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A Fat Bike is for life NOT just for Christmas, or is that puppies? Well, the statement still holds true, but should probably re-worded more specifically to ‘a Fat Bike is for riding everything, not just snow’.
When Fat Bikes first started to permeate into popular cycling culture they were very much billed as bikes that were exclusively for riding on snow or sand, however, what followed was a gradual understanding of the true versatility of the Fat Bike; with riders pushing the boundaries of what was ridable and bike brands refining Fat Bike technology to meet demand. It’s fair to say that spending time on a Fat Bike is a different riding experience, with a slightly different outlook required, but here at our Lake District store we’re fully behind the concept of the Fat Bike, with quite a number of staff owning their own and usually one or two models in store available as rental bikes they’re a really good option for the type of riding conditions encountered here in the Cumbrian fells.
So, to the uninitiated, what are the advantages of riding a Fat Bike? To many people the first sight of a Fat Bike is completely bewildering. The appearance of the super-wide oversized tyres suggest a portly, potentially unwieldly bike that would feel sluggish and hard to handle in most riding conditions, but looks can be VERY deceiving. The large volume, extra-wide tyres provide a really stable platform and give enhanced grip on a wide range of terrain and surfaces. As drivetrain technology has progressed over the years on conventional MTB’s we’ve been able to conquer increasingly steep, technical off-road climbs, with only the grip and surface-area contact of our tyres letting us down until we lose traction or lose balance OR both and have to put a foot down. A Fat Bike’s tyres run with extremely low tyre pressures overcome these issues allowing you to negotiate trails you’d previously deemed un-ridable; similarly coming downhill, you’ll feel that grip is enhanced and control is amplified, particularly on the sort of lose, rocky, marble-runs we have to cope with here in the Lake District Fells.
Part of the reason we keep a Fat Bike available as one of our rental bikes is that they’re great for slightly less confident riders who maybe haven’t previously ridden really demanding, technical and rocky terrain. The low tyre pressures, wide footprint and enhanced cushioning that they provide all help to make for a more predictable ride. In a lot of cases the evolution of the Fat Bike has included a move up from 26 inch wheels to 27.5 inch wheels (a feature of the Trek Farley) and this helps the rolling capacity of the bikes, a larger wheel meaning they will roll over obstacles more easily and will hold their speed more than the 26 inch wheels of other Fat Bikes.
We’ve also seen a rise in popularity for using this type of mountain bike as an adventure bike or ‘bike-packing’ bike. Fully loaded up it’s not unusual to see riders taking their Fat Bikes out onto the trails for multi-day adventures; with the capacity to carry a load and the stability provided by large, wide low pressure tyres as well as a massive spread of low gears a Fat Bike is a great option. The worries of unfamiliar terrain and unknown routes are negated by running such a versatile, user-friendly bike; it’s been likened to Pony Trekking on wheels! OK, so that’s enough of an overview on the benefits of riding a Fat Bike and the sort of riding possibilities they give you as a mountain biker; now let’s take a closer look at the full carbon Trek Farley 9.6 Fat Bike…
The stunning Trek Farley 9.6 full carbon Fat Bike…
The Farley 9.6 is Trek’s high-end 27.5” wheeled Fat Bike made from super-light OCLV carbon fibre and features their Stranglehold sliding dropouts to allow you to fine-tune tyre clearance and the wheelbase of the bike – run it long for enhanced stability or shorter for more nimble handling. A rigid carbon fibre Bontrager Haru fork keeps things simple and lightweight up-front and a remote dropper seat post means you can quickly get the saddle out of the way when thins get steep and rowdy.
Super-light OCLV carbon chassis means this thing is light and nimble…
The paint finish on the Farley 9.6 is something to behold! With a subtle, semi-translucent gloss aqua-green finish that reveals some of the carbon fibre weave as you look across the frame and it catches the light. Bang on trend as always Trek have indulged us with a smattering of oil-slick details including on the head-badge of the frame.
