Why do soooo many EBIKES have FAT TIRES? 5 Things to know

Protect your bike from theft or damage with Oyster Insurance!

Electric Motorcycles:

Amazon Ebikes I've tested

Amazon Scooters I've tested

Electric Unicycle / EUC

Want to visit in person? Find us at:
Area 13
117 Neal Street
Suite B
Grass Valley, CA 95945
0:00 Why do so many ebikes have fat tires?
0:25 What, Who, Where, When, Why?
0:39 What is a Fat Tire?
1:52 Who invented the fat tire?
2:44 Where were the fat tires originally used?
4:04 When can you encounter downsides when using a fat tire?
4:34 Why are fat tires a benefit for your ride?
6:58 Could you go away from fat tires on a fat tire bike?

[ronniebrown]

i am 71 years old....started riding bicycles a lot when i got out of the army in 1971....10 speeders, 12 speeders, going through numerous bicycles....bought my first fat tire e bike in 2020....main reason for such purchase was stability, less wobbliness, more confidence in different types of terrain....can't believe at one time i rode on 2 inch tires with 90 psi

[michaelxcx]

about 15-20 years ago, when i was young. all my friends used 2-2.2" tires, meanwhile i always put as massive of a tire as possible, usually 2.5-2.6" because i wanted, more comfort, more grip, and longer lasting tire, all of which a larger tire does.

nowadays, i personally think anything larger then 4" is just silly. but most of what i run is around 3.0" tires, i find it to be the best balance between comfort, grip, and steering feel/ sharpness.

[alejandrovargas]

It's exciting to see the proliferation of many different types of E-Bikes. More competition is good for consumers.

[FlyingScot]

Can't use public transit here with fat tires. If you can't fit your bike on the bus bike rack you are out of luck. They also limit the weight to 55lbs. With my 1.75" eBike rated tires my bike weighs less than 55lbs (21Ah battery) and comes with a 1, 500/2, 500 watt mid-drive motor. It allows me to take transit into the city (60 miles) and then get on my bike. I usually ride it with only 1 or zero pedal assist. But when I am in a hurry, or it is starting to rain, I can take it up to almost 45mph...cough, cough, off-road of course, or use the torque on steep hills. Just love climbing hills I would normally have to push the bike up like I was on flat land. I'm closing in on 65 and after putting over 200, 000 miles on road and mountain bikes over the decades all over North America I won't apologize to anyone for going eBike. I feel like a kid again.

[geraldscott]

Fat tires are an absolute nightmare in AZ. We have thorns called goatheads. Everytime you go for a ride you WILL get a flat, if you are using standard tubes. Back when I was able to ride a regualr bicycle, they had regular bicycle sized tires, like 26x1.75. And you could get puncture resistant tubes for them that were literally FOUR TIMES thicker than normal tubes. Then you could put sealer in those tubes, and because the tubes were so thick, number one, they were more difficult to puncture, and number two, if one did get punctured, being so thick, they had a lot of surface area between the inner surface and outer surface so that the sealer could get in there and plug up tiny thorn punctures. On paper thin tubes, there is nothing for the sealer to seal against. And guess what? No puncture resistant tubes for fat tire bikes. Just the ones about as thick as a typical Walmart shopping bag. I watched a video of a guy puncturing one of those tire/tubes with a wooden toothpick. It went right through. To make matters worse, none of the bikes seen to come with a centerstand, so you have no way to get a wheel off the bike to replace the tube. You can't just flip a 60 pound+ bike upside down, and if it's the rear tire, you have the motor and all the wiring to deal with. I wish someone would make an ebike designed for actual real world use, where flat tires happen on a regular basis.

[Snarge]

I love my fat tire eBike!!!! And yes, I just turned 62 and really like that softer ride, plus the ability to go on trails and gravel roads. The assist can eliminate the extra burden of fat tires and extra weight so mitigate the stress on riders.
Although, in all honesty about 80% of the miles I put on my bike is with zero assist. Makes for quite an aerobic exercise machine!

