Eriksen was showing off this custom titanium fat bike at the North American Handmade Show. Eriksen fat bikes start at US$4,000 - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
This Marzocchi fork is a decade old but found new life as a fat bike fork thanks to its bolt-on arch and crown - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
This Eriksen belongs to company welder Brad Bingham, who had a wider, fat bike-worthy crown and arch fabricated to clear the big tires - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
The frame has 135mm front spacing and 197x12 rear spacing. DT Swiss does not make hubs compatible with these standards, so Bingham cut and sleeved DT-Swiss 240 hubs to fit the frame - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
44 Bikes is custom builder based in New Hampshire. Company owner Kristofer Henry had his personal bike on display - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
The top tube is lowered for better standover clearance and has internal routing through the top tube for the rear derailleur - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
The rear end is short and tucked close to the bent seat tube and Henry's fat bike - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
Boo Bicycles combines carbon or aluminum with bamboo maintubes, this particular AluBoo belongs to the company painter - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
The paint features scales, stripes and others intricate details that one might expect to find in a frame belonging to a painter - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
Boo Bicycles employee Jacob Lapenna designed this AluBOOYAH fat bike as a ski mountaineering machine - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
Upfront, the AluBOOYAH is loaded with a pair of ice axes, ice screws and plenty of rope - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
Outback, the AluBOOYAH is loaded with more rope and a pair of fat skis - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
The skis attatch to the rear rack via this clever custom mount that uses the skis' alpine touring (tech) bindings to hold them in place - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
Capitol Bicycle Company designed this particular fat bike for aggressive offroad riding - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
The winter camo paint scheme is a nice touch - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
Dean has been building Ti frames for decades, though this is the company's first fat bike - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
Dean uses an MRP (formerly White Brothers) aluminum crown and presses in its own titanium fork legs to make the fat bike fork - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
Ellis Cycles is better known for its award-winning road bikes. This winter made company owner Dave Wages try his hand at fat-bike building - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
Ellis Cycles' Dave Wages opted to leave the frame bare (no clearcoat, just a light layer of WD40 to keep oxidation at bay) to enter it in the Best Fillet Brazing category - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
Even fillets and internal routing through the top tube - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
A lot of hand labor went into this area of the bike - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
Independent Fabrication owner Gary Smith has been a fat-bike aficionado for several years; he had the company build its first fat bike for him - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
Independent Fabrication's fat bike model will be known as the Chubby D-Lux - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
The painted-to-match MRP carbon fork is a nice touch - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
Moots is upping their fat bike game with the FrostHammer: a fat bike designed to swallow the largest fat bike tires - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
The FrostHammer has a 44mm head tube and suspension-corrected geometry — there will be several news options coming to market this year - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
Michigan frame builder Scott Quiring works in steel, stainless steel and titanium. This steel bike belongs to his wife - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
The tiger stripe pattern was achieved by using small sections of masking tape - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
Proper hydration for fat-bike riding is essential - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
Quiring also had this Ti fat bike on display - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
Quiring machines his own chainstay yokes to improve tire clearance and bolster rear-end stiffness - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
Using a yoke, rather than bending tubes for the chainstays, improves tire and chainring clearance - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
Ritchey dusted off the Commando name for the company’s first fat bike - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
The Commando hearkens back to the early days of Ritchey, this particular Commando is fillet brazed and belongs to Tom Ritchey himself. Production bikes will be TIG welded - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
The Commando has a sloped top tube for increased standover clearance - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
The rear caliper is tucked nearly between the stays on the Ritchey Commando - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
Gros Big is Xprezo's first fat bike. It has a 190mm rear axle spacing, uses a press-fit 92 bottom bracket and can fit 5in-wide tires. - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
Fat bikes are nothing new to the North American Handmade Bicycle Show, though their massive knobby tires were seemingly at every turn this year.
Some of the builders are well known for their fat bikes, while others decided to build their first fat bikes as a result of this year’s particularly harsh winter. From the bikes on display, it's clear that there’s still a lot of flux within the category: dropout spacing and axle type were all over the map.
Here’s a look at the bikes that were on display. Click through the gallery at right for a detailed look at bikes from each of the builders.
This particular Eriksen fat bike belongs to company welder Brad Bingham. The frame is designed to take 5in tires. The seat tube is curved to tuck the rear wheel in and keep the chainstay length manageable. It can accommodate tires up to 5in wide and uses a197x12 thru-axle rear end. The claimed frame weight is 3.6lb (1.63kg).
The two most interesting components on the frame are the hubs and the fork, both of which are custom, one-off pieces stretched to accommodate the wide spacing required by massive tires.
Eriksen was showing off this custom titanium fat bike at the north american handmade show. eriksen fat bikes start at us$4,000: - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
New Hampshire framebuilder Kristofer Henry is the man behind 44 Bikes. His personal machine is designed to lead a double life as a fat bike in the winter months and a 29+ machine during the rest of the year.
44 bikes is custom builder based in new hampshire. company owner kristofer henry had his personal fat bike on display : - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
The outside diameters of a 5in fat bike tire and a 3in wide 29+ tread are nearly the same, so Henry built this bike to accommodate both wheelsets.
