2010 Snow Bike State Of The Union

I can't think of a better way to kick off the New Year than with a 2010 Snow Bike State of the Union post. Thanks largely to the passion of two competing shops in AK, snow bikers have more choices now than ever before. The bikes are lighter and the rim offerings are wider which means you will ride where you used to push your bike. I compiled a similar post back in Oct 2007 and it is cool to see how much has changed since then.

The Bikes



Titanium FatBack: Speedway Cycles' Ti FatBack is made by Lynskey Performance exclusively for Speedway Cycles.
Specs: BB width-100mm, rear dropout spacing-165mm symmetrical




Titanium 9Zero7: Chain Reaction Cycles' Ti 9Zero7 snow bike is made by Merlin Metalworks exclusively for Chain Reaction Cycles.
Specs: BB width-100mm, rear dropout spacing-160mm symmetrical or 135mm with 17.5mm drive side offset




Aluminum FatBack: The Aluminum FatBack shares the same geometry and rear spacing as the Ti version but offers the consumer a less expensive option to get into a high-performance snow bike.
Specs: BB width-100 mm, rear dropout spacing-165mm symmetrical



Aluminum 9Zero7: The Aluminum 9Zero7 is welded in Portland, OR and was designed to be an easy upgrade from the Surely Pugsley for someone looking to save some weight. The BB and rear spacing are identical to the Pugsley so all parts can simply be moved over.
Specs: BB width-100mm, rear dropout spacing-135mm with 17.5 mm drive side offset



Wildfire FatBike: The Wildfire FatBike is one of the original snow bikes and has evolved nicely over time. The frame & fork are made of chromoly steel and built for Wildfire by DeSalvo.
Specs: BB width-100mm, rear dropout spacing-160mm symmetrical



Surly Pugsley: The 2010 Surly Pugsley has changed slightly as well. Still made of steel and offering horizontal rear dropout for singlespeeders, the Pugsley top tube has been lowered slightly to offer more standover clearance. Any bike shop with a QBP account can order a Pugsley.
Specs: BB width-100 mm, rear dropout spacing-135 mm with 17.5mm drive side offset

I intentionally left out the Vicious Thunderwing and the Moots Snoots because neither frame appears to be readily available.


New Snow Bike Components
In addition to new frames, we have an assortment of snow-bike-specific components to pimp out our rides in 2010.


Salsa Enabler: Salsa's Enabler Fork has not been officially released but photos and info have been leaked. The steel fork is 135mm non-offset and will feature bottle cage mounts on each leg for expedition-style rigging.



FatBack Crankset: The FatBack crankset is a 100mm wide outboard-bearing crankset built specifically for snow bikes. Speedway Cycles has an exclusive on these. Yeah, no more over-built DH cranksets on snow bikes! This system provides a nice option to the expensive but trick Phil Wood BB/Middleburn crank.



FatBack Hubs: The FatBack branded hubs come in 135mm Front/165mm Rear spacing and are built exclusively for Speedway Cycles.



Paul Disc WHUB: The Paul 135mm front disc hub offers the widest flange of any front disc hub and allows you to build a very strong, symmetrical front wheel.



70mm Uma II Rim: Another Speedway Cycles exclusive product, the Uma II 70mm rims weigh in at a mere 860 grams each.



Vicious Cycles Graceful Fat Sheba: The Vicious Cycles 80mm Fat Sheba (great name) rims offer an additonal 15mm of width over the 65mm Large Marge rims with almost no weight penalty. Many have successfully drilled 1 1/4" holes in this rim to shed additional weight.



100mm Rims: The fattest of the Phat! If you are loading your snow bike up for an epic adventure, you might want to consider 100mm rims. Yes, they are heavy. However, they might provide just enough extra float to be the difference between riding and pushing...and pushing sucks.



3.8" Surly Larry Tire: A second snow bike tire option is on the way and his name is Larry! Samples are already circulating and initial reports are good. A 3.8" tire, Larry has extra side lugs to help with cornering in the loose fluff.