As I was writing this introduction my dad reminded me of my first cameo on BikeRumor. It was within the full review of the Borealis Echo and consisted of my first impressions of fat bike riding. At the end of my part I stated, “this will not be my last ride on a fat bike.” Since then, the past three years were filled with riding various rigs designed for a range of disciplines, and now I’m right back where I started with another fat bike. This time though, it’s the new 9:zero:7 Tundra. Not only does 9:zero:7’s newest aluminum bike make the jump to a suspension ready front end, but it also offers some big changes in geometry…
If you have read our January introduction to the 9:zero:7 Tundra you may have seen the tweaks made to its older sibling the Whiteout AL. One of the most notable changes is a 17mm reduction in chainstay length. Shortening the stays allows for better maneuverability making it more of a ‘trail’ fat bike while maintaining clearance for 4+” tires.
The headtube is 135mm in height (large) and slacks out to 69° contributing to its aggressive riding position. Yes, it’s a 1.5 – 1 .125″ tapered steerer which is part of the suspension ready equation. The stock Tundra ships with a 9:zero:7 rigid carbon fork that is spaced at 150 x 15mm to enable easy swaps to a fork like the Bluto or Wren. Or you can skip the rigid fork all together and order it directly from Fatbikes.com with a Bluto RL or RCT3 wtih 100mm of travel.
Going around the frame, the bottom bracket is a threaded 100mm shell, while the seat tube fits a 30.9 post with internal cable routing access for droppers. Wheel spacing is 197 x 12mm (r) 150 x 15 (f). There are three cage mounts in and under the main triangle, plus an Anything mount on the toptube directly behind the stem. The rear triangle has bracer bars connecting the stays at both ends, hopefully reducing the amount of flex on the back side.
The frame gets the Sram GX 1×11 drivetrain with a complimenting Race Face Turbine crankset. Drivetrain setup with 30×10-42t. Sram Level T hydraulic brakes with 160mm rotors provide stopping power on the Sun Ringle wheels. Schwalbe Jumbo Jim tires lay down the grip. This is another area of upgrades available through FatBikes.com with HED B.A.D. and Storm 100 rims offered with 45NRTH and Schwalbe tires. The tubeless upgrade for the Mulefut 80 SL wheels included in this build runs another $80 – but they’ll show up sealed and ready to go, as they did with our test bike.
The cockpit is loaded with Race Face components from grips to Turbine dropper, which is a $225 option.
With the Bluto front end, and stock 4″ tires set up tubeless the Tundra weighs in at 29.14lbs. Set up on 27+ hoops it’s 28.9 lbs. I’m pretty stoked to put their bike designed for #AllConditions to the test in Florida, and hopefully if the weather breaks back home we’ll get some solid miles in on dry (enough) trails. If the big man upstairs wants to throw some snow our way It’d make a great early birthday present. Keep an eye out for the full review!
