Unbiased, In-Depth Analysis of the Best Electric Bikes
This type of electric bike has tires that are wider than 2.8-inches, often 4″ or 4.9″ wide! The increased surface area improves traction, but also increases friction, drag, and noise. Some fat tires are knobby for off-road use and others are slick and smooth for cruising on-road. In general fat tire electric bikes are very stable and comfortable. The air inside can squish to act as a shock absorber and be lowered to help the tire spread out and “float” over soft terrain. Fat bikes began as a niche product for traditional cyclists who wanted to ride in loamy, sandy, or packed snow conditions. Some fat tires can even be used with metal spikes for grip in slippery icy conditions. With the introduction of electric bike technology, the niche has become much more mainstream because motor systems more than offset the weight and drag of fat tires, making them more enjoyable for less athletic riders.
The Haibike SDURO Full FatSix is one of the only full suspension, mid-drive, fat tire electric bikes that is being purpose-built by a leading ebike company… and it’s awesome. I do have a couple gripes here including the large clunky charger that Yamaha provides but the battery pack can be charged on or off the […]
The Big Bud Pro is a rare beast… a two wheel drive electric fat bike. I’ve heard other companies claim “all wheel drive” because the front wheel has a hub motor and you pedal to move the rear wheel… but to me that’s a marketing lie. Easy Motion actually put two hub motors on this […]
The RadMini is an impressive electric bike… because it folds, is super powerful and rides a lot smoother than other small-wheeled ebikes I’ve tried. While the rims are ~20 inches in diameter the tires are four inches thick so you end up with improved attack angle and a soft cushiony feel. This is important if […]
This is a review for the 2016 IZIP E3 Sumo electric fat bike. You can see the latest model here which uses a Bosch CX mid-drive and is available in two frame sizes. The price jumped up $100 but the brakes and drivetrain are significantly upgraded. Electric powered fat bikes have become super popular since […]
The E-Lux Tahoe is a really cool electric bike in my opinion, it’s unique in that it blends the cruiser and fat tire frame styles to create a comfortable, powerful and “go anywhere” platform. With its powerful 500 watt internally geared hub motor (that peaks out around 750 watts and offers ~40 Nm of torque) […]
This second version of thee Sondors fat bike (funded on Kickstarter vs. Indiegogo) was priced well, improved upon the original and was delivered on time. My one gripe is that the color I specified in the perks form is not what arrived… but I’m not sure exactly why, it’s possible that the color I chose […]
The Wild Goose is Daymak’s fat electric bike offering and much like its other classic ebikes this thing is designed to be affordable but still powerful and fun. You get four color choices including bright orange or red and standard black or white but only one frame size in medium 19″. There are many ways […]
In 2016 Pedego launched a fourth generation build of the Trail Tracker electric bike! It resembles the new Ridge Rider e-mountain bike in that the battery is designed to fit into the downtube vs. a rear rack, dramatically improving weight distribution and stability. This is a fat-tire style electric bike which works well on pavement, […]
The Biktrix Juggernaut made its debut on Kickstarter in November 2014 and was successfully delivered to all backers by July 2015. It’s a fat electric bike that’s a step up in terms of components and features but still aiming at that value market. For ~$2k you can get the base model which uses a more […]
[UPDATE for 2016] Several improvements have been made to the VoltBike Yukon for 2016 and the price has remained. Those include: battery cells are now by Panasonic vs. Samsung, they were chosen due to the better discharge rate (c-level) which is important for zippy throttle performance. The tires have been upgraded to Kenda Juggernaut Sport […]
