December 31st, 2018

A Fatbike named Ullr

So for those of you following along you already know that I got a bug up my butt to build a fat bike...  And if you haven't been following along, you really need to pay more attention, you better do some homework and catch up...  That's three Hail Mary's and a Lord's prayer for you.  Anyway, this couldn't be "just a fat bike", it needed to be something special!  So, I jumped right into the latest fatbike trend a 27.5 x 4 wheeled bike.  In theory, it sounded good.  My gut said it would be fun, so why not???  Well, fast forward a few months and let me walk you through what I ended up with!  

So to start with, a nice steel frame.  A question that everyone alway asks me is "What kind of steel"?  So we will save you some effort and I'll tell you before you ask.  Dedacciai.  What, you've not heard of it???  Well shame on you, what kind of Italian are you???  Oh wait, you're not...  Anyway, let's just say Dedaccaia is a really nice tube from Italy.  More importantly, they offer the tubing butting profile that I was after.  To go deeper will most likely bore you to tears but suffice to say, this bike is made with an oversize tubeset that was picked to match up with my size, weight and riding style!  

If you've ever purchased a handmade frame before, you'll know that one of the most difficult parts of the process is choosing the color scheme and graphics.  Well, this build was not different.  My plan started as a gray bike with a gray panel and red components.  Yeah, in my head that seemed perfect!  Then the cheap side of me came out and I considered using paint I had left over...  So the bike (in my head) evolved to blue, orange and white.  But then I thought better of it and decided to return to my original scheme of gray on gray...  Oh, then I went to the store to buy some paint.  Yeah.  Well, needless to say I came home with baby blue and white, so yeah, don't ask.  Anyway as you can see it's a fairly classic and typically "Ferretti" paint job!

Then of course comes the fun of spec'ing out all of the components!!!  So again, to know me is to know I like practical, durable and well designed parts...  I don't want to totally bore you with the tiniest of details as well as why I decided to select that component so I'll give you a brief overview here and then a bunch of pictures!  

Frame:  we talked about it and if you didn't read above, shame on you...
Wheels:  Whisky 80W Carbon 27.5 x 80mm rim, Industry Nine hubs, Sapim Spokes/nipples. 45NRTH Vanhelga tires.
Drivetrain:  Sram GX Eagel
Cockpit: Whisky Bicycle Components fork, stem, seatpost and handlebars.  White Industry headset. Fabric saddle.

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Ride:  Well, all I can say is man, this is light for a fatty...  You can definitely "feel" the lightness when you ride...  I used a short rear center and a fairly long front center meaning this fatbike handles like a modern mountain bike.  In fact, I had someone comment that this bike rode like a mountainbike, not a fat bike...  Enough said...  No more words here, you need to experience it!  So without further ramblings browse through some pics and enjoy!  As always, if you have questions, don't hesitate to reach out with them!