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Are you looking for the best fat bike for riding on the snow, sand, and everything in between? Over the past several years, we've ridden over 17 of the most intriguing models on the market. This review focuses on 8 of the best models available. Our testers have spent countless hours riding these fat bikes on everything from buff snowmobile trails to rocky singletrack and ice-coated downhills. We tested these bicycles back-to-back to gain the best understanding of the comparative strengths and weaknesses of each model. Afterward, we rated each bike on predetermined performance metrics, including downhill performance, climbing abilities, versatility, and build kit. We present our findings in this review.
Although fat bikes aren't just for wintertime riding, you'll likely have more fun on another style of mountain bike once the weather warms and the trails dry out. We've purchased and ridden the best mountain bikes, from top-rated trail mountain bikes to the best hardtail mtbs on the market. We're constantly busy testing various new mountain bike gear, so no matter your needs, we've got you covered.
Editor's note: We updated this review on February 1st, 2024, to add new bikes and update the specs of others.
The Trek Farley 7 quickly rose to the top in our testing. This bicycle shreds downhill with supreme confidence and comfort thanks to a suspension fork, dropper post, and enormous 27.5 x 4.5-inch tires. The Farley lays waste to snowy descents but also feels quite capable on some rocky and rough terrain. The updated geometry chills out the front end but maintains the bike's overall agility. The ride quality is comfortable and stable, given the reasonably long wheelbase and neutral geometry. Cornering abilities are sharp, and traction is heroic; the Farley reacts quickly to rider input. The climbing performance was better than expected and accentuated by the incredible grip from the studable Bontrager Gnarwhal tires.
Earning top marks in many categories, the Farley 7 isn't all roses. Our large aluminum test bike weighed over 38 pounds with tubes installed and no pedals. That's a lot of bike to manage off-road; its weight doesn't feel apparent on the snow but becomes noticeable on steeper dirt trails. Riders who frequent steep climbs might find the combination of the slack-ish seat tube angle and short chainstays problematic. While the Farley 7 is also one of the most expensive bikes in our review, its versatility, performance, and quality build justify the price tag.
The Fezzari Kings Peak Comp was one of our very favorite bikes to ride. It rolls on 27.5-inch wheels with 4.5-inch wide tires, providing excellent floatation and reliable traction. It has longer, more slack geometry that is comfortable and confidence-inspiring on the descent. At 31 pounds, this bike is lighter than it looks, and it feels relatively efficient while pedaling and climbing thanks to the stiff frame and steeper seat tube angle. Mountain bikers who enjoy modern trail geometry will appreciate how the Fezzari can get funky with fat tires. The Kings Peak also has abundant mounting options on the frame and fork, so it's a great choice for bikepacking or adventure riding. While the build kit isn't flashy, it gets the job done with little to complain about. Fezzari offers another (pricier) complete build and a variety of options for component upgrades at checkout.
We found very little not to like about the Kings Peak, and our gripes are fairly nit-picky. The ergonomics of the SRAM SX shifter are not ideal, as it ends up too far or too close to the thumb when the brake levers are in the ideal position. The slide-on grips are also not our favorite, making it more difficult to install and remove them or change the position of shifters and levers on the bar. The Clarks M2 hydraulic disc brakes are a fairly uncommon specification, and we are curious how they perform in the long term. Otherwise, we loved riding the Kings Peak and think it's a killer value. If you'd like to save a couple hundred bucks and ride a similar carbon-framed bike, check out the Canyon Dude CF 7; we liked that bike almost as much as this one.
The Canyon Dude CF 7 is an affordable carbon fat bike that performs well in the snow or steamrolling some trails. The frame design is sleek and lightweight, weighing just 30 pounds and 5 ounces (with tubes). The bike is efficient on the climbs and pedals well in the flats. The geometry is pretty standard for fat bikes, with a slightly longer reach and wheelbase that enhances stability and feels familiar to mountain bikers. Although it is a rigid-framed bike, the fork and tires provide enough dampening that it performs well on descents when ridden within safe speed and terrain limits. It also has adjustable rear dropouts, allowing you to change wheel and chainstay settings. The build quality isn't exciting or flashy, but it works well and doesn't distract us from how well the bike rides.
