With 80 miles range, I'd cynically say it was legally accomplished in multiple riding sessions downhill. First, the bike was carried by car to the top of a mountain range with roughly 10 to 15 miles downhill on winding roads. Once at the bottom, the bike was then carried by car up to the top again. Repeat until the battery is empty and voila, there was legitimately 80 miles travelled on one charge of battery.
Can I please have one of your fat tire bikes? I’ve been wanting one for so long all my friends have one I live on a little small island in Texas and I just need one to kind of get my surfboard to the beach easier I’m 13.
I got a fat tire bike because I got back into biking at 400 lbs (down from 490 and now at 360.) I look forward to being able to ride more traditional bikes as I lose more weight, but that’s not something that can be done overnight or even within a year (safely and healthily) I love the fact that my bike was able to get me back into something I loved doing as a kid/teenager.
Hey there, fellow biking enthusiast! I stumbled upon a new project called the Freebeat Morph 2-in-1 eBike, and it sounds absolutely amazing! One of its outstanding features is the ability to recharge the bike indoors. How cool is that? It's great to hear that your fat tire bike got you back into something you loved as a kid/teenager. Keep enjoying your rides and slowly but surely achieving your fitness goals. Can't wait to see you on a traditional bike soon! Keep up the fantastic work! 💪🚴♂️
I bought a RadRover fat tire e-bike four years ago. I now have 5,000 miles on the odometer. I am 75 years old. I rode standard mountain bikes for many years, but going UP steep hills and the severe muscular agony involved seemed to cause me to ride my mountain bike very infrequently as I got older. Fat Tire e-bikes simply remove the agony of traveling uphill. The electric motor can be engaged when traveling uphill, and when traveling downhill or on flat ground the electric motor need not be engaged at all. I also have a cargo trailer for my RadRover for trips to the grocery store. I would recommend ALL people getting on in years to buy a fat tire e-bike. The fat tire e-bike will cause elderly people to get out of the house and exercise - and daily exercise can add years to the life expectancy of the elderly. Fat tire e-bikes can become a 'fountain of youth' for the elderly.
@@mary2al Correct. My post was singing the praises of a 'fat tire e-bike'. I have never even ridden a 'skinny tire e-bike' - but I have ridden many many skinny tire standard non-e-bike mountain bikes through the years - and the fat tires on modern e-bikes produce a much smoother ride and provide much better traction in sand and mud and snow. Fat tires obviously require more energy to propel the fat tire forward, and this is where the 750 W electric motor comes into play. I would still advocate for all e-bike buyers to choose a fat tire e-bike over a skinny tire e-bike. I can see NO advantage of choosing to buy a skinny tire e-bike as opposed to a fat tire e-bike.
I find a 350 watt 14-amp hour battery does fine for grocery shopping. I am pretty satisfied having a fun ride for 6 miles out and back. Generally, only go out as far as you might be prepared to walk back. The more powerful systems come with compromise. Is there improvement with 4" tires over 3" tires? I would like a 250 watt as most of my riding is done using around 150 watts.
I 'm 62 @ 250lbs and I've ridden my entire life. Had great bikes in all categories. I LOVE MY FAT EBIKE, more than any other bike I've ever owned. No down sides that bother me at all. It's a different thing and I ride within my parameters. Love the bike, the gear and the tools. I have a 52V 21AH battery and a Grin charger. Endless range. Incredible metrics on the LCD. So here's 1 vote FOR fat ebikes.
I second that!! I'm 67, 6'2", 245lbs. I love my fat tire bike with full suspension. I have a 52V, 20AH battery with 26" wheels and I get great range. I can't give you a range number but it's all I want or need. So here's vote #2 for fat tire ebikes.
"...monster truck for the street." That is exactly what I want. My last bike accident landed me in the hospital for 4 days because my road bike's front tire slipped into a concrete expansion space here in SoCal, sending me over the handle bars. I no longer ride, but if I did, I want the widest tire.
Then what you really mean is, you want the correct tire for those roads, not a skinny road bike tire, and not a fat bike tire. It is strange that you skip over the sane middle ground.
The 2 accidents I had 1 was just like yours the wheel went to the axle my friend on the seat and rode my back and we all slid on my face I was 14. 2nd time car pulled out in front of me in a gas station I could not stop. You need the power to get out of the 4 wheelers way. Maybe that decision in late 80's.
I've had my Aventon Aventure since July of 2022. The reason why I bought that particular model is that it can carry up to 400 lbs. When I started biking, I was over 300 lbs and I dropped down to 286 lbs. Most ebikes I found had the weight capacity of 300 to 330 lbs and at my weight, I was afraid that the bike would actually break down prematurely. Given that bit of reasoning, I was happy to find a bike that could carry more than my own weight because I knew the bike would hold up to my weight and whatever I needed to carry on my trip. Another thing I really enjoy about my bike is that the 750 watt motor it has can easily help me get uphill because I live in a city that was built on a hilly terrain. I also hated having to strain myself to get my bike up a hill. Having to get off of my bike and walk it uphill was always my solution for hills. That just took the fun of bike riding away for me. My bike has even allowed me to leave my car at home when I have somewhere to go. For all the things this bike has done for me, I have no regrets buying one.
I built my own ebike using a Walmart mountain bike for $120 and parts from ebay. Didn't change anything but added a rack to hold controller and battery. Cost around $600 total and it runs great, I get about 25 miles a charge and tops out at 35 mph with a 1500 watt wheel. Did this for my son also on a 20" park edition BMX from Tony hawk. He gets about the same speed, but if your not careful it can throw you off easily on take off. Also got new brake handles with cut off and throttle. His cost a little less cause I already had the bike (which cost $50 at a yard sale). We ride whenever we can and have gotten great enjoyment out of them for about 2 years now. Peace
I’m looking to do the same. My wife and I currently have gas bikes but want to go electric for access to bike paths and other reasons. I built my kid a Bafang mid drive but I’m thinking I want to do a hub motor. Can you tell me which hub motor you used?
I'm a 50 year old man, 6' 3/4" tall and 180lbs who's first ebike will be arriving in the beginning of the new year. I appreciate the knowledge you're sharing in your videos and your take on fat tires. I dont know yet how much winter riding I'll do once it arrives, we're having a mild winter here in Alberta (-14C as an overnight low, which is very warm for this time of year) so far, if it keeps up i may do more riding than I'd normally even consider. I went with the eahora hedonic cupid that was just released which comes with 20"x 3" tires, been binge watching your videos to glean some knowledge, get some ideas for a second bike down the road and along with those reasons it scratches the itch while i wait for my ebike. IMO you are the best reviewer of this type of product and i appreciate the way you present your videos, thank you
Assistance going up hills is the main reason I bought my fat tire Lectric 3.0. So, your recommendation on comfort and inclines tells me I bought just the right thing! I love it.
I've run a rad city 3 step thru for 4 years with 26x2.3 inch tires with the red foam tire armor, modified front suspension (air instead of spring) zoom hydronic disk brakes, sr suntour suspension seat post and some other mods. The 750watt direct drive motor offers acceptable performance in most flat areas but with incredible efficiency. Even with my old battery I get 60 miles to a charger on eco mode. It's a super comfy ride and we'll performing. Running strong after 4 years and 12,000 miles
I have been riding my Himiway step-thru cruiser for two years. It's a perfect fit for a three hundred pound old dude, I enjoyed over 1600 miles of a combination of on and off road. I did change the forward chain sprocket to deal with ghost peddling issues at higher speeds, put a nice comfortable saddle, and upgraded to hydraulics brakes. I average 48 to 60 miles on one battery depending on the terrain. {Riding it like a bicycle, not a moped} I carry an extra battery to give me the extra range. Batteries are not cheep about 500 bucks{US} All in all very happy with it, totally agree they are not for everyone.
Since I use a mix of ebikes and city buses and trains, I make sure my tires/wheels are thin enough to be secured in the wheel brackets provided for that purpose on the city vehicles. Fat tires may limit your ability to use city buses or trains. A large percentage of the time I've found a fat tire will not fit in the wheel brackets often provided on these vehicles, and most vehicle operators will not let you take your bike on board if they don't fit those brackets. I've found SOME city trains allow one to keep the bike on its wheels as long as it's not too crowded and one stays with the bike...but they may make you get off the train if passenger conditions change.
@@amosbatto3051As far as I know, there is no standard covering this. It varies by city, and even by which bus company the city contracts with to provide bus service (which can change without warning). The buses back then and currently providing service in my city barely fit most standard street tires, which are quite narrow compared to mountain bike tires (which don't fit), but the latest bike racks on our light rail trains can handle very wide tires like the mountain bike tires...those trains' racks look like they'd easily handle tires over 3 inches wide.
I'm making a side hack e-bike.. We're using an electric motor hub on the sidecar too. Don't know how smart it's going to be But with me questioning the sidecar having a motor too... Probably not the safest especially because me and my friends will race each other while extremely stoned. We're making a total of 5.
Hey! What a thorough video. Thanks! Just thought I'd mention something which I was specifically looking for: adherence during rainy days. Thin tires really worry me during rainy days since it's much easier to lose grip than on cars or even motorbikes... I also think there is rarely any kind of braking assist on e-bikes, which motorbikes always have. I think fat tires might be really advantageous in this regard, and even the increased bike weight! Correct me if I'm wrong! Cheers
Good video, and you make valid points. But you should have said the most important reason why a fat tire e-bike is the way to go.... And that is they are way safer while cruising at high speeds, let's say 25 mph+. Not only are those 4" tires wider, but they're taller too, so the overall diameter of the wheels is bigger and the bike's wheelbase is longer. Those things give you way more grip and stability when flying across bumps, potholes and loose gravel. I feel much more confident and much less likely to wipe out compared to my ebike with 27.5" x 2.25" tires. And a second point worth mentioning is that a compromise could be made, sort of a happy medium. Maybe an e-bike with a 3" wide tire on a 26" or 27.5" narrower rim would still offer most of the safety benefits when speeding fast, as well as some weight savings and handling improvement over the wider option.
I've watched tons of ebike reviews and imo yours are in a class above the rest. Always super informative, clear, concise, with a smidge of comedy, plus your 20% hill climb test is so revealing, really separates the wheat from the chaff if you catch my drift. Most reviewers barely cover any significant hills, and that to me is mind boggling. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience! Great job!
Except for the man-bun , which is not the best for wind resistance , you seem to get a lot of free bikes and not very happy about it...so ....as a dude ??
I found this very helpful. I was buying an Amazon e-bike based on the motor, and overlooking the type of breaks. Surely, it had mechanical disc brakes on a big heavy bike. Thanks for the save!
One thing not mentioned is bike racks. Those 4" tires are not going to fit on my bike Rack and I don't think they will the City bus rack. But then I haven't tried it, as I haven't bought an E-bike yet. I may just wait for thinner tires
The biggest issue is that most manufactured complete fat Ebike are garbage. They are cheaply made and the motors are not sufficient for the bike itself. Now I personally built myself a Ebike. I did tons of research I wanted to be able to ride it all year round including winter with snow. Fattire bikes are better in winter your not sliding all over the place and have more stability . I built mine with 52v 24ah battery and have 2 with my complete build cost me $1700 with 2 batteries included and I have done some long tours and have gotten from 35 to 45 miles per battery. My advice is do not waste your money on prebuilt fat tire ebikes your going to get garbage and pay a premium especially if your heavy set and are getting the bike for health reasons. Your better off buying something a ebike kit and slapping it on a decent fat tire bike you will pay less and get better bike for your money.
I built my own as well. 3000w hub motor on a stealth-type frame, charges to 84v and I'm delighted with it. 2" Schwalbe Tour Plus tires have fantastic puncture protection, rated a "6" if my memory's working. No problems on the road but I don't ride dirt.
I went with a fat tire mtb because I live in an area with really really bad roads and sidewalks. I wanted big tires and suspension to help offset the bad roads. my bike can get 30-50 miles a charge and that is plenty. just want something that can haul a small load and handle the terrible roads here
Ive been riding a 21' Specialized Turbo Vado SL for 2 years and its their lightest ebike at 33 lbs , its a blast to ride and you can pedal it anywhere even with no assist at all because its so light
I got the Himiway Cruiser over a year ago and it's my first ebike but it came with everything I need to be mobile around town without a license, gas and car insurance. I loaded up the rear with a trunk & pannier bags and do grocery shopping & deliver orders to the post office from my small business. IDK if it was the best choice but the speed and acceleration make things feel a lot safer when I can get past busy roads as fast as possible
In central Canada our roads are really, really bad So if your bike tires are not relatively fat and run at low pressure, you will get your nads rattled And sometimes your rims will suffer terminal impact damage A carbon fiber fatty is a good compromise
Your reviews are the BEST. Thank you for explaining everything about e-bikes in such detail and honesty. The mid drives are far more natural feeling to ride but way too expensive.
