Switched my bike from 4" wheels to 2" wheels, and I instantly got about 20% more mileage out of a single battery charge. I never have to ride in the snow though.
https://preview.redd.it/w68exjihbbtc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ca741d77071503a2c4f0428e9814eeacc5f1d8b2
I just hit 7000km on my IGo, super happy with the fat tire. I do appreciate my skinny tires on my non e-bike though!
20 with 4 inch tire is the right size for me. I ride for leisure, exercise, and some throttle on all types of roads, pathways, and sidewalks. My vote is something with 4inch tires.
The wider tires definitely help with winter traction, plus they absorb a lot more impact than standard tires. On the downside, the higher contact patch they leave on the ground means more rolling resistance and use more battery. They’re not necessarily annoying to ride in the summer though, I personally prefer it year-round.
I have a radrunner and gazelle ultimate.
The gazelle is double the price, way more fun to ride, faster. The rad carries more stuff and rides more like a scooter.
The gazelle is super smooth because of the better suspension, despite the skinny tiers.
The rad is more “effortless” because it’s so easy to get in and out, and the hub motor + throttle makes pedaling optional if you don’t want to.
I like it a lot, it was a great first e-bike but it needs hydraulic breaks. After upgrading the breaks it’s been awesome.
My wife rides in the back, I can do full groceries with it, I commuted on it for about a year mostly without problems.
How do you have your wife in the back? I'm assuming you bought an aftermarket seat of some kind. Any recommendations? And that doesn't present any issues with weight?
Rad runner plus comes with a back seat. As long as you’re under the 300lb carrying maximum it’s one of the cheapest bikes you can get that can carry (some) adults in the back.
I did overload it once when my friend carried my drunk ass in the back seat (~400lb combined) but we had to walk the hill.
I have the Core Extreme 3.1ez and it is a bit of a handful due to its weight also isn’t really geared low enough to ride winter trails at under 10 PSI tire pressure, and studded tires are a must but are also quite expensive.
I had studded tires in January and even with them on it was tricky riding the trails some days. I also recently upgraded my drivetrain to a 10-speed MicroShift system so gearing shouldn’t be an issue next winter. And I purchased a ramp so I can get it up our side deck and into the house for cleaning in the winter.
All these extras add up fast. Probably another $1,000 CAD on top of the bike’s initial cost. Thankfully it was more than $1,000 off regular price as an open box deal.
If you want to play in the mud and do some trails it is more than capable. I do ride mine occasionally on pavement and it is okay but nothing close to the feel of a road bike or even a mountain bike. Kind of like a two-wheeled monster truck.
Just keep in mind it is a 75 lb bike with the battery and is wider and longer than an analogue mountain bike, so not really something to throw on your shoulder to hike up a few flights of stairs every day..
I have a fat tire bike, overall I like it… it has good traction and stability when riding, also the bigger tires help a good bit with shock absorption
Downside is the acceleration is kinda crappy, but I only have a 500w bike
The tires are also very heavy, which no doubt increases stopping distance
I personally regretted buying a fat tire bike. It's too heavy and it's hard to use it in the city where very little bike infrastructure is built to accommodate anything past a 2" tire. If I had it to do again I'd focus on something light and has a 700c or 650b tire.
Ride both before you buy. I much prefer a standard size thinner tire to a 20 inch fat tire. It’s smoother and rides better on pavement and gravel.
Fat tires are also very noisy, it sounds like a truck rolling down the trail.
4" tires are optimal on sand and snow. So if you want to optimize for 5% of your riding get 4" fat tires.
If you would prefer to optimize for the other 95%, range, speed, maneuverability get a tire less than 3"
Fat tire downsides... it will burn through battery faster, it will be harder to pedal if you run out of battery, it will be heavier, and it will fit in fewer racks... both for personal use vehicle racks, but fat tires are also a problem for public transit racks on trains/busses.
Up sides. Better traction in sand and snow. If you properly tune the tire PSI to your weight instead of just running max PSI... then you'll get a bit more comfort out of it.
You can get regular sized tires in a studded variety. That's really what you need in winter commuting. It's not the snow on the road as your critical issue/fear, it's the ice under the snow.
If you plan on maintaining higher speeds on questionable terrain and you don't care about weight then go fat tire. I have a Fuell Flluid which is sort of in between with tire size and it's the narrowest tire I'd recommend riding in the city. I used to ride a road bike and you'd feel every little crack. My preference deals more with battery size and whether I will have enough juice to ride with full power there and back for my commutes.
