20 January 2012 - 9:28First Ride Musings
So after my first ride on the Trundleraptor, I began formulating some opinions. It is certainly a very fun bike, it adds some versatility to my harem of other really fun bikes, and it brings it’s own set of strengths and weaknesses.
The biggest downfall of this bike is of course, the weight. It is a tank, but that is to be expected. The wheels are where most of the weight is locked up, it’s just the nature of this beast. The Rolling Darryls are among the lighter rims out there, the cut outs really save a significant amount of weight over the Large Marge. I opted to use SuperComp spokes to try and get a little more weight savings, but I still would up with a wheelset of 1350/1420. That’s just over 6lbs of wheels, not including tires. And guess what, those tires ain’t light either.
There are also not a lot of options for the specific components to these bikes at the moment, but that is changing. Only a few short years ago, there was only one choice for tires, the Endomorph. Now Surly has an array, and they even have a folding version of the Nate coming out. There are also more choices in frames and forks out there, so there is growth in this category. It will be interesting to see what there is for fat bike offerings in 2 years. It sorta reminds me of 29ers 6 years ago.
On the plus side, this bike is a total blast to ride. I really look forward to learning more about winter riding. If last year you told me I would anxiously be getting ready to go ride in sub zero temps, I would have accused you of being on crack.
My last thought, one that occurred to me while riding yesterday, is that no one uses Indiana Jones quotes. I think this is a shame. Sure Star Wars quotes are awesome, but Raiders of the Lost Ark is a veritable goldmine of quotables. I’m going to do what I can to rectify this.
2 Comments » | Tags: Bike 29 Equipment, snow, Stowe
20 Jan 2012 - 9:35
#occupybikeseat
22 Jan 2012 - 11:10
I love the bike and the purple bits are actually growing on me. I have a couple of questions…
1. Do you really think going with a 170mm crank arm make that much of a difference with clearance? Why not just go with 165mm? Is it because your choices would be further limited with the even shorter length and the 100mm bb requirement?
2. Shorter cranks make it harder to pedal and I would think having good low gearing for this bike would be the difference between loving or hating it. Would you change anything regarding gearing selection? Is going with the Sram 2 x 10 drivetrain not an option for a fat bike?
3. Do you think the hydraulic brakes will give you any issues during extended use in really cold temps? A lot of fat bikes I have seen run cables disc and not hydros. Just wondering what your thoughts were there.
4. As far as weight goes, do you think the ride quality would suffer if you were to substitute an aluminum frame? Personally I would prefer the ride quality of steel on a rigid bike. Titanium would be a better choice, but far more expensive. Ever heard of Sandman Ti bikes? They make fat bikes out of Ti and use a Maverick fork on the front.
Glad you’re enjoying the bike, I enjoy reading about it…living vocariously and all that.