I Tested the FATTEST Mountain Bike On The WORST Trails

We're making it. I almost never go fat biking or do research, but today we're going to be doing both because I'm riding the biggest fat bike you can buy and I researched the worst rated trails in the entire forest. Yes, the new Surly Moonlander has 6.2 inch tires, a pinion gearbox, a chromoly steel frame, and a whole bunch of ridiculously weird things from front to back that I'm going to show you today while we go on an absolutely heinous ride with creek crossings, riverbeds, and chunky descents that a Moonlander has no business on. So we're starting off the day with wet feet. Anybody who knows this area is going to say, hey Seth, you could have gone over the footbridge. Trust me, there's no footbridge. I wanted to spend the day on the Surly Moonlander to really get to know it. It is, after all, gigantic and ridiculous. The first mass market fat bike was the Surly Pugsley in 2005, and I think those tires were four point something? Nothing like this. Look at my tire compared to Alexander's tire. Like when I buzz him, it's like he's getting hit with a cruise missile. All right, let's see who can make it further without putting a foot down. I'm taking the right line. Wow. I don't know if I'm going to make this. Yes, we got it. Yes. Wow. This thing is a beast. It is not easy from a cardio standpoint, but it just goes up anything you point it at. I have gotten it in the past, but it's like 50 50. Oh yeah, Alex, stay in it. You got it. Wow, I made that by the skin of my teeth. Watch out. Yeah, it's a rock crawler. Oh geez, this is steep. I think I want to air down a little bit because I feel like some of these I could get. So what happened to your pump there, buddy? I think we're going to find it coming back up that first descent. It's silver. I'm definitely going to find it. I am determined to not leave it in the woods. We don't have much of a way to air back up, so it's like a car tire. All right, let's try that on for size. Oh yeah, all I got to do is point and pedal. Yeah, that was all the traction I needed. Night and day difference. This might be the first time that I've gone out on a stupid bike for a video and it was actually the right bike. So yes, some of the trails we'll be riding today do in fact have like two star reviews because people come out here expecting jumps and berms and drops and backcountry single track isn't everybody's cup of tea. All right, all right. It's what we love. It's real mountain biking type two fun, narrow, rooty single track with deadfall everywhere. This is the backcountry, so there's going to be a lot of places that Pisgah Area Sorba has not gotten to. It's going to have to lift this beast over some stuff. Oh, wow. That's more than just a little bit difficult. Definitely some hazards. Oh, okay. A little close at the end there. This is huge, bro. Yeah. Oh, man. This bike is heavy, very heavy, but it's not as heavy as that dead e-bike that I pedaled out into the backcountry. Like many fat bikes, the Surly Moonlander does not have a suspension fork. It has a rigid steel fork, but actually there are no suspension forks for this bike. First of all, the tires are so big. There's probably nothing on the market that clears it. And also this bike has the same front and rear wheel hub and all same hub width. There's actually a cassette up here because if you're way out in the backcountry and you blow out a cassette, you can just swap the front and back wheel and you're on your way. This is a purpose-built machine. It goes right down to the core of what fat biking is about. If you know anything about fat bikes, you know, it's kind of a niche market and it's kind of a troubled market. They were really popular at one point. And then people were like, these suck for everything. And then there was a small group of people that said, these are really good for this one thing. And that was not what we're doing now. Yeah. Here's another one. I don't know if I can bunny hop this on this bike. I don't want to commit to it. No, I think the move is doable, but I do not want to commit to it. Let me scope it out. Yeah. The off ramp is pretty sketchy. Yeah. Yeah. I'm going to give it a good old college try. You know what? I think I might be able to do it. I think I might have it. It's crazy. You take a crank and it goes. It's not something you're not supposed to have traction on a wet mossy tree. We're close. We're too close to not commit. All right. Okay. And that is why I'm not trying it anymore. Ow. Okay. Yeah. I got my shin really good. Pedal into the shin. That was not fun. I don't know even know how I would wheelie drop this. Honestly. I don't really know what you would do after either, man. If I didn't make it and I nose dove, it'd be bad. You're not in the easiest gear because I need some speed, but I think I can get that front end up. All right. We're just getting silly. I can't keep trying after this. Yeah, I'm fine. But that's what I was like. Maybe we should stop before something like that happens. That's a good thing. We stopped before something like that happens. Now I love a good session and seeing things through to completion, but it takes some doing to get the front end up on this bike. I had to call it on that one because this is a mid tail. That means that the rear end is pretty long. So you'll take all this ability