FortyFour Snakedriver

My first fat bike, the Big Boy, was designed at a time when fat bikes ran 135/170 hubs and 3.8-4.0 inch tires. It was also designed with a year-round use in mind. Good for snow but fun on dirt trails, too. I kept updating it over the years and after several winters it became clear that fat-biking totally is my thing. So, five years later I pulled the trigger on a snow-specific FortyFour, a Snakedriver with 27.5” wheels with room for 4.5” tires. The geometry was optimized for snow riding. A slightly lower BB to bring the center of gravity down, a longer wheelbase, and a slacker head tube for more directional stability. Hub spacing grew to 150/197 and the frame received a T47 BB shell. Kris also convinced me to use a dropper, for which I did see a number of benefits for snow rides. After time with a dropper, I would now also equip any dirt MTB with one. I can ride without one, but it’s truly nice to make use of one. As with all my other bikes, the Snakedriver was equipped with a Jones bar. In this case an H-Bar Loop Carbon 710. Winter rides often happen at night in the dark, and the Loop was the perfect bar for a custom front light mount. In February 2019 I studded the Bontrager Gnarwhal tires. How did I fat-bike without them for 5 years?