Trek Farley - Semirevew
I have just crossed 150 miles on the 2014 Trek Farley. My initial impressions were highly favorable of the bike. After 3 more months of riding the bike, I've fully come to appreciate the fun factor a fat bike brings. The bike simply reminds me of the days of my first mountain bike, the Trek 930 Singletrack: no frills; no suspension; but fun.
Riding on snow is a different game, though. Snow is surprisingly slippery when you least expect it. In places where the snow has been packed down, it has nearly as much grip as dirt. But, if you venture off the 6 inches of "hero snow", you are taking your chances. The unpacked snow that runs along side the good stuff is almost impossible to bike in. It is loose and doesn't provide any traction. A slight turn can easily lead to a front tire washing out.
A related challenge is drifting snow. Sometimes you can spot a clear route through it. Most of the times, however, it calls for a hike-a-bike. Sometimes the depth of the drift is greater than you anticipate. Here are two quick shots of my recent ride where I thought I could bike from the trail back to the road. Wow! The snow sure was deep.Sometimes the drifts make for a perfect fat bike kick stand. This drift was located right in the middle of the trail.
This is a short video of my ride yesterday. We are expected above freezing temperatures today, so I'll probably stay off the snow so that it has a chance to survive the warm up. But, it is going to be too warm to not ride. I may just have to venture out to the road.
One area where the Farley doesn't thrive is on the road. Sure, it can be ridden on the road. It is actually quite comfortable on the road, but it is slow on the road. The aggressive tires coupled with a relatively heavy build makes for an involved cycling experience. I rode on New Year's Day with a group here. All but two of the guys showed up with cross bikes. Needless to say, I wasn't able to ride with them for very long. That was fine for what we were doing -- getting miles just to say that we did it.
So after three months with the bike, I'm happy to report that it is a wonderful bike. It is like a monster truck that is very nimble on singletrack. It is also like a monster truck on the highway -- it will get you from point A to B but it isn't a luxury sports car by any stretch of the imagination. That is fine with me. I have a road bike for that thrill!