Great video with honest insight and experience! Thank you! I opted for a non-fat tire bike mainly for better agility, less attention getting, and no issues fitting in bike racks for parking when required. Have a 1000W motor with lots of power, so no issues there.
I see your points, and would still take the comfort of the tire size any day. Aventon's Aventure is actually balanced much more considerately of the added drag/resistance, and with decent hip strength it can be made to maneuver as one would expect and want it to. However, the tire pressure is something of a touch-and-go affair vs. other cycling modes, as you'll want less pressure off of the pavement to preserve trails and increase grip on iffy terrain. It also looks mean, and my bike always receives compliments where I stop.
I just got my Aventon Aventure. I absolutely love it! Unfortunately I have to store it in my second floor apartment so nobody steals it, so getting it back up the stairs is honestly harder than riding it.
In a small to mid size city like Madison Wisconsin with many hills at various inclines, as well as winter and terrible roads, my new haro skwad was the correct choice. It's a much smoother ride and while the mileage isn't great, it's more than sufficient. The extra torque and comfortablility on this bike and of course, the fat 4" tires, makes this ride much better than the other ebikes I've had the privilege to ride in the same locations. Admittedly, the extreme torque at lights and stop signs allows me to feel safe and comfortable on roads during rush hour because I don't fall behind traffic whatsoever and have complete control. The control and agility during these times because of the 4" fat tires makes this bike extra special. I also want to mention that the agility and control on heavier fat tire bikes comes from quicker initial speeds as well as speeds over 15mph. Agility and control. Fat tires aren't for everyone or all environments. I'd recommend torque for hilly locations and cities, I'd recommend fat tires for anything other than long-distance competitions. A few years from now, battery power, range, and weight of bikes shouldn't be an issue, so ride what you enjoy, get comfy, and wait for the ebike revolution you already prepared for. It's coming. Lastly, the mostly objective or "true" points you made about "fat tire" bikes are also mostly irrelevant and these issues are subjective ones based on many other factors, some I listed already.
the mopeds that do not have a adjustable seat are a no go for anybody over 5'4''!! he did a review on euy moped--he is tall and never mentioned that for a tall dude(me) that is hard to pedal--if you set back on the seat it wants to wheelie if you hit the gas--i hate the damn bike if i want to pedal
So, im sort of in the same situation. I live in rural West Virginia and I'd be riding on grass shoulders, atv trails, or if no other choice, the white shoulder line on pot holed or haphazardly patched pavement. Presently looking to get one of the Hurley bikes as my work gives an extra discount on them and have been looking at the big swell 2 or swell 4U model as they're included in the promotion. I'm just not sure what would be a good choice for what amounts to about a 20 mile round trip over rough road and dirt, mud, snow with a few moderate hills in the mix, certainly at least one hill maybe twice as steep as that parking garage ramp test he's showing here.
@@ElderonAnalas I just bought a fatbike last week to ride in the winter on a similar terrain. I live in rural Quebec and quite a few roads in my area have been badly damaged, so far I've used my new fatbike on gravel and dirt roads, soft sand, grass and steep hills. I have a roadbike which I really like but couldn't use this summer because the roads are awful this year, so I've been using my hardtail mountain bike since last winter. The only downside I found with the fatbike so far was that it offers much more resistance to the wind so my mountain bike feels a lot lighter in less sheltered areas on very windy days. Otherwise, it doesn't weigh much more than my mountain bike and you can shed some weight if you make your fatbike tubeless.
I’ve had an electric bike I bought 7 years ago, and the weight of the bike with the battery plus my range was less than 20miles wasn’t what I wanted so I sold it.Starting to look around again, but I’m 63 years old,and I do appreciate the excersize get from my Mongoose Rockadile. Thanks for the informative video,Tim from Southern Oregon😊 PS. Be safe out there!
Some good points made here. I have a fat tire bike. The biggest improvement I have made is to get rid of the knobbies (I do not ride sand or very loose dirt) and put on some Origin 8 Supercell tires. Incredible change! Now there is NO whiney tire noise and the ride is much much smoother. I can still ride dirt trails, grass, light sandy stuff and do not need some kind of offroad grippy knobbies. The best thing about fat tires though is how comfortable and plush the ride is. I run about 15lb and it just cushy and plush. Awesome.
{{3}}I completely agree! Removing the knobby tires and choosing tires like the Origin 8 Supercell ones can make a huge difference in the ride experience. It's great to hear that you've noticed a smoother and quieter ride. And I absolutely love the comfort and plushness that fat tires offer too. By the way, speaking of e-bikes, I just stumbled upon a fascinating project called freebeat Morph 2-in-1 e-Bike. It's a revolutionary e-bike that can be charged while you're using it in indoor mode. How cool is that? Can't wait to see it in action and experience the seamless blend of fitness and technology it offers!
@@mkovis8587well it worked, I looked at the product. Got to be the stupidest idea yet. If you wanted a work out to charge your bike, why not just ride a normal one and save the hassle. They will sell about 50 of these.
LOTS of good info here, and the part about factory range testing being done by a little dog had me dying! You can calculate the battery watt hours and divide that by the range estimates, and no e-bike is going to use only 8Wh per mile. 20 to 30Wh per mile is more realistic for the typical stock 750 watt fat tire. On my own bike I can get the power usage down to 18Wh per mile, but that's with pedaling instead of throttle. I found that, on my particular bike, 150 watts compensates for the extra weight of the bike, and makes pedaling effort the same as my regular bikes. I guess I'll be the oddball and say I ride my fat tire e-bike on actual mountain bike trails regularly, with drops and climbs up to 38%. My front wheel is surprisingly light at 7.4 pounds, and that includes all the axle hardware, upgraded floating rotor, and at the moment, some mud. It's only 3.3 inch wide tires though, so that helps with the weight and nimbleness. Is a Sur Ron better for off road? Of course, but then we're comparing an electric motorcycle to an e-bike. Torque is wonderful, and I was reminded of this on a group ride in Maryland. The lead riders were taking the "Seven Hills" in Endicott at 40mph, while some e-bikes couldn't even MAKE it up the hills and had to be walked. I'm glad I was in the first group, but felt bad for the second. My bike is an oddball because fitting IN my trunk was a requirement. It's a RadMini running Tesla batteries and a 96amp Phaserunner feeding a 3kw hub motor, and it has crashed a few times due to flipping, but it still looks stock. A fat tire works as a good all-rounder for me: I can ride state parks and bike paths in true class 2 mode, go on group rides with gas mopeds, PEV's, Sur Ron's and Onyx's, and also hit the trails. (PS: I'm not normal 🤣)
Over all, a good video. I own an Ecotric 20" 500 watt folding ebike with a 13 Ah battery. It weighs just over 50 lbs. from the factory. I can lift slightly more than 50 lbs. so the weight is not a problem. It's a step through design so I don't have to swing my leg over the back of the bike. I can't do that because I'm 68. There's no suspension but the fat tires help a little. I've never drained the battery to empty but I estimate about 35-40 miles if I use PAS, which I do. My only complaint is that the factory saddle position isn't the best. I always felt that my butt should be farther back so I bought a banana seat and supported the back of it with an ATV coil over shock absorber attached to the cargo rack. It's much more comfortable now.
" so I bought a banana seat and supported the back of it with an ATV coil over shock absorber attached to the cargo rack. It's much more comfortable now." -- you need a youtube chanel :)😃
Another factor in the plus column is if you intend to ride with snow on the ground. I live in Alaska and pretty much need a fat bike in the winter. I do ride a full suspension bike with studded 2.25" tires but that doesn't do me any good on snow days. Appreciate the work and videos you do, thank you.
are fat bikes good on snow out the box or did you need to change the tires? i live somewhere where it snows and im still in the process of researching what to buy and I haven't really been able to find enough info on biking in the snow to make an informed decision.
@@akqua_meowsorry it’s been awhile. Generally speaking you can air down your 4” wide knobby tires and get around in the snow/sand fairly well. If you’re dealing with ice and hard pack, you’ll want to look into tires with metal studs. My tires have a 30psi rating but I run them with about 6-8psi in the winter. If you go with a tubeless wheel setup, you can air down even more to like 4psi. High end bikes can sometimes accommodate even wider tires up to 5”. 45NRTH makes great winter tires.
I bought a used 26 inch mt bike from around 2003 and put a brand new air fork on it and a 750 watt mid drive kit and its freaking crazy cool. I got about $1800 total in it. I had a fat tire 750 watt bike it it was cool but I prefer the mt bike set up better. I also have a step through frame with a little smaller motor rear hub its cool and great for the wife but again, the conversion mt bike is the way to go for me.
Many good points here. For my second bike I somewhat reluctantly went with another fat tire bike. Virtually every value priced bike meeting your other criteria has fat tires. It’s probably become a marketing issue because it reminds many people of motorcycles and they’ll look cool. I went with the Kepler. Fast, excellent torque, Bafang hub motor. Is it perfect for everybody? No, but what is? My other comment is sort of obvious-the more you pedal the greater the range. Most bike monitors show you the watts you’re using as you go. Sort of the equivalent of mph.
One thing that seems to only exist on fat tire ebikes for some reson that I really want to see more is a step through design. It just opens up more usable scenarios where you can use it
Those were referred to as womens' frames when I was growing up. Now they are old-guy frames. I like my RadRover step-through frame. I hated throwing a leg over the bike to mount a tall, heavy bike. In fact, the throttle is a nice boost in speed when you are trying to mount the bike, or start from a complete stop in any case.
First time ebike owner here. I bought a Radster Trail, arrived last week! It's not quite a fat bike but it may as well be with 3" tires and weighing in best part of 80lbs. I want to be able to tow / carry my son on short commutes and fun rides and figured this a good blend of fun / practical use. It's really good fun - you're absolutely right though, the weight is no joke!! It's going to be a real pain in th ass to get this beast in and out of my condo lock up every time I want to ride it... a garage would be ideal but living in the city, I'm stuck with this upright lockup bay. Time will tell if it's a good choice - I do wish I'd had a chance to try before I bought though as I might've landed on something lighter. Another thing to keep in mind for all Canadians is that you'll be capped at 500 on the motor and 20mph top speed assisted. You tend to hit that quite quickly, then you can really feel the pull when the bike stops helping you, it feels like someones pulled the brakes on a bit with all that extra weight to move on your own. All good things to consider, thanks for the helpful video! I doubt this'll be my forever bike but it'll be fun to spend the next year getting a feel for it!
(70) years old) I had watched this before buying a bike. Didn't have any idea what to buy. Watched a lot of Tail Happy videos just to learn. Ended up getting a Bandit X-Trail pro. Spent over 3X what I first intended. Heavy, But two motors, Two batteries. How did I decide what to buy? I like getting off the road and being able to KNOW the bike has the power to keep me out of trouble. So far 4 months and I can't find ANY reason to think I bought the wrong bike. I still watch these videos and this one only makes me feel I got the perfect bike for me.
If you ride through a lot of sand which is basically all of Florida a fat tire is the only option you should consider. Also that’s all I see on trails in Florida, a lot different than Cali.
I once rode a fatbike alone for the last kilometer because the battery was dead, with a trailer and a total weight of about 45-50 kg and my 65 kg. Through the woods and on the road, it was disgusting. But when both batteries work, both 48v 18 ah, they are enough for about 100 km and drive quite with a smile.
I actually appreciate my fat tire. I have taken it on dirt walking trails, and my wife's normal-width tires struggled in some of the softer parts of the trail.
