David Graf is a BMX athlete and riding hardtails is nothing he would call strange. But the NICOLAI Argon FAT is pretty much the opposite of his daily ride, the Ro20 BMX. His after-training fun ride in Lenzerheide CH showed how quick David got familiar with the "PIG". You never saw pigs flying? Have a look!
You silly dude! Of course it can be done faster and lighter, but don't you think, that is is fun to watch? I think it's pretty impressive that he actually can take all beating that the wheels don't absorb! Don't hate, really. Have you ever ridden a Fat Bike on some funny trails? It's a lot of fun. It's a primitive bike without a chain, 26" and without suspension.
Great video. I like how it just proved everyone wrong about pretty much everything. Suspension: none Derailleur: none 26" tire diameter: nope Chain lube: none Heavy rear end: nope (maybe they edited out all the times he looped out backwards from that heavy hub... Eye roll...) In conclusion, this guy just had a rad time on a bike with NO mainstream parts normally assumed to be required for high performance. And, he did so with a bike requiring nearly zero maintenance...ever. You might want to pause and think about that. Or go back to thinking about which 12 month lifespan mainstream bike item you will buy next...
I didn't understand the appeal of fat bikes at first, but now every time I see a new video or magazine article, I want one more and more. They make so much sense for many different reasons, and man, doesn't that look fun as hell??
I'm sure some PB member with a background in video can talk about frame-rates and objects such as teeth on a sprocket, or spokes on a wheel or knobs on a tire appearing to do interesting things like appearing to move in the opposite direction or appearing stopped etc. depending on the frequency that identical objects pass the lens of a camera shooting with a specific number of frames/second.
Definitely a cool optical illusion, but I think the mystery is easily explained.
this edit could have been half the length. I skipped the intro, skipped the gondola ride, and after three or four of the same berm shots and whips on the same terrain, I quit.
looks like good fun to ride tho. was it a 24" wheel? Lighter and turnier yet still wide and grippy... could be a good combo.
I wanna see someone ride one on a trail that not totally manicured with the normal roots and rocks that are around, something tells me that'd be about 1/10 the fun.
I demo'd the spec fat boy this weekend on my normal trails and it was still a blast. its an insane amount of traction and as long as you're pressing in to the turns you don't feel them fold too much. it was surprisingly light and when they're gear well it climbs like a mofo.
i rode a norco range most of the year. strava'd all my rides for fun to see how my riding changed throughout the year. last month i got on a 2014 norco bigfoot. not the best one not the worst. so far not only have i killed all my climb times on all the trails i rode on the range but ive had a lot of fun doing it. no there not fast and no there not that light. fully rigid can leave u with a headache after a longer ride. like 50k. but what i can say is that its more challenging than an all mountain and at some times there more fun. theres a certain difficulty that comes with them. yeah there easier in some spots but let me tell you when your decending down a tight single track with a wet rock garden full of off camber turns wet roots and sharp rocks its pretty much hang on for the ride. theres not a ton of control but thats part of the fun.i gotta say dont knock it till you try it. i got a 2015 pivot mach 6 for next year but im thinking of switching to something like a salsa bucksaw or even a trek farley 8. think what you want but dont say anything till you try one.
It's important to remember it's the rider, not the bike, that is shredding here. Any other claim is marketing.
Fat bike, sure if you gave me one. But I wont give up hard earned money to go backwards in bike technology.
Fat bikes are the Snuggies of the bicycle industry. Interesting, but a job better suited to a timeless invention like a blanket or robe.
You'll probably see this comment in the below threshold section...
Don't hate, really. Have you ever ridden a Fat Bike on some funny trails? It's a lot of fun.
It's a primitive bike without a chain, 26" and without suspension.
Suspension: none
Derailleur: none
26" tire diameter: nope
Chain lube: none
Heavy rear end: nope (maybe they edited out all the times he looped out backwards from that heavy hub... Eye roll...)
In conclusion, this guy just had a rad time on a bike with NO mainstream parts normally assumed to be required for high performance. And, he did so with a bike requiring nearly zero maintenance...ever.
You might want to pause and think about that. Or go back to thinking about which 12 month lifespan mainstream bike item you will buy next...
Definitely a cool optical illusion, but I think the mystery is easily explained.
looks like good fun to ride tho. was it a 24" wheel? Lighter and turnier yet still wide and grippy... could be a good combo.
www.pinkbike.com/news/24-fat-bike-shredding-video-2014.html