, bought the wife one even, and 6 months later the honeymoon was over and they were gone. YMMV

All that said, Fatboy.

[jJohnson]

Fatboy doesn't have front rack mounts.

Pugs is best bang for your buck. No Norco dealer local.

Kona has one on the way, too, but looks like it lacks rack mounts (which is why I won't be swapping frames like planned).

[SugarShane]

It is a great post. I'm gonna get one too very soon. Of course I'm going through Phil at bike n hike. There is absolutely no reason not to. I did ride mielke's salsa last year just for a minute, and I was greatly impressed. For me, from a price stand point. I'm either going pugsley or norco Bigfoot. As long as they can order the norco I think I'm leanin that way. Jake I definately agree with you on reading Surly's page! That really hits home with me as well!

[SugarShane]

Fatboy doesn't have front rack mounts.

Pugs is best bang for your buck. No Norco dealer local.

Kona has one on the way, too, but looks like it lacks rack mounts (which is why I won't be swapping frames like planned).

Bike n hike is checking on Norco as we speak bro!

[jJohnson]

Bike n hike is checking on Norco as we speak bro!

I'm sure...

[Guldy]

Wow, what a great topic and dangerous question! Like asking whats the best beer.
First and foremost I bought my fattie explicitly based on price. It was a used fattie right here on this forum, didn't know too much about em other than I rode one once (pug) and smiled. It did not matter what make/model, cuz it was cheeeep and fatbike don't give a ****. Its a Mukluk.
Learned a bit about fatties since then, mostly that they make me smile every time and they go EVERYWHERE. I love my Salsa. As a jarhead with that Marine Corps drill in my head, I like things covered and aligned, squared away, even and balanced. Surly Pugs and Moonlanders with the standard width 135mm rear end was meaningful probably few years ago, but the offset non-symmetrical hubs & wheels don't fit in my brains realm of normal order. Not that there are problems, its just a slight OCD thing. The Mukluk (and many many others) 170mm symmetrical rear ends are a 'standard' nowadays with more than adequate component configurations available. Its wider, but even, centered and balanced. And its aluminum. And its got alternator dropouts. Has the braze-ons. And to my knowledge its not had any weld-breaking problems.
In the $1k-2k range, if I was to buy another fattie, it would be a Mukluk. If I had disposable income, I'd look far NW to Alaskan frontier and some of those premium machines.
With all that said, I'm a fan but don't own Surly bikes. I think Surly & Salsa are both owned by QBP. I'd love to have a Surly disc trucker. The Krampus is a Bikepacking machine, or the ECR Steve-o mentioned. But o' course those are not Fatties that go EVERYWHERE.
Good Luck in your decision. As many have said, you'll be happy no matter what make/model you procure. If you think gravel roads are fun, wait until you stomp some trashgrounds on a fattie.

[mcwrath]

Id get the 9 zero 7 McGrath.
But Im a bit biased toward that one.

[Armyballer]

Ok...were getting somewhere....specialized is out.

Looks like it's gonna come down to between a Mukluk 3 or a Surly Pug Ops....

I'm somewhat confused on the Surly Pug Ops though....on the Surly site they show/list it as a olive green bike, yet I'm google searching it and seeing it in black. I also read that within the last few years the "Ops" name was changed to Necronamcer yet a Necromancer dosn't exist on their website. I've also been given a quote for a 2013 Black Pog Ops, I'm trying to get clarification thru the Surly site but so far no answer.

[badfish41]

The Necro, which I and a few others locally own, has been black for the past few years. They decided to change it to greenish this year. Not much of a difference really. If you can get a good deal on a 2013, I'd say do it. It went from Black Ops, to Necromancer to Neck Romancer to just Pug Ops.

From Surly's site:
A bigger footed, much more color matched version of a standard Pugsley. Where the standard Pugsley sports 65mm-wide Large Marge double-wall rims, the Pug Ops (the “ops” is for optional) utilizes our 82mm-wide single-wall Holy Rolling Darryl rims to expand its tireprint, thereby increasing its traction and snowshoe-like float over all sorts of terrain. The increase in rim width does put the tire closer to the chain, so to avoid chain rub we spec’d this bike with our OD Crankset. This provides all the chain/tire clearance necessary while retaining low- and mid-range gearing for crawling through the sticky and flying under the radar. The Pug Ops is available as a complete bike (with a Moonlander fork) and as a frame, no fork. Choose the right one for you from our fat bike fork offerings…or pick something else (there are a few non-Surly options out there) and build up your ride to suit your specific needs. Frogman suit not included.

I have upgraded mine to a Clown Shoe (100mm) wheel and Bud (4.8") tire on the front and I enjoy it. A lot.

Short of going full on Moonlander, which has the large (100mm) rear end, that is the bike (Pug Ops) for what you want to do. Dustin Collison (local good guy) has one and uses it similar to how I believe you would like. He has front and rear racks and usually has her loaded down.

I suggest calling Phil or Steve at B&H and getting a price from them. Let them know you are a FORCer and they'll treat you good.

Good luck.

[Armyballer]

badfish, thanks for the info, I shot them an email and told them we'd discuss it more this weekend at Sugarbottom.

[badfish41]

This is a decent looking rig.



2014 Pugs Ops

[SugarShane]

Army green!

[Armyballer]

fish..yes...but just a bit out of my price range. I got an email back from Surly explainging it. The one I've been quoted for is actually a Black Necro, it list at $1700.00, this mean machine you posted here comes in at about $2150. It has a few upgrades forsure, one being the rear derailer but based on how rough I am on my current bike, maybe replaceing a beat up derailer on the Necro will ultimatly save me some money in the long run as apposed to replacing the one on the Pug Ops. I think I'll go with the Necro and just upgrade as funds become avail.

Like to thank everyone on their input with this thread, I'm not 100% yet decided but all the discussion here helps.

[jimithng23]

baller...

I wouldn't worry too much about upgrades from stock at this point. just getting on a fatty will be fun enough as is. and don't get sucked in to the "blingy" rear derailleur. the RD is a money suck - the difference between an SLX to an XTR, for instance, in price doesn't justify the slight upgrade in performance - IMNSHO, 'specially for fat bikin'....

as you grow to undoubtedly love your newfound fatness, the upgrades that will make the biggest difference - feel, performance, durability - will be in the wheels: lighter/stronger/holier rims, lighter/wider/bigger tires, tubes/no tubes, etc....

from there, you can work on customizing and fitting the bike to your riding style and purpose.

for instance, some FORC'ers have changed their drivetrains from 2x9 to 1x10 setups. others have swapped out the stock saddle for a Brooks saddle. other swaps/upgrades you'll see (that are highly dependent on personal preference) are handlebars, stems, racks, etc....

I think the Pugs Ops is a great option for you, as would be the Mukluk with its symmetrical rear spacing and countless braze ons. sounds like pricepoint will be the ultimate deciding factor for you, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that!

my fat bike purchase wasn't planned, calculated, or researched one little bit. I walked into the LBS on a whim, saw it sitting in the corner, said "oooooooo, shiny....." took it for a quick test ride and....

boom.

I went fat.

prolly the best bike purchase I've ever made from a fun/price ratio.... and I have ZERO regrets with that purchase.

[jJohnson]

I can't blame you for impulse buying an orange Mukluk. So sexy.

The Pug Ops is right up your alley, Brian. That think looks awesome.