[telocity]

What I would like to see is Honda SuperCub tires and wheels available for E-bikes. SuperCubs are super common, so parts are less expensive, and are built to handle weight of an E-bike. Plus the tires last thousands of mile more.

[jefftaylor]

Why, yes I am over 60 with a fat tire bike. Great video. Always good info coming from Bolton E Bikes. The two of you work well together. Keep up the good work.

[michaeltyborski]

Thank you for covering a topic that never gets answered. My local bike store and one manufacturer simply ignore the pros and cons question or politely respond without answering it. I own two eBikes. The latest has 2.35 inch tires. Until finding your videos, I never learned if a fat tire (4 inch) eBike would be a useful investment.

[dthoughts]

She comes off as having a really fun personality. Only video I’ve seen her in. If she’s still there you should include her in more videos.

Sending prayers your way for a speedy recovery. Hope you’re able to do what you love again soon.

[frederickneal]

Another advantage that you don't hear often is fat tires don't have loss of air pressure as readily due to higher volume of air. I have a hybrid bike that the runs the tires around 70 pounds, but they need air added around once a month to maintain a reasonable amount of air pressure for proper comfort and usability. Fat tire bikes can go several months before you need to add air in them for proper comfort and usability.

[lc]

Besides the weight factor, the nobby treads and the lower tire pressure that increases rolling resistance, affect the speed and thus the distance that you get out of your battery. I would like to see you put 2.4”X27.5” tires (45 p.s.i.)and wheels on your fat tire bike and compare your bike’s speed, acceleration and endurance to the bike equipped with fat tires and wheels. I’ll bet that you see quite a difference.

[leesnihur]

I am 37 years old. I just bought a fat tire ebike from a brand called span. I got the v1 model and I love it! It had more power than I thought it would. Being that my knees are not what they use to be when I biked on a normal mountain bike, this was a welcome alternative as it isn't as hard to climb hills and just generally easier to use.

[mixflip]

I talked to the Bolton customer service and had such a great experience. (I had questions about the Lancer mid drive) Super nice and very helpful.

[TrumperVex]

Old guy here. I rode motorcycles my entire life. eBikes are the same as a motorcycle: choose for the kind of riding / surfaces you want to ride. Mostly asphalt? Skinny tires, slicks, and high pressure. And they go fast (watch the Tour de France guys!). Off-road? Fat tires, knobbies, and low pressure.
Both have a lot of makes and models. Both have cruisers and "sport" bikes. Older folks tend to cruisers (think Harley Davidson, BMW, etc.). Bags and comfortable seats and slower speeds. Younger folks tend to "Liter Bikes" (think Honda Repsol, Ducati, etc.). No baggage, not much comfort, but high speeds.
Gist: eBikes are pretty much the same as motorcycles. Do you want to cruise around and go off-road or ride a high horsepower "race replica" and look like a motogp rider?

[DaveHogan]

You guys have good on-screen chemistry and your videos are fun to watch. Good content too. Thanks for sharing them.

[bumblebee]

I got a fat tire e-bike to ride an abandoned railroad, which is now an ATV trail. A regular mountain bike couldn't handle the crappy gravel/sand/pebble surface.

[Snotnarok]

I got my first ebike recently, it's fat tired and I wasn't aware just, how, big, they were.
I genuinely got the bike because from just watching vids on youtube, it didn't seem that big. Turns out all the guys reviewing had at least 6 inches of height on me and the camera really didn't make the tires look that big.

I really figured my bike would blend in and not really draw attention- so MAYBE it'd be less likely to be watched & stolen.
Nearly every time I go out on an errand or bike ride, someone stops me to talk about the bike. That's not even bragging, I don't want this haha.

I saw a bunch of people recently talking about fat tires on a thread saying they're just a fad and not good but, IDK they feel nice to me.

[always.wondering.wandering]

Good video today. I am in the age group where I do like comfort and I like agility too. That's a great idea of having 2 sets of wheels if you have a mid drive motor. Thanks Kyle and "Vanna".

[michaelh]

I'm 68 yrs old and have a RadRover Step-Thru 5 and love my 4" tires!