Matt Acker’s Beargrease Impressions
Having spent the better part of two winters aboard the new Beargrease, I can confidently say it’s the first fat-tire bike I’ve been on where 27.5″ wheels really feel natural. Being six feet tall and riding a LG frame, I’ve found that proportionally the bike feels very good and visually the 27.5 x 4.5″+ wheels and tires look rowdy! I have it set up primarily for winter adventures: high-volume tires for float, a rear rack for load hauling, a frame bag for essentials, and a cockpit that favors handling and efficiency. The more upright seat tube, raked-out front end and shorter stem/ longer top tube make this bike handle confidently on loose and soft snow, track well on singletrack, and generally perform well everywhere you want to ride a fat-tire bike. I really feel like the positioning of my body over the bottom bracket helps with climbing efficiency and traction when it counts. I prefer a more upright posture on fat-tire bikes, and I find it leads to slower handling (in a good way) with less “twitch” on the front end. It’s also just much more comfortable for long adventures not to be leaned over so far, which puts pressure on the hands.
I’ve had this bike configured with two different drivetrains: SRAM Eagle AXS electronic and SRAM Eagle 90 mechanical transmission. With both setups, I used the SRAM stealth brake levers to make for a clean cockpit with ample room for handlebar storage setups. While the electronic group makes for the cleanest install, I have found that the mechanical group really feels more at home on a bike built for adventure. Lots of range for riding in deep snow, breaking trail, and hauling loads is the name of the game. Flat handlebars are my default 90 percent of the time, and that’s no exception here. If I need rise, I prefer to achieve it with stem spacers and stem rise. Being able to keep your weight light on the front end of the bike really helps with float and control in soft or deep snow. No dropper post for me, although it would have been nice at the “Polar Stroll” this past winter ha!
I run HED carbon wheels primarily for weight. I find that light rims help balance out the beefy tires I like to run on a setup like this. My go-to tires for this bike have been the 45NRTH Dillinger 5 studded or the Wrathchild when I really need traction and control. On other fat-tire bikes, this beefy setup would feel cumbersome and awkward at best (or barely fit in the frame). I find the new design really feels at home with big, chonky tires and wide rims to help spread out the tread. This thing shreds on singletrack!
By far most of the miles I’ve put on this bike have been “proper” fat-tire miles: breaking trail in the woods behind our house, riding ungroomed singletrack, deep snow in the U.P. and exploring through the woods beyond the trails and roads. Each winter I break it out after Iceman and just bumble around in the woods and trails behind our house. When I’m thinking about making a new trail, I can just hop on this bike and start pedaling through the woods and testing lines. The big wheel circumference doesn’t get jammed up easily by small deadfall, undergrowth, deep leaves, or soft soil. Once the snow starts flying, I drop the air pressure down to 3 or 4 PSI and bulldoze trails the hard but fun way. It’s my favorite bike to ride on our home trails and explore on currently. I don’t see that changing anytime soon!
It might sound strange but after well over a decade of riding fat-tire bikes, I find that they’ve become “normalized” to me. I didn’t realize that until I hopped on this setup. Once I got my Beargrease dialed in the way I liked it, the feelings from my early days of discovering fat-tire bikes returned, much to my delight. I feel like I’ve followed the whole arc of fat-tire biking and now find myself back where I started: wanting to feel like a kid at play on a bike that seems comical yet wholly enjoyable. Those early days of trying to ride my first fat-tire bike everywhere and on every surface just hit different. It’s in my nature to want to race these bikes and see how fast I can go with the progression of faster tires, streamlining things, making them lightweight, etc. — which I’ve done for the past 10+ years.
Now I find myself just wanting to recapture those early feelings and ride fat tires for the fun of it. I don’t want a fat-tire bike that’s fast on gravel or pavement, or ultra-light, or built solely for speed. I want a fat-tire bike that’s FUN, makes me SMILE, and helps me get caught up in the sheer joy of riding. I’ve found those things I want in this bike, and I sure hope lots of other folks do too.
