Do you fat bike?

Are you into fat bikes? If so, do you ride your fat bike year round? I bought this 2019 RSD Bikes "The Mayor" in December of 2018. I was drawn to The Mayor for its modern geometry, sliding drop outs, and massive tire clearance. As you can see, I've changed it up several times in the two years that I've owned it.

Here's how The Mayor looked when I rolled it out of my basement in December of 2018. Ellsworth carbon fork, 26" carbon wheels with 26" x 4.7" Bontrager tires. The snow arrived late in 2018/2019 so I got a few dirt rides in on this setup before installing my studded tires.

During the winter of 2018/2019, I picked up a Rockshox Bluto fork for some early season rides. That dry mud was from an April ride at the Trails at Jakes Rocks. The Bontrager 26" x 3.8" Hodag tires rolled surprisingly well with really good grip in the wet spring conditions.

In the fall of 2019 I decided that I was "29+ curious". The mega tire clearance allowed the 29" x 3.0" tires to fit with the axle sliders positioned all the way forward. I eventually switched to single speed with this setup. I liked the big 29+ wheels but not the long chain stays and big Q factor of The Mayor. I bought a Trek Stache frame and rode that in the summer of 2020.

After the winter of 2019/2020, I decided that I wanted to try 27.5 fat wheels and tires. Thanks to the versatility of The Mayor, I only had to invest in new wheels and tires. I rode it in some late fall/early winter dirt with these 27.5" x 3.8" tires. It was apparent very quickly that larger wheels and tires offered greater rollover and speed.

The 27.5 wheels were so much faster that I found myself riding beyond my ability to control the bike with a rigid fork. After a long search, I found this Manitou Mastodon Comp EXT version. Paired with the 27.5" x 4.5" tires, this bike flies and has changed my opinion of how good a fat bike can be!