fatbike 135mm front fork? fatbike 135mm front hub for rear wheel?

[Charles.Plager]

That fork does look like a

That fork does look like a very interesting starting point. I can't tell if it's steel either and I'm a little concerned those tabs wouldn't be ideal for the front triangle, but I'm willing to bet something could be worked out (even as extreme as fiberglass and carbon fiber to add braces).

 

[Supertramp]

That Raptobike fork seems to

That Raptobike fork seems to be steel, judging by the sleek braze-on parts. The derailleur hanger seems angled forward a bit too much though.

cplager:

This might be one of the best options around (although I'd love to see an option like this with adjustable suspension ).

I've seen suspended forks for electric bikes that came with 135mm spacing, probably from cheaper bikes.
I've seen some on eBay some time ago. Must have been built around rear wheel motors.

 

[baov]

Awww Jeeze, if i had known i

Awww Jeeze, if i had known i would have gone with those. Oh well, maybe next year when i amass the budget again! Then i'll have a fork for summer and a fork for fatbike tire for winter.

 

[baov]

I checked the raptobike site

I checked the raptobike site and the forks on their complete bike is listed as cromo so the standalone fork should be cromo too. I sent an email asking this but never got an answer. Anyways I ordered one so we'll find out soon enough.
This project gets less pertinent now that the conversion kit has been discontinued.

 

[baov]

Alright, here it is all

Alright, here it is all geared up and good to go. I went with the raptobike fork finally. I tried with the surly moonlander fork but it was super wide at the top and i was afraid i'd get some calf strike. It would have given me the option of mounting front Carry Anything cage for a well squeezed summer sleeping bag and inflatable ground mattress or a big 2L bottle.
I might try it one day, if i buy a headset with a spare crown race i could switch between the two. But it is pretty damn high as it is. I'm not a very tall guy. The neco headset has a bit of play i feel.

Interesting facts, you can fit a Schwalbe Big Apple 26x2.35 in the back, you could probably fit it in the front with no fender. I'm running Big Apple 26x2.15 in the front. SKS P65 fenders. They do fit the 26x2.35 as advertised, but i don't recommend it. Clearance was tight and along the trip your tire might just slightly misalign after a few bumps and you'll get scrapping. Not a fun thing to deal with on a tour.

- sturmey archer XFDD dynamo / drum brake in the rear
- avid BB7 road disc in the front
- B&M Luxos U front light with USB charging (couldn't really charge my blackberry Z10) and spanninga rear light
- 44t biopace chainring, 140mm crank arms, 21t sprocket (gearing was still too high for my taste with the weight i was carrying)
- nuvinci n360 gear hub
- large velocity blunt 35 rims
- triple butted pillar PSR TB 2018? spokes
- velo orange campeur front rack used as rear rack with some custom rigging that demands a picture (will get around taking that sometime later)
- carradice kendal panniers
- radical design banana racer under seat bags
- velo orange campagne "handlebar bag" attached via the integrated decaleur on the velo orange campeur "front rack"
- velo orange porteur double kickstand
- surly singleator chain tensioner, which sucks, not very straight but not apparent until you mount it, and so is kinda noisy, stays in place by friction, no tab to prevent it from moving though it does sit quite still once tightened

That's about it for things worth mentioning

 

[Eric Winn]

I was really looking forward

I was really looking forward to the Bat Bike but this turned out really well too. Maybe the Robin Bike?

I thought you had decided to nix the Nuvinci, what made you change your mind?

I would love to see some close-ups of the mounting details of the fork, Nuvinci, and disc brake.

How is the handling?

-Eric

 

[baov]

I've not ridden a proper

I've not ridden a proper Cruzbike before so can't compare the handling. The handling is good to my taste, the bike leans well in turns thanks to the big rims and big tires. The Sofrider has some percievable fishtailing flex between the frame and rear triangle, especially when you load up the rear with bagages. I think Nanda Holz decided against the suspended xtracycle mod because of this reason also.

Don't remember if I was going to use something else than the nuvinci. It would have been an IGH anyway. Maybe Alfine 11? Rohloff is out of my league. I like that the nuvinci you can point the cables and shifter in any direction you want, I think that was the main reason I went with it, after building up a cheap sturmey hub and realizing I couldn't route the cables properly.

As for the bat bike, i'll try the biggest tires that can fit when i get around changing the headset and putting back the moonlander fork. But the limiting factor will be Cruzbike's chainstays rather than the fork itself. There's maybe 1.5cm clearance left each side with the 26x2.15 right now.

 

[Shahmatt]

I am digging that luggage

I am digging that luggage solution. Have you done any touring with it yet?

Also, how do you like that kickstand?

 

[baov]

Yep, that photo was before I

Yep, that photo was before I did a 150km tour to go camping overnight. That's when I learned the sofrider has fishtail flex when loaded up in the back. It's better to pack more stuff in the underseat where the weight can benefit from the suspension.

The double kickstands were great and holds the bike under full load. But the length adjustment can be fragile. I broke it and fixed it to be functional again but I checked it before putting weight on it now.