It’s not often that I throw my seal of approval behind something. I created the Stuff that doesn’t suck category with full intention to do that, but then found that there were few things that I actually liked or that I felt deserved my approval or could hold up to the abuse that anyone could throw at it. And honestly, none of that has changed. In the past, I have thrown my hat behind my MSR stove that has unflawlessly served me for over a decade, a pair of boots, the infamous SCRAM t-shirt and that’s about it.
I take my seal of approval very seriously and would hate to approve of something and then regret it when that thing fails. Both of the items that I have actually reviewed had served me no less than a decade each. It is with a bit of reservation that I throw my approval behind something I have only owned for less than a few months. So I am going to put a disclaimer on this review. First, this is more for the idea of the bike and not for the parts or particular model. Second, I have only ridden this bike a dozen or so times over varied terrain.
I also promise to inform you immediately if, for any reason, my opinion changes which it tends to do depending on the wind and the underwear I happen to have put on that morning.
With that said, let me introduce you to Giggles.
I was personally introduced to Giggles a few months ago. Our first ride together was me riding her home. As strange as it may sound, pedaling a bike with 4.6″ tires home on a windy/rainy commute was fun. Even to the point that I veered from the road and found a bit of a back way home extending the duration of my pedaling. I arrived home giggling like a little girl. Then proceeded to spend the next three hours stripping the Fatboy and my Giant XTC of their parts and swap them.
I ended the night by getting everything ready for a dirty commute to work the next morning. Then for the first time in about a year, I woke up before the sun rose and started to pedal. I headed up Main Street until I hit the dirt and then headed into the sand. I made my way over to Powerline as the sun came up. The sand didn’t even phase my speed and I just kept pedaling and sweating and making my slow ass way to work. Once I hit the top of Powerline it was obvious that I had underestimated the time required to ride sand to work.
I jumped back on the pavement and coasted into St. George. I quickly showered all the while smiling and fantasizing about the rides I was going to enjoy on my new steed.
Spent the next few weeks riding all the places I had avoided due to sand. I made it to Elephant Arch, the wilderness boundary on Mill Creek and finally learned what it was like to actually ride the Yellow Knolls. I was in love. The only problem I experienced was the fact that no one else had one meaning that I was riding all alone. This didn’t bother me until I wanted to ride with other people and then the Fatboy got stuck in the corner and started to collect dust.
And then a couple of weeks ago, I found a crack in my singlespeed’s rear wheel.
Seeing that I really don’t enjoy pedaling the Enduro on trails that are easy meant that I would be riding the Nature Boy or the Fatboy. I opted for the Fatboy. The first ride was the “Ride with ProZac Ride.” Kathleen was sure that everyone would be waiting for me, but the opposite was true. I was able to hold my own and keep up to the end. Granted the hills coming up Stucki were brutal but the low gear and wide tires made up for the extra rotational weight of the wheels. And coming back down was a hoot.
There are few things that can compare to leaving the ground on a bike that has 4.6″ tires. Every time it happened I hooted and hollered because that’s what you do when you get airborne on a fatbike. If you haven’t had the pleasure, trust me. It’s just what you do. I was hootin’ all the way down Stucki. I sounded like a damn owl.
That ride was such a blast, I thought something a bit more technical and rockier might be in order. KB and I headed over and road Sidewinder and Barrel Roll. Not only did it handle the trail like a champ, the wide tires allowed me to push the limits of traction on the corners. I was a little concerned about the sharp rocks and the fat tires, but different lines were picked and the tires held up great. After the ride I just wanted to do another lap.
I wouldn’t advocate that everyone should drop all their bikes and buy fat ones. However, I have enjoyed every single ride I have taken on this bike and don’t think that is going to change any time soon. The big tires make you stay on your toes as the gyroscopic force must be reckoned with and going uphill is difficult, but it’s the suffering that gives us the sense of accomplishment when we do amazing things like ride for 10 miles…
Plus, these bikes make things like this possible.
And any bike that allows me to go places I couldn’t have before, is a bike that is most likely going to end up in my shed. More importantly, it’s one I’m going to tell you doesn’t suck.
P. L. and R.
