Take a ride on the WIDE side!
We've created the ultimate Alaskan trail bike. Our unique Wildfire Designs FatBikes are taking winter riding by storm.
Presenting the Wildfire Designs FatBike! It's specially designed for year round use on snow, sand, and other soft and sketchy surfaces. With ultra-wide 65 mm alloy rims and huge low pressure all terrain tires, you'll be simply amazed where you can ride. Snowmobile trails, frozen swamps, lakes, and rivers, gravel bars, and sand dunes all become a playground for the FatBike. It's the best beach bike around plus it works fantastic on exposed roots and rough rocky trails. And with optional quick switch wheels, it can be converted to a road or 29" mountain bike in a matter of minutes for less demanding conditions.
Bill Merchant riding at the face of the Knik Glacier in Alaska
Since 1999, the FatBike has become the ride of choice for Alaska's ultra tough winter events such as the Iditasport, Alaska Ultrasport, and Susitna 100 endurance races with numerous wins and top five placings. They have been ridden the entire length of Alaska's Iditarod Trail from Knik to Nome several times, have completed the Great Divide mountain bike route from Canada to Mexico, toured the Dawson to Inuvik ice road in winter, and has been ridden and tested on numerous hairball adventures here in Alaska and around the world.
Our FATBIKES race record to date:
1st
place
(tie) 2001 Iditasport Impossible an 1,100 mile race from Knik to Nome on
the Iditarod Trail
Rider:
Mike Estes, Big Lake, Alaska.
1st
Bike
2001 Susitna 100.
Rider: Travis Hallifax, Willow, Alaska.
1st Place 2004 Alaska Ultra Sport 350 Knik to McGrath on the Iditarod Trail Rider: Peter Basinger, Anchorage, Alaska
1st Place 2005 Alaska Ultra Sport 1100 mile Knik to Nome on the difficult southern route. Rider: Carl Hutchings, United Kingdom
1st Bike 2005 Yukon Arctic Ultra 300 mile in the Yukon, Canada. Rider: Thomas Muhler, Germany
1st Place 2006 2006 Alaska Ultra Sport 350 mile race from Knik to Mcgrath on the Iditarod Trail. Rider: Peter Basinger, Anchorage, Alaska.
Carl Hutchings at the finish (Nome, Alaska) of the 2005 Alaska Ultrasport event on the Iditarod trail. Carl holds the record to Nome on the difficult southern route.
Even if you're not a racer, you can have confidence in the proven durability and workmanship of your FatBike.
Big Bikes for Big Rides...
We've spent years testing and developing the FatBike and have arrived at an excellent design to accomodate the widest wheel setup possible. Our frames and rigid forks are hand crafted of premium Columbus and True Temper double butted chromoly with meticulous attention to detail evident throughout.
We offer our FatBike frames in Small/15", Medium/17". and Large/19" sizes to accomodate the majority of riders. We offer a custom build option to fit those with special needs for sizing and frame geometry. The FatBike frame is amazingly light (4.5 lbs for a large size) yet is tough enough to handle some of the most rigorous cross country riding conditions on the planet.
New for 2007, the FatBike is available in a titanium version. Please contact us for availability and pricing.
The FatBike frame comes standard with three water bottle mounts, rack braze ons, international standard disc brake mounts and a custom single color durable powdercoat finish. Price: $995.00 Please see the Tiger DryLac color charts for available colors:
Wildfire
Designs' megawide offset
stays allow full range
gearing
with no chain rub on those huge tires.
Options include rigid or suspension forks, frame triangle packs and quick switch wheel systems for a speedy conversion to 29"MTB or road wheels.
Our complete bikes weigh from 28 to 38 lbs, depending on frame and
components. We work with each customer to arrive at a build kit to suit
individual needs and budget. Complete ready to ride FatBikes are priced from
$2100.00 depending on components. Please contact us for a price quote and
free consultation.
