Worlds Apart

Speedway Cycles Fatback ... Down Under in Brisbane





After a few obligatory photos, I took my weapon of mass flotation onto the river loop. "Fat Albert" as I've nick-named my Fatback felt like a fish outta water on the road, but he sure got heaps of comments from roadies we passed en-route;) With lots of rolling resistance from low-pressure 4" tyres, the bike is still suprisingly fast. I can see it will be worthwhile retaining my biggest chain-ring. Now I can't wait to test this great bike on more fitting terrain.

Thanks to the guys from For the Riders for helping fit-out my fatty. I know I'm in great hands with For the Riders.

From above to below in the space of approx 3 months. 10 deserts and 7500km. Can I do it? I'll post a link to the expedition website in the near future. You'll be able to track my progress the entire way. Less than 4 weeks to go now ...

Fatties Rock

I have been looking at getting a Surly Pugsley. Pugsley’s are the original 4” fatty. They look like a MTB on steroids given their oversize tyres. They’re built to go places traditional mountain bikes can’t; places I’d like to go!

I’ve always got another adventure on the cards, so a Pugsley was high on my list of priorities. I’ve gotta say whilst I’ve always been a big fan of the Pug and the far-out places it could take me, my bone of contention has always been its weight. You see, I like adventure but I also like speed. At 2.57kg for an 18” frame alone, the Pug is no light-weight, even if a lot of this weight is quite justifiable when you consider the enormous loads these bikes are designed to carry for BIG adventures in crazy-arse terrain. I've been on the look-out for a light-weight adventure MTB, but without sacrifice to strength.

Enter the Fatback ...


This is not a bike we have heard much about here in Australia. Much of its use to date has been in the snow in Alaska and North America. Greg Matyas and Pete Basinger from Speedway cycles conceived this bike from years of Alaskan back-country experience.

Check-out their website here: http://speedwaycyclesak.com/pages/fatback.html

And below, Greg showing off one in the "flesh".

These bikes can do everything a Pug can do, and more.

Other than its light weight (full build possible at 23lbs), the obvious advantage of the Ti frame is its rust resistance. There’s not much point having a bike built for real adventure if it’s restricted on where it can go because of fear of corrosion on beaches etc. This is a real problem in Alaska because most roads are heavily salted to minimise ice formation. Fortunately Speedway Cycles can also accessorise with Ti options for a fully nuke-proof bike that’ll last longer in the back-country than I ever will.

Ti is also more compliant than CrMo steel, so the ride is not as jarring given these oversize beasts normally use their baggy tyres as suspension rather than suspended forks. The result is that weird and wonderful adventure can still be LIGHT & FAST. The 4” tyres also have plenty of clearance. The rear drop-outs come with 165mm spacing, so this bike is designed for the future with even bigger wheels in mind for harsher terrain. The drive-train is conventional, rather than off-set or “dished” like the Pug. Like the Pug, the Fatback also uses a 100mm bottom bracket.

They look schweeeeet, they look fast, and I can’t wait to get one. I know it will take me well off the beaten track. What are other people’s thoughts?

Oh, check out this link if you don’t already know what the Iditarod Trail Invitational is about. This should whet your adventure appetite:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/24/sports/othersports/24ultra.html?_r=1

Don’t our solo 24hr MTB & XPD adventure races feel kinda like junior girl-scout outings by comparison???

Seeya out on the trails, or “off the beaten trails” soon.