Tuesday, October 03, 2017

Fatback Skookum

I have an addiction to bikes that is well known and if you take the time to read through some of my past posts here you will see that I have own a lot of bikes (I mean a LOT of bikes). If I had my choice it would be much worse, but there is a limit to funds and riding time (especially since I have to earn money to keep my addiction alive). In the mean time I will continue on my covert mission to buy and ride all bikes possible.


One of my favorite bikes brands is Fatback since they fit me so well and I have a real passion for fatter tires these days. I've used my Fatbacks only seasonally in the winter for snow biking until this year. I built a set of 29+ wheels for my Fatback Corvus put on a set of 3-inch tires. This wheelset changed everything I could do with this bike. Previously is was a winter bike with 5-inch snow tires but with the 3-inch 29+ setup it was a go-anywhere machine. It wasn't long after I did this that I was wishing for a little suspension to smooth some of the rough places I ride at high speed. I contemplated buying a fork for my Corvus, but the Fatback Skookum kept popping up and slowly became a bike I "had to have."


The Skookum is incredibly versatile in that it can take a variety of wheel sizes, like full on fat snow biking 26x4.8, 27.5x4.0(+), and 27.5+. Plus the geometry is a little slacker allowing very confident warp-speed bombing runs downhill. So far I've run my Skookum 29+ and 27.5+. I currently have a 27.5x3.8 tire on which is awesome for trail riding, but not a fast climber. I really like it. Interestingly 3.8 tires just a few years ago were the fattest sized snow tires available. Now they seem rather skinny.



Get out and ride your bike!