Forks
Our bikes are designed to work with the DeSalvo rigid Fatbike fork. It's hand built of quality True Temper tubing and comes standard with disc brake mounts. It also features rack braze-ons to accomodate most brands of rear bike racks and is available in gloss black or in a custom color to match your FatBike. 465 mm axle to crown length and also works well with most brands of suspension corrected 29" frames. Average weight is 2.5 lbs. $249.00
The Ride :
With a tire diameter of 29" and a ground contact patch over 4 inches wide, these wheels are not easily bogged down and will
roll over trail obstacles that will stop other bikes. The large volume tires
allow you to run low air pressure (10-20 psi) which provides a suspension
effect and super traction in addition to being friendly to the trails.
They are also super stable and easy to steer with little of the "washing
out" sensation in soft snow common with skinnier tires. The frame has just
enough compliance to make all day epics as comfortable as possible.
Wildfire Designs owners Mark Gronewald and Charlie on tour in Alaska
Wildfire
Designs Frame Pack:
Carry your gear in style with our aerodynamic frame bags. Hand made in Alaska out of lightweight Cordura nylon with a durable coil zipper and hook and loop attachment straps. Removable/adjustable dividers control pack thickness for knee and crank arm clearance. These packs have been a favorite for years with endurance racers in Alaska’s Susitna 100, Iditasport, and Alaska Ultrasport adventure races and are a great place to carry small, heavy, and frequently used items near your bike’s center of gravity. Available in four sizes to fit most hardtail mountain and touring bikes: XS/13”, S/15”, M/17”, and L/19-21”. Volume 300 to 550 cubic inches. Color: Steel Blue. $109
Remolino
80 mm Aluminum Rims:
Originally made for sand riding in the Southwest and Mexico, these rims
are unfortunately no longer made but these are the rims that started it all.
Circa 1999, a creation of Ray Molina of Remolino Adventure Works in New
Mexico, these rims were first made for riding sand dunes and soon after
found their way to Alaska for snow riding. If you can get your hands on a
pair somewhere, these rims and the 3.7 tires fit on the FatBike for a truly
monstrous wheel set up.
Remolino/Tornel
3.5 Sand Tires:
Made specifically for the Remolino 80mm aluminum rims shown above. Low profile
high width with chevron treads for traction in super loose surfaces and
punchy marginal riding conditions. Weight: 1320 g.
Price $90 ea.
Nokian Gazzaloddi 3.0 Tires: Spreads to 3.7" on a Remolino rim for ultimate float and control on snow, sand. rocks, and gravel. 6 ply tread, 4 ply sidewalls make these treads super durable. Weight 1650 g. and worth it. Also fits SnowCats.
Price $62 ea.
Surly Endomorph 3.7 Tires
These are the biggest tires available for mountain bikes and work extremely
well in a variety of conditions ranging from snow to sand to trails. The
chevron pattern with side knobs roll surprisingly fast for such a huge tire.
Average weight 1250 g. Price $90.00
Surly Large Marge Rims:
26
X 65mm double wall rims accommodate the big sneakers. Available in
offset drilled version to fit the 18 mm offset rear stays of the FatBike or
center drilled for the front wheel. Weight 1200g Price $139.00
Quickswitch Wheel System: Consider a spare wheelset to convert your FATBIKE to an entirely different bike. The FATBIKE frame will accomodate SnowCat, standard mtn, 29" and even cyclocross and road wheels. Disc brakes mean no brake adjustment. Just pop off your fatwheels and slip on your spares in 2 minutes of less!
Contact us for a quote on a handbuilt wheelset. We specialize in custom wheelbuilding for all kinds of bicycles and wheelchairs. Please contact us for a quote.
Wheelchair wheels for snow and sand.
Shipping: We can package and ship your purchase worldwide. Contact us for a quote.
Mid-day ride to the Knik Glacier!
Contact us and see what the buzz is all about.
FatFatBike Photo Gallery
