The Godzilla El Ni帽o everyone predicted is already bringing snow to the West, but fortunately I鈥檝e been riding the new聽聽for the past couple weeks,聽which has proven to be the perfect bike for this bad weather.
First, an explainer about聽the unconventional name: 907 is the area code for all of Alaska, and the Anchorage-based company made some of the first fatties on the market before it became a major industry trend. 鈥淪lider鈥澛爄n the聽model name refers to the sliding dropouts, built around 170-millimeter聽rear spacing that allows for an internal hub. Designed with a breakaway in the drive-side seatstay, our tester came built with a 听厂辫别别诲丑耻产听齿尝听补苍诲 鈥攁 low-maintenance, keep-out-the-elements setup ideal for riding in winter slop.
The Takeaway
The Good:聽The versatility to run everything from the fattest 26-inch tires all the way up to 29+, as well as lots of mounts and capacity for聽bikepacking. The awesome new聽Maxxis聽Chronicle tires should help keep advancing the 29+ trend. Great, practical spec choices like mechanical聽disc聽brakes and grip shift, both of which are easy in the cold.
鈥婽he Bad:聽No thru-axle in the rear鈥攂oo to聽Rohloff. And while we love the durability of the聽Rohloff聽hub, the weight still needs to come down for it to be truly competitive.
鈥婽he Verdict:聽鈥婬ere鈥檚 an affordable, hardworking fat frame that is more multifaceted than most fatties courtesy of the sliding dropouts and clearance for all manner of wheels and tires. Load it up for聽bikepacking聽and wilderness adventures, plow it through the snowdrifts, or even just throw on some skinny tires and shred it like a regular old聽hardtail.
Specs
奥别颈驳丑迟:听30.2 lbs
笔谤颈肠别:听鈥$3,995
Wheel Size:聽Accommodates everything from 26-inch wheels with聽five-inch tires聽to 29+
The Slider is all about versatility, and the adjustable rear end and huge tire clearance up front means the bike can accommodate everything from 26-inch wheels with the meatiest聽five-inch tires you can find all the way up to 29+, which is how we鈥檝e been running the rig聽lately. Yes, 27.5+ is all the talk right now, but we absolutely love the even bigger wheel size鈥攖he added momentum and tire contact patch makes for a fast-moving, confident ride.聽
Tire selection has been one thing holding back the proliferation of 29+, but the awesome new , with low-profile, fast-rolling tread on top and meaty side knobs for excellent cornering and handling in the loose, is one of the best additions to the segment. And when the snow really starts to fall, we love that we can swap in even fatter tires for more grip and float.
The Slider is all about versatility, and the adjustable rear end and huge tire clearance up front means the bike can accommodate everything from 26-inch wheels with聽meaty聽five-inch tires聽all the way up to 29+.
This is a very different bike from some of the other 29+ models (like the excellent聽罢谤别办听厂迟补肠丑别) hitting the market right now: the reach and chainstays are longer, the headtube angle slightly steeper, and the stand-over height a lot lower. That means the Slider isn鈥檛 as playful or snappy as the Stache, but it鈥檚 not meant to be. Rather, it鈥檚 built for stability and confidence while cruising on snow and mixed terrain, and indeed we鈥檝e found it solid and rooted and totally phlegmatic no matter the terrain. That stand-over height also makes聽getting on and off easy聽when you鈥檙e bundled up and carrying a load.
We鈥檝e聽loved seeing the development of high-dollar聽carbon fat bikes in the past few years鈥攅ven 9:Zero:7 has one, the polished聽鈥攂ut many of these expensive bikes have sacrificed聽utility聽in favor of lightweight race-readiness. Not so聽the Slider, which has fender mounts, braze-ons for three bottle cages, and eyelets for a rear rack. That makes this bike ideal聽not just for winter riding but also bikepacking and adventuring when you want to load up with packs and racks and head out for a few days. Pity, however, that 9:Zero:7 didn鈥檛 also add rack mounts on the fork.
The Slider can be built relatively inexpensively and fairly light, down to about 24 pounds,聽according to the company. But with the Rohloff hub,聽it weighs a聽substantial 30.2 pounds (and that鈥檚聽not a cheap build at $3,995). Still, you don鈥檛 necessarily want or need a feathery bike for bikepacking and snow touring.聽And given the Slider鈥檚 versatility and durability, especially with a belt drive and internal hub, it鈥檚 well worth the cost.