Fatso.

The On One Fatty – Fatso.

Back in about mid 2015, the old N+1 itch was starting to take hold once again, and I kept thinking about adding another steed to my stable. The latest 27.5 Plus bikes really caught my eye, in particular the Marin Pine Mountain 1 with its steel frame and rigid fork and unfussy, clean lines. The 1x10 transmission boasts a handy for the hills 11-42t cassette too, and all this is at a darned attractive price. The drawback was it wouldn't be available here in the UK until March 2016, and that is/was a bummer.

I was also taken by a Charge Cooker 1, another 27.5 plusser, this time with an alloy frame and fork, and in a rather fetching shade of 'Kiss me now' lipstick red. A good looking bike and from a British company too, but the 1x10 boasts a mere 11-36 cassette so for my mincey legs a cassette upgrade would probably be needed to get me up the hills. The Marin is better specced, and fifty quid cheaper too, so of the two, it was going to be the Marin.

But... I have long been 'fat bike curious', and in investigating the chubby tyred plussers, I kept wondering if I shouldn't go full fat instead. Fat bikes have been around for a while now, and are growing in popularity, the plussers might just be a flash in the pan with little choice of tyres etc available in the future. I also kept seeing people having fun on fat bikes on Youtube, and read about people having fun on fat bikes on the forums, and I liked the idea that a fat bike provides fun without needing to go fast. I've got a crap back so potter about fairly slowly, and the idea of something that absorbs bumps well, and rolls through or over stuff that might deflect a smaller wheel and tip me into the scenery appealed rather a lot. The more I pondered, the more I thought – why not? So I did!

Just before Christmas last year (2015) a rather large cardboard box arrived and out of it came Fatso, my On One Fatty, and oh boy is he a great bike to ride! (Fatso is most definitely a 'he').

It was only a couple of days from ordering online to delivery, which was impressive, and all I had to do was straighten the bars and fit my own pedals as everything else was ready fitted and adjusted.

You can change certain items from the standard spec during the ordering process, and the only things I opted for were foam lock on grips and no pedals as I wasn't taken with the ones on offer, preferring to go for a set of DMR V6s from elsewhere instead.

First impressions ranged from the really good – the pearlescent white paint and general fit and finish, to the mildly astonished – whoa! Look at those flipping great wheels and tyres!

To say I was a bit pleased with Fatso when he arrived then is to put it mildly.

There's no forgetting what bike you're riding with that gert big tyre dominating the view.

If I was pleased just looking at it, riding the thing was to provide a whole new level of amusement and delight. For the first ride I took Fatso into some local, and rather muddy, woods, and I had a hoot! The traction going up a slick and slimy hill and over stones and roots was amazing, as long as my legs kept pushing, the bike just kept driving forwards. Even when the back wheel did spin it wasn't enough to bring everything to a halt.

Then there was the laugh out loud descent of a straight but bumpy track that felt like riding on the back of a rampaging Rhino, as Fatso and I just plummeted down the hill flattening every minor bump in our path and holding a straight course without bother. Massive fun! It's the same on the roads I ride too, a lot of which are poorly surfaced back lanes, Fatso just absorbs all the corrugations to give a duvet comfy ride.

Whilst the rider gets a good blathering, it's surprising how clean certain areas of the bike stay, particularly the rims and hubs. Ghetto bike prop is a collapsible walking stick. Works well on the other bikes too, but Fatso has a liking for rolling away all the time leading to more than a few falls to the ground.

That ride also feels invincible, so solid and planted does the bike feel in action. If someone opens a door on a fat bike it feels like you'd just knock the door off its hinges and carry on unperturbed. That solid feel does mean the bike can feel reluctant to turn in sometimes on a nice tight corner. Reluctant? Downright stubborn might be nearer the mark! I never thought the term understeer would be used to describe a push bikes handling but it does fit with Fatso's liking for the straight ahead. But you soon get used to grappling and wrestling the thing down in a stranglehold and into the bend.

Other fatty oddness appears should you look down at your feet or the bottom bracket area while riding because it is a bit weird seeing the rear tyre spinning away either side of the seat tube, and then there's the noise on tarmac. 'Like a bloody Land Rover' said my neighbour, and he's not far off the mark as Fatso trundles merrily along rasping like a happy Hippo doing a very long, but not untuneful, fart.

