by Ethan Heist, Lake Orion Community Schools ’26
The Specialized Fatboy is a fat bike made for almost anything to do with dirt, snow, or sand. The trail we used for this review was Holdridge Lakes Mountain Bike Trail in Holly Michigan. The Fatboy is $1920, so it is a relatively low-priced fat bike.
Build
Fork: Fact carbon rigid fork
Rims: Stout XC 80, 26″, alloy, 76mm internal width, disc-specific
Tires: Specialized Ground Control fat
Bars: Stout Riser, double-butted alloy, 9-degree backsweep, 5-degree upsweep, 15mm rise, 750mm
Brakes: Sram Level T hydraulic disk
Drive train: Sram NX
Frame: Specialized M5 Aluminum
Cranks: Raceface ride
Saddle: Body Geometry Henge comp
Feel/handling
The Fatboy (with its 750 mm wide bars and short stem) feels playful yet stable at higher speeds. This makes it a cool bike because you can have fun and go fast down descents.
Climbing
Despite the big tires, the Fatboy is quite an efficient climber with its 1 x 11 drive train and low gearing.
Suspension
The Fatboy doesn’t have suspension, but it does have a very light carbon fork which keeps the weight down. Also, the big tires eat up most small bumps.
Summary
Overall, I think the Fatboy is a very nice do-it-all bike, especially for a relatively low-priced fat bike.
I feel like the Fatboy is a great bike for any average trail ride that you would go on in Michigan: winter, summer, spring, or fall. I went into this review thinking that it would feel sluggish because of the wide tires, but the Fatboy proved me wrong.
Overall Rating
The rating I give the Fatboy is 4.25 out of 5 stars for its great downhill capability and good climbing. The only thing I didn’t like about the Fatboy was on smooth climbs it was slower than a normal mountain bike.
This bike review would not be possible without the support of Cycletherapy bicycles in Waterford Michigan. If you’re getting a new bike, I suggest going to Cycletherapy where Ernie or one of his other employees will help you look for what you need. You can learn more about Cycletherapy on their website or by calling them at 248.681.8600.