More Miles, More Impressions

A lot of people ask me to compare my two fat bikes.  I wrote a bit of a comparison, a few days ago, based a couple of initial rides on the Salsa compared to my experience commuting on the Fat Sand Bike.  But, that comparison was tentative, due to my limited time on the Salsa Mukluk.

I have ridden the Mukluk back and forth on my commute, the last four days.  Having done so, I feel like I can add a little to the comparison between it and the Fat Sand Bikes Terrain Destroyer.

First off, the FSB has a cooler name.  I mean, c'mon, Terrain Destroyer?  It sounds like something that Doctor Doom would ride!

But, seriously, the FSB is also better suited to use as an all-weather commuter bike than the Mukluk (at least, with the way my two bikes are set up).  The longer wheelbase gives it  smoother ride, particularly over the potholed and rutted packed snow/ice that I encounter on my commute.  Plus, as I mentioned before, the internally geared hub allows for shifting under all conditions, even sitting still after an unexpected stop.

And, the tires are more suited to the stretches of open pavement that I have encountered, the past couple of days.

The Mukluk strikes me as the more off-road oriented bike, between the two.  As such, riding it on the street is much like riding a normal mountain bike on the street.  It is a bit slower, and takes a bit more effort than a more street-oriented bike would.

In short, to compare the "fat bikes" with their "normal" counterparts:  The Fat Sand Terrain Destroyer rides like a "hybrid" bike, and the Mukluk rides like a mountain bike.


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