Fatbikes

By now, you've at least seen a few out on the trails. The original idea for the tyres was floatation - the tyre's wide contact patch having the ability to stay on top of snow. Snow shoes for your bike, basically. Some guys in Alaska in the 90's started welding standard MTB rims together, running two tyres side-by-side. Then, they started using 3" downhill tyres, like the bike below. This bike won the first Iditasport Impossible race in 2000. 1600km in 15 days.

In 2005, Surly announced the Pugsley with 65mm rims and 3.7" tyres, making production fatbikes available to shops all over. The modern fatbike arrived.

Long story short, they've evolved from single-purpose snow bikes to touring/bikepacking rigs and even full-suspension trail bikes. New Zealand has a lot to offer fatbikes, from pristine backcountry like the Cycle Trail network and general trail riding. They offer a different way to enjoy a bike, just as mountain biking did in the 80's.

The 2015 Charger Maxi 2

The Cooker Maxi is more of the general explorer type of fatbike. Steel frame. No suspension. Simple, reliable spec. Ride anywhere and everywhere. The Land Cruiser of bikes. They're now on sale for $1499.

Check out a few photos from this morning's coffee run.