Fatback Corvus FLT

I love this bike. It does everything that I want. Greg Matyas of Fatback Bikes/Speedway fame has developed an amazing fat bike endurance/race machine. I never feel like my bike is a hinderance, but an infallible piece of equipment. It's always the right choice for me on the Iditarod Trail Invitational and any other race or expedition I partake in. The shop is a leader in bike prep for winter travel. They understand what happens in the wide range of conditions that Alaska can throw at us and how to form your approach. 

Check 'em out at:  Fatback Bikes and local to Anchorage, Speedway Cycles

The entire bikepacking community has benefited greatly from Eric and crew at Revelate Designs. Lots of people try different pack setups over the years, but you can never go wrong with their gear. I have made small changes based on the conditions that I expect, but the harness, seat bag, frame bag setup has been my go to. And at this point it will continue to be for me in events like the race to McGrath.  

Check 'em out at:  Revelate Designs

Fatback Corvus FLT Sz Lg

HED 27.5" x 85mm Carbon Big Half Deal 

Fatback Alaska Edition Hubs

45nrth Dillinger 5’s w/studs

Fattystripper rim strips

30t absolute black chainring

Raceface Next SL Crankset and BB

Shimano XT pedals

Sram XO1 Eagle drivetrain with twist grip shifter

SQ Labs 611 Ergowave saddle

SQ Labs 30X Carbon 16deg sweep, medium rise handlebar

Wolftooth Fat Paw grips

Fatback Carbon flex seatpost

Raceface Turbine stem 

Garmin Oregon 650T gps 

Revelate Designs pronghorn large bag

Revelate Designs framebag (strapless design made for Corvus)

Revelate Designs Expedition Pogies 

Revelate Designs Viscacha seat bag

Revelate Designs Mag Tank 2000

2x Revelate Designs Mountain Feed Bags (one sweet, one savory)

Revelate Designs Jerry Can

Bedrock Bags HONAKER bag

MSR Whisperlite international stove and white gas fuel

Some quick thoughts of the 45nrth 27.5" x 4.5" Dillinger 5 (B-Fat) tires and HED BHD Carbon rims. Once I trusted the interface between the tire and the rim, I started to let more air out of the tires when needed. I had no problems riding where Kurt and Tyson were riding. Now the Cake Eater 4.0 tires I initially tried did not fit on the Big Half Deal well at all. Fattystripper rim strips (Rim Strips) were absolutely necessary to run the Cake Eater 4.0's tubeless. The 45nrth tires fit a little bit tighter, and maybe I could have used the tires without the rim strips but at this point I did not have time to test that. 

As for the B-Fat performance, the taller tires are a welcome change. I've clipped pedals many times on some of my favorite trails around Anchorage. The higher bottom bracket has helped clear some of the stumps, clumps and snow buildup on the sides of the singletrack trails. I don't know that they're any faster or slower than similarly tall 26" tires, but I think that the industry is going to head that way. Might as well get in front of the line. :-)