Velo City: Bicycle Culture and City Life

44 Bikes 29er / Fat bike

44 Bikes 29er / Fatbike

Ideally, the number of bikes one should keep in their quiver in n+1, where n is the number currently owned. For most of us, that ain’t practically possible, although New Hampshire’s 44 Bikes has come up with a handy solution for mountain bikers deliberating between shelling out for an agile 29er or an all-terrain fat bike: combine the two.

44 Bikes 29er / Fatbike

44 Bikes is more than a sideline to Kris Henry’s product and graphic design business, BLACKCAP Studio, it’s a passion for riding mountain bikes and exploring the outdoors. After a career of pushing pixels into products, Kris relocated to Lyndeborough, New Hampshire and chanced upon the legendary builder, Ted Wojcik.

44 Bikes 29er / Fatbike

Through a convenient barter, Ted allowed Kris to look over his shoulder while he worked and in return, Kris designed Ted a logo, provided catalog support and built him a website. Kris already had an extensive knowledge of metal work, instilled by his grandfather and school, which Ted refined and focused, till eventually 44 Bikes was born.

44 Bikes 29er / Fatbike

Kris is a mountain biker-for-life who channels his excitement for trail riding and exploration into his frames. His prototype fat bike is a departure from his standard Big Boy fat frame — this one accepts 29+ tires as well. Kris is running a 5″ Surly Lou tyre inside the rear stays, which provided no small challenge to accommodate both tyre sizes.

44 Bikes 29er / Fatbike

Paul Components Rhub/Whub hubs are laced to Surly Rolling Daryl rims, steered by an ENVE cockpit and a Thomson stem. It’s all powered by a 10-speed SRAM setup and the highly effective Wolftooth Components Dropstop chainring. This is Kris’ personal prototype but you can order one of your own by getting in touch via the 44 Bikes website.

44 Bikes 29er / Fatbike