Reid Fat Bikes - Not Everything From Australia Wants To Kill You
In our constant quest to bring you the best and most varied selection of bikes, we kept running up against a problem: There was no decent entry level fat bike for those that wanted to dip their toes in 3+ waters without committing to a high-dollar specialty bike.
Conveniently, that is no longer the case. We are proud to introduce the newest member of our bike lineup, the Reid Ares 4.0, coming in at only $950!
Hailing from Australia, the Reid Ares is an aluminum frame fat bike with 4 inch tires (the more premium $1100 Ares comes with the larger 4.8 inch tires) and a better spec than pretty much anything we've seen at this price point.
Featuring a Deore/XT drivetrain and hydraulic disc brakes, the Ares is definitely several steps up from the other sub-$1000 fat bikes on the market.
During our brief test ride, we noticed that the tires, while not ultra light, were capable of gripping on grass, snow mixture, loose gravel, packed gravel, dirt, and leaf litter, as well as rolling over packed snow banks and curbs. The shorter than average BMX stem and the low step over made the bike feel nimble and responsive. The Deore/XT combination drivetrain provided more than enough gearing for the few hills we could find, and the bike felt light enough and fast enough to keep up on pavement, too. The stock pedals and saddle are just that: stock. Functional but not flashy. They'll get you around.
Our verdict: The Reid Ares is a fully capable, agile fat bike, perfect for riders who want a better than average spec but not a $2000 price tag. This is a great bike to add to your stable; it'll more than keep you on two wheels this winter.