The limited number of bottle bosses and accessory mounts on the frame and fork is our biggest complaint about the Dude CF 7. It has only one water bottle mount on the frame's down tube, which restricts its ability to carry bike-packing gear to bags that strap or clamp to the handlebar, frame, and seatpost. This detracts from its versatility. Additionally, we don't love the ergonomics of the SRAM SX shifter, which is hard to position ideally on the handlebar. Despite our minor gripes, the Dude is a great value and an excellent choice for anyone looking to ride in the winter months. Comparing this bike to the Fezzari Kings Peak Comp is worthwhile as they are close in price and specs.
It took Giant quite some time to enter the fat bike market, but they did their homework when they created the Yukon 1. This fat bike is our top pick for riders specifically looking for a fat bike for snow riding. This rigid bike features a sleek aluminum frame and a composite fork. The moderate geometry of the bike feels just right and is perfect for snow riding. It is stable at moderate speeds yet maneuverable and capable enough on steeper and rougher terrains. The bike is equipped with a dropper post, which enhances the fun factor and takes its performance on the descent to the next level. The Yukon 1 climbs as well as it descends, thanks to the excellent body position and quality component specification. The massive tires of the bike offer decent rolling speed and loads of climbing traction.
We enjoyed riding the Yukon 1 as a fat bike on snow, but it's not the best option for regular trail riding. Although it descends competently, it is still a rigid bike and can be rough on bumpy terrain. Its weight is reasonable, but it lumbers sluggishly in conditions outside the typical fat bike terrain. Nevertheless, the Yukon 1 impressed us with its overall performance and shredded on the snowy trails.
The Salsa Heyday Advent is all most people need for a great day gallivanting around in the snow. The bike's relatively conservative geometry works well at the slower speeds where fat bikes spend the majority of their time. The component spec is really solid and works well for this bike, it's nothing flashy but completely adequate for quick rips or bike packing adventures. Adding a dropper post would increase this bike's usability in steeper terrain and help us get started uphill.
More aggressive riders would be better served with a suspension fork or a slacker front end. The Trek Farley 7's Mastodon fork does wonders to increase comfort and control. The slack front end on the Rocky Mountain Blizzard A20 also contributes to comfort and control but with less weight. While there are myriad offerings in the fat bike market, most riders would be perfectly served by the Heyday, and snow biking is an awesome way to maintain fitness in the white season.
A fat tired snow companion is a great way to get out in to nature, the Salsa Heyday is likely all you need.
Credit: Joshua Hutchens
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We extensively tested all the fat bikes in our selection to determine the best models.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
Why Trust GearLab
Senior mountain bike editor, Joshua Hutchens heads up the testing and writing for our fat bike review. Joshua is a South Lake Tahoe, CA resident and a year-round cyclist. Not content to hang up the bike gear when his world turns white, Joshua uses fat bikes all winter for cardio, sport, and utility. His years of experience as a professional mechanic, mountain bike coach, and bike tester make him perfectly suited for evaluating our fat bike selection. Hutchens was joined by our former Senior Mountain Bike Editor, Jeremy Benson, for testing. Jeremy's primary focus is on gravel and mountain bike racing. Living in the often snowy Sierra Nevada mountains, Benson's appreciation for extra-wide rubber has grown over the years, and he often uses fat tires in the winter months as a two-wheeled alternative to backcountry or resort skiing. His extensive mountain bike testing experience makes him well suited to examining differences in geometry, components, and all-around performance of all types of bikes.