Great breakdown. I was worried you were just going to bash, bu you played it very fair. I’m in Sa Diego and am older so fat tire means comfort and I don’t have to fear the soft sand. Only one downside is I wish they made a cafe (Amsterdam) style wheel lock that fit fat tires! I use them on my wife’s bike and they are THE way to go for short little “lock it while you duck into 7-11 for a quickie” or bathroom break. Yes, I know that lock style isn’t as good as some, but if my bike weighs 75# I’m not too worried about someone carrying it away anyway and the convenience of a circle lock that you can literally lock in 3 seconds with a flick and yank the key out and walk away makes it 20x better than the lock you don’t use because you don’t want to hassle with it because you gotta pee (for example). Fat tire fans need to tell Abus and other lock companies to make a fat tire circle wheel lock. Spread the word. Great video
Back in the early 1980s, I was given my Dad's old 1970 Schwinn Suburban, a heavy, sturdy diamond frame ten-speed safety bike sporting 45 pounds of Chicago steel on 27" x 1 1/4" nylon cord gum wall tires. The tires were very narrow with hardly any tread, but the bike was very maneuverable and allowed for acute angle leans to steer. I tried riding a wide tire mountain bike with knobby tires (not nearly as fat and knobby as these modern e-bikes) and I hated how the mountain bike dug in and slid when I naturally leaned into turns. I thought my old steel Schwinn was heavy at 45 lbs where others had featherweight road bikes and racers that only weighed a dozen pounds or so. Modern carbon fiber ultra-lightweights can weigh less than 4 kg (8.8 lbs)! But 75 pounds for a fat tire electric bike?!? Umph!
Please consider the merits of using them on dirt roads or the difficulty transporting them on bike racks. The fat tire bikes are appealing when dealing with course gravel roads in low density population areas, but range is a serious issue. Thanks for the video! It is helpful.
The cost of a reliable rack capable of handling a heavy fat bike should be a consideration. An 80 lb. bike needs a sturdy rack and I'd recommend one that has a ramp option. You can pull off the battery to help a bit with loading, but it's still a lot to lift.
I've had my Aventure fat tire about a year now. Love it. No maintenance issues. SMooth powerful ride. I unlocked mine to get 30 mph speed. Hills don't exist unless I'm feeling masochistic for some reason. They are heavy as hell, so riding without motor assist is a dirge. If you want "exercise" you can get it by pedaling yourself, but it's not enjoyable like a lightweight geared bike. Definitely replace the seat column with a piston-style for 40 or 50 bucks and a more padded seat - WELL WORTH IT for the comfort. You can take the fat tires through just about anything - mud, sand, snow, gravel, potholes, over curbs, up grass hills, through neighbors flower beds - they're awesome.
I agree with you about the brakes both with type and disk diameter. Though, knobby tires and low tire pressure will likely slow you down and lessen your range than the width of the tire, which might slightly affect air resistance. The tire diameter might also affect range more than width. It takes a lot of power to make a little low-pitched noise. The noise one hears from the knobby tires--is your battery energy being turned in heat--that makes the tires wear faster. Part of the reason why they put fat tires on large motor'ed bikes likely has a lot to do with the additional battery weight. If you put a say, a 20-30lbs battery on a skinny tire'ed bike with no suspension and short spokes from the implementation of a hub motor, you will more likely break spokes than a fat tire'ed bike. When you hit a bump, the energy has to go somewhere. If it can't lift the bike, bend the tire or the spokes, herniate your back and neck, then it might break a spokes. Though, if you had dual suspension, you could run a more skinny tire with a heavy battery with fewer problems. The lingering detail is: now you have a faster, heavier bike with a small tire contact patch, so it might be best to slow down for the corners, and now braking distance is an issue because of the weight. In a velodrome, suspension doesn't make sense for bikes, but the real world has pot holes, speed bumps, and curbs. Also, chronically compressed cartilage doesn't really get better as one ages. Sometimes it rains, and I would rather have a fat tired bike than a skinny one when someone makes a left-hand turn in front of me. I have once had a snakebite (rim contact pinch-flat) on a street tire. I should think that they come up more in skinny tired ebikes. Though out in CA, it's glass, nails, and even goathead's (twin thorned seeds), on the street. Because there are tradeoffs, it's easier to make a skinny tire handle high pressures. Something like 26" Maxis Hookworm can handle 60lbs of pressure. I don't see that happening to a 4" tire, any time soon. If you have a lot of riders who ride at the beach, perhaps you could make a video on how to safely clean the salt from the bikes without damaging them. On the cheap, something like fluid-film can be dabbed on screw heads and sprayed on derailleurs to keep them from rusting, which looks really bad. There are other brands of rust-preventative. Personally, I've been testing it on a lock that's been outside for year so far. I really wish all bike fasteners were stainless steel. Oddly, I have seen a pro bike mechanic use...wax on the screw threads. Anti-seize might be save for some screws. In other places thread-lock might be safer. Ebike wiring should be protected from salt spray. Such protection in ebikes never seems adequate. Diaelectric grease might help protect connectors, as long as it plays well with the plastic in the connectors. Water intrusion will ruin even a Bosch mid-drive. There are videos on how to rebuild them. Replacement parts are an issue for most ebikes. We need an all-American ebike company.
I was an avid saltwater boater when I discovered "Corrosion-X". It comes in several viscosities, is 100% safe for electronics, restores flooded electronic gear, stays put and stops rust better than anything I've seen before or since. No, I have no interest. I wish I did.
Thanks for great info,I have an early I Zip e bike ,motor in the crank regular mt. bike tires ,only has 350 watt motor but I tear up the trails much better than my ridway big tire bike ,I did a wipeout on a board walk that was wet ,knobbies are not good on wet board walks ,thanks trail happy.
Lucky we mostly see smaller tires, These fat ones make too much noise. With in our country (netherlands) now more electric bikes than normal ones and most will go for road aimed tires max 2.4" Good compromise. popular here i mid drive, 2.4" and good breaks.
I bought a fat tire ebike and I've tried thin tire ebikes from friends. The biggest difference I noticed was the fat tire ebikes are generally way smoother, like way smoother feeling. But thin tire ebikes generally feel flimsy and cheap. However my next ebike will likely be a thin tire ebike since I have to carry mine up and down the stairs every day, also I can buy child tires for like $20 each instead of having to spend $80 per tire. I have the DJ folding ebike and it's been amazing so far (1600+ km). I'll probably build my next one.
I did the same the opposite way around where my friend has a fat tire bike and mines a thin one and the stability from the fat tire ones is nice but you can really feel the rolling resistance
Its like if you want a smooth ride with 2,3" tires you have to buy a $5000 full suspension mountain bike. the fat tires make it so you don't need actually good mountain bike suspension. if you mainly use the bike for commuting and cruizing the fat tire bikes are perfect when you can get them at around $2000 with way higher power then a mountain bike.
Thinking about trying one of these for fishing the beach! Get some side saddle tostrap on a bait bucket and a cooler for beer. How do these hold up in rain?
Here in Vegas, I go off road on some serious trails and hills with my $1k Retrospec KOA REV fat tire bike. I've had guys on (gas) dirt bikes wonder how in the hell I got so far out. It has cable brakes and can definitely get pretty hairy coming down a sandy wash at 20+ mph, but I love it.. probably because I don't know what I'm missing. Now that I know how much I enjoy off-roading my ebike, I'll be making an upgrade soon.. Just not sure what bike I should upgrade to.
I have owned the Aostirmotor A20 foldable ebike for a little over 2 years now and its been amazing. Cant speak for other A20 riders tho. I live in a sailboat on the east coast. This bike folds nicely into the dinghy and stores in my cockpit. It has absolutely been a blessing. Fat tire bikes ride well and because mine doesn’t have shocks the fat tires act as shocks. I ride over steep bridges, worn out wooden docks and piers. All kinds of terrain including sand where its really good at. My ebike is essential to my traveling because it is my “car”. They’re extremely fun to ride so quit ragging on them because they aren’t efficient enough for you.
I live in minnesota and the main nice thing about fat tire bikes, it can run through snow real easy. It’s one of the best ways to have a year round transportation option. Yeah, a mountain bike can get through, but there’s nothin like ripping through several inches of snow on what is essentially a tank.
You review so many e- bikes, it gets to be like I'm drinking from the firehose of knowledge. But this video breaks it down to the difference we should be looking at when going out to buy. Thanks a lot and see you on the strand.🚲
Its quite simple to loose 5-10 pounds off them, yes it requires more money and investing in lighter parts but being Canadian fat bikes are a must have in the arsenal for snow. I do love all the reviews, keep up the amazing content.
Apparently Canadian snow is different from Scandinavian snow - because they seem to get around quite competently without the need for these bloated monstrosities.
@@47f0 They have maintained bike paths in Scandinavia. Hardly any in Canada. So it isn't the snow but how deep it is and ya....a regular Mt bike tire just sinks into the snow where as a fat tire stays afloat of the snow.
@blair mccallum - Snow would certainly explain the dominance of fat-tired bikes in Los Angeles, Phoenix, Dallas and Atlanta. I have cycled extensively for over half a century in a fairly wide range of geography and climate conditions. The dominance of fat-tired bikes is overwhelmingly a North American phenomenon - a two-wheeled symptom of the North American SUV disease.
@@47f0 Each of those places rarely get snow LA, Phoenix, Dallas and Atlanta so not sure where youd come up with that logic?? Making your second paragraph invalid, and not believable that youve traveled "fairly wide range of geography and climate conditions." Fat bikes are literally every where has nothing to do with snow. You clerarly dont know how big they are across Asia again leading me to believe you havent travelled anywhere and then stretching it to somehow relate to your so called idea of an "suv disease", I think you have the disease possibly called brain rot cause your full of shit.
Your reviews are the most fun and informative that I watch. I am just starting to look at eBikes, after being a road cyclist for many years but now dealing with an arthritic hip. I am considering a day tire bike as I am an avid photographer and would like an ebike can carry my photo gear with me (so I need a rear rack and fat tires). I'm about your weight (200lbs) and am.aimg for about 60-80km (35-50mi) range. I do rely on your reviews more than anyone else. Kudos!
On the other hand, I am happy with my Lectric Premium in my small pickup (Toyota 2WD). Easy and secure to transport in the bed (with cap) in a Tote, folded. I take it everywhere to ride, with enough room for a second equally sized eBike, plus baggage. Oh, and the cap gives me room to hold a solar panel(s) to charge my portable 1000 watt liPO4 battery generator, which charges BOTH of my EBike batteries as I travel, or just sitting in my driveway.
I rode a fat tire bike once. It made me get rid of my regular bike and I now have a fat tire bike of a very trusted brand. It is far superior to any traditional bike I’ve ever ridden in comfort, stability and power. I'll never own a skinny tire bike again!
Very nice review.. have a Magnum Ui6 since 2018. 2.5" tires. Only streets and a crushed rock trail. I did buy a Heybike 4" fat tire for riding on grass/dirt at my son's place. That has 20" wheel and a different feel then my 26" Ebike.
I have s sohamo H3 fat tire 750 W.. and its pretty good for 700 bucks. I dont like waiting for bus and my travel time is one third now. I commute daily and this bike helps very much. Sure the build is a bit cheap but its okay for starters and adventurers.
@@antinazi1959 Fat Bike yes there are trails design and maintained for them to use recreational all year round and many people also use them to commute short distances or in cities yes...not regular tire, fat tires are much better for snow.
@@EdPadin it's good but got a flat on my first trip out had to patch it works great now but the battery pushing at 31mph doesn't last very long but it's Definitely a fun bike
If most people with those big battery fat tire bikes would lose 25 lbs then it a mute point. My bike can go the claimed 75-80 miles. It's average around 12 mph on flat ground. It goes about 25 miles at over 30 mph on flat ground. 👍 52V 20 ah Ariel Rider Kepler, with 1,000 watt nominal rear hub.
I bought an EMMO EWILD 2 Fat Tire bike. She’s definitely heavy at 100lbs. I gave it a tough test the first day I had it. I’m 280lbs. I loaded 40lbs of groceries on the cargo rack. From 0km/h I pressed the throttle and with all that weight I accelerated up a snow & slush covered 20°incline for about 100m at 28km/h. I remain impressed.
I'll send my friends here to this video for an introduction. I love my Ebikes, I watch Matt, both on TailHappyTV and Juiced Joyrides and it's great fun to see the new bikes and scooters coming out. I own 3 Ebikes and I've been shopping Matt's reviews for a 4th. I'm looking at folding cargo bikes I can put in the canoe for a low cost (and fun!) shuttle vehicle. Thanks for posting all the great reviews Matt!
One critical thing to realize with any e-bike is that once it runs out of juice, while it is still a regular bike - it is a much heavier bike to ride back to your starting point. Range is king. Also, it is helpful to look at various reviews that include range tests to get a feel for how well a bike holds up to the stated range and under what conditions. Range on fat-tire bikes and eMTN are hard to calculate because different trails and surfaces impact the range a lot. A bike with a 40 mile range might get half that on a dirt trail vs flat paved surface - and the weight of the rider also greatly impacts range.
