No Fat Bike Needed

No Fat Bike Needed
That was the caption for a photo I took on last years Global Fat Bike Day
(which for those of  you who aren't keeping score at home, is today).

I didn't have a fat bike so I put the fattest tire that would fit on the front of my All-City Nature Boy and went for a ride.


No Fat Bike Needed

Fast forward a year, now I have a fat bike. Well, sort of a fat bike.
I have a Surly Krampus  which is considered a 29+
29+?
Yep. 29 inch wheels with wider rims and tires.
29+
With the wider rims and tires you can lower the PSI and "float" like a fat bike.


My Krampus

I thought the 2.5 Specialized tire I had on the front of my Karate Monkey was a big fat tire.
But in compared to the Knard 3.0 on the Rabbit Hole rim, it looks down right skinny!



Almost twins

The additional beauty of the Krampus (aside from the rims, tubes & tires) is it requires no "special" parts.
A "standard" (a word that gets used improperly too often in the bike industry) fat bike requires a wider BB spindle and (depending on the brand) two (2) rear hubs. Due to the bigger tires typically a 135mm hub ("standard" mountain bike rear) is also used on the front.
Not so with the Krampus.
The parts on my Karate Monkey would swap straight over.
As a matter of fact, a Rabbit Hole rim with a 2 point whatever 29er tire will clear, front and rear, the Monkey frame set.
And the Knard 3.0 tire will clear the fork.
So obviously the next thing I need to do is have the ano purple Surly hubs on the Monkey re-laced to a set of silver Rabbit Hole rims.
Boom.
Well maybe. Since there isn't a thing wrong with the wheels on the Monkey now there isn't any hurry.
The added bonus, at least for me, of the Krampus is the 1x10 drive train.
I have had the Karate Monkey for a number of years. Its always be set up single speed.
The only problem I've ever had with it is that although its geared great for off road, its geared wayyyyy too low for on the road.
Not really a problem except that here in Des Moines, much like when I was in Kansas City, the dirt riding is just a short road ride away.
Spin my brains out to get there or having gears.
Choices are good.

Where was I going with this?
Oh yeah.... its Fat Bike Day.
I saw this today on Tracko- and couldn't help but think "No Fat Bike Needed"



Bicycles on Snow 1988 from Mark Forman on Vimeo.