you can get when you're going at high speeds or when things get rowdy, it doesn't have suspension with dampers. It can kind of bounce you around. And when you stand there and look at the bike, it's pretty amazing how long the rear end is. And I suppose if you outfitted this for bike packing, you put big racks on it, that would make it kind of nice. It gets the rack a little bit further away from you, gets the dropper posts a little bit further from the tire if you want to strap things underneath it. But when you're trying to pedal kick off a really weird log, I'm kind of a small guy. I don't have the confidence that that's going to really work out. But I'd say we did give it a try. Honestly, I'm happy I'm on a fat bike right now. This is these leaves are so deep. It's like riding through sand just floats right over everything. Mud four inch deep leaves. Lovely. This is slick. That caught me that caught me off guard. Take a walk on the wild side. Oh, yeah. Now we're getting closer to proper fat bike pressure. Yeah, pressure gauge would have been smart. But I'm pretty good. I can get within 20 psi by feel. See, can we get back in? Yeah, we got it. I can't believe it's clear up here. Wow. Oh, I went off the bench. It's nice that there's no derailleur to smash into anything. It's been a while since I've ridden a fat bike on a proper mountain bike ride and never since I've ridden a 6.2 inch fat bike. It doesn't even feel like the roots are here now. It just kind of molds over them. Oh, here we go. No problem. Yeah, buddy. Yeah. Heck yeah. I just felt like way off the side. I debated going high on that. I went high on it. It didn't work out for me. Sometimes it doesn't matter what type of tires you have. You got to take the right line. Oh, yeah. Yeah, we did that. Whoa, this is overgrown. Oh, dude, this is what dreams are made of. You got it. Stay in it. We keep finding a new deepest leaves ever. Oh, I know this route section. I'm going to give her a go. OK, momentum. All right. Stay active, stay in it. Oh, you got to give it another try. Yeah, Alex, I knew you had it. That is not easy. Surly has a long heritage of making their own tires because they often make bikes that you can't buy tires from from a supplier. These are six point two. It's bigger than any fat bike tire ever. And so anybody that wants to make a bike like this has to make their own tires. Alex, you want to see what these tires are about? Yeah, I want to try your bike on this section. You want to go over the same section? Yeah. OK. Oh, my gosh. There's still so much air in there. They're big. There's a lot of air. It's not exactly the right size for you. It does have a lot of traction. I can't believe this is like way heavier than I realized you were doing that logs. The log hop. I see why it was hard to get the back end up as heavy. I think it's like forty five pounds dry. And then I do have a bunch of gear on it. And so it's probably close to fifty pounds. Oh, yeah. Yes. That was good. When you get speed, it's pretty you're like, wait, how do I still have traction right now? Yeah, it was so much smoother than my suspension. I think I can air down a little bit more. You definitely can. I was going to not play it safe with the tire pressure, but that's before I lost my pump and we still have to find that on the way back. But I think I'm going to let out another few PSI. Now we're talking. I probably have like 60 mil travel or something now. Oh, yeah, that's that's what I'm going for on six point two inch tires. Yeah, now you hit a root and it doesn't bounce, it just conforms. We are getting the full experience now. OK, we got this one. Oh, yeah, we can just crawl up stuff. So we got some downhill now. I think I got to let out a little bit more. If you think I'm a sicko, you haven't met a real fat biker. Do the honors. Oh, wow. Oh, this is way. Wow. Our first down tree, like three cranks in. It's not that bad. We could clear this. Leave it better than we found it. Just listen to that sound. I am pulling bunny hops like that. Oh, yes. It's hard to depict on camera how off camera some of this is. Oh, fat bikes were not designed for descending, but it's an experience. So one unusual thing about the Surly Moonlander is the pinion gearbox. They decided to put a gearbox drivetrain on it. You can shift when you're not even pedaling. It's sealed. Nothing's truly sealed, but it's sealed enough to do some really dirty stuff with it. There's also no derailleur hanging down. And so you can't catch it on a rock. You can't get it wrapped up in sticks and leaves. This thing is made for the backcountry. It's made for riding where there's no trail. And that's kind of what fat bikes are all about. When you're up in the higher gears with this pinion gearbox, you can feel the resistance in the lower gear feels the same as a bike with a derailleur. There's so many loose rocks. We can drag that branch out of the way. I think we can throw this off the side of the hill. This one should spring back. Yep. Nice. Okay. Now we're back to what this thing's good at eating tread. Oh, this is a challenge. You probably can't see it on video, but the low PSI feels really good. I think you could crunch this branch by just rolling over it. Good going. That's nice and rocky out here. This is amazing. This is so good. Oh, I got you. Yo, yo, I just made that. Get out of my