This was actually a pretty good video. I feel like you might have under-emphasized rolling resistance as a factor, but otherwise it felt very informative. Your real world numbers were especially welcome. I've been wanting to mid-drive my bike for a while now, and this added motivation.
I got a fat tire because of two reasons really; 1. I'm fat myself, or rather, overweight (85kg/180cm) 2. Because I'm fat I get tire punctures constantly on slim tire bikes, and that's because I can't afford a good bike - I'm a poor sod. On slim tires usually one tire pops after one and a half summers (1 year great, halfway through 2nd one will pop). After swapping a neat 5 or so tires for my old bike, I got a fat one to replace it. 4 years in, not a single puncture. Sure, the bike is heavier, I need to charge more often, it's heavy as hell to carry up stairs... But it doesn't break! The hassle of repair was worth it for me to get the fat tire electric bike.
I'm 5'11" 185lb 67 year old. Love my Dutch style ebike, a Gazelle NLc8. Very comfortable, no need for range reducing fat tyres and fork suspension. Friend spent almost as much on fat tyre hub motor bike. Rear tyre change is very difficult for hub motor bikes. I get close to double his range with smaller battery, both of us riding in highest assist setting.
I’m an avid cyclist and my wife doesn’t really like to bike, so I considered getting her an E-bike to see if she would enjoy it more. I notice some shops in the Columbus area now sell Velotric. They have some good deals right now and having local support seems nice. Do you think they’re a decent brand? Looking mostly at Rad, Velotric, and Aventon. Velotric prices seem most competitive right now. I’d like to get something that will last her a fair amount of time and that I can still get replacement batteries for in a couple years. I’m thinking the Go 1 seems like the best bang for buck. Any feedback is greatly appreciated. Thanks!
The extra battery doesn’t take up much weight at all. Your bike will thank you and you will thank your bike, especially when you don’t have to pedal your fat tire through town to make it home because you ran down to 0% 😂
these things are no fun on a dead battery 😆 - and I have to say I agree more battery is better in general, but it certainly increases the weight noticeably. when I went from stock 60v 32ah on my sur Ron to 72v 38ah I would definitely feel the extra 10ish lbs in the handling, stopping, nimble-ness etc - but overall was worth it for sure. considering there is a 72v 53ah available for only a few hundred extra bucks, im not sure this would be worth it - even though the range get boosted considerably the extra weight really adds up at that point. ultimately it's best to have the size battery for the range you actually use to avoid lugging around excess mass. thanks for dropping some comments dude, hope the Oregon weather clears up soon for you!
-Can do whatever -You can completely forgo suspension as your tires are just that -As you mentioned: sand and dirt/ snow -With the right tires (Terrene Johnny 5)/ you can essentially ride across glass shards without punctures -Chonkier frame will allow you to carry extra batteries
Starting my 2nd summer with a Doheny EZ folding fat tire bike. 750W motor, 48v/15Ah battery, fenders, hydraulic brakes w/motor cutoff, integrated head & tail lights, spring loaded luggage rack, front suspension. A little heavy, but overall a solid buy. Caveat: I initially bought the twist throttle for the cool factor, but have noticed that squeezing the right brake inadvertantly moves the twist throttle - two conflicting interests. Buy the push-level throttle.
I think it depends on the kind of beach you intend to ride on. I took my Segway ninebot max scooter to the central Oregon coast last weekend. It was amazing on the sand. This beach had a very gradual slope, almost flat. The hard pack surf sand extended a good 50 ft up from the surf. Even with 10x2.5" tires, it just glided over the sand with ease. Barely left a mark behind me. The cold headwinds were the only downside.
Thank you, your vid convinced me to buy my fat tire, I do winter lake riding and dirt roads and need the extra weight and footprint to get the stability and traction needed.
I live in Rhode island, so the pot holes and gravel give me constant flat tires due to tube pinching. The self-healing tubes don't work, so I had to get those solid tube inserts. They work pretty well, but they have to be the correct size for the tire and they tend to be lumpy. Got a fat tire bike and no more flats. Plus, my town has almost no dedicated bike paths and my fat tire bike is much more stable on grass and gravel on the roadside.
I really enjoy watching your video reviews even though I suspect legislators will be coming out with laws and registration requirements that will lead to fees and tighter restrictions on their use. I admire you trying to make the testing as "scientific" as possible. Where did you come up with using a car parking ramp for testing? I see you struggling to hold a phone to compare GPS speed against Bike Speedometer - Why not get a holder for your phone so that you can keep both hands on the handlebars and brakes and keep phone screen visible on camera? Hey, How about a video on accessorizing your (FAT) ebike and compare the various quality of similar accessories? Things like seats, Headlights and whatever else you find on the market we don't know about? Love your videos, Looking forward to seeing more in the future.
It's usually easy to upgrade to larger brake rotor, especially on the front. You just need a new rotor and a different mounting adapter for the brake caliper. Just check what the fork supports. Too big a rotor can overload the fork. I upped my front rotor from 180 mm to 200 on my cargo ebike, works great.
As someone with an inner ear condition that's pretty much destroyed my sense of balance, and some damaged nerves in my back that shows up as chronic lower body pain, I'm a bit confused why UA-cam would add this video to my suggested viewing page........... I'm glad it did though. It was interesting to watch, and I enjoyed the presentation style. :)
I’m kinda happy with my e-bike purchase. It gets me to and from work with range still left. But I still get range anxiety when the energy bar depletes. It depletes too fast for my liking 😬 Wish I watched this video before purchasing! Excellent video!
Another great video, Thanks! Commuters can get away with the smaller 2 inch tires. But, for versatility, I agree with you, 4" fat tires Rock! For comfort, climbing traction, flotation over deep sand, and personally, I like the look! They're more like a motorcycle tire in many ways... And, I like pissing off the spandex crowd.. lmao
I got my fiancé the Heybike max pro, it has fat tires, good hill climb, looks legal, 24mph, I’m 180lbs. Great purchase of fun/commuting so far for 700$. Front brake has a weird issue though trying to get settled.
I just bought a fat tired e bike in a moped style e bike to ride to work! It came with a 500w 750W peak output on the rear hub motor. It runs a 48V battery at 17.5 Ah or 840 Wh Range is 30 Kilometers or 18.75 miles before I am down to 33% battery or one battery bars out of five. I don't know if this will improve after a few charges but I doubt it! I exclusively ride this bike on full throttle as top speed is about 35 Kph or 22 Mph with a tailwind going downhill! This is here in AUS which has some archaic laws concerning e bikes. On the other side I also own a 250W pedal assist only e bike(mid drive) with normal tires and no suspension of any kind for touring. 25 Kph limited! It runs 36V 14Ah or 500 Wh and I have no problem getting 80 kilometres or 50 miles out of a charge before I get range anxiety. I totally agree the fat tired e bike is using a lot more power but both bikes are a lot of fun to ride. There is no comparison between these two bikes as they are totally different from each other so I highly suggest not to have just one e bike if you can afford it! Not all e bikes are the same but they all have a place when riding! Happy trails!
I converted a Nishiki Colorado 27.5 plus into a 1000w mid-drive beast. The Mid-Fat is less popular but a great compromise between 2” standard and 4” fat tires
Fat tire motors you'll find on amazon are rated for 750W typically - same as what you can get on a standard mountain bike on amazon - only difference is the form-factor for fat tire is a wider enclosure, not that it was built for more power.
I have a 1000w fat bike with a 48v 21ah battery. I've stripped off the fenders, storage racks, lights etc and almost exclusively ride off road on forest trails. In the summer I put a 27.5 x 3" on the front to give me a bit more maneuverability. The other benefit, living in Canada, is putting studded tired and riding the bike all winter long. As for projected range - absolutely agree you can at least cut in 1/2 what the manufacturers say and, yes, they are extremely heavy.
Based on your review of the Wired Freedom I decided that it was a great candidate for an everyday commuter. The big factors were the combined attributes of power, range and affordability. At 240lbs. I was worried I would reduce the reported range of 90 miles too much. It’s about 80 miles at my weight but with that big motor it pulls really good and combined with responsible use of the pedal assist I can protect that range factor. The full suspension with the addition of a suspension seat post and it’s a comfortable ride. The bike handles steep hills with ease. Cargo capacity front and rear is very ample. All in all compared to my commute by car it takes me 8 minutes longer to arrive at work but the city bike routes are pleasant. And I don’t deal with traffic a lot. I also haven’t gone to the gas station in a while. Thanks for your reviews and insights.
I added a welded clutch geared g62 with regen to my mid drive and it is awesome. I can ride off road and climb mtns and the regen brake on the way down. You don't gain back a ton of charge maybe (10-15%) but you save your brake pads.
You've gotta see this 40 MPH fat tire ebike: ua-cam.com/video/jmZqcIu8u7Q/v-deo.html also tailhappytv.com 👈 click here to see my favorite ebikes ⚡🤙
lol
With 80 miles range, I'd cynically say it was legally accomplished in multiple riding sessions downhill. First, the bike was carried by car to the top of a mountain range with roughly 10 to 15 miles downhill on winding roads. Once at the bottom, the bike was then carried by car up to the top again. Repeat until the battery is empty and voila, there was legitimately 80 miles travelled on one charge of battery.
👋What's up brother. Walkee x3 pro or Walkee H9 for a 6'2 300 lb rider. Much love from Miami FL 🌴
You should make a frankenstein bike with all your bikes
Can I please have one of your fat tire bikes? I’ve been wanting one for so long all my friends have one I live on a little small island in Texas and I just need one to kind of get my surfboard to the beach easier I’m 13.
I got a fat tire bike because I got back into biking at 400 lbs (down from 490 and now at 360.) I look forward to being able to ride more traditional bikes as I lose more weight, but that’s not something that can be done overnight or even within a year (safely and healthily) I love the fact that my bike was able to get me back into something I loved doing as a kid/teenager.
amazing, keep it up!
Heck yeah bro, keep getting more bike ready!
I'm in the same boat, 400lbs and 6'4", doing research through this channel to see what's best. So far I'm looking at the Nomad 1 over the Aventure
Great job. Keep it up and best of luck.
Hey there, fellow biking enthusiast! I stumbled upon a new project called the Freebeat Morph 2-in-1 eBike, and it sounds absolutely amazing! One of its outstanding features is the ability to recharge the bike indoors. How cool is that? It's great to hear that your fat tire bike got you back into something you loved as a kid/teenager. Keep enjoying your rides and slowly but surely achieving your fitness goals. Can't wait to see you on a traditional bike soon! Keep up the fantastic work! 💪🚴♂️
I bought a RadRover fat tire e-bike four years ago. I now have 5,000 miles on the odometer. I am 75 years old. I rode standard mountain bikes for many years, but going UP steep hills and the severe muscular agony involved seemed to cause me to ride my mountain bike very infrequently as I got older. Fat Tire e-bikes simply remove the agony of traveling uphill. The electric motor can be engaged when traveling uphill, and when traveling downhill or on flat ground the electric motor need not be engaged at all. I also have a cargo trailer for my RadRover for trips to the grocery store. I would recommend ALL people getting on in years to buy a fat tire e-bike. The fat tire e-bike will cause elderly people to get out of the house and exercise - and daily exercise can add years to the life expectancy of the elderly. Fat tire e-bikes can become a 'fountain of youth' for the elderly.
This seems to be talking about the advantages of an E bike and not the difference between a fat tire ebike and a regular ebike -- no?
@@mary2al Correct. My post was singing the praises of a 'fat tire e-bike'. I have never even ridden a 'skinny tire e-bike' - but I have ridden many many skinny tire standard non-e-bike mountain bikes through the years - and the fat tires on modern e-bikes produce a much smoother ride and provide much better traction in sand and mud and snow. Fat tires obviously require more energy to propel the fat tire forward, and this is where the 750 W electric motor comes into play. I would still advocate for all e-bike buyers to choose a fat tire e-bike over a skinny tire e-bike. I can see NO advantage of choosing to buy a skinny tire e-bike as opposed to a fat tire e-bike.
great bike
I find a 350 watt 14-amp hour battery does fine for grocery shopping. I am pretty satisfied having a fun ride for 6 miles out and back. Generally, only go out as far as you might be prepared to walk back. The more powerful systems come with compromise. Is there improvement with 4" tires over 3" tires? I would like a 250 watt as most of my riding is done using around 150 watts.
I dont think a fat tire mtn will go as far as a street tire mtn bike ebike ..
