Mountain bikers have become accustomed to the sight of the large wheels on 29er bikes. When it comes to the 650b trend, both specialist retailers and customers are still amazed at how quickly the bike industry has swept the 26-incher out of the range.

Driven by a desire for innovation and a new riding experience, the bike industry is now frivolously pushing ahead with the next bike trend: the fat bike with tires up to almost 5 inches wide. So far, you can mainly read about them in the bike press, but there are very few of them in the wild in Switzerland. Or do you own a fatbike?

Natural territory only partially available
There may be several reasons why this type of mountain bike is more popular in the USA. The US market is more dynamic and trendy than in this country. There are also significantly more sandy beaches in the USA than in Switzerland. On the other hand, there is no shortage of snowy areas in America or Switzerland. And these beaches and snowy landscapes are the preferred habitats of mountain bikes with monster tires.

What about the industry?
Trek has a fat bike in its range with the Farley. Only around 100 of these have reached the European market for the current season and the model was sold out in no time at all. "So it's difficult to judge what we could really have sold," says Anatol Sostmann from Trek Bikes.

Swiss Fatbike
The Swiss bike manufacturer Transalpes has also recently launched its own fat bike with the "Fat 5" model. Transalpes director Stefan Gruber will present the new bike for the first time at the Bikedays from May 8 to 11. For Gruber, this type of vehicle is of course perfectly suited for winter use, but he is also sensing the first signs that fat bikes are not just seen as pure "snow bikes". Manufacturers coming up with carbon frames, the use of shorter chainstays for more agile handling or the increased range of accessories are clear signs for Gruber that the fatbike is on the upswing in the long term.

The Blizzard is the latest fat bike to join the Rocky Mountain range. Christoph Noser from Swiss Rocky Mountain importer Chris Sports says: "We are convinced that the trend from Canada and the USA will also spill over into Switzerland. Especially among long-time advanced riders who want to buy a third bike in addition to their racing bike, mountain bike or trail bike."

The fat bike as a third bike
Like Noser, Sostmann confirms: "The fatbike is of course a second or even third bike, but anyone who has ridden a fatbike will know the difference in riding. Riding a fat bike is different from normal mountain biking and it's simply fun to discover the different riding experience."

But out of skepticism
The distributor Indian Summer, a potential supplier of fat bikes with Norco in its portfolio, is currently still skeptical about the new trend. Fritz Pfister from Indian Summer says: "At this year's Taipei Cycle Show, there was one bike on practically every stand: a fat bike. Every manufacturer wants to benefit from this new trend and is launching at least one model on the market - similar to the singlespeed/fixie hype a few years ago."

Pfister also acknowledges from his own experience that this new type of vehicle definitely offers advantages and fun on snow. As there is no beach or only a few meters of beach in Switzerland, Pfister believes that the ideal area of use for these bikes in this country is also halved.

"On normal trails, any mountain bike is far superior to a fat bike, so the range of use is relatively limited. However, as we know, this only plays a minor role in trends. And so many fat bikes will probably still find their way over the counter," continues Pfister.

Old hand
Jann Alder, whose company Frame of Mind is the Swiss importer for brands including Surly and Salsa in Switzerland, can be described as an "old hand" when it comes to fat bikes. Frame of Mind has been offering fat bikes for over 5 years.

"Yes, this year it's taking off," says Alder about the current demand situation. The typical fatbike rider usually already owns one or two mountain bikes, likes to ride on snow and generally enjoys the special riding experience that the bikes with oversized tires provide.

In addition to fat bikers who ride their bikes off-road, there is certainly also the lifestyle group who use fat bikes to get "croissants". Zurich is currently a stronghold for living out this trendy lifestyle. According to Alder, the fatbike is now a sure-fire way to stand out and be different.

Because of the increased demand, however, Alder is not feeling euphoric: "I won't be increasing the pre-order significantly for the 2015 season". However, Alder sees the fat bike trend as a long-term movement. "During the fixie boom, the big manufacturers kept their entry-level bikes in stock for around two years. With fat bikes, I believe that this type will remain in the portfolios for longer."