way, son. That was so awkward. You got this all day, Alex. Not so bad. The gearbox and no derailleur is a massive benefit to you because of how much loose stuff there is. I'm getting stuff caught in mine all day. Oh yeah. You must just be eating sticks. Yeah. I've just got tag alongs constantly. What is that? That is a fallen tree. We got to move. We got to move some of this stuff. That was comical watching it all rebound behind you. Yeah. This is exactly what I figured this ride was going to be like. But it doesn't matter. It's just fine. Yeah. Doesn't affect it. Probably hit that with a handsaw. I think I can just drag this one off trail. And there's the trail. We got to get over this somehow. Wow. Look, the root ball was right here and the whole thing shifted over from this tree. Like the root ball of that one opened. The whole ground opened up. Yeah. Oh, wow. Goodness. I think we got to go high. Wow. Yeah, that's something else. I think I can refill my water right here. So the great thing about these little bag water filters is that they pack down really small, easy to carry with you, and then you can squeeze it into another bottle, kill the rest, so you can leave your watering hole hydrated. So now that creek I just drank from, I've got to cross it. And I don't think it's going to go very well. All right. I'm about to give it a shot. I was foolhardy thinking I would get through that. Oh, this is probably doable, but kind of pedal strike city. Oh yeah. Moonlander eats it. It just bridges all the little gaps between. To be honest, I don't know if a cross country bike is the right tool for this job. I think it might be a Moonlander. Oh, this side gets a lot of sun. We got that crunch. Yeah, it goes. Yeah. This is a backcountry machine. This thing just sucks up sticks into the drive train and just hawk to as them out. Is it fast? Nope. Does it handle well? Nope. Is it good at a lot of things? Nope. Can I ride over that? Yep. Just tractor over it. You kidding me? I ride through this stuff. I'm on the biggest fat bike ever made. Oh, I just got smashed in the knee. Oh, where's the trail? I think it's up there. Wow. Look at this one. This one is huge. This is an ancient tree. Oh, look, it goes down here. Here's a switchback. When things get technical, the shine of the Moonlander starts to dull, but that's okay. I discovered today that it is in fact great at a lot of things that I didn't think it would be good at. Wow, you get up some speed on this thing and you start to see your life flash before your eyes. Wow. That was so fun. This is good. We made the right decision. Oh yeah. Whoa, that was a big drop. I'm glad I didn't try to do that on the Moonlander. I need to visit a chiropractor. Yeah, the technical stuff, I'm going in too hot. Gotta come in a little less speed on this thing. You got that? Yes. This is what life is all about. Oh, wow. That's so fun. It's somehow over way too soon. I was trying to take that line, but it didn't work. Now my foot is completely soaked and it's all sand here. This is fat biking territory right here. It's just rock, like loose piles of riprap. Wonderful on a fat bike. Just tractors over it. My feet are already wet. I think I'm going to go hard in the paint. Oh, it gets deep. Damn. Okay, we're going to get wet. Yeah. First try. Dude, I didn't even get that wet. Oh man, that was all time. You can't make a memory like that on an easy trail. So if you look to the rear of the Moonlander, it's the same chain ring as they up front. It's just bolted on just a 104 chain ring. That's actually kind of common with pinion gearboxes. And actually this is not the only fat bike with a pinion gearbox. Pretty cool. And it's something a little different. We have about four and a half miles left to go and some big creek crossings. So we're going to get moving. Now we're in territory that trail bikes are not good for. This is wonderful. Oh, wow. No, I ain't making that one. I wonder if I could walk up here, but then let this bike just float its way through. Maybe I can just like, it gets really deep in there. I would have definitely gotten wet in there. All right, we got like nine miles of creek bed to go. Oh, this is Moonlander territory. It's also so great when you realize that you're in Moonlander territory, you can just shift gears without pedaling at all. Oh no. Oh no. I thought I was going to clean this. Fully submerged my foot. Band-Aids ripped off now. This is a tough one. What odds do you give me? Those odds don't sound very good. I didn't even think I was going to make it, but the back tire just hooked up. It's just beautiful. All right. Ford or footbridge? Is the footbridge working? That ain't going to work. No. All right. I guess we got to Ford it. This is straight up Moonlander territory. What do you think the line is here? The second that tire gets in that water, that water is going to push you over immediately. Yeah, you're right. This is going to take me away. Please give me your phone. If I can get through this little spot right here and over that, then I can get up there and I'm good. I almost made it. All right. I'm getting back on. Dude, this is unlike any bike I've ever ridden. Oh my God. This is the sickest bike ever. I'm not going to lie, these waders are low key to which they come on and off. I would take it easy walking on the rocks with those because you got to go