Posted December 26, 2018 in Fat Biking & Winter Cycling, Mountain Biking, Cycling by eriksbikeshop
The 27.5″ x 3.8″ (27.5 Fat) and the 26″ Fat are both available wheel and tire sizes for Fat Bikes. Let’s dig into these two options and see what we can learn. If you’re looking for more info on Fat Biking check out this blog and this one. Want to understand tires better? View our Bike Tire Buying Guide here.
Let’s compare the 27.5″ and 26″ Fat Tires in their capacity to Roll and Float as well as their individual Weight.
Now, let’s look beyond the tires (and wheels for that matter – those are bigger and thus heavier with more rotational mass) and take a look at the weight of a few of the different frames in these two tire sizes.
Model (size medium | Wheel size | Frame/Fork Weight |
---|---|---|
Specialized Fatboy Carbon | 26 Fat | 1770 grams |
Salsa Beargrease Carbon | 27.5 Fat | 2110 grams |
Salsa Mukluk Carbon | 26 Fat | 2313 grams |
Specialized Fatboy M5 Alloy | 26 Fat | 2381 grams |
Trek Farley Carbon | 27.5 Fat | 2554 grams |
Trek Farley Alloy | 27.5 Fat | 3310 grams |
As you can see, the Specialized Fatboy carbon, which is a 26″ Fat model, has a significantly lower weight than other carbon models and the Specialized Fatboy M5 Alloy is lighter or very comparable to even some carbon offerings.
Now, with all that said, some people just prefer the 27.5″ tire. Because of this preference and our desire to provide customers with options, we did some internal R&D and determined that the 27.5″ x 3.8″ wheels and tires are fully compatible with the Specialized Fatboy with room for even wider tires. And compared to other options on the market, the Fatboy handles much more like a traditional XC hardtail.
So, there you go, a Specialized Fatboy with custom-built 27.5″ Fat wheels! This particular build uses DT Swiss 350 hubs and Sun Ringle Mulefut 80 SL rims. Stop by your local ERIK’S to check out the latest Fatboys or to gear up yours with 27.5″ Fat wheels.