Stine, perhaps a joint perusal of this cheap bike as it comes out of the box might be an opportunity to finally meet in person? Plus, it would probably tell you firsthand everything you need to know about whether you want to go this route. It's all going down next Monday night, if all goes according to schedule. John can put us in touch, if you're interested and available at that time. Otherwise, I'll do my best to document what I find here.
Dan, sorry, I got next to nothin'. The UPS feed shows that it moved from Houston, to Vernon, to Dallas. Still in TX, then. Damn, that's one big-ass state.
Damn! Busy Monday! I tried to order a Lurch, but they are out until at least Mid-September. I'm also trying get "up-to-date" on the advantages of the newer specs -- is a Pugsley already passe? And what of the Moonlander, the Ice Cream Truck? Is this merely hair splitting? And what about On-One's Baby Fatty, for the vertically challenged (which I am not)?
I have been lost in a sea of research...and debating the value of Taiwan over China (which I've always thought mattered)...
Stine, yeah, it's a pretty confusing space right now. I don't really think the pugs is passe, at all. The lurch interested me because with the 190 mm rear spacing, it *should* be able to take the 5" (nominal) wide tires, of which there are a handful of options (no one knows for sure, because the bikes are just now getting into buyers' hands and I haven't seen any reports of people actually mounting up 5" tires yet).
There are TONS of 4" (nominal) wide tires available and lots of bikes that will take them. BD has lots of options and it seems like just about everyone else is jumping into the game, as well. There's a boatload of opinions out there on geo differences between the various flavors, but I'm not sure that the subtleties start to make much difference until you have racked up some substantial fat tire miles. I think there is a lot to be experienced and learned about riding fat tires and what it is and isn't, that's pretty independent of geo details.
If you are interested in a fatbike, I would encourage you to get your hands on one as reasonably economically as possible and just ride. From what I've read, I believe that BD offers a good enough bike at a really great price. Going used is another great option, if you have the patience. I think there is going to finally be some activity on the used market this winter season, although maybe not a ton.
In a day or two, I will have the opportunity to start forming my firsthand opinion of BD. There are already a couple of problems being reported that seem to be pretty common (one is a brake alignment/rub problem and the other is problem with the robustness of the adjustable rear dropout setup). Both problems are pretty minor and relatively easily fixed, and other than this, people seem to be fairly happy with them, so far. Everyone, including me, is impressed with BD's customer service. I was glad to see that the lurch is coming from Taiwan. I really didn't know, but I somehow expected it was coming from China. The company I work for sells a lot of equipment and technology to China (as well as Taiwan) and we have an office there and China is progressing quickly, but thinks can only happen so fast. IMO, Taiwan vs China still makes a difference.
The 24" fatty is cool, but tire options will be super limited for quite some time.
10 comments:
Hmmm, a shipping weight of 30 pounds. Can't wait to read about your new cycling adventures.
They are fibbing about the weight....
Hank, it's definitely an adventure-capable machine. Hope I'm up for generating some.
>>They are fibbing about the weight....<<
They are, for sure. By how much, is the question.
Pat, I know we've never actually met, but I REALLY wanna hear all about this rig. I'm pondering a budget winter ride...
It's end of day!!! any news? any pictures? just a nibble? nothing!!! come on Pat, you're killing us.
Dan
Stine, perhaps a joint perusal of this cheap bike as it comes out of the box might be an opportunity to finally meet in person? Plus, it would probably tell you firsthand everything you need to know about whether you want to go this route. It's all going down next Monday night, if all goes according to schedule. John can put us in touch, if you're interested and available at that time. Otherwise, I'll do my best to document what I find here.
Dan, sorry, I got next to nothin'. The UPS feed shows that it moved from Houston, to Vernon, to Dallas. Still in TX, then. Damn, that's one big-ass state.
i wonder what adventure machine it could be…hang glider? unicycle? scuba gear? drone? i can't handle the suspense!
scott
oh, just saw it's a bike!
Damn! Busy Monday!
I tried to order a Lurch, but they are out until at least Mid-September. I'm also trying get "up-to-date" on the advantages of the newer specs -- is a Pugsley already passe? And what of the Moonlander, the Ice Cream Truck? Is this merely hair splitting? And what about On-One's Baby Fatty, for the vertically challenged (which I am not)?
I have been lost in a sea of research...and debating the value of Taiwan over China (which I've always thought mattered)...
Stine, yeah, it's a pretty confusing space right now. I don't really think the pugs is passe, at all. The lurch interested me because with the 190 mm rear spacing, it *should* be able to take the 5" (nominal) wide tires, of which there are a handful of options (no one knows for sure, because the bikes are just now getting into buyers' hands and I haven't seen any reports of people actually mounting up 5" tires yet).
There are TONS of 4" (nominal) wide tires available and lots of bikes that will take them. BD has lots of options and it seems like just about everyone else is jumping into the game, as well. There's a boatload of opinions out there on geo differences between the various flavors, but I'm not sure that the subtleties start to make much difference until you have racked up some substantial fat tire miles. I think there is a lot to be experienced and learned about riding fat tires and what it is and isn't, that's pretty independent of geo details.
If you are interested in a fatbike, I would encourage you to get your hands on one as reasonably economically as possible and just ride. From what I've read, I believe that BD offers a good enough bike at a really great price. Going used is another great option, if you have the patience. I think there is going to finally be some activity on the used market this winter season, although maybe not a ton.
In a day or two, I will have the opportunity to start forming my firsthand opinion of BD. There are already a couple of problems being reported that seem to be pretty common (one is a brake alignment/rub problem and the other is problem with the robustness of the adjustable rear dropout setup). Both problems are pretty minor and relatively easily fixed, and other than this, people seem to be fairly happy with them, so far. Everyone, including me, is impressed with BD's customer service. I was glad to see that the lurch is coming from Taiwan. I really didn't know, but I somehow expected it was coming from China. The company I work for sells a lot of equipment and technology to China (as well as Taiwan) and we have an office there and China is progressing quickly, but thinks can only happen so fast. IMO, Taiwan vs China still makes a difference.
The 24" fatty is cool, but tire options will be super limited for quite some time.
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