Designed to handle sand, ice, and trails the four season, Blackhawk 2x10 trail bike is designed for more than just snow. Photo courtesy of Fyxation

Designed to handle sand, ice, and trails the four season, Blackhawk 2x10 trail bike is designed for more than just snow. Photo courtesy of Fyxation​

Fat bikes are exploding right now as users are buying it for winter riding. The surprise is folks are finding out that the traction and fun-factor of these bikes are good in the summer too, so it's becoming a 4-season bike for many. We quizzed Fyxation marketing man, Ben Ginster about their effort.

Mtbr: How long have you been in business and how long have you been selling bikes?
Ben: Fyxation has been in business since 2009 and we've been selling bikes for the last 2 years. While known for our line of urban bikes, parts and accessories we have a few crossover products like our Mesa pedals that you mentioned that have been embraced by fat bike riders.

Mtbr: What are you known for and what's the best selling items.
Ben: Our best selling items are our Mesa pedals, Gates pedals, Session 700 urban tires and our Eastside single speed. The Eastside is our answer to the cheap fixies that have flooded the market. The Eastside was designed in house and is built around our durable 4130 cromoly Eastside frameset and ships with our sealed bearing wheel set and all Fyxation aftermarket parts.

Fyxation Blackhawk railing a berm. Photo courtesy of Fyxation

Fyxation Blackhawk railing a berm. Photo courtesy of Fyxation​

Mtbr: What's the thought process for entering the fat bike market?
Ben: For one we love riding fat bikes. We're from the Milwaukee area and most of the crew here at Fyxation rides fat bikes. Here in the Midwest there is a very strong contingent of fat bike riders and there are actually a number of local races and race series that have sprung up the last few years and we are regulars at all of them. We think they're a great option to let you ride year round and while they're known for riding in sand and snow, they can make great trail bikes as well and are also great for cruising around the city when the weather gets nasty.

Mtbr: What are the key merits of your fat bike and/or who's the ideal buyer.
Ben: The Blackhawk is a full carbon fiber fat bike that's built using SRAM, Race Face, Hays and Fyxation parts. Built around our lightweight Blackhawk Carbon fiber frameset that weighs in at only 4lbs, we like to think of the Blackhawk as a 4 season trail bike that can also fit very large tires! Internal cable routing and low standover height makes the Blackhawk a great all around bike. The frame has wide 197mm rear spacing, has a suspension corrected front end so it's compatible with the Rock Shox Bluto. It's also compatible of using up to a 26x5" tire or 29x3.0" tires.

The ideal buyer for the Blackhawk is someone that may already own an early model steel fat bike and is looking for something that is lighter and faster or someone that is new to the fat bike market and is looking for a performance fat bike that is just as capable on the snow as it is on trails in the summertime. The Blackhawk is very competitive at $2795 and while the parts are made overseas, the bike is fully assembled by our team here in Milwaukee.

Designed to handle sand, ice, and trails the four season, Blackhawk 2x10 trail bike is designed for more than just snow. Photo courtesy of Fyxation

Designed to handle sand, ice, and trails the four season, Blackhawk 2x10 trail bike is designed for more than just snow. Photo courtesy of Fyxation​

Fyxation Blackhawk Fat Bike 2x10

  • Frame: Fyxation Blackhawk full carbon frame - 1360g
  • Fork: Fyxation Blackhawk full carbon fork - 455g
  • Rear Derailuer: SRAM X9 Type 2
  • Front Derailuer: SRAM X7
  • Shifters: SRAM X7
  • Crank: Race Face Turbine Cinch fatbike crank, Cinch direct mount spider with 22/36t chainrings
  • Handlebars: Race Face Evolve 3/4" Riser Bar
  • Stem: Race Face Evolve 70mm, 84/96mm
  • Grips: Answer Stein lock-on grips
  • Seatpost: Race Face Ride XC seatpost
  • Saddle: Fyxation Pilot performance saddle, black
  • Brakes: Hayes Prime Comp, 160mm rotor
  • Hubs: Fyxation Blackhawk through axle hub-set
  • Rims: Sun-Ringle Mulefut 80SL, tubeless ready
  • Spokes: Wheelsmith stainless spokes, black
  • Tires: Surly Nate 26 x 3.8"
  • Pedals: Fyxation Gates, black
  • Colors: Matte Black with Green, Blue or Charcoal graphics
  • MSRP: $2795.00
For more information visit www.fyxation.com/collections/blackhawk-fat-bike/products/blackhawk-fat-bike-2x10