There’s a stunning paint finish to this Trek Farley 9.6…
Subtle top-tube graphics and beautiful semi-translucent aqua-blue paint job…
There’s bags of clearance between frame and tyre, even with these mahoosive 27.5×4.50” tyres…
It’s the same story up-front with a matching tyre sitting comfortably within the wide-stance Haru carbon fork…
Super-wide 27.5×4.50”Bontrager Barbegazi Team Issue, Tubeless Ready tyres with Inner Strength sidewalls and an aramid bead feature a widely-spaced square-profile tread pattern that provides loads of grip while being efficient at mud-shedding…
The Bontrager Barbegazi Team Issue tyres can be run at extremely low pressures for superb traction…
As mentioned earlier, Trek have spec’d 27.5 inch wheels rather than 26 inch wheels sometimes found on other brands of Fat Bike. The rational for this is simple, the larger wheels will roll faster over obstacles at the same time as providing enhanced grip thanks to their slightly larger surface area being in contact with the ground. The Farley’s wheelset features a pair of striking oil-slick-finish, sealed bearing thru-axle hubs with six-bolt disc rotor mounts; the rear hub includes a Rapid Drive 108 freehub body which, as the names suggests, has 108 points of engagement giving nearly instant acceleration with no delay when you step on the pedals.
The oil-slick finish on the front and rear hub is a nice detail…
The rear hub includes a Rapid Drive 108 freehub body giving nearly instant acceleration…
To keep things light and fast rolling the hubs have been built onto SUNRingle Mulefut 80 SL 32-hole cut-out rims which feature a super-wide low profile rim. As you’ll see from the pictures, Fat Bike rims are cleverly machined to remove any excess material, thus saving weight while ensuring the structural integrity of the rim is not compromised; a tough waterproof rim tape can be seen slightly protruding through the machined out portions, keeping everything air-tight.
SUNRingle Mulefut 80 SL 32-hole cut-out rims keep rolling weight down…
Trek have spec’d the Farley 9.6 with a carefully selected range of components with a brilliantly simple and functional SRAM GX Eagle 12 speed groupset. A single 30T chainring upfront combined with a huge range of 12 gears on the rear cassette with the smallest cog being 10 teeth and the largest being 52 teeth gives you a really broad range of gears that will help you overcome any obstacle in your way. Even if you’re fully laden with bike-packing bags the super-low 30x52T combination will let you conquer steep, lose climbs without too much trouble.
A 30T chainring upfront combined with a massive 10-52T cassette gives you all the gear combinations you’ll need…
SRAM’s Eagle groupset means a simple setup with one trigger shifter on the right of the handle bars…
Stopping duties are handled by SRAM’s Level TL hydraulic disc brakes with large 160mm rotors to enable you to scrub off speed quickly and control your Fatty regardless of the terrain, the weather or the pitch of your descent.
SRAM Level TL brakes scrub speed off quickly…
A close-up of the rear brake reveals Trek’s clever rear brake caliper and Stranglehold adjustable dropout configuration. If you’re planning on adjusting the wheelbase of your Farley 9.6 then obviously the rear brake will need to be repositioned too; there’s no issue doing this with the Strangle-Hold, with the rear disc brake caliper attached to a floating mount which can be adjusted fore and aft before being secured with an allen bolt.
Trek’s Stranglehold droput configuration includes an easily-adjustable brake caliper mount…
The setup on the Farley’s handlebars looks clean and simple, with SRAM’s 12-Speed Eagle trigger shifter and Level brake levers. Another nice little styling feature is the Bontrager lock-on handle bar grips with and oil-slick detail.
Oil-slick details are bang-on-trend…
Massive tyre clearance means, even when you’re taking on muddy, boggy riding conditions there’s still enough room between frame and tyre to prevent mud build-up…
So, who is the Trek Farley 9.6 for? Well, the versatility of this bike means that it would suit quite a number rider types with quite different preferences. If you’re looking for a high-end lightweight Fat Bike that’s capable of fast blasts around your local trails and you’re time-pushed but determined to ride in any conditions and on a wide variety of terrain then this carbon fibre Fatty would suit you. Equally, if you’re planning on going a little further afield, with a well-deserved bike-packing trip planned then the fact that this bike can handle most situations and come out of them with you smiling means it’s a great option too. When you can’t guarantee you know exactly what sort of terrain and riding conditions you’ll encounter during your epic ride then the Farley 9.6 will give you added confidence as you embark on your adventures. Oh, and finally, it goes without saying that if it snows A LOT any time soon then you’ll be able to get out and have some real fun, before posting that all-important smug Instagram post.
This versatile full-carbon fat bike is ready for almost anything…
See the Trek Farley in action…
The Trek Farley 9.6 is in stock now and available in-store and online…
Blog written by Johnny Dodgin
Photos by James Vincent