We spent hours researching the best reasonably priced fat bikes available online. We purchased eight models and tested them on snow, dirt, and mixed terrains to see how they performed in different conditions. We found excellent packed snow and frozen dirt conditions on the local trails in early winter. Additionally, we visited the foothills for hero dirt once the snowpack arrived. We had a lot of fun pushing these bikes to their limits and analyzing every aspect of their design, build, and performance to compare them.
Good all-around performance, a great component spec, and impressive versatility are the hallmarks of the Suzi-Q.
No matter how good you are at riding bikes you may find yourself losing traction on the snow.
Testing the Salsa Beargrease near South Lake Tahoe.
Analysis and Test Results
Over several months, our testers rode each bike numerous times and often back to back for comparison. The greater Lake Tahoe area served as our testing ground, where we could take advantage of the full complement of trail, surface, and weather conditions. We rode each bike on groomed and packed snow, mixed snow, and dirt. During testing, we scrutinized every aspect of each bike's performance, focusing on their uphill and downhill capabilities. We also analyzed each bike's geometry and component specification and their relation to the comfort, quality, and performance of each model. Read on to see how the bikes in this test compare.
Value
Most of the bikes included in this review are all relatively affordable and fall within a several hundred dollar price range. Most of these bikes are a pretty good value, but there are price differences that tend to correlate directly with their frame material or component specification. This is a breath of fresh air at a point and time when full suspension bikes and electric mountain bikes carry price tags resembling that of a nice used car. Given their relative simplicity, most fat bikes are relatively inexpensive compared to the rest of the mountain bike galaxy.
The best value is found in the Salsa Heyday Advent and the Canyon Dude CF 7. Despite being the least expensive model in the test, the Heyday still impressed our testers with a solid all-around performance. Similarly, the Canyon Dude costs only a bit more, but we feel it is a great value for a bike with a full carbon frame.
We tested these bikes in all sorts of conditions. Dirt, sand, groomed snow, and packed singletrack. They've seen it all.
Credit: Laura Casner
Downhill Performance
Fat bikes are typically used as a way to keep riding outdoors in the snowy and icy winter months. More recently, they've been adopted by some riders as all-around bikes for use in all conditions and all seasons, and modern models are becoming increasingly more versatile. Most fat bikes are fully rigid, meaning they have no suspension except for the cushion of the girthy fat tires. This lack of suspension is a limiting factor in how a bike handles rough terrain and demands a more calculated approach to technical sections of trail. Many brands make models with front or even full suspension, and not surprisingly, these bikes tend to offer a plusher ride than their rigid counterparts. With or without suspension, companies have been slowly but surely tweaking the geometry of these bikes to enhance their downhill performance and to create bikes that are more comfortable and capable on descents.
Without a doubt, the most capable and fun bike to descend on was the Trek Farley 7. As the only bike in our test with a suspension fork, it had a serious advantage over the competition. The 80mm Manitou Mastodon fork takes the edge off rough sections and helps smooth out the chatter in a way that most rigid bikes simply can't. In addition to the suspension, the Farley 7 has a dropper seatpost that gets your saddle out of the way so you can manipulate the bike better. It also has huge tires that allow you to run very low pressures, which provides extra cushion/damping and tons of traction.
The Farley 7 is without a doubt the most capable descender in the review.
Credit: Laura Casner
While the Farley and its suspension stole the show on the descents, the Fezzari Kings Peak Comp wasn't too far behind. Fezzari gave this bike a more modern geometry (for a fat bike). Compared to the competition, it's more similar to a normal mountain bike. It has a longer wheelbase and a slacker 67-degree head tube angle. It feels more composed and confidence-inspiring when rolling down anything steeper than the typical moderate fat bike terrain. It also feels more stable and familiar than its rivals' steeper and shorter geometries. The Giant Yukon 1 was also a comfortable and capable bike on the way down. Though it lacks a suspension fork or an aggressive geometry, it boasts a just right geometry that performs very well within the typical fat biking application. It's stable at speed yet surprisingly maneuverable, plus it comes with a dropper post, which instantly makes it more comfortable and user-friendly to ride downhill.