The Blackhawk frame is light and is one of the most versatile fat bike frames on the market. Photo courtesy of Fyxation

The Blackhawk frame is light and is one of the most versatile fat bike frames on the market. Photo courtesy of Fyxation​

Fyxation Blackhawk Fat Bike Frameset

  • Frame: Fyxation Blackhawk full carbon frame - 1360g
  • Rear Spacing: 197mm with 12mm through axle (skewer incl.)
  • Fork: Fyxation Blackhawk full carbon fork - 455g
  • Front Spacing: 150mm with 15mm through axle (skewer incl.)
  • Tire Clearance: 26x5.0" or 29x3.0"
  • Suspension Fork Comparability: Yes, 100mm travel recommended
  • BB Shell: 100mm ISO threaded
  • Disc Brake Mounts: Post mount
  • Cable Routing: Internal shift cable routing
  • Headset: Integrated 42mm / 52mm
  • Seatpost Diameter: 31.6mm
  • Seatpost Clamp: 34.9mm
  • Derailleur Hanger: Replaceable derailleur hanger
  • Frame size: 15, 17, 19" (BB to top of seat tube)
  • Colors: Matte Black with Green, Blue or Charcoal graphics
  • MSRP: $1795.00
For more information visit www.fyxation.com/collections/blackhawk-fat-bike/products/blackhawk-fat-bike

Designed for snow, sand and trail, the Blackhawk wheels are built around Fyxation's thru-axle hubs and Sun-Ringle's Mulefut rims. Photo courtesy of Fyxation

Designed for snow, sand and trail, the Blackhawk wheels are built around Fyxation's thru-axle hubs and Sun-Ringle's Mulefut rims. Photo courtesy of Fyxation​

Fyxation Fat Bike Wheelset

  • Front Hub: Fyxation Blackhawk hub, dual sealed bearing, 15x150mm, anodized black (RockShox Bluto compatible)
  • Rear Hub: Fyxation Blackhawk rear hub, quad sealed bearing, 12x197mm, anodized black
  • Free Hub Body: 9/10 speed body, 90 contact point, 3 pawl, anodized red
  • Rim: Sun-Ringle Mulefut tubeless ready, 80mm, 64 hole drilling
  • Spokes: Wheelsmith stainless 2.0 mm straight gauge, black
  • Nipples: Wheelsmith brass nipples, black
  • Front Hub: Fyxation Blackhawk hub, dual sealed bearing, 15x150mm, anodized black
  • Rim: Sun-Ringle Mulefut tubeless ready, 80mm, 64 hole drilling
  • Spokes: Wheelsmith stainless 2.0 mm straight gauge, black
  • Nipples: Wheelsmith brass nipples, black
  • Weight: 2700g (Front 1270g / Rear 1430)
  • MSRP: $550.00
For more information visit www.fyxation.com/collections/blackhawk-fat-bike/products/fyxation-fat-bike-wheelset

The hubs feature CNC machined hub body, thru-axle, dual front and quad rear sealed cartridge bearings, and red anodized alloy cassette body. Photo courtesy of Fyxation

The hubs feature CNC machined hub body, thru-axle, dual front and quad rear sealed cartridge bearings, and red anodized alloy cassette body. Photo courtesy of Fyxation​

Fyxation Fat Bike Hubset

  • Hub Body: CNC machined alloy hub body
  • Front Hub: Fyxation Blackhawk, dual sealed bearing, 15x150mm, anodized black (RockShox Bluto compatible)
  • Rear Hub: Fyxation Blackhawk rear, quad sealed bearing, 12x197mm, anodized black
  • Cassette Body: 9/10 speed SRAM or Shimano compatible, 90 contact point, 3 pawl, anodized red
  • Weight: Front 230g / Rear 362g
  • MSRP: 299.00
For more information visit www.fyxation.com/collections/blackhawk-fat-bike/products/fyxation-fat-bike-hub