I Rolled A “Fatty” Today.

The Farley. Photo courtesy Trek Bicycles.

Being I have been personally known to pretty much try any new thing twice, I welcomed the opportunity to try out a “Fatty.”  A Fat Tired bicycle, that is.  And while this is by no means a “Review,” it is more of a personal revelation about a class of bikes I had, to this point in my life, personally dismissed.  So, what did I discover?  Well, it was one of the most unexpectedly entertaining things I have done in a long time.   

Courtesy of the fine folks at Pasadena Cyclery, I was invited the opportunity to ride a Trek Farley.  And, being true to my approach to “New Things,” I thought, well, goofy as those darn Fat Tired bikes looked, I welcomed the chance to try one of those odd contraptions out.  And, I am delighted to report I have now been enlightened to what all of the fuss has been about regarding this genre of bikes.  They are absolutely amazing!

While I did not “Take it to the Hills, what the shop’s terrain did provide was a pseudo-rock garden, dirt, and some deep gravel.  The Farley just ate it all up.  ‘Matter of fact, the wide motocross-width tires encouraged foot down cornering like my old mountain bike never did.  Those tires are just plain versatile and fun.  One caution I did come away with was the urge to resist riding it like a regular mountain bike.  With those big tires, and wide, flat pedals, one need not be afraid to lean the sucker over and get a foot out, enduro-style.

In addition to rolling smoothly over every piece of terrain, the rest of the Farley’s package was equally impressive.  First, the phenomenal Avid hydraulic disc’s, at least to this Roadie, were the best brakes I have ever used on a bicycle.  Why some peeps are afraid of disc brakes on road bikes is beyond me, and those people are going to be missing out.  If this level of power and modulation are what’s in store for road bikes, we are all in for a real treat, not to mention a level of safety yet seen on road bicycles. 

The SRAM X7 shifters delivered, along with a SRAM X0 front derailleur and an X9 rear derailleur.  The stock seat was fully adequate for the job at hand (not that you are going to spend much time on it), plus the seatpost is a quick-release, height adjust contraption, so setting the right height for a ride will not be an issue.

And for the record, Fat Tired bikes are an activity I plan to try a lot more than twice.   

For complete Farley specs, clicky here for Trek’s website.