The Yukon 1 is comfortable and capable on the descents. We wouldn't call it a brawler, but the dropper post ups the fun level significantly.
Credit: Laura Casner
The Rocky Mountain Blizzard A20 is another model that brings modern geometry trends to fat biking. This bike is the longest and slackest of all the models we tested. It doesn't flinch or hold you back when things get steep or rough, though it does sacrifice agility as a result. It's also quite heavy.
All the models we tested perform relatively well on the climbs, especially the fully rigid models.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
Uphill Performance
All of the models in this test are hardtails, most of which have rigid forks, making them inherently pretty good at riding uphill. Though some perform a little better than others, these bikes are all relatively efficient and responsive on the climbs. Regardless of the bike you're riding, there are limitations when it comes to riding uphill in snowy or sandy conditions due to the soft and often slippery nature of the surface. In addition to packed snow, our testers rode each of these bikes uphill on dirt trails, mixed conditions, and even pavement to assess their climbing capabilities. The primary factors affecting each bike's uphill performance are their weight and geometry.
The Salsa Beargrease is a quick and responsive climber. It is the lightest bike we tested by a slim margin, the carbon frame is stiff, and pedaling input is transferred very efficiently into forward momentum. The geometry lends itself to a comfortable seated pedaling position with a moderate reach measurement along with a shorter wheelbase and moderate-length chainstays. Whether you're looking for a fast and efficient ride or toeing the line at a fat bike race, the Beargrease is a great option.
The Farley is also a good climber with massive 4.5" wide tires that have excellent traction on all surfaces.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
The Canyon Dude CF 7 isn't far behind. This carbon-framed bike weighs just over 30 pounds and feels quick and efficient when pedaling in the flats or uphill. The geometry is fairly typical, and it has snappy, predictable handling. Likewise, the Fezzari Kings Peak has a stiff carbon frame and a reasonable weight (31 pounds) given its massive rubber (and tubes). Pedaling and climbing efficiency feel great, and the seated position is super comfortable with its steeper seat tube angle and riser handlebar.
Not all fat bike rides involve climbing up hills, but when they do, the Canyon Dude has you covered.
Credit: Jeremy Benson
The Giant Yukon 1 is another comfortable and efficient climber. It weighs a bit more than the models mentioned above, but it has an equally comfortable seated pedaling position, a quality drivetrain specification, and loads of traction. The Heyday isn't too far off in terms of uphill performance. It's got relatively standard geometry numbers, it's reasonably lightweight, and it has excellent traction thanks to its 4.6-inch 45NRTH Dillinger tires. The Salsa Heyday slots right in there with a neutral and comfortable geometry, predictable handling, and moderate weight. It may not be the fastest uphill, but it works well on moderate terrain and a huge range of conditions.
The Trek Farley 7 isn't lightweight, but its traction is impressive and keeps it rolling on the climbs.
Credit: Laura Casner
The Trek Farley 7 performs relatively well on the uphills. Given its lofty 38 pounds and 2 ounces of mass, it relies primarily on its insane traction thanks to the ultra-grippy 4.5-inch tires and low air pressures. This bike can work up any climb effectively, but the heavier weight means it's not the peppiest climber. The short chainstays can also create some problems on super steep pitches where the front wheel is prone to wandering.
Bottle bosses and 3-pack mounts for bags and accessories like those on the Fezzari Kings Peak increase its versatility and functionality for bike packing and adventure riding.
Credit: Jeremy Benson
Versatility
Fat bikes have traditionally been used for snow biking or soft conditions where the added width of the tires is beneficial for floatation and traction. Over the years, these bikes have become increasingly more versatile, and many riders use them for year-round riding on dirt as well as snow. Some models also come equipped with mounting options on the frame and fork to accommodate additional water bottles or gear for bike packing and adventure riding.
