FBM x Endpoint Hunter Gatherer: Unique, and a little weird.
If you’ve ventured into these parts before, you probably know the general MO: big tires regardless of how squiggly your handlebars are. (And the other MO: your bike should be your bike.) At some point in the more-recent-than-you’d-think past, this was a weird tire recommendation that resulted in a lot of showroom floor chats about why those 23mm tubulars were worse in a few ways than a 28mm clincher. (Or gasp a tubeless tire?) Back then, big tires on a dropbar bike were guaranteed to make you stand out. But around 2017, everyone followed the Radavist on Instagram and soon rushed to join the Bicycle Quarterly rando-bros in the land of milk and rubber. Our quests for uniqueness and individuality through increasing tire size were then shocked and redefined by bikes like the 3T Exploro and Open UP, the threshold for what makes a tire notably large pushed further and further until now you can’t stand out from the slew of big-tire-carbon-fred-sleds like that anymore (sorry Evil). And in that long and windy, long-winded intro there’s been no mention of this bike with big tires (pictured above) that manages to be a bit different, a handmade steel collaboration between adventure bike pioneers Endpoint and BMX stalwarts FBM. Wait, what?
That’s right. In the realm of unlikely projects, this is pretty close to the least likely. The front triangle is hand welded from Columbus Zona and and the rear triangle is hand-welded from 4130 chromoly. (The front and rear triangles are then hand welded together, don’t worry.) It manages to be pretty under the radar for something this bizarre, which makes the restrained but smart and different build even more appropriate. The much-loved TRP Hylex delivers hydraulic stopping and nothing else, while the 11-speed Shimano groupset is directed by bar-end shifters. Cranking is handled by the PDJ-ubiquitous White Industries R30. That’s all in the spirit of slightly weird but very dependable, just like the gorgeous Brooks saddle. If anyone knows of another FBM with a Brooks, please let us know!