Other observations from fellow riders have included 'bet your legs are aching pedaling those great big tyres about' and 'I'll give you a hand' when lifting it up a kerb... Yeah thanks mate, but it isn't that heavy, really it isn't... I've seen a weight of 32lbs quoted for the small frame size, (Fatso is a medium) which may or may not be accurate, but that compares with 33lbs quoted for my Voodoo and 33.5lbs for my Jamis. Carrying out scientific and technical research and testing (lifting all three one by one) suggests they do indeed all weigh about the same. So Fatso isn't anywhere near as heavy as he looks, and who cares anyway? I don't for a start! Plus those tyres don't feel at all draggy to me on tarmac, and my average speeds around my usual loops are the same as on the other bikes. I am running the tyres at about 15 psi at the moment though which obviously helps.

Riding on the road has proved no bother at all. Fatso isn't as heavy, nor as draggy, as people assume.

Fatso also feels like he'd ride up the side of a house if my legs were up for it. The 2x10 gearing is spot on for me with a nice and low 22t front chain ring coupled to a 11-36t rear cassette providing a proper winching gear, which has seen me ride up hills with ease that I've bailed out of on other bikes.

What else? Oh yeah... fat bikes chuck mud around like a farmers favourite muck spreader on nitro. I got a Muck Nutz front guard to fit when Fatso arrived, as these short guards do work well at keeping filth off the face, and thought that would do for the time being. Wrong! Fatso was flailing mud and slurry about from all angles like a deranged Catherine Wheel so I bit the bullet and ordered up a Mudhugger rear guard so I didn't come home after every ride wearing several cows old dinners and a load of mud from the mucky lanes or woods. The Mudhugger is much recommended for fat bike fitment too, as it works very well indeed, giving good coverage and not requiring a hot air gun to soften up as some people seem to think.

I also went out to the shed and robbed the Jamis of its Crud Catcher downtube guard. Finally, riding cleanliness has been restored, and even the water bottle doesn't get blathered now.

 Mucky Nutz front guard works well at keeping muck off your face.

The On One splotch logo even appears, rather appropriately, on the tyres.

Mudhugger rear guard is a must if you want to avoid a claggy back and bum.

The Fatty is quite a good looking bike in my opinion, with the look of a trials motorcycle about it. The twin crossbars (ok, top tubes) add to the feeling of heft and solidity, and the straight line from steerer tube to rear hub makes for a neat looking design, and loads of standover clearance. 

Other things I've added are my usual basic bike computer, a saddle bag for carrying spare tubes in, and bar ends for hill climbing, and for the moment, that's all, I don't have any further plans for mods, although a rack and panniers might come in handy in the future...

Bar ends completed my modifications, and have made Fatso absolutely spot on for my needs.

So far, I bloody love riding this bike! It is huge fun whether on tarmac or off road, but when I say tarmac, I am generally talking about the gnarly, messy, rippled and rutted back lanes. I don't imagine A roads would be a whole pile of fun, but to be honest, they don't appeal to me on any bike. I don't see any reason not to ride a fat bike around town though.

The WTB/OnOne branded seat looks good, and is well made, and that's all I've noticed about it, which is good, as it means it has been very comfortable and not given my bum any grief.

So it's all good then, no bad points... Well... the chain came off on its first ride and took some of the paint on the chain stay with it. That was a tad frustrating at the time, but hasn't happened since, and in fact, I don't feel too precious about Fatso, I think this is going to be a long relationship and the bike is bound to pick up dings here and there, and will wear those scars with pride.

Sram X5 groupset suits the bike well - making heavy duty clangs rather than snickety snicks, but works fine. The brakes also seem fine to me, although they do get a lot of flak from owners so we'll see how they fare, but so far I've no issues with them, they seem powerful and progressive enough, not grabby and only make a noise when wet.

Parking Fatso is another issue – those fat wheels always want to get moving, and many is the time I've leaned Fatso against a post, or tree, or wall, only to find later he's got bored, rolled a bit and fallen over.

Any other duff bits? Well the steerer tube to fork join looks a bit knobbly, and those wanting to load up a bike with bottles and mounts for racks and bags won't be pleased to find only one set of bottle mounts and nothing at all for racks.

The main issue seems to be with the tyres going out of round, or rather, not seating on the rims properly. My front tyre seemed to be slightly egg shaped, making for a slightly comedic bouncing ride. After many deflations and re inflations, I finally cured it after smearing the bead with soap and over inflating the tyres to about 30 psi and leaving overnight.

Other than that, life with Fatso has been a hoot so far, and looks set for a fun future. Fat bikes aren't just for snow or sandy beaches, they can handle far more than that, and I think of it as just another of my bikes, up for anything, rather than just keeping it solely for mud or winter use. It's certainly the most comfortable of my bikes to ride, in terms of the seat, the riding position, and the smooth and cossetty ride.

I took a risk buying Fatso, as I confess, I'd not ridden a fat bike at all, but I'm damned glad I did the deed, it's the best bike in my stable for character and just pure go anywhere riding fun, which is what it's all about for me, after all.

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