In 2014, the bike industry brought a niche product into the spotlight with full force: The fatbike. After 29-inch, 27.5-inch and single-chainring gears, the fat bike was the next trend to follow at lightning speed, bringing with it its own dimensions and standards. From 2014 onwards, fatbikes were mainly a big media hype - and there were rarely any freshly sold fatbikes on the trails in Switzerland. In the winter of 2014/15, many small and large manufacturers joined the fat bike trend and quickly added fat tire bikes to their portfolio. Accessory specialists such as DT Swiss also caught the fat bike fever and launched products for them.

Sales are stable...

The 2015/2016 winter season is now over, and Guido Anderwert, Head of Marketing for Switzerland, Germany and Austria at Trek, looks back: "Fatbike sales have remained stable compared to 2014/2015. Fatbikes are consolidating their position as fun bikes on the market."

... to declining

René Albisser from Trailrider Bikeshop has a different perspective: "Sales of fat bikes have declined for us". Albisser finds clear reasons for this business trend: "The fatbike boom of winter 14/15 pushed by the bike industry was a bubble. Every manufacturer wanted to be part of it and so an oversupply was produced". As Albisser goes on to explain, the mild winter of 15/16 with little snow made testing conditions difficult, so not every test ride was convincing and demand was lower. "Snow is the only plausible argument for a fat bike for most potential customers," says the managing director of the bike store in Unteraegeri.

Tourism is important

Although there are signs of a decline in sales, Albisser remains confident: "In my view, fat bikes have nevertheless developed very positively. There were numerous, well-attended fat bike events last winter. The number of fatbike trails and destinations that offer fatbikes as a supplement to the established winter sports is increasing. I also see this as a great opportunity to attract new customers to fat bikes in the future".

Fat bikes are also closely linked to tourism for Christoph Noser, who is responsible for Rocky Mountain at distribution company Chris Sports Systems. "We are experiencing strong demand in tourism - hotels, ski resorts and rental are the keywords here. Our fatbike test fleet has been used extensively and speaks for a demand in the market," says Noser.

Touring offers promise success

Paddy Matter, from the Fusion World bike store in Kägiswil, believes that the success of fat bikes is also linked to tour offers. "We are increasingly working with guides like Lukas Stöckli to get more people on fat bikes. And the response has been tremendous". Matter provides an assessment of the fatbike trend: "Fatbikes are a niche market and the big manufacturers will soon withdraw from it. We were able to sell significantly more fatbikes this winter. Probably also because it always takes a little longer for something new to get off the ground in Central Switzerland."

What role do plus bikes play?

Not only fat bikes are ploughing through the terrain with thick tires today, but for a good year now additional bolides with thick tires have been on the road in the highly segmented mountain bike market: plus bikes with tire widths between 2.8 and 3 inches, i.e. around one inch (2.54 centimetres) narrower than fat bikes.

"Plus bikes will certainly take market share away from fat bikes, as many see them as a compromise. However, in terms of traction and range of use, plus bikes cannot be compared with fat bikes and so there will continue to be a small and hopefully healthy market for fat bikes," says Albisser. Rocky Mountain specialist Noser also comments on the competition between plus and fat bikes: "We see plus bikes as a different discipline. The plus bike is more performance-driven and we see the fat bike more in the touring sector - more comfort and adventure."