Fezzari intends the Kings Peak to be a do-anything fat bike, and they've designed it to cover all the bases. Its more progressive geometry works better on the descents than most while still performing well in typical fat bike situations. Loads of frame and fork mounts also make it ready for loading up with all kinds of gear for any bike-packing adventure you can dream up.
Similarly, the Salsa Beargrease can seriously do anything you want with its lightweight and efficient frame and wealth of accessory mounting options. You can take it for a ride on packed snow one day, rip it on smooth singletrack the next, then load it up for a week-long bike-packing adventure in the desert. We feel the same about the Giant Yukon 1. Snow, sand, smooth dirt, you name it. This bike would be great for bikepacking in extreme conditions or jumping into your first fat bike race.
Testing climbing performance in perfect fat biking conditions.
Credit: Laura Casner
The Trek Farley 7 offers versatility in a different way than the bikes mentioned above. It may not have a super quick and agile attitude on dirt, but it does have a suspension fork, dropper post, and updated geometry. These features make it more fun to ride on dirt than any of the other models we tested. This bike is equally at home riding snow as it is on an all-day trail ride. Plus, it is fun to ride rough or technical sections of trails thanks to the front suspension. If bike packing is your idea of fun, this rig does have plenty of space for a frame bag, handlebar bag, and top tube bag. It does have mounts for a rear rack.
Snow, dirt, maybe a mix of both? Fat bikes can be a versatile option for a huge range of conditions.
Credit: Laura Casner
Build
Every bike in this review comes with a different component specification or build, that is chosen by the manufacturer. Generally speaking, more expensive bikes come with nicer components and vice versa, but most of the bikes in this review have somewhat comparable builds, and all fall within a similar price range. It has taken a little while, but higher-end technology has been slowly but surely trickling down to the less expensive components, and nowadays, the budget builds are on par with higher-end builds of several years ago. The most common component of the models in this test are the wheels. It seems that the rim and wheel manufacturer SUN Ringle has cornered the fat bike market, and almost every one of these bikes comes with SUN Ringle Mulefut rims.
The build of each bike plays a role in how each model performs and how comfortable it is to ride. The Trek Farley 7 has the nicest build kit. This bike runs an 80mm Manitou Mastodon suspension fork and a 150mm dropper post. The Bontrager Gnarwhal tires offer absurd traction and are stud-able. It runs a 12-speed SRAM NX derailleur with a SRAM SX shifter. Perhaps the most impressive component is the Bontrager rear hub, which has 108 points of engagement. This means the freehub engages extremely quickly when you start putting down the power.
Not only does the Giant Yukon look good, but it comes with a quality component specification that includes a dropper seatpost.
Credit: Laura Casner
On the other end of the spectrum, the Rocky Mountain Blizzard 20 has a very budget-minded component specification. This build includes a 12-speed SRAM SX drivetrain and Shimano MT200 brakes, both of which work admirably but lack the bling factor of the higher-end competitors. Rocky Mountain saved a little additional money by spec-ing house-branded wheels with old-school quick-release hubs.
The rest of the bikes fall in between the above-mentioned models with their component specifications. The Salsa Beargrease Carbon Deore came with, not surprisingly, a Shimano Deore 1x11 speed drivetrain. Like several other models in this test, it has SRAM Level hydraulic disc brakes; Salsa branded cockpit components, and 80mm rims. While the build isn't exactly flashy, Salsa did a great job keeping the price of this full carbon model fairly reasonable.
We hope this review will increase your winter fun and fitness.
Credit: Matt Lighthart
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Conclusion
There's definitely a lot to think about when searching for the perfect fat bike. It's important to consider where, when, and how you're most likely to use it and then narrow down the performance characteristics that will benefit you the most. Whether on trail, sand, or snow, we hope that the information presented in this detailed comparative analysis will help you find the model that best suits your needs and budget.