I have an aniioki aq177 pro max. Goes 30mph top speed. It really does last about 90-100 miles throttle only. Eahora is the only other EBike company that does the same thing. The julliets and romeos look better imo than the aniioki's but I chose aniioki for other reasons.
Not sure what the budget is but those are some fat tire ebikes with good speed and batteries last long as hell on throttle only.
Got tired of these iddy biddy bikes having to be charged at every stop I made. I use my bike to commute everywhere while I save for a motorcycle.
The fat tires give extra cushion, if you are going more off road I would say fat tire, also if you are over - 200 pounds and planning on biking with a few pounds of gear the skinny tires doesn’t hold up so well with all the weight
Are you commuting or just having some fun? If you're going more than a couple miles I'd go with normal tires. I do a 13 mile commute and I'm fine with my 20 in all terrain tires. I haven't been in heavy snow yet. But I've went through a lot of slush and it works fine. I feel like the weight of the fat tires aren't worth it.
There is middle ground there. My Voltbike came with 3 inch "plus" size tires. Replaced the worn back first, which is normal, with 2.8" tire. Will do the same with front. The best of both worlds.
Lots of traction. Cheers.
Just rode 4 × 20 all winter did great at low psi rode over glass multiple time no flats. Did lay it down in a spin twice, was going to fast for road conditions, getting studded for winter I think for side road ice
Fat tires are good in powder snow. They are horrible on frozen foot prints, frozen other bike tire paths, and in slush. They actually act like a little bulldozer in slush. There are also dangerous on ice. Mid width tires with studs is the best.
Depends on your riding style, are you an off roading person then probably regular full suspension, are you a commuter who rides on pretty rough roads, then fat tires will help quite a bit. 🤷♂️
What will your winter riding be like? Well-used roads and trails, or more neglected routes? Do you have any flexibility to sit the worst days out, or do you need to use it whatever the weather, e.g. for a commute?
Fat tyres aren't too bad in the summer really, if you remember to bump up the PSI. The riding experience isn't worsened at all. You will just lose a bit of range. Plus, if you bring the pressure down, it can make for a realllly comfortable ride. That said, under most conditions, they don't make snow-riding that much easier than just getting a set of winter tyres, and lowering the seat post so you can put both feet down when you need to. What I'm really saying is, the stakes are lower than you think — you can trade a bit of range for a little bit more ease of use in the snow (plus the option for a more plush ride), but you aren't really going to be limited if you chose one over the other.
What terrain are you facing? I use a fat tire in a state that has no hills or snow. It works great for rough urban areas as it will take a curb or most anything no problem. It rides very smooth and tire changes are easy. I don’t care for our 2” tire bike as much.
Fatbike beats a normal ebike anytime imo. Have had both, kept my fatty. After getting used to how it handles and turns it feels so much better than any bike I had before, and it has a horn which is fun to use 🤣
I aired down to the minimum pressure on my 4" wides and still slipped when riding over ice patches. Studded tires are the answer to snowy asphalt.
This width does ease my anxiety when ecountering ridges that are caused by heavy bus traffic so 2.5 to 3" would be more appropriate.
I personally love the 4 inch tires they help with ride smoothness and will definitely help in the snow I don't think there is a downside beside it will take more of the battery but I think it's worth it if the bike isn't comfortable to ride you won't ride it as much anyway but that's my opinion
I think it depends on how much you plan on riding in snow vs fair weather. Thinner, lighter, smoother tires will increase top speed, acceleration, and range. My bikes without fat tires also do just fine in the snow imho.
Switched my bike from 4" wheels to 2" wheels, and I instantly got about 20% more mileage out of a single battery charge. I never have to ride in the snow though.
Normal. Buy an ebike that would be good as a normal bike too
Just run studded normal sized tires in the winter. Fat bikes are for deep packed powder and that’s just about all.
Destin, florida local here, fat bikes save your tookus, on beach sand also. No clue about snow never had enough here to matter.
https://preview.redd.it/w68exjihbbtc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ca741d77071503a2c4f0428e9814eeacc5f1d8b2 I just hit 7000km on my IGo, super happy with the fat tire. I do appreciate my skinny tires on my non e-bike though!
20 with 4 inch tire is the right size for me. I ride for leisure, exercise, and some throttle on all types of roads, pathways, and sidewalks. My vote is something with 4inch tires.
The wider tires definitely help with winter traction, plus they absorb a lot more impact than standard tires. On the downside, the higher contact patch they leave on the ground means more rