First in general, this is my first 1 X 11 drive and I am loving it! Next, the “POP” that a fat bike tire makes as it rolls off the side of branch, root, or rock on the trail still causes me to stop and check to see if I didn’t just puncture. Unbelievably loud!
The drawbacks I have found to the Framed are few. The biggest, and this maybe all fat tired bikes, is the combination of the wide and lower bottom bracket. I have caught my pedals on more things since riding the Framed in just a few weeks than I have in years on my 29er. One such catch launched me over the bars. There are only water bottle mounts on the Wolftrax, which doesn’t bother me, but if you are looking for an adventure bike to load up this isn’t it. The only other thing is what I mentioned before and that the tire doesn’t hook up like I thought it would. This is more component than frame.
OK, the bike. It took me a while to finally dial in the tire pressure. When I first got the Framed I Googled “fat bike tire pressure” and found that people seemed to be running about 15 PSI in the tires when on dirt. So that is what I stayed with at first. I was getting pounded pretty good on the trails and sought the advice of experienced fat bikers. To a person they all exclaimed “too high!” So I purchased a fat tire gauge and I am now running 10 PSI in the front and about 12 in the rear. This seems to be a good combination of absorption but not too much resistance.
Fast downhills are a blast! The bike feels stable and even my modest air time over water-bars the landings are solid and doesn’t ever get loose. Is it as good as a suspended 29er? Stability wise I think it is better. Speed wise, it feels slower, but that maybe because it is more stable. Comfort wise, no. I still think a suspension fork, of fully suspended bike is more comfortable for fast downhills.
It has been sometime since I received the Framed Wolftrax carbon so I thought it was time for review now that I have been able to put on some trail miles.
For out of the saddle climbing the bike feels stiff, like your energy is being transferred well. It does tend to lose grip a bit more than I expected from a fat tire, but I think this is more the tire design and not the geometry of the bike.
All in all the Wolftrax is proving to be a fun, lively, capable bike. It comes almost completely ready to rock right out of the box and the build quality was very good – and I am very picky about that. I will be seeking out a new rear tire and going tubeless so that should help with the feel on the climbs losing that rotational weight.
Even after lowering the tire pressure the bike remains very playful on single track. You can definitely change direction quickly but yet remains very stable and not skittish. Dropping a knee on big sweepers the bike is stable, holds its line, and allows you to make subtle adjustments while in the corner. I think this is partly due to the non-suspended fork, but also a nicely dialed geometry.
I picked up a set of the Carbon fiber Fatbike wheels with the DT Swiss hubs. They setup tubeless effortlessly without a rim strip! The weight savings was very noticeable right out of the gate. They climb really well. Handbuilt in the US and the finish of the rims is top notch. By far the best upgrade bang for your buck.
Great bikes.
Great fat bikes
Speaking of components The SRAM GX set up works perfectly. Not a mis-shift yet and as smooth as can be. The WTB Volt saddle is, well, less than comfortable for me and got swapped out.
Framed Bikes is a US Bicycle Store based in Little Canada, Minnesota. Framed Bikes is located at 300 S Owasso Blvd E, Little Canada, MN 55113, USA.
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