Boo Bicycles employee Jacob Lapenna designed this AluBOOYAH fat bike as ski mountaineering machine. This bike was inspired by a recent trip to Torreys Peak, a 14,275-foot peak located in Clear Creek, Colorado. The climb has a significant approach that is expedited by riding in before skinning up and taking to the ropes.
Boo bicycles employee jacob lapenna designed this alubooyah fat bike as ski mountaineering machine: - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
The bike was created with help from La Sportiva and Petzel, who supplied the ski and climbing gear, and Old Man Mountain racks, who supplied the panniers and front rack.
Dean has long been a fixture in titanium fabrication. This Boulder-based frame building company was showing off its first fat bike.
Dean has been building ti frames for decades, though this is the company's first fat bike: - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
To accompany the frame, Dean also worked with Colorado-based suspension fork manufacturer MRP (formerly known as White Brothers), who supplied the aluminum crown. Dean added pressed-in titanium fork legs to complete the package.
Ellis Cycles owner Dave Wages may be better known for his stunning road bikes. His NAHBS resume is quite impressive. Wages won Best Lugged Bike in 2009, Best of Show in 2010, Best Road Frame in 2011 and Best Steel Frame in 2012.
His creations are often lugged or filled brazed and feature clean lines and impeccable attention to detail.
Ellis cycles' dave wages opted to leave the frame bare (no clearcoat, just a light layer of wd40 to keep oxidation at bay) to enter it in the best fillet brazing category : - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
Wages is based in Waterford, Wisconsin, and this year’s long winter there motivated him to create his own fat bike.
Company owner Gary Smith has been a fat bike aficionado for several years and wanted something he could ride through the snow that had an IF headbage on it, and so the Chubby D-Lux was born.
Independent fabrications owner gary smith has been a fat bike aficionado for several years; he had the company build its first fat bike for him: - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
The sparkling chartreuse paint is stunning and the painted to match MRP carbon fat bike fork ties the build together.
Moots is no stranger to fat bikes, having built custom machines for endurance racer Mike Curiak’s grueling Iditarod Trail Invitational wins.
The FrostHammer is Moots first fat bike model designed to fit 5in wide tires. The frame has a 44mm head tube and is designed to accommodate the fat bike-specific suspension forks that will be coming to market later this year.
Moots is upping their fat bike game with the frosthammer: a fat bike designed to swallow the largest fat bike tires: - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
Moots will be offering the FrostHammer in four stock sizes, as well as made to measure options.
Michigan frame builder Scott Quiring works in steel, stainless steel and titanium. To improve tire clearance and bolster rear end stiffness, Quiring machines his own chainstay yokes.
Quiring had a titanium and a steel fat bike on display at this year’s show. The pink-and-black tiger-striped steel fat bike belongs to his wife. The paint scheme was inspired by a pair of similarly patterned rim strips she found.
The tiger stripe pattern was achieved by using small sections of masking tape: - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
Small strips of masking tape were used to create the pattern.
The Ritchey Commando is one of the most storied bicycle frames from the early days of mountain biking. Ritchey dusted off the name for the company’s first fat bike.
Ritchey dusted off the commando name for the company’s first fat bike: - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
The Commando has 135mm front and 170mm rear spacing, uses quick-release axles, and can accommodate fat tires up to 3.8in wide.
The olive drab machine on display belongs to Tom Ritchey himself. This particular frame is fillet brazed (production Commando’s will be TIG welded). Production Commando’s will retail for US$999 and will be available in October.
Xprezo is a small Canadian bicycle company. The company has resisted the pull of off-shore manufacturing, instead choosing to build all of its frames in its factory in Bromont, Québec.
Gros big is xprezo's first fat bike. it has a 190mm rear axle spacing, uses a press-fit 92 bottom bracket and can fit 5in wide fat bike tires. : - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
The company’s first fat bike is dubbed the Gros Big. It has a 190mm rear axle spacing, uses a press-fit 92 bottom bracket and can fit 5in wide fat bike tires.
The frame is constructed from Columbus Zona tubing and has a claimed frame weight of 3.9lb (1.76kg).
Josh Patterson is a BikeRadar contributor and former technical editor. He has spent most of his career working in the cycling industry as an athlete, mechanic and journalist. He holds a master's degree in journalism and has more than 20 years of experience as a cyclist and 12 years of experience riding and writing for BikeRadar, Cyclingnews, Cycling Weekly, Dirt Rag, RoadBikeReview and Outside Magazine. A native of the Flint Hills of Kansas, Josh was a pioneer in the gravel cycling movement, having raced the first Unbound 200 and many other gravel events around the globe. He considers himself a cycling generalist and enjoys road, gravel and mountain biking in equal measure. When not traveling for work, he can be found exploring the singletrack and lonely gravel roads that surround his home in Fort Collins, Colorado. In addition to his love of cycling, Josh is an enthusiastic supporter of brunch, voting rights and the right to repair movement.
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