I 'm 62 @ 250lbs and I've ridden my entire life. Had great bikes in all categories. I LOVE MY FAT EBIKE, more than any other bike I've ever owned. No down sides that bother me at all. It's a different thing and I ride within my parameters. Love the bike, the gear and the tools. I have a 52V 21AH battery and a Grin charger. Endless range. Incredible metrics on the LCD. So here's 1 vote FOR fat ebikes.
I second that!! I'm 67, 6'2", 245lbs. I love my fat tire bike with full suspension. I have a 52V, 20AH battery with 26" wheels and I get great range. I can't give you a range number but it's all I want or need. So here's vote #2 for fat tire ebikes.
@@cleophusfowler well I’m 5’7(yeah I’m short). I love my fat tire bike 2.
@barronlatta9648 may I ask which ones y'all own? I am 6' 4" and weigh 230 looking for my first ebike.
It is very overwhelming.
@@caseyspencer4705 I have a Magicycle Deer. I agree, it's very overwhelming! The Deer is advertised to fit riders up to 6'8".
@@cleophusfowler whoa. Haven't even heard of that one yet. Thank you!
"...monster truck for the street." That is exactly what I want. My last bike accident landed me in the hospital for 4 days because my road bike's front tire slipped into a concrete expansion space here in SoCal, sending me over the handle bars. I no longer ride, but if I did, I want the widest tire.
Then what you really mean is, you want the correct tire for those roads, not a skinny road bike tire, and not a fat bike tire. It is strange that you skip over the sane middle ground.
What were you riding lol.
@stinkycheese804
Right.A 2.5" wide tire is just ok. A 3"😊 -3.5" wide is very good👍 👍.
@@stinkycheese804 Because even the middle ground can get stuck in things, tram tracks are a favorite " oh 2.5 inch can do it" trap
The 2 accidents I had 1 was just like yours the wheel went to the axle my friend on the seat and rode my back and we all slid on my face I was 14. 2nd time car pulled out in front of me in a gas station I could not stop. You need the power to get out of the 4 wheelers way. Maybe that decision in late 80's.
I've had my Aventon Aventure since July of 2022. The reason why I bought that particular model is that it can carry up to 400 lbs. When I started biking, I was over 300 lbs and I dropped down to 286 lbs. Most ebikes I found had the weight capacity of 300 to 330 lbs and at my weight, I was afraid that the bike would actually break down prematurely. Given that bit of reasoning, I was happy to find a bike that could carry more than my own weight because I knew the bike would hold up to my weight and whatever I needed to carry on my trip. Another thing I really enjoy about my bike is that the 750 watt motor it has can easily help me get uphill because I live in a city that was built on a hilly terrain. I also hated having to strain myself to get my bike up a hill. Having to get off of my bike and walk it uphill was always my solution for hills. That just took the fun of bike riding away for me. My bike has even allowed me to leave my car at home when I have somewhere to go. For all the things this bike has done for me, I have no regrets buying one.
Same ❤
any punctures?
I built my own ebike using a Walmart mountain bike for $120 and parts from ebay. Didn't change anything but added a rack to hold controller and battery. Cost around $600 total and it runs great, I get about 25 miles a charge and tops out at 35 mph with a 1500 watt wheel. Did this for my son also on a 20" park edition BMX from Tony hawk. He gets about the same speed, but if your not careful it can throw you off easily on take off. Also got new brake handles with cut off and throttle. His cost a little less cause I already had the bike (which cost $50 at a yard sale). We ride whenever we can and have gotten great enjoyment out of them for about 2 years now. Peace
I bought a bike. Peace.
You should build and sell them yo builds sound way better then the store brought ones🎉
I’m looking to do the same. My wife and I currently have gas bikes but want to go electric for access to bike paths and other reasons. I built my kid a Bafang mid drive but I’m thinking I want to do a hub motor. Can you tell me which hub motor you used?
Only a matter of time before it explodes...dom't say I didn't warn ya
I'm a 50 year old man, 6' 3/4" tall and 180lbs who's first ebike will be arriving in the beginning of the new year. I appreciate the knowledge you're sharing in your videos and your take on fat tires. I dont know yet how much winter riding I'll do once it arrives, we're having a mild winter here in Alberta (-14C as an overnight low, which is very warm for this time of year) so far, if it keeps up i may do more riding than I'd normally even consider. I went with the eahora hedonic cupid that was just released which comes with 20"x 3" tires, been binge watching your videos to glean some knowledge, get some ideas for a second bike down the road and along with those reasons it scratches the itch while i wait for my ebike. IMO you are the best reviewer of this type of product and i appreciate the way you present your videos, thank you
How're you liking that new ebike?
@lexwaldez so far so good, comfortable to ride and just zip along
@lexwaldez now our temperatures are dropping fast so I'll likely not be on it till spring
Assistance going up hills is the main reason I bought my fat tire Lectric 3.0. So, your recommendation on comfort and inclines tells me I bought just the right thing! I love it.
Plus great value And doesn't need hydraulic brakes. You bought a nice bike.
No you did not. But Lectric knows what the customer wants (not the ideal bike ;))
@@bindingcurve then what do you recommend
@@TheSpriteGod First question in budget. But as a generic mid range E-Bike the REI Co-op Cycles CTY e2.1 Electric Bike
Good choice.
I've run a rad city 3 step thru for 4 years with 26x2.3 inch tires with the red foam tire armor, modified front suspension (air instead of spring) zoom hydronic disk brakes, sr suntour suspension seat post and some other mods. The 750watt direct drive motor offers acceptable performance in most flat areas but with incredible efficiency. Even with my old battery I get 60 miles to a charger on eco mode. It's a super comfy ride and we'll performing. Running strong after 4 years and 12,000 miles
It's so refreshing to hear about your honesty about the pitfalls of fat tire e-bikes. Not everyone is clued up!
I have been riding my Himiway step-thru cruiser for two years. It's a perfect fit for a three hundred pound old dude, I enjoyed over 1600 miles of a combination of on and off road. I did change the forward chain sprocket to deal with ghost peddling issues at higher speeds, put a nice comfortable saddle, and upgraded to hydraulics brakes. I average 48 to 60 miles on one battery depending on the terrain. {Riding it like a bicycle, not a moped} I carry an extra battery to give me the extra range. Batteries are not cheep about 500 bucks{US} All in all very happy with it, totally agree they are not for everyone.
Since I use a mix of ebikes and city buses and trains, I make sure my tires/wheels are thin enough to be secured in the wheel brackets provided for that purpose on the city vehicles.
Fat tires may limit your ability to use city buses or trains. A large percentage of the time I've found a fat tire will not fit in the wheel brackets often provided on these vehicles, and most vehicle operators will not let you take your bike on board if they don't fit those brackets. I've found SOME city trains allow one to keep the bike on its wheels as long as it's not too crowded and one stays with the bike...but they may make you get off the train if passenger conditions change.
Exactly. I use my ebike to get me the 4 miles to the bus/train station, but there's no way I could get it onboard either if it had fat tires.
Thankfully my city doesn’t have any worthwhile public transport.
What is the max tire thickness that public transport will allow? Is 3" too thick?
@@amosbatto3051As far as I know, there is no standard covering this. It varies by city, and even by which bus company the city contracts with to provide bus service (which can change without warning). The buses back then and currently providing service in my city barely fit most standard street tires, which are quite narrow compared to mountain bike tires (which don't fit), but the latest bike racks on our light rail trains can handle very wide tires like the mountain bike tires...those trains' racks look like they'd easily handle tires over 3 inches wide.
Why on earth would you risk public transit these days
Why not get both and weld them together and make an e-bike battleship?
😆
😂
Do it!
This Comment Rocks!!❤ lol.. too funny..❤❤❤❤. Love it!!😅
I'm making a side hack e-bike..
We're using an electric motor hub on the sidecar too.
Don't know how smart it's going to be But with me questioning the sidecar having a motor too...
Probably not the safest especially because me and my friends will race each other while extremely stoned.
We're making a total of 5.
Hey! What a thorough video. Thanks! Just thought I'd mention something which I was specifically looking for: adherence during rainy days. Thin tires really worry me during rainy days since it's much easier to lose grip than on cars or even motorbikes... I also think there is rarely any kind of braking assist on e-bikes, which motorbikes always have. I think fat tires might be really advantageous in this regard, and even the increased bike weight! Correct me if I'm wrong! Cheers
Good video, and you make valid points. But you should have said the most important reason why a fat tire e-bike is the way to go.... And that is they are way safer while cruising at high speeds, let's say 25 mph+. Not only are those 4" tires wider, but they're taller too, so the overall diameter of the wheels is bigger and the bike's wheelbase is longer. Those things give you way more grip and stability when flying across bumps, potholes and loose gravel. I feel much more confident and much less likely to wipe out compared to my ebike with 27.5" x 2.25" tires.
And a second point worth mentioning is that a compromise could be made, sort of a happy medium. Maybe an e-bike with a 3" wide tire on a 26" or 27.5" narrower rim would still offer most of the safety benefits when speeding fast, as well as some weight savings and handling improvement over the wider option.
Well said 👏
@AzxVhy Thanks
I've watched tons of ebike reviews and imo yours are in a class above the rest. Always super informative, clear, concise, with a smidge of comedy, plus your 20% hill climb test is so revealing, really separates the wheat from the chaff if you catch my drift. Most reviewers barely cover any significant hills, and that to me is mind boggling. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience! Great job!
Except for the man-bun , which is not the best for wind resistance , you seem to get a lot of free bikes and not very happy about it...so ....as a dude ??
I found this very helpful. I was buying an Amazon e-bike based on the motor, and overlooking the type of breaks. Surely, it had mechanical disc brakes on a big heavy bike. Thanks for the save!
One thing not mentioned is bike racks. Those 4" tires are not going to fit on my bike Rack and I don't think they will the City bus rack. But then I haven't tried it, as I haven't bought an E-bike yet. I may just wait for thinner tires
The biggest issue is that most manufactured complete fat Ebike are garbage. They are cheaply made and the motors are not sufficient for the bike itself. Now I personally built myself a Ebike. I did tons of research I wanted to be able to ride it all year round including winter with snow. Fattire bikes are better in winter your not sliding all over the place and have more stability . I built mine with 52v 24ah battery and have 2 with my complete build cost me $1700 with 2 batteries included and I have done some long tours and have gotten from 35 to 45 miles per battery. My advice is do not waste your money on prebuilt fat tire ebikes your going to get garbage and pay a premium especially if your heavy set and are getting the bike for health reasons. Your better off buying something a ebike kit and slapping it on a decent fat tire bike you will pay less and get better bike for your money.
I built my own as well. 3000w hub motor on a stealth-type frame, charges to 84v and I'm delighted with it. 2" Schwalbe Tour Plus tires have fantastic puncture protection, rated a "6" if my memory's working. No problems on the road but I don't ride dirt.
I went with a fat tire mtb because I live in an area with really really bad roads and sidewalks. I wanted big tires and suspension to help offset the bad roads. my bike can get 30-50 miles a charge and that is plenty. just want something that can haul a small load and handle the terrible roads here
Regular sized tires can handle that just fine though. It's matter of choosing the correct tread for the terrain.
Ive been riding a 21' Specialized Turbo Vado SL for 2 years and its their lightest ebike at 33 lbs , its a blast to ride and you can pedal it anywhere even with no assist at all because its so light
7k?
@@Idiocracy2025 my Turbo Vado SL 4.0 was 3500 bucks on sale
'21 vs 21' . 21' is 21 feet.
Rigid bike are no fun. No wonder it's light weight.
@@vashon100 LoL 😂
I got the Himiway Cruiser over a year ago and it's my first ebike but it came with everything I need to be mobile around town without a license, gas and car insurance.
I loaded up the rear with a trunk & pannier bags and do grocery shopping & deliver orders to the post office from my small business.
IDK if it was the best choice but the speed and acceleration make things feel a lot safer when I can get past busy roads as fast as possible
In central Canada our roads are really, really bad
So if your bike tires are not relatively fat and run at low pressure, you will get your nads rattled
And sometimes your rims will suffer terminal impact damage
A carbon fiber fatty is a good compromise
Your reviews are the BEST. Thank you for explaining everything about e-bikes in such detail and honesty. The mid drives are far more natural feeling to ride but way too expensive.
Great video with honest insight and experience! Thank you!
I opted for a non-fat tire bike mainly for better agility, less attention getting, and no issues fitting in bike racks for parking when required. Have a 1000W motor with lots of power, so no issues there.
