For the fourth year we have decided to do a fat bike project but we started with a brand new bike thanks to Louis Garneau and Ride custom bikes for the assembly.
The Louis Garneau Gros Louis 2
Right off the box this bike is awesome for a beginner or intermediate rider. Why? Because some components like the Sram SX 1×12 derailleur are ok but basic. It does the job but is not that precise when shifting. The Terrene Cake eater once studded does an awesome job but I would have liked more studs closer to the sidewalls for cornering. The KS dropper post is good but sometimes slow to respond when you face colder temperature.
The frame is really awesome and Louis Garneau has hit it out the park with the geometry of it. The slack headtube makes it a great descending machine and the weight is great too. I knew we had a great base and was curious where I could bring it.
Let the modification begins
Groupset
The first thing I changed was the groupset and went with Shimano Deore rear derailleur and Shimano SLX shifter. We kept the Sram cassette at first but something was off so I changed it for a Sunrace Cassette of 11-52 and the shifting was perfect.
Tires
When I saw that WTB were launching their Bailiff fat bike tires, I was more than curious about them and decided to give it a try. I am more than impressed by them and you can read my review about these tires here.
Components
When I was reading about components on different fat bike groups, one brand was coming back more than others and it was PNW components. I went with the Loam dropper post, the Loam lever gen 2, the Range stem gen 3,the Range handlebar gen 3 and the Loam grips. I was pretty impressed by the quality of their products and you can see my reviews here.
In conclusion
I must admit that with these upgrades, the Garneau is by far one of my favorite fat bikes that I rode in the last few years. They really raised the bar of the little flaws that the original bike had and I will definitely keep this fat bike for the next season which I don’t normally do. Why? Because I like to do fat bike projects every year.
I would like to thank these brands that has collaborated with me on this build:
