Looking for input on rigid chiner fatty build

[pak]

I'm looking to build a rigid chiner fatty.  I won't be doing anything serious, so I have no use for suspension.  If it matters, I'm a road bike guy.  I ride road bike because I find it to be the most enjoyable form of cardio.  I've been looking into mountain bikes for a while just to have one really.

As of right now, I'm just looking to put together a shopping list.  Again nothing crazy, but I do like buying quality components.  Looking to go 1x11 with front and rear disc.  I don't really know what other options are out there. 

open to any and all suggestions

[cmh]

Suggestion is check out plus bikes as well. Fat bikes are cool, but they're not the miracle that many fat bike devotees will have you believe. Plus bikes (27.5+ or 29+) offer fat-ish 3" tires so you get some of the benefits of fat bikes without all that extra weight. I have a fat bike (have a detailed post in this forum) which I couldn't get much below 28 lbs with extensive work on weight weenie parts. Granted, aluminum frame, not Chiner carbon, but still...

Carbon Dude just got a Trek Stache and loves it so much he's trimming his stable and getting rid of bikes he won't ride anymore. Other folks I know have had really good things to say about the plus bikes. I'd ride one if I got a chance, but haven't had the chance yet.

About a month ago, I did a trip out in Utah, including Moab. Saw many, MANY bikes, and none of them were fat bikes, but I saw a bunch of plus bikes. Considering the plus bike thing is younger than the fat bike thing, that's pretty telling.

Beyond that, though, if you wanna do a rigid fatty, any of Peter's offerings at xmcarbonspeed look really good, and RVC has a really detailed buildup on his NASA themed bike. Worth a look.

[325racer]

I second the Plus over Fat.

I personally have a 29er Full Rigid 057 and a Full Suspension Santa Cruz Tallboy LT 29er with 5.25" Travel.  I had the chance last fall to rent a Rigid Fat bike for a week while in Minnesota, and wished I'd had my Full Rigid 29er instead.   While the Fat bike was fun and did do some things better, I felt the trade off of excess rolling resistance was not worth the gains in plushness and stability.  For the most part the trails I rode there were well groomed hard pack single track.  They did have some rock, log and other built features that were quite fun and easy on the Fat bike, that I probably would have been more hesitant to ride on the rigid 29er.

That said, I recently took a Rocky Mtn Pipeline 27.5 Plus full suspension for a short ride and thought it pretty much the best of both worlds.  It doesn't roll as fast as the 29er, but is much faster than the Fat bike.  The big tires and on this bike 150mm front travel, 130mm rear travel made for a very, VERY confidence inspiring ride once you got pointed downhill or into anything technical, rocky, etc.

I'm in the process of convincing my Dad into a new bike and have him convinced a 27.5+ is the way to go.  We just need to find the right size, etc.  Not sure he will go with a Name Brand or China, but if we do a China build the front runner is actually the CS-001, while a Full Suspension Fat, we would build it as 27.5+, because it appears to have geometry closest to all the current Name Brand Plus Bikes.

Now, staying in Full Rigid Plus frame, I haven't searched which specific, but that would give you the "efficiency" of the full rigid, but soften things up a bit when you head off road into some dirt.

[FatbikeRacer]

I love my Fatbike and am a roadie as well. I can say, while everybody else is right that a plus bike is faster, lighter, etc. etc. etc., I never bought my fatbike expecting these. That being said, I have just recieved my new carbon chiner fatbike rims and am in the process of building them up for the Road Race on Route 66, and the wheelset will be coming in at under 2300 grams with an SP Dynamo front hub and a DT Swiss 350 rear. That is plenty light enough for me. I enjoy riding the Fat due to it absorbing much of the road vibration which makes my hands go numb after 200 or so mile days back to back to back.

As far as a build kit goes:
Brakes: Sram Guide series are great. Easy to bleed, easy on and off, and plenty of stopping power. They also are not ridiculously expensive.
Drive Train: I am changing mine from the current Sram X7/X9 to the XX01, 1x11, next month. Doing this for several reasonsons: 1. I find that having the front deraillure and extra chain ring adds too many variables and I question if my gearing is right, just getting rid of it.  2. By dropping the deraillure, chainring (and harware associated), shifter and cable, I am loosing close to a 600g. 3. It leaves one less thing to go wrong.
Wheelset: Nextie 65mm Black Eagle II with SP Dynamo front and DT Swiss 350 rear. I picked these both for reliability. I like the dynamo because it allows me to have always on lights for the road, I am able to charge batteries, and lets face it, I don't have to charge my phone when I get home. Rear DT Swiss, for cost and reliability, nothing is much better.
Frame: Currently riding a KHS 4 season 3000, however, researching some other (carbon) options. Most fat frames have about a 69 degree head tube angle and being a roadie, I like mine a bit steeper. I have seen some at 71 and will probably go with that. A steeper less laid back seat tube angle is also a look/feel I like.

My 2 cents. I hope it helps a bit.