through the big kahuna. It is all sand under these leaves right now. Alex is on the struggle bus back there. How are you feeling, dude? That was rough. It's rough. It's a little bit more hard pack now. It just turned to dirt, but I was like, I was like moving like this. Where did the trail go? Might be right here. Yeah, that looks like it. Yep. There's a bridge right there. Yeah. That bridge is completely gone. You think I could pedal it? I'm beginning to wonder now. I mean, yeah, no way I'm getting up that, but I think I can get across on this here surly fat bike. Okay. That didn't work out. Okay. Let's get back on the rocks. Probably should just put the waders on, but that wasn't that deep. That didn't even get up to my knee. Yeah. It worked out. It's not even me high. That's the fastest current yet. Yeah. That took me away. I've taken on a lot of work. I got to find a set of those that don't take on water. Maybe they cost like $22. Yeah. It opened up pretty good, huh? Yeah. I'd give them a solid like value. Five out of five. At what point is a garbage bag a better value? Well, the garbage breaks the second you step on a rock. So these kind of do too. Yeah. Three miles or something like that. It's all sand and just mush. Alex is like, this sucks. Alex would rate this really low. Wow. I don't have to put in nearly as much effort as you're putting in right now. Oh, good luck. Alex. You got this. Yeah, dude. I can't believe you just made all that. That was impressive, Alex. You must be beat. That didn't even use that much of my energy. Like I can just carry on a conversation. I took like everything. It's really the bike is different. Holy moly. It has unique capabilities. Yeah. Alex, I ain't doing that. Oh yeah. It doesn't work the same. Handles drops. All right. It's somehow more brutal than like a rigid BMX bike because the bounce actually hits back. It returns all the energy. Oh yeah. Here it is. Big Kahuna. I think you can do this one. I don't think I can pedal across this. You remember how deep this was? It is flowing slowly. What percent chance you guys gave him making it across? Yeah. Just straight laughter. Zero. Just laughter. It's moving very slowly. And there's less of a chance it's going to take me away. Oh yeah. This is really deep. Okay. All right. We're making it. We're doing it. Come on, dude. I got to get over that rock. Oh, okay. I don't think it's zero. I feel like where we were standing this morning was way deeper too. I don't think anything is zero on that bike. Yeah. Yeah. With a little bit of run up and you just lay into it. There's a lot less tire pressure this morning. I was able to make it right up this. That is all the makings of a good day on a bike. Let's get back to the car and debrief. Oh, you found it. I lost the pump. Where's that hanging up right up there. Thank you so much for telling me that. Appreciate you guys. They saw my pump. I think the hose popped out and they found both pieces. I'm going to have to come up with a different situation for that pump. If you find somebody's stuff somewhere, either leave it where you found it. So the person has a chance of getting it back or hang it from a tree or something like they did. That is super cool. Let's see near the top, like on a branch or something. Right. All right. So we walked up here real slow and tried to look for the pump said it was hanging from a tree and that somebody might have brought it up to the parking lot. So let's stroll up there and see what we got. I think that's it. Yes, that's it. Excellent pump, but I got to come up with a better way to carry it. Probably stick in the bag or something. I own a fat bike. I've ridden lots of fat bikes. I've ridden fat bikes in places where most people don't ride them. And I've always kind of thought, what's the point? Riding in riverbeds, groomed snow trails. They're big open areas where you're allowed to go and camp and you can kind of hike it or ride on a horse or take a fat bike. Those are your three options. And they're great for that. But today I think I might have had a better tool for the job than Alexander. What do you think? These bigger tires makes it really comfortable and really capable on stuff like we just rode. And if we were going to do that exact route again, I don't think I would take my trail bike. I think I would take the moon lander. Now, it's not every day I ride a route like that. I'm not always looking for pain, sand, just chundery rocks that you have to pedal through. It's miserable normally, but today it was fun. I don't know what type of safety meeting Surly was having when they hashed this thing and who signed off on it, but they continue to do it year after year. They make the weirdest, dumbest bikes on planet earth and people buy them and love them for life. I love my Surly big dummy. I'm thinking now I should get a Surly big fat dummy so I can take my kids to the river over here. I think I'm officially a Surly fan boy. What do you think? The bike doesn't need to make sense to make fun on a normal mountain bike trail. This would suck. This would be a huge bummer. You take those hits at high speed and it just kills you. There are certain places where it's the only tool for the job. I hope you enjoyed coming out in the forest with us today. Thanks, Alexander, for coming along and thanks for riding with me today. I'll see you next time.