Fat Bike Reviews

The Surly Moonlander 2.0 has arrived, and it pushes the limits of production fat bikes like never before with massive 6.2-inch tires, a Pinion gearbox, and 197mm front and rear spacing! Naturally, we had to take Surly’s new rock-crawling beast out on the roughest terrain around before today’s launch. Find our full Surly Moonlander review here, complete with a video, pros and cons, all the specs, and a full photo gallery…

The Otso Voytek is a unique full-carbon hardtail mountain bike that can be set up in 27.5+, 29+, or 26″ fat bike mode. Recently updated with more tire clearance and a redesigned carbon fork, we were curious about how it would perform as a dedicated bikepacking rig. Find our review after several months of trail riding, loaded bikepacking, and packrafting here…

The CHUMBA URSA Major Titanium Backcountry is a purpose-built expedition machine with attitude. Designed with relaxed angles, a high bottom bracket, and a relatively short chainstay, this bike was built for putting in long days in the saddle, and having a blast while doing so. Colt tested one this past winter and spring to see what it’s all about…

Over the past few years, the Fatback Corvus has methodically evolved into a fat bike that checks many of the boxes for those in the winter ultra scene, bikepackers, and anyone searching for endless possibilities all year long. How did it handle the winter and an unpredictable spring melt in British Columbia? Read on to find out…

Surly’s all new 2018 Pugsley sees a return to it expedition roots – the interchangeable front and rear wheels are back, for true back-of-beyond ‘exploratouring’. But that’s not all: unlike its predecessor, it can now easily swallow 4.3in tires, effectively offering a sweet spot between the monstrous-tired Moonlander and the Pugsley of old. Here’s our first ride report…

Perhaps you’ve noticed Salsa shuffling around some of their models of late, in terms of names and purposes? The latest in their lineup to see such metamorphosis is the Blackborow. Formerly a 26in fat bike, the 2018 Salsa Blackborow GX Eagle announced today has been completely reinvented into a cargo-carrying, 27.5in ‘midtail’, a stretched out fatty that’s likely to set adventure-plotting brains ablaze…

In an industry that can often be oversaturated with new upgrades, ultra-light carbon everything, and electronic components; there are still those that believe in rock solid bikes with reliable parts. The Rocky Mountain Blizzard -30 is a sturdy fat bike that offers plenty of packing space and mixes just the right amount of modern ingenuity with time-tested features.

At this weeks Saddledrive, with the introduction of a bikepacking bag kit, two new bikes, and major upgrades to several existing models, Salsa hammered their stake a little deeper in the Adventure cycling category. Here’s our first ride impressions on the Fargo 27.5+, the affordable Timberjack, and the redesigned carbon Mukluk…

Sibling to both the classic Pugsley and the goliath Ice Cream Truck, the Wednesday is Surly’s latest addition to its fleet of fat bikes – or Omniterras, as it prefers to call them. Over the last couple of months, we’ve taken one bikepacking, snow riding, and arroyo exploring around the high desert of northern New Mexico.

When loaded with standard bags and modest bikepacking weight, Surly’s Ice Cream Truck is a pleasure to pedal: easy to steer on loose ascents, confident and quick handling down technical chutes, and predictable through twisting treelined singletrack. It’s a capable and flat out fun bike.

Seven bikes that are worth noting from the 2015 Interbike Outdoor Demo…

It was over a year ago when I had the rare and enviable opportunity to not just attend the launch of the world’s first full suspension fatbike, but organize the event itself. That product was the Salsa Bucksaw, a bike I had the privilege to ride months before the general public, and better yet on my own backyard trails…