Lateral flex of Gary Fisher Fat Possum swingarm

Aloha Lee,
I have a 2007 Gary Fisher Fat Possum XT. I love this bike except that the swingarm flexes a lot when climbing. This seems to be a problem with heavier riders like me (I weigh 205). I can’t afford to buy a new bike and I’m pretty much stuck at my current weight-I can’t afford to lose weight cause I do a lot of heavy lifting at work. Is there anything I can do to alleviate this problem or do I just suck it up and keep riding?
Keoni

Hey Keoni,

I’ve never ridden that bike but — funny! — I wrote marketing copy for it back in 2006:

— — —

Fat Possum
Me and you. All over the mountain. All day.
We live in a golden age: the age of the Fat Possum. It has six inches of suspension, so you can ride it anywhere, yet it’s efficient enough to pedal everywhere. Ride from your doorstep or the end of the road — no pickup trucks needed. Back in the ’70s we doubt even Gary saw this coming.

— — —

The entire magalog (part magazine, part catalog) was written in this style. It won a gold medal in its advertising class, with a special mention for the copywriting. Like I said, funny.

2007 Gary Fisher Fat Possum XT, archived on the Fisher site.

Anyway,

The Interweb is full of people saying the Fat Possum rear end is flexy, so I’m not gonna say it’s your imagination. But I will say this:

– There’s nothing you can do to stiffen the frame. That’s one reason a bike purchase decision should always start with the frame. Parts can be swapped out. Fundamental frame characteristics, well, you’re stuck with ’em.

– You can stop pedaling so hard.

– You can stop cornering so hard.

– No more aggressive sprinting, pumping, ripping and otherwise braaaping.

Wait, that doesn’t sound like fun.

Ride the bike. Focus on terrain and technique. Celebrate the fact some flex actually helps the bike track through corners.

Yeah, that’s the ticket. How about this marketing copy?

— — —

“The 2007 Fat Possum features Active Tracking Technology, an exclusive feature that frees the rear wheel to find its own path — the right path — through every corner and rough patch. On the gas or on the rails … the Fat Possum will get you there.”

— — —

Ha! Gold medal worthy!

Seriously, ride your bike. Have fun.

— Lee

Know more. Have more fun!

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