I have been looking at the Specialized Fatboy too but the problem is that there is no shop near me that sells it or any other Fatbike so it is impossible for me to try one out before order, my worry is that they are to heavy and require to much effort to pedal. What do you think so far, not that big of an issue if a person is somewhat in shape?
Well.. it is heavier than most other bikes, for sure.
I've mostly rode hybrids (sometimes a road bike) before I got a fat bike. Riding the fat bike is harder. The bigger tires and heavier bike do make you put in more effort. Also, you're generally riding with lower air pressure, which makes it even harder to pedal.
What I found is that I just got used to it. And if I knew I was going to be doing mostly pavement riding, I put more air in the tires, which helped tremendously.
After the first couple rides, I never felt like I was lagging. If I raced myself on both bikes, i'm positive i'd win on a hybrid. But the fat bike is more enjoyable to me.
Before this, I had a Mukluk, which was heavier, so i'm mostly speaking from experience on that bike. If you end up buying a new Fatboy, it'll be lighter (but with wider tires).
My Mukluk had 3.8" tires and my Fatboy has 4.6" tires. That makes a difference as well. I will probably end up putting smaller tires on in the summer.
I can keep going on and on haha.. there are a lot of variables.
It really sucks that you can't ride one before you buy one. Maybe try finding a bike forum for your area and get in touch with someone who may have one to see if someone will let you take it for a spin, so you can decide.
I think it's great. I bought a Specialized hybrid after I got my Mukluk and I still rode my Mukluk 95% of the time. But you may have a different experience.