I see your points, and would still take the comfort of the tire size any day. Aventon's Aventure is actually balanced much more considerately of the added drag/resistance, and with decent hip strength it can be made to maneuver as one would expect and want it to. However, the tire pressure is something of a touch-and-go affair vs. other cycling modes, as you'll want less pressure off of the pavement to preserve trails and increase grip on iffy terrain. It also looks mean, and my bike always receives compliments where I stop.
thanks for watching
Great response.
I just got my Aventon Aventure. I absolutely love it! Unfortunately I have to store it in my second floor apartment so nobody steals it, so getting it back up the stairs is honestly harder than riding it.
@@lukemeissner1741the 2.0? Or 1
@@lukemeissner1741Well, thats just more excersise, but I hope it doesn't keep you from riding. 😊
I love my 26" Fat Ike. They are more cumbersome. Especially after mounting 3 batteries, but I'm used to the turn radius and extra inertia.
In a small to mid size city like Madison Wisconsin with many hills at various inclines, as well as winter and terrible roads, my new haro skwad was the correct choice. It's a much smoother ride and while the mileage isn't great, it's more than sufficient. The extra torque and comfortablility on this bike and of course, the fat 4" tires, makes this ride much better than the other ebikes I've had the privilege to ride in the same locations. Admittedly, the extreme torque at lights and stop signs allows me to feel safe and comfortable on roads during rush hour because I don't fall behind traffic whatsoever and have complete control. The control and agility during these times because of the 4" fat tires makes this bike extra special. I also want to mention that the agility and control on heavier fat tire bikes comes from quicker initial speeds as well as speeds over 15mph. Agility and control.
Fat tires aren't for everyone or all environments. I'd recommend torque for hilly locations and cities, I'd recommend fat tires for anything other than long-distance competitions. A few years from now, battery power, range, and weight of bikes shouldn't be an issue, so ride what you enjoy, get comfy, and wait for the ebike revolution you already prepared for. It's coming.
Lastly, the mostly objective or "true" points you made about "fat tire" bikes are also mostly irrelevant and these issues are subjective ones based on many other factors, some I listed already.
the mopeds that do not have a adjustable seat are a no go for anybody over 5'4''!! he did a review on euy moped--he is tall and never mentioned that for a tall dude(me) that is hard to pedal--if you set back on the seat it wants to wheelie if you hit the gas--i hate the damn bike if i want to pedal
So, im sort of in the same situation. I live in rural West Virginia and I'd be riding on grass shoulders, atv trails, or if no other choice, the white shoulder line on pot holed or haphazardly patched pavement.
Presently looking to get one of the Hurley bikes as my work gives an extra discount on them and have been looking at the big swell 2 or swell 4U model as they're included in the promotion. I'm just not sure what would be a good choice for what amounts to about a 20 mile round trip over rough road and dirt, mud, snow with a few moderate hills in the mix, certainly at least one hill maybe twice as steep as that parking garage ramp test he's showing here.
@@dethray1000 That is a good point. I'm a 5'3" male. The bike either fits or it doesn't.
That is literally what studded tires are for.
@@ElderonAnalas I just bought a fatbike last week to ride in the winter on a similar terrain. I live in rural Quebec and quite a few roads in my area have been badly damaged, so far I've used my new fatbike on gravel and dirt roads, soft sand, grass and steep hills. I have a roadbike which I really like but couldn't use this summer because the roads are awful this year, so I've been using my hardtail mountain bike since last winter. The only downside I found with the fatbike so far was that it offers much more resistance to the wind so my mountain bike feels a lot lighter in less sheltered areas on very windy days. Otherwise, it doesn't weigh much more than my mountain bike and you can shed some weight if you make your fatbike tubeless.
I’ve had an electric bike I bought 7 years ago, and the weight of the bike with the battery plus my range was less than 20miles wasn’t what I wanted so I sold it.Starting to look around again, but I’m 63 years old,and I do appreciate the excersize get from my Mongoose Rockadile. Thanks for the informative video,Tim from Southern Oregon😊 PS. Be safe out there!
Some good points made here. I have a fat tire bike. The biggest improvement I have made is to get rid of the knobbies (I do not ride sand or very loose dirt) and put on some Origin 8 Supercell tires. Incredible change! Now there is NO whiney tire noise and the ride is much much smoother. I can still ride dirt trails, grass, light sandy stuff and do not need some kind of offroad grippy knobbies.
The best thing about fat tires though is how comfortable and plush the ride is. I run about 15lb and it just cushy and plush. Awesome.
{{3}}I completely agree! Removing the knobby tires and choosing tires like the Origin 8 Supercell ones can make a huge difference in the ride experience. It's great to hear that you've noticed a smoother and quieter ride. And I absolutely love the comfort and plushness that fat tires offer too. By the way, speaking of e-bikes, I just stumbled upon a fascinating project called freebeat Morph 2-in-1 e-Bike. It's a revolutionary e-bike that can be charged while you're using it in indoor mode. How cool is that? Can't wait to see it in action and experience the seamless blend of fitness and technology it offers!
@@StellaHulliet This kind of reads like AI response with included AD.
@@mkovis8587well it worked, I looked at the product. Got to be the stupidest idea yet. If you wanted a work out to charge your bike, why not just ride a normal one and save the hassle. They will sell about 50 of these.
I much prefer the traction of knobbies but I don't ride on hard surfaces much. I'd hate trying to ride offroad with street tires.
LOTS of good info here, and the part about factory range testing being done by a little dog had me dying! You can calculate the battery watt hours and divide that by the range estimates, and no e-bike is going to use only 8Wh per mile. 20 to 30Wh per mile is more realistic for the typical stock 750 watt fat tire. On my own bike I can get the power usage down to 18Wh per mile, but that's with pedaling instead of throttle. I found that, on my particular bike, 150 watts compensates for the extra weight of the bike, and makes pedaling effort the same as my regular bikes.
I guess I'll be the oddball and say I ride my fat tire e-bike on actual mountain bike trails regularly, with drops and climbs up to 38%. My front wheel is surprisingly light at 7.4 pounds, and that includes all the axle hardware, upgraded floating rotor, and at the moment, some mud. It's only 3.3 inch wide tires though, so that helps with the weight and nimbleness. Is a Sur Ron better for off road? Of course, but then we're comparing an electric motorcycle to an e-bike.
Torque is wonderful, and I was reminded of this on a group ride in Maryland. The lead riders were taking the "Seven Hills" in Endicott at 40mph, while some e-bikes couldn't even MAKE it up the hills and had to be walked. I'm glad I was in the first group, but felt bad for the second. My bike is an oddball because fitting IN my trunk was a requirement. It's a RadMini running Tesla batteries and a 96amp Phaserunner feeding a 3kw hub motor, and it has crashed a few times due to flipping, but it still looks stock. A fat tire works as a good all-rounder for me: I can ride state parks and bike paths in true class 2 mode, go on group rides with gas mopeds, PEV's, Sur Ron's and Onyx's, and also hit the trails. (PS: I'm not normal 🤣)
love your detailed comment! thanks for sharing this, I'd love to know more about putting Tesla batteries on an ebike like you've done! happy riding!
Bro, id be blessed to find someone who talks about me with the same passion you have for your ebike
Over all, a good video. I own an Ecotric 20" 500 watt folding ebike with a 13 Ah battery. It weighs just over 50 lbs. from the factory. I can lift slightly more than 50 lbs. so the weight is not a problem. It's a step through design so I don't have to swing my leg over the back of the bike. I can't do that because I'm 68. There's no suspension but the fat tires help a little. I've never drained the battery to empty but I estimate about 35-40 miles if I use PAS, which I do. My only complaint is that the factory saddle position isn't the best. I always felt that my butt should be farther back so I bought a banana seat and supported the back of it with an ATV coil over shock absorber attached to the cargo rack. It's much more comfortable now.
" so I bought a banana seat and supported the back of it with an ATV coil over shock absorber attached to the cargo rack. It's much more comfortable now." -- you need a youtube chanel :)😃
good info about selecting an ebike...especially if you are new to the bikes. Best info was the motor and battery info..THNX
Another factor in the plus column is if you intend to ride with snow on the ground. I live in Alaska and pretty much need a fat bike in the winter. I do ride a full suspension bike with studded 2.25" tires but that doesn't do me any good on snow days. Appreciate the work and videos you do, thank you.
are fat bikes good on snow out the box or did you need to change the tires? i live somewhere where it snows and im still in the process of researching what to buy and I haven't really been able to find enough info on biking in the snow to make an informed decision.
skinny tyres are in fact better in snow, they cut right to the ground
like how your bmw is stuck but that old dudes vw is driving like its sunny
nobody in real life rides fatbikes on snow to actually get places@@akqua_meow
@@akqua_meowsorry it’s been awhile. Generally speaking you can air down your 4” wide knobby tires and get around in the snow/sand fairly well. If you’re dealing with ice and hard pack, you’ll want to look into tires with metal studs. My tires have a 30psi rating but I run them with about 6-8psi in the winter. If you go with a tubeless wheel setup, you can air down even more to like 4psi. High end bikes can sometimes accommodate even wider tires up to 5”. 45NRTH makes great winter tires.
@@ohhi5237You obviously have no idea what you’re talking about. Comparing BMWs to bicycles lol.
I bought a used 26 inch mt bike from around 2003 and put a brand new air fork on it and a 750 watt mid drive kit and its freaking crazy cool. I got about $1800 total in it. I had a fat tire 750 watt bike it it was cool but I prefer the mt bike set up better. I also have a step through frame with a little smaller motor rear hub its cool and great for the wife but again, the conversion mt bike is the way to go for me.
Many good points here. For my second bike I somewhat reluctantly went with another fat tire bike. Virtually every value priced bike meeting your other criteria has fat tires. It’s probably become a marketing issue because it reminds many people of motorcycles and they’ll look cool.
I went with the Kepler. Fast, excellent torque, Bafang hub motor. Is it perfect for everybody? No, but what is? My other comment is sort of obvious-the more you pedal the greater the range. Most bike monitors show you the watts you’re using as you go. Sort of the equivalent of mph.
One thing that seems to only exist on fat tire ebikes for some reson that I really want to see more is a step through design. It just opens up more usable scenarios where you can use it
ua-cam.com/video/myO6NK6Jyvs/v-deo.html
I have a step thru fat tyred folding e bike with a 24ah battery and I am in the UK.
step thru frame is very common, it's known as a women's frame for most bicycle types
Those were referred to as womens' frames when I was growing up. Now they are old-guy frames. I like my RadRover step-through frame. I hated throwing a leg over the bike to mount a tall, heavy bike. In fact, the throttle is a nice boost in speed when you are trying to mount the bike, or start from a complete stop in any case.
First time ebike owner here. I bought a Radster Trail, arrived last week! It's not quite a fat bike but it may as well be with 3" tires and weighing in best part of 80lbs.
I want to be able to tow / carry my son on short commutes and fun rides and figured this a good blend of fun / practical use.
It's really good fun - you're absolutely right though, the weight is no joke!! It's going to be a real pain in th ass to get this beast in and out of my condo lock up every time I want to ride it... a garage would be ideal but living in the city, I'm stuck with this upright lockup bay.
Time will tell if it's a good choice - I do wish I'd had a chance to try before I bought though as I might've landed on something lighter.
Another thing to keep in mind for all Canadians is that you'll be capped at 500 on the motor and 20mph top speed assisted. You tend to hit that quite quickly, then you can really feel the pull when the bike stops helping you, it feels like someones pulled the brakes on a bit with all that extra weight to move on your own.
All good things to consider, thanks for the helpful video! I doubt this'll be my forever bike but it'll be fun to spend the next year getting a feel for it!
(70) years old) I had watched this before buying a bike. Didn't have any idea what to buy. Watched a lot of Tail Happy videos just to learn. Ended up getting a Bandit X-Trail pro. Spent over 3X what I first intended. Heavy, But two motors, Two batteries. How did I decide what to buy? I like getting off the road and being able to KNOW the bike has the power to keep me out of trouble. So far 4 months and I can't find ANY reason to think I bought the wrong bike. I still watch these videos and this one only makes me feel I got the perfect bike for me.
If you ride through a lot of sand which is basically all of Florida a fat tire is the only option you should consider. Also that’s all I see on trails in Florida, a lot different than Cali.
I once rode a fatbike alone for the last kilometer because the battery was dead, with a trailer and a total weight of about 45-50 kg and my 65 kg. Through the woods and on the road, it was disgusting.
But when both batteries work, both 48v 18 ah, they are enough for about 100 km and drive quite with a smile.
I actually appreciate my fat tire. I have taken it on dirt walking trails, and my wife's normal-width tires struggled in some of the softer parts of the trail.
true. my FitNord Rumble 500 eats dirt trails like cake. also it's pretty good rock climber
Great breakdown. I was worried you were just going to bash, bu you played it very fair. I’m in Sa Diego and am older so fat tire means comfort and I don’t have to fear the soft sand. Only one downside is I wish they made a cafe (Amsterdam) style wheel lock that fit fat tires! I use them on my wife’s bike and they are THE way to go for short little “lock it while you duck into 7-11 for a quickie” or bathroom break. Yes, I know that lock style isn’t as good as some, but if my bike weighs 75# I’m not too worried about someone carrying it away anyway and the convenience of a circle lock that you can literally lock in 3 seconds with a flick and yank the key out and walk away makes it 20x better than the lock you don’t use because you don’t want to hassle with it because you gotta pee (for example).
Fat tire fans need to tell Abus and other lock companies to make a fat tire circle wheel lock. Spread the word.
Great video
Back in the early 1980s, I was given my Dad's old 1970 Schwinn Suburban, a heavy, sturdy diamond frame ten-speed safety bike sporting 45 pounds of Chicago steel on 27" x 1 1/4" nylon cord gum wall tires. The tires were very narrow with hardly any tread, but the bike was very maneuverable and allowed for acute angle leans to steer. I tried riding a wide tire mountain bike with knobby tires (not nearly as fat and knobby as these modern e-bikes) and I hated how the mountain bike dug in and slid when I naturally leaned into turns.
I thought my old steel Schwinn was heavy at 45 lbs where others had featherweight road bikes and racers that only weighed a dozen pounds or so. Modern carbon fiber ultra-lightweights can weigh less than 4 kg (8.8 lbs)! But 75 pounds for a fat tire electric bike?!? Umph!
Please consider the merits of using them on dirt roads or the difficulty transporting them on bike racks. The fat tire bikes are appealing when dealing with course gravel roads in low density population areas, but range is a serious issue. Thanks for the video! It is helpful.
Yeah the tires are so fat they won't fit in the bus bike rack. That's a damn good point!
The cost of a reliable rack capable of handling a heavy fat bike should be a consideration. An 80 lb. bike needs a sturdy rack and I'd recommend one that has a ramp option. You can pull off the battery to help a bit with loading, but it's still a lot to lift.
Harbor Freight has a motorcycle rack with a ramp and it’s cheap. Could be made to work for a heavy ebike.
yall buying ebikes and putting them on busses? jeez@@johnsheetz6639
I've had my Aventure fat tire about a year now. Love it. No maintenance issues. SMooth powerful ride. I unlocked mine to get 30 mph speed. Hills don't exist unless I'm feeling masochistic for some reason. They are heavy as hell, so riding without motor assist is a dirge. If you want "exercise" you can get it by pedaling yourself, but it's not enjoyable like a lightweight geared bike. Definitely replace the seat column with a piston-style for 40 or 50 bucks and a more padded seat - WELL WORTH IT for the comfort. You can take the fat tires through just about anything - mud, sand, snow, gravel, potholes, over curbs, up grass hills, through neighbors flower beds - they're awesome.
Neighbors flower beds 😂
how did you unlock it
I agree with you about the brakes both with type and disk diameter.
Though, knobby tires and low tire pressure will likely slow you down and lessen your range than the width of the tire, which might slightly affect air resistance. The tire diameter might also affect range more than width. It takes a lot of power to make a little low-pitched noise. The noise one hears from the knobby tires--is your battery energy being turned in heat--that makes the tires wear faster.
Part of the reason why they put fat tires on large motor'ed bikes likely has a lot to do with the additional battery weight. If you put a say, a 20-30lbs battery on a skinny tire'ed bike with no suspension and short spokes from the implementation of a hub motor, you will more likely break spokes than a fat tire'ed bike. When you hit a bump, the energy has to go somewhere. If it can't lift the bike, bend the tire or the spokes, herniate your back and neck, then it might break a spokes.
Though, if you had dual suspension, you could run a more skinny tire with a heavy battery with fewer problems. The lingering detail is: now you have a faster, heavier bike with a small tire contact patch, so it might be best to slow down for the corners, and now braking distance is an issue because of the weight. In a velodrome, suspension doesn't make sense for bikes, but the real world has pot holes, speed bumps, and curbs. Also, chronically compressed cartilage doesn't really get better as one ages. Sometimes it rains, and I would rather have a fat tired bike than a skinny one when someone makes a left-hand turn in front of me.
I have once had a snakebite (rim contact pinch-flat) on a street tire. I should think that they come up more in skinny tired ebikes. Though out in CA, it's glass, nails, and even goathead's (twin thorned seeds), on the street.
Because there are tradeoffs, it's easier to make a skinny tire handle high pressures. Something like 26" Maxis Hookworm can handle 60lbs of pressure. I don't see that happening to a 4" tire, any time soon.
If you have a lot of riders who ride at the beach, perhaps you could make a video on how to safely clean the salt from the bikes without damaging them. On the cheap, something like fluid-film can be dabbed on screw heads and sprayed on derailleurs to keep them from rusting, which looks really bad. There are other brands of rust-preventative. Personally, I've been testing it on a lock that's been outside for year so far. I really wish all bike fasteners were stainless steel. Oddly, I have seen a pro bike mechanic use...wax on the screw threads. Anti-seize might be save for some screws. In other places thread-lock might be safer. Ebike wiring should be protected from salt spray. Such protection in ebikes never seems adequate. Diaelectric grease might help protect connectors, as long as it plays well with the plastic in the connectors. Water intrusion will ruin even a Bosch mid-drive. There are videos on how to rebuild them.
Replacement parts are an issue for most ebikes. We need an all-American ebike company.
I was an avid saltwater boater when I discovered "Corrosion-X". It comes in several viscosities, is 100% safe for electronics, restores flooded electronic gear, stays put and stops rust better than anything I've seen before or since.
No, I have no interest. I wish I did.
Thanks for great info,I have an early I Zip e bike ,motor in the crank regular mt. bike tires ,only has 350 watt motor but I tear up the trails much better than my ridway big tire bike ,I did a wipeout on a board walk that was wet ,knobbies are not good on wet board walks ,thanks trail happy.
Engwe E26, Weight is 40 kg :-) , the battery if 4-6kg. But you do not feel it. The battery has a crazy large capacity
Lucky we mostly see smaller tires, These fat ones make too much noise. With in our country (netherlands) now more electric bikes than normal ones and most will go for road aimed tires max 2.4" Good compromise. popular here i mid drive, 2.4" and good breaks.
I bought a fat tire ebike and I've tried thin tire ebikes from friends. The biggest difference I noticed was the fat tire ebikes are generally way smoother, like way smoother feeling. But thin tire ebikes generally feel flimsy and cheap. However my next ebike will likely be a thin tire ebike since I have to carry mine up and down the stairs every day, also I can buy child tires for like $20 each instead of having to spend $80 per tire. I have the DJ folding ebike and it's been amazing so far (1600+ km). I'll probably build my next one.
I did the same the opposite way around where my friend has a fat tire bike and mines a thin one and the stability from the fat tire ones is nice but you can really feel the rolling resistance
Its like if you want a smooth ride with 2,3" tires you have to buy a $5000 full suspension mountain bike. the fat tires make it so you don't need actually good mountain bike suspension. if you mainly use the bike for commuting and cruizing the fat tire bikes are perfect when you can get them at around $2000 with way higher power then a mountain bike.
Wow. Thanks for the review. Still trying to choose an E-bike. This helps a lot.
I've got over 24,000 mi on my bikes since 2018. I'm 60 years old
Juiced Bikes... Bought six of them
You can thank me in another life
@@SirWrecksy whoa, these are really neat bikes.
@@SirWrecksy I'm 59! Peace old man! See ya on the other side! ;)
Thinking about trying one of these for fishing the beach! Get some side saddle tostrap on a bait bucket and a cooler for beer.
How do these hold up in rain?
Here in Vegas, I go off road on some serious trails and hills with my $1k Retrospec KOA REV fat tire bike. I've had guys on (gas) dirt bikes wonder how in the hell I got so far out. It has cable brakes and can definitely get pretty hairy coming down a sandy wash at 20+ mph, but I love it.. probably because I don't know what I'm missing.
Now that I know how much I enjoy off-roading my ebike, I'll be making an upgrade soon.. Just not sure what bike I should upgrade to.
Philodo h7 $999 on Amazon now.
Great advice!! I also agree, make sure you have good brakes!
Thanks dude, hydraulic for the win 💪
3:40 Stop Sign: "And I took that personally!"
I have owned the Aostirmotor A20 foldable ebike for a little over 2 years now and its been amazing. Cant speak for other A20 riders tho. I live in a sailboat on the east coast. This bike folds nicely into the dinghy and stores in my cockpit. It has absolutely been a blessing. Fat tire bikes ride well and because mine doesn’t have shocks the fat tires act as shocks. I ride over steep bridges, worn out wooden docks and piers. All kinds of terrain including sand where its really good at. My ebike is essential to my traveling because it is my “car”. They’re extremely fun to ride so quit ragging on them because they aren’t efficient enough for you.
Similar situation,I have as Houseboat that my folding fat tyre lives on
I live in minnesota and the main nice thing about fat tire bikes, it can run through snow real easy. It’s one of the best ways to have a year round transportation option. Yeah, a mountain bike can get through, but there’s nothin like ripping through several inches of snow on what is essentially a tank.
You review so many e- bikes, it gets to be like I'm drinking from the firehose of knowledge. But this video breaks it down to the difference we should be looking at when going out to buy. Thanks a lot and see you on the strand.🚲
Its quite simple to loose 5-10 pounds off them, yes it requires more money and investing in lighter parts but being Canadian fat bikes are a must have in the arsenal for snow. I do love all the reviews, keep up the amazing content.
Apparently Canadian snow is different from Scandinavian snow - because they seem to get around quite competently without the need for these bloated monstrosities.
"Lose"
@@47f0 They have maintained bike paths in Scandinavia. Hardly any in Canada. So it isn't the snow but how deep it is and ya....a regular Mt bike tire just sinks into the snow where as a fat tire stays afloat of the snow.
@blair mccallum - Snow would certainly explain the dominance of fat-tired bikes in Los Angeles, Phoenix, Dallas and Atlanta.
I have cycled extensively for over half a century in a fairly wide range of geography and climate conditions. The dominance of fat-tired bikes is overwhelmingly a North American phenomenon - a two-wheeled symptom of the North American SUV disease.
@@47f0 Each of those places rarely get snow LA, Phoenix, Dallas and Atlanta so not sure where youd come up with that logic?? Making your second paragraph invalid, and not believable that youve traveled "fairly wide range of geography and climate conditions."
Fat bikes are literally every where has nothing to do with snow. You clerarly dont know how big they are across Asia again leading me to believe you havent travelled anywhere and then stretching it to somehow relate to your so called idea of an
"suv disease", I think you have the disease possibly called brain rot cause your full of shit.
Your reviews are the most fun and informative that I watch.
I am just starting to look at eBikes, after being a road cyclist for many years but now dealing with an arthritic hip.
I am considering a day tire bike as I am an avid photographer and would like an ebike can carry my photo gear with me (so I need a rear rack and fat tires).
I'm about your weight (200lbs) and am.aimg for about 60-80km (35-50mi) range.
I do rely on your reviews more than anyone else.
Kudos!
Well Said! They are a pain to transport in any car rack as well.
Good point! I forgot about that one 😆
On the other hand, I am happy with my Lectric Premium in my small pickup (Toyota 2WD). Easy and secure to transport in the bed (with cap) in a Tote, folded. I take it everywhere to ride, with enough room for a second equally sized eBike, plus baggage. Oh, and the cap gives me room to hold a solar panel(s) to charge my portable 1000 watt liPO4 battery generator, which charges BOTH of my EBike batteries as I travel, or just sitting in my driveway.
So true. I am having to add a hitch to my car. An added expense I didn't consider when I bought the bike.
I rode a fat tire bike once. It made me get rid of my regular bike and I now have a fat tire bike of a very trusted brand. It is far superior to any traditional bike I’ve ever ridden in comfort, stability and power. I'll never own a skinny tire bike again!
You sound like me
Fat bike for life!
My favourite is cyrusher
Very nice review.. have a Magnum Ui6 since 2018. 2.5" tires. Only streets and a crushed rock trail. I did buy a Heybike 4" fat tire for riding on grass/dirt at my son's place. That has 20" wheel and a different feel then my 26" Ebike.
I have s sohamo H3 fat tire 750 W.. and its pretty good for 700 bucks. I dont like waiting for bus and my travel time is one third now. I commute daily and this bike helps very much. Sure the build is a bit cheap but its okay for starters and adventurers.
1 word: SNOW...it's winter A LOT up here...
Do you ride a regular bike in winter?
@@antinazi1959 Fat Bike yes there are trails design and maintained for them to use recreational all year round and many people also use them to commute short distances or in cities yes...not regular tire, fat tires are much better for snow.
@@TechWizMasterjust got a philodo 1k watt fat tire for winter transit to work this will be my first bike hopefully it's fast enough
@@VanniCashhow's the philot working out for you? It looks like a good bike too
@@EdPadin it's good but got a flat on my first trip out had to patch it works great now but the battery pushing at 31mph doesn't last very long but it's Definitely a fun bike
If most people with those big battery fat tire bikes would lose 25 lbs then it a mute point. My bike can go the claimed 75-80 miles. It's average around 12 mph on flat ground. It goes about 25 miles at over 30 mph on flat ground. 👍 52V 20 ah Ariel Rider Kepler, with 1,000 watt nominal rear hub.
Which bike did you buy and where?
@@AdaAdaAdanna mine is a Kepler from Ariel Rider . shipped direct from western USA at no charge extra.
Yes ,,,but it's all bout the speed 🚅
How long have u had it
@@aaronlobato5038 September 😎✌
I bought an EMMO EWILD 2 Fat Tire bike. She’s definitely heavy at 100lbs. I gave it a tough test the first day I had it. I’m 280lbs. I loaded 40lbs of groceries on the cargo rack. From 0km/h I pressed the throttle and with all that weight I accelerated up a snow & slush covered 20°incline for about 100m at 28km/h. I remain impressed.
Bullshit
Wow! Very impressive
I'll send my friends here to this video for an introduction. I love my Ebikes, I watch Matt, both on TailHappyTV and Juiced Joyrides and it's great fun to see the new bikes and scooters coming out. I own 3 Ebikes and I've been shopping Matt's reviews for a 4th. I'm looking at folding cargo bikes I can put in the canoe for a low cost (and fun!) shuttle vehicle. Thanks for posting all the great reviews Matt!
One critical thing to realize with any e-bike is that once it runs out of juice, while it is still a regular bike - it is a much heavier bike to ride back to your starting point. Range is king. Also, it is helpful to look at various reviews that include range tests to get a feel for how well a bike holds up to the stated range and under what conditions. Range on fat-tire bikes and eMTN are hard to calculate because different trails and surfaces impact the range a lot. A bike with a 40 mile range might get half that on a dirt trail vs flat paved surface - and the weight of the rider also greatly impacts range.
This was actually a pretty good video. I feel like you might have under-emphasized rolling resistance as a factor, but otherwise it felt very informative. Your real world numbers were especially welcome. I've been wanting to mid-drive my bike for a while now, and this added motivation.
I got a fat tire because of two reasons really;
1. I'm fat myself, or rather, overweight (85kg/180cm)
2. Because I'm fat I get tire punctures constantly on slim tire bikes, and that's because I can't afford a good bike - I'm a poor sod.
On slim tires usually one tire pops after one and a half summers (1 year great, halfway through 2nd one will pop). After swapping a neat 5 or so tires for my old bike, I got a fat one to replace it.
4 years in, not a single puncture. Sure, the bike is heavier, I need to charge more often, it's heavy as hell to carry up stairs...
But it doesn't break! The hassle of repair was worth it for me to get the fat tire electric bike.
I'm 5'11" 185lb 67 year old. Love my Dutch style ebike, a Gazelle NLc8. Very comfortable, no need for range reducing fat tyres and fork suspension. Friend spent almost as much on fat tyre hub motor bike. Rear tyre change is very difficult for hub motor bikes. I get close to double his range with smaller battery, both of us riding in highest assist setting.
I’m an avid cyclist and my wife doesn’t really like to bike, so I considered getting her an E-bike to see if she would enjoy it more. I notice some shops in the Columbus area now sell Velotric. They have some good deals right now and having local support seems nice. Do you think they’re a decent brand? Looking mostly at Rad, Velotric, and Aventon. Velotric prices seem most competitive right now. I’d like to get something that will last her a fair amount of time and that I can still get replacement batteries for in a couple years. I’m thinking the Go 1 seems like the best bang for buck. Any feedback is greatly appreciated. Thanks!
The extra battery doesn’t take up much weight at all. Your bike will thank you and you will thank your bike, especially when you don’t have to pedal your fat tire through town to make it home because you ran down to 0% 😂
these things are no fun on a dead battery 😆 - and I have to say I agree more battery is better in general, but it certainly increases the weight noticeably. when I went from stock 60v 32ah on my sur Ron to 72v 38ah I would definitely feel the extra 10ish lbs in the handling, stopping, nimble-ness etc - but overall was worth it for sure. considering there is a 72v 53ah available for only a few hundred extra bucks, im not sure this would be worth it - even though the range get boosted considerably the extra weight really adds up at that point. ultimately it's best to have the size battery for the range you actually use to avoid lugging around excess mass. thanks for dropping some comments dude, hope the Oregon weather clears up soon for you!
got 4 flats in 3 months with my fat tires
Have had mine for 3 years with NO flats. Fat or skinny, makes no difference in the threat of a flat tire.
@@johnwilson7809 A 4in tire has a 50% more chance at getting a flat than a 2in tire... more surface to pickup nails and glass.
Typical cyclist. Right through a stop sign without paying attention.
-Can do whatever
-You can completely forgo suspension as your tires are just that
-As you mentioned: sand and dirt/ snow
-With the right tires (Terrene Johnny 5)/ you can essentially ride across glass shards without punctures
-Chonkier frame will allow you to carry extra batteries
Starting my 2nd summer with a Doheny EZ folding fat tire bike. 750W motor, 48v/15Ah battery, fenders, hydraulic brakes w/motor cutoff, integrated head & tail lights, spring loaded luggage rack, front suspension. A little heavy, but overall a solid buy.
Caveat: I initially bought the twist throttle for the cool factor, but have noticed that squeezing the right brake inadvertantly moves the twist throttle - two conflicting interests. Buy the push-level throttle.
I think it depends on the kind of beach you intend to ride on. I took my Segway ninebot max scooter to the central Oregon coast last weekend. It was amazing on the sand. This beach had a very gradual slope, almost flat. The hard pack surf sand extended a good 50 ft up from the surf. Even with 10x2.5" tires, it just glided over the sand with ease. Barely left a mark behind me. The cold headwinds were the only downside.
Thank you, your vid convinced me to buy my fat tire, I do winter lake riding and dirt roads and need the extra weight and footprint to get the stability and traction needed.
I live in Rhode island, so the pot holes and gravel give me constant flat tires due to tube pinching. The self-healing tubes don't work, so I had to get those solid tube inserts. They work pretty well, but they have to be the correct size for the tire and they tend to be lumpy. Got a fat tire bike and no more flats. Plus, my town has almost no dedicated bike paths and my fat tire bike is much more stable on grass and gravel on the roadside.
I really enjoy watching your video reviews even though I suspect legislators will be coming out with laws and registration requirements that will lead to fees and tighter restrictions on their use.
I admire you trying to make the testing as "scientific" as possible. Where did you come up with using a car parking ramp for testing?
I see you struggling to hold a phone to compare GPS speed against Bike Speedometer - Why not get a holder for your phone so that you can keep both hands on the handlebars and brakes and keep phone screen visible on camera?
Hey, How about a video on accessorizing your (FAT) ebike and compare the various quality of similar accessories? Things like seats, Headlights and whatever else you find on the market we don't know about?
Love your videos, Looking forward to seeing more in the future.
It's usually easy to upgrade to larger brake rotor, especially on the front. You just need a new rotor and a different mounting adapter for the brake caliper. Just check what the fork supports. Too big a rotor can overload the fork. I upped my front rotor from 180 mm to 200 on my cargo ebike, works great.
I bought a 750 watt Fucare Gemini and its pretty fast and tough.
As someone with an inner ear condition that's pretty much destroyed my sense of balance, and some damaged nerves in my back that shows up as chronic lower body pain, I'm a bit confused why UA-cam would add this video to my suggested viewing page........... I'm glad it did though. It was interesting to watch, and I enjoyed the presentation style. :)
This was super helpful. I live in a very hilly community, so it seems the fat tire may be the better way to go. Thanks!
I’m kinda happy with my e-bike purchase. It gets me to and from work with range still left. But I still get range anxiety when the energy bar depletes. It depletes too fast for my liking 😬 Wish I watched this video before purchasing! Excellent video!
Another great video, Thanks! Commuters can get away with the smaller 2 inch tires. But, for versatility, I agree with you, 4" fat tires Rock! For comfort, climbing traction, flotation over deep sand, and personally, I like the look! They're more like a motorcycle tire in many ways... And, I like pissing off the spandex crowd.. lmao
I got my fiancé the Heybike max pro, it has fat tires, good hill climb, looks legal, 24mph, I’m 180lbs. Great purchase of fun/commuting so far for 700$. Front brake has a weird issue though trying to get settled.
I just bought a fat tired e bike in a moped style e bike to ride to work!
It came with a 500w 750W peak output on the rear hub motor.
It runs a 48V battery at 17.5 Ah or 840 Wh
Range is 30 Kilometers or 18.75 miles before I am down to 33% battery or one battery bars out of five. I don't know if this will improve after a few charges but I doubt it!
I exclusively ride this bike on full throttle as top speed is about 35 Kph or 22 Mph with a tailwind going downhill!
This is here in AUS which has some archaic laws concerning e bikes.
On the other side I also own a 250W pedal assist only e bike(mid drive) with normal tires and no suspension of any kind for touring. 25 Kph limited!
It runs 36V 14Ah or 500 Wh and I have no problem getting 80 kilometres or 50 miles out of a charge before I get range anxiety.
I totally agree the fat tired e bike is using a lot more power but both bikes are a lot of fun to ride.
There is no comparison between these two bikes as they are totally different from each other so I highly suggest not to have just one e bike if you can afford it!
Not all e bikes are the same but they all have a place when riding!
Happy trails!
I converted a Nishiki Colorado 27.5 plus into a 1000w mid-drive beast. The Mid-Fat is less popular but a great compromise between 2” standard and 4” fat tires
Fat tire motors you'll find on amazon are rated for 750W typically - same as what you can get on a standard mountain bike on amazon - only difference is the form-factor for fat tire is a wider enclosure, not that it was built for more power.
I have a 1000w fat bike with a 48v 21ah battery. I've stripped off the fenders, storage racks, lights etc and almost exclusively ride off road on forest trails. In the summer I put a 27.5 x 3" on the front to give me a bit more maneuverability. The other benefit, living in Canada, is putting studded tired and riding the bike all winter long. As for projected range - absolutely agree you can at least cut in 1/2 what the manufacturers say and, yes, they are extremely heavy.
I haven't seen you review the 20" x 4" dual 52v motor, dual battery bikes yet. I like the 3,000 watt models under $1,500.
there's one coming soon
I've always been happy with my Claud Butler touring bike on 28mm x 700 wheels. With panniers - OK for cycle camping in the UK and elsewhere.
Yes I like ur ramp test...
I don't know why no one else does it.
Based on your review of the Wired Freedom I decided that it was a great candidate for an everyday commuter. The big factors were the combined attributes of power, range and affordability. At 240lbs. I was worried I would reduce the reported range of 90 miles too much. It’s about 80 miles at my weight but with that big motor it pulls really good and combined with responsible use of the pedal assist I can protect that range factor. The full suspension with the addition of a suspension seat post and it’s a comfortable ride. The bike handles steep hills with ease. Cargo capacity front and rear is very ample. All in all compared to my commute by car it takes me 8 minutes longer to arrive at work but the city bike routes are pleasant. And I don’t deal with traffic a lot. I also haven’t gone to the gas station in a while. Thanks for your reviews and insights.
I added a welded clutch geared g62 with regen to my mid drive and it is awesome. I can ride off road and climb mtns and the regen brake on the way down. You don't gain back a ton of charge maybe (10-15%) but you save your brake pads.