I found a race-ready, carbon fatbike for under $2,000. The only catch: It was a brand I’d never seen before. I had to investigate.
I’ll be honest, I’d never heard of Fezzari bikes. But since 2008, Salt-Lake based Fezzari has (somewhat quietly) built a name for itself as a direct-to-consumer bike brand.
Like many such brands, the bikes are marketed almost exclusively through the web. The primary selling point is low price.
The King’s Peak Carbon Fatbike is no exception. The brand lists a “retail” price of $3,540, but it sells online for $1,849.
Review: Fezzari King’s Peak Carbon Fatbike
One of the company’s unique offerings is its “custom fit” program. As I ordered the bike online, I sent the company a series of body measurements with my purchase (as well as my riding style, and other details).
The brand offers a 23-point customization. This includes frame size, handlebar width and height (rise), stem length and angle, crank-arm length, seat offset, brake reach, and a host of other factors.
I ordered the bike online. An oversize box arrived on my doorstep a few days later. Setup was a cinch.
The bike was expertly packed (bubble wrap and foam padding) and mostly assembled. The inside of the box even included a nice handwritten note with my name, telling me how fun it was for the tech to personally build my bike. Nice touch.
All I did was put the wheels and the handlebars on, slide in the seatpost, and put on pedals. One of the brake levers was badly bent (but still usable) during shipping, and Fezzari immediately offered to send a replacement.
Fezzari: The First Ride
My first ride was just around the neighborhood’s snowy streets, and I was instantly impressed with the fit. It was the closest out-of-the-box bike fit I’ve experienced. It wasn’t perfect, but very close.
Over this last week, I tested it on five rides in all sorts of winter conditions. From snowmobile trails, unconsolidated powder, black ice, 4×4 tire tracks through deep snow, and groomed fatbike trails. The 4.8-inch tires handled it all well. Even the ice was rideable as long as I was careful about leaning.
Spec’d with an SLX 1×11 drivetrain, Tektro Hydraulic Brakes, Alex Blizzerk tubeless-ready wheels, and Maxxis Colossus tires, it is a solid build.
The King’s Peak is designed to ride all the stuff you never could on a normal mountain bike. It excels in snow, loose sand and mud. The all-carbon build makes for a comfortable and responsive ride, despite its rigid fork, especially at tire PSIs between 4 -10lbs.
With cross-country geometry, fat tires, a 1×11 drivetrain, and sub 70-degree headtube angle, the bike climbed like a champ even in difficult conditions.
Best of all, it blazed high-speed fish-tailing descents with ease and stability.
FBS Analytics
Like all bike brands, the company’s website touts lots of technology. But my favorite is what it calls “FBS Analytics.” From the site:
Full Bike System Analytics: We don’t just build frames, we build entire systems. All our frame technologies could go to waste if we didn’t also look at the entire bike and the components we put on. We opt for simplicity and durability.
I like that idea, especially considering that my last fatbike build (a premium $6,000 carbon model) had a bottom bracket so low, along with a long crank-arm length, that I clipped my pedals nearly every other stroke. It was literally impossible to ride in any snow conditions where the tires sank more than one inch. Not satisfying.
The Fezzari weighs about 29 pounds without pedals — not bad considering the beefy tires.
I look forward to beating up my King’s Peak this winter. I’ll race it up here in the Northwest.
At first glance, this is an incredible bike for a very reasonable price. The custom fit process makes me feel comfortable investing in a bike that I have not actually ridden before buying.
In short, Fezzari feels like a good way to get into a respectable carbon fatbike without completely emptying your wallet.
–See details on the King’s Peak Carbon Fatbike.
TECH SPECS
| FRAMESET | |
|---|---|
| Frame | Fezzari Racing Design Fat King Carbon V2, full carbon construction, 197x12mm rear axle, 100mm english thread BB, tapered headtube, internal cable routing |
| Fork | Fezzari Racing Design Fat King Carbon V2, tapered, 150x15mm thru axle |
| Rear Shock | N/A |
| Sizes | 17″, 19″ |
| Headset | FSA integrated sealed cartridge bearing, tapered, No. 42ACB |
| DRIVETRAIN | |
| Shifters | Shimano SLX, M7000, 1×11 |
| Front Derailleur | N/A |
| Rear Derailleur | Shimano SLX M7000 GS, Shadow-plus, 1×11 |
| Cassette | Shimano SLX M7000, 11spd 11-42T |
| Crank | FSA Comet Mega Exo, for Fat Bike |
| Chainrings | FSA Comet 30T |
| Bottom Bracket | FSA Mega Exo for English thread and 100mm BB shell |
| Chain | KMC X11 NP/GY, 11-speed |
| COCKPIT | |
| Handlebars | Fezzari Racing Design Alloy, 31.8mm x 740 mm (customized sizing through 23-Point Custom Setup) |
| Stem | Fezzari Alloy, 31.8mm (Size varies with 23-point custom setup) |
| Tape/Grips | Velo MTB grip, black, double density Kraton |
| Saddle | Fezzari Ultra XR fully adjustable, microfiber, ergonomically designed |
| Seatpost | Fezzari Racing Design XrT Dual Bolt UD Carbon, 31.6 Diameter |
| Pedals | Available Separately |
| WHEELS | |
| Rims | Alex Blizzerk 90, Tubeless Ready, 84mm Internal Width, Weight Reducing Cutouts |
| Hubs | Front: Joytech Alloy 15x150mm, Sealed Cartridge Bearing, 6 bolt disc Rear: Joytech Alloy 12x197mm, Sealed Cartridge Bearings |
| Spokes | 15g stainless, brass nipples |
| Tires | Maxxis Colossus, 4.8, EXO protection, Tubeless Ready, 120 Tpi |
| Tubes | Maxxis 26×4.8″ Presta Valve for Fat Bike |
| BRAKES | |
| Brakes | Tektro HDM285 Hydraulic disc, with Mineral Oil |
| Brake Levers | Tektro HDM285 |
FRAME GEOMETRY
| Frame Size | Symbol | M | L |
| Top Tube (mm) | TT | 600 | 620 |
| Seat Tube (inches) | ST | 17 | 19 |
| Chain Stay (mm) | CS | 468 | 468 |
| Head Angle (degrees) | HA | 69.8 | 69.8 |
| Seat Angle (degrees) | SA | 73 | 73 |
| Bottom Bracket Height (inches) | BB | 12.8 | 12.8 |
| Wheel Base (mm) | WB | 1125.9 | 1146 |
| Stand Over Height (inches) | SO | 27.5 | 29 |
| Stack | 611.3 | 625.4 | |
| Reach | 413.32 | 429 |
