Wall lean.
I just replaced my previous budget red 26" CCM fat bike by a budget red 27.5" Louis Garneau fat bike. Exactly the same color, I guess they were painted in the same factory haha. I couldn't pass up the 65% off deal at Costco even if that meant that I'd do a complete DIY PPF job (I could have done without this haha), a total rebuild of everything (down to adjusting spoke tension) and spending money to downgrade from SRAM Level brakes to finicky Shimano M375 mechanicals. Mechanical brakes in 0 to -20C is less chance of trouble in my experience, and as long as the initial setup is well made, they work totally fine.
After a bit of brake tab facing on the rear and on the caliper, they finally work well, but the pad-rotor clearance is like paper thin to obtain a lever throw that I like. Those rotors better stay straight! I thought the previous "Radius" calipers I had on my other fat bike were not too bad, and honestly, those Shimano are the worst mechanicals I've used. The 15 year-old Tektro on my city bike seem easier to adjust and maintain, but I'll give the Shimano a chance. For those who'd be curious, the main problem is that the fixed piston aren't always perfectly parallel to the rotor, depending on where the indexed clicks end up when screwing the adjuster bolt. And depending of the lever throw you want, it's not always possible to make it arrive at the right spot. Unfortunately, with the alignment and throw I wanted, the fixed pad ends up a bit on an angle, so it makes setting it up rub-free not easy. I spent a good while lining it up properly and making sure the rotor was as true as possible. A non-indexed adjustment would be better to help find the sweet spot, but sometimes they work their way in/out when it's not indexed. So that'll be it for now. At least the calipers were 50% off (26$!) so if I get fed up, I'll just put the Radius on.
A few upgrades (not including the brakes) were needed to make it a bit more itrail-worthy and nice : 150mm TranzX dropper (70$ on sale), Saint BB for longer thread engagement, blue Chromag grips, blue Deity seat post collar and E13 Base pedals. I also got a RF Ride (190mm axle) crankset for it but I'll see how long the Charm holds. It seems sturdy and the steel ring should last long as well.
I was really fond of the 8spd Microshift Acolyte groupset on my previous fat bike, so I'm looking forward to see how the Advent (with clutch) drivetrain works. The shifter seems much better quality, the derailleur is a bit nicer, and for winter riding, I like the fact that it's 9 speed. Less clicking than 12 spd is nice when wearing thick gloves. I might just replace the bars with a higher rise and maybe 180mm rotor in the back, but otherwise, I'll keep this one as simple as possible so that I don't need to do any maintenance over the winter.
For around 950$ all included (same price as my previous one), this one has better geo, better fit, bigger tires and has all the latest standards to make upgrading possibe. Plus a friend bought my old one, so I gained a fat bike riding partner in the process!