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Post by desertbikes on Sept 3, 2019 20:46:45 GMT -7
Yup, I ordered this. $398 on an email "invitation". It really is a good deal. In fact the thing fits 26x4 27"Plus & 29er Plus. I already have upgrade part ready to go. Not top of the line but certainly an upgrade to the steel Wally bikes - Aluminum frame, 8 spd FreeHub (not freewheel) & replaceable derailleur hanger. Specs are below the photo
NOTE - completed bike with 29er Plus & 26er Fat wheels & observations on second page
Frame ALLOY 6061 FRAME, W/DISC MOUNT, TIG WELD, replaceable rear derailleur hanger, H2O bosses, T/T-35MM, S/T-31.8MM, D/T-44M, Rear Rack SeatStay Brazeons, 170mm symmetrical rear Fork 29" AT-27735F 31.8MM CR-MO. Crankset SUNTOUR CW13-XCC-T202PB 22T BKx32T BKx42T BKx175MM ALLOY BLACK CRANK Bottom Bracket VP-B73 CARTRIDGE 100MM/144MM Pedals VP BLACK PLASTIC BODY W/STEEL BLACK CAGE Front Derailleur SHIMANO Alivio FD-M410E Rear Derailleur SRAM RD-X4-A1 SILVER CAGE Shifters SRAM X4 TRIGGER 24-SP BLACK Cassette/Freewheel 11-34T-8 speed Chain KMC Z-72 STEEL GRAY/BROWN Hubs ALLOY BLACK W/QR, 135mm front, 170mm rear (symmetrical) Spokes 14G STEEL BLACK W/BRASS NIPPLE Rims HJC DA38 700Cx32H DOUBLE WALL, ALLOY BLACK Tires/Tubes 29"x3.0 VEE RUBBER TRAX FATTY 72TPI WB TIRE, Schraeder Valve (regular) Tubes Brakes TEKTRO NOVELA DISC BRAKE W/160MM ROTOR Brake Levers TEKTRO RS-360A ALLOY BLACK LEVER W/BLACK CLAMP Headset VP-A71 BLACK W/M-1D ALLOY BLACK Handlebar ALLOY W:660MM, ALLOY BLACK Stem ALLOY 6061 EXT:90MM(14"~18")/105MM(20"~21")x10 DEGREES Tape/Grip WTB BLACK/GRAY KRATON Saddle WTB SPEED V SPORT SE, BLACK Seat Post Micro Adjust SP-214 400MM, ALLOY BLACK aluminum Seat Post Clamp ALLOY SEAT CLAMP |
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Post by genericmember on Sept 4, 2019 7:56:41 GMT -7
What will you do with your other fat bikes?
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Post by gatorbite on Sept 4, 2019 19:04:40 GMT -7
 I like it even if its not a budget bike
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Post by desertbikes on Sept 5, 2019 9:07:56 GMT -7
What will you do with your other fat bikes? The Dolomite will become the high-bar cruiser & the Hitch/Malus will be stripped of good parts & put out to pasture. |
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Post by desertbikes on Sept 5, 2019 9:10:09 GMT -7
I like it even if its not a budget bike I disagree. It's about on par, component-wise, with the Walmart Mongoose XR-Pro 29er which is currently the same price.
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Post by desertbikes on Sept 5, 2019 19:38:20 GMT -7
What will you do with your other fat bikes? The Dolomite will become the high-bar cruiser & the Hitch/Malus will be stripped of good parts & put out to pasture. Wait a minute. I bet blown240 would love another big box of bike parts!  |
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Post by gatorbite on Sept 7, 2019 19:42:14 GMT -7
What will you do with your other fat bikes? The Dolomite will become the high-bar cruiser & the Hitch/Malus will be stripped of good parts & put out to pasture. i guess ull be riding again in 2021 or so looking at ur dolomite rebuild time |
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Post by desertbikes on Sept 8, 2019 18:10:05 GMT -7
The Dolomite will become the high-bar cruiser & the Hitch/Malus will be stripped of good parts & put out to pasture. i guess ull be riding again in 2021 or so looking at ur dolomite rebuild time A subdued guffaw to you. Yes that project has been protracted. At least I have & ride bikes. Perhaps you might post something regarding your own cycling exploits.
I've already a second set of wheels for it since it can fit 26x4 as well as 29x3.?? I can already see that hills & boulders are still best tackled with 26" fattys. 29er plus will go best in desert XC just as the old Mongoose Deception did. Although where it failed in sand & washes the 29er plus won't. Already found fork selections under $200 that fit the fatter 29s.
I'm sure it won't stop there but will see what's what.
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Post by desertbikes on Sept 11, 2019 18:54:57 GMT -7
5 days to go. Finally down in the 70s at dawn so started on Dolomite today. Everything is full of sand - not unexpected since I don't have a shop (yet). All the new parts have been stored indoors so they're good. Just have to take down the axles & re-grease. Other that that, pretty much everything else is new anyway. Just the frame & wheels will be reused, and the wheels are off the Hitch when it was new. They might have 30 miles on them.
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Post by lurker on Sept 11, 2019 19:14:08 GMT -7
not particularly relevant to the thread, but it's been so hot out i haven't ridden my bike in months. yesterday in the a.m. i was gonna get it out and the tires were flat.
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Post by gonefishin on Sept 12, 2019 17:13:05 GMT -7
i started walking at a walmart this summer cuz all the inside malls closed. the ones near me anywAy. once around the store is about 350 steps. its not a bike but its better than a couch i figure.
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Post by lurker on Sept 12, 2019 18:04:07 GMT -7
maybe if you carried the couch?
now i'm gonna go pace off my local wal-mart. we take the dog to lowes, which allows dogs, and he drags me all around inside the store. |
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Post by genericmember on Sept 14, 2019 7:26:09 GMT -7
I'm curious where you purchased this bike. Maybe I've missed it. It also seems that 2 weeks to ship something is a long time these days.
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Post by desertbikes on Sept 14, 2019 17:41:24 GMT -7
I'm curious where you purchased this bike. Maybe I've missed it. It also seems that 2 weeks to ship something is a long time these days. Guess I didn't mention that - Bikes Direct www.bikesdirect.com/products/fat-bikes.htm A great place to window shop, get realistic cost for for various equipment levels & get ideas. Dorian initially delayed shipment for a few days. Normally you get a bike in 5 business days or less. |
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Post by desertbikes on Sept 17, 2019 15:30:45 GMT -7
So here it is, arriving much like a Walmart bike. 
The only thing to be changed for now are the pedals. It comes with the cheapo universal cage pedals.
More later
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Post by gatorbite on Sept 17, 2019 16:24:00 GMT -7
Kool beans! hard to ride that way?
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Post by desertbikes on Sept 17, 2019 19:41:56 GMT -7
Running 20 psi in the Vee 3" tires. Handles well on loose over hardpack & did well in sand if you stay on your toes. Rolled over the top but lots more corrections than a 4"x26. It certainly didn't sink like a 29 x 2.2MTB. Just a test run today for adjustments.
than a 26x4  
Everything is adjusted using a 5mm hex key except the bosses which are 4mm. Lots of bosses too. 6 on the fork & 4 on the downtube.
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Post by desertbikes on Sept 17, 2019 19:58:50 GMT -7
72 TPI tubeless ready tires seem pretty supple & will do for now. Nice aggressive tread compared to a lot of other 29er plus tires. Will keep an eye open for a 120 TPI on closeout.
SRAM x4 is a nice setup with a direct pull rear derailluer - no cable hoop hanging off the back. Also glad to have a replaceable hanger again. The SRAM shifters will take a little getting used to after running Shimano levers for so long. It has a Shimano Alivio FD so the usual immediate upgrade won't be necessary.
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Post by desertbikes on Sept 18, 2019 20:25:07 GMT -7
These are $12 no-name sealed bearing pedals from ebay. Replaceable pins too. That's a 175mm Suntour crank arm w/ sealed cartridge bottom bracket 
Alloy bars & stem. Using a $7 wireless speedo. Backlit & 12 function I think. Differed from MapMyRide app by 1/10 mi over 5 mi. Not sure that I trust either one. Will double check tire measurements again.
Added alloy bottle cage & seat bag. WTB Speed seat is good so far. Comes with aftermarket style alloy seatpost, not the 1950s steel clamp.
Second day. Brakes & RD are perfect now. Still futzing with FD a bit.
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Post by fatdaddy61 on Sept 19, 2019 20:27:14 GMT -7
Nice ride dessert!
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Post by desertbikes on Sept 21, 2019 14:22:13 GMT -7
Thanks, FD. Taking a break from 26" wheels which should be ready by this evening.
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Post by desertbikes on Sept 21, 2019 17:13:19 GMT -7
Nothin up my sleeve - Presto! A second new bike by swapping the wheels with actual FAT rims & tires.
The 26" wheels, 80mm rim width. I'll post weights of each setup later. $70 for the Gravity wheel set, $13 for the rotors, $18 for the 11-34 Shimano cassette (same model on the stock wheels)
  Vee Bulldozer on the front & Choayang on rear, both at 120 TPI     |
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Post by desertbikes on Sept 21, 2019 21:08:04 GMT -7
Sorry for the mix of metric & American but that's bikes
Weights Bike with fat wheels - 35 lbs 11oz
Bike without wheels - 18 lbs 13 oz Stock 29er wheels w/ tires & rotors - front 3240g rear 3729g Gravity 26er Fat wheels assembled w/ tires & rotors - front 3900g rear 4205g
Gravity 26er wheel set x 80mm rims - front 1720 rear 1879g
Vee Bulldozer - 1450g
Chaoyang - 1150g Tubes - 607g (ouch)
Rotors 90g ea
Shimano CS-HG31-8 cassette - 324g No sealant in the tubes yet & yeah, they're heavy, but thick. Gravity wheels are machine made & could use a little finishing TLC on arrival. Bearing were well adjusted w/ rubber boots. One was true the other needed a tweak.
Incidental notes - All bike tire mfg lie about tire width. You can at least say that it's not disclosed how they arrive at their conclusions. In this case, 3" Vee tires only measure 2 5/8" on 37mm rims (20psi). They have a 3" footprint in dirt. The 4" Chaoyang 3 5/8". The Vee Bulldozer labeled as 4" is actually 4" on 80mm rims. .
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Post by desertbikes on Sept 22, 2019 13:12:56 GMT -7
Installing fenders today (rain coming) along with an adjustable stem. Bad backs need a higher bar height, even if it looks a little funky.
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Post by desertbikes on Sept 22, 2019 15:24:00 GMT -7
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I like it even if its not a budget bike
A bit warm. yes. Had to do another 2100 mile round trip on short notice. My back was/is in a real bad way & came home to a dead AC unit. Other than that its been just peachy! 
It's interfering with my bike & shooting time