Aluminium fat bike Trek Farley 5: 4.50in tyres, carbon fork, microSHIFT 1x10, 16.20 kg in size M

Trek Farley 5: the fat bike for sand, snow and adventure

The Trek Farley 5 is an Alpha Platinum aluminium fat bike, with a rigid carbon fork, 27.5 x 4.50-inch Bontrager Gnarwhal Tubeless Ready tyres, a microSHIFT Advent X 1x10 11-48 drivetrain and a dropper post, weighing 16.20 kg in size M (with inner tubes). It is designed to keep going where conventional tyres sink. Its Satin Blue Sage to Lithium Grey Fade finish fades in satin from a sage blue-green to a light mineral grey.

Technical specifications

Who is it for?

For the curious rider who wants to ride on coastal sand out of season and where it is permitted, for the mountain dweller who wants to keep pedalling on the snow of the Espinouse or the Montagne Noire in winter, or for the traveller planning self-supported routes over soft terrain. It will also appeal to anyone looking for a different bike, stable and reassuring.

The LVR workshop view

Alpha aluminium, Trek's expertise. For its fat bike, Trek chose Alpha Platinum, a more sophisticated aluminium than the Marlin's. The tubes are shaped to clear 4.50-inch tyres without making the bike excessively long, and the frame is studded with inserts to carry bags, mudguards and a rack. The revised geometry, with a steeper seat tube, puts the hips better over the bottom bracket.

Put simply: a fat bike is not a more comfortable mountain bike for every day, it is a tool for soft terrain. On a hard track it rolls more slowly than a Marlin; on sand or snow, it keeps moving while the others are pushing.

It all comes down to pressure: a 4.50-inch tyre is run very low so it spreads out and floats, and that setting is what transforms the Farley. Overinflated, it bounces and spins; properly set, it grips on soft sand and packed snow. We show you how to adjust the pressure to the terrain, and going tubeless lets you run it even lower.

The carbon fork has inserts for cargo cages, and the frame is packed with mounts: top tube bag, strapless frame bag, mudguards and rack. The Gnarwhal tyres can take studs for ice. The SRAM Level hydraulic brakes and 11-48 cassette are enough to handle a heavy bike both uphill and downhill.

Farley, Roscoe or Marlin: which should you choose?

Our take: the Farley 5 is the heaviest in the table at 16.20 kg in size M. It does not try to compete with a Marlin or a Roscoe on a dry trail: it opens up a playground those mountain bikes cannot tackle.

Your questions

Why buy from LVR Cycles? As a Trek retailer in Béziers, we set up your Farley, convert it to tubeless and service its drivetrain after your rides in sand or snow.

Please note that the specifications may be changed without prior notice by the manufacturer, based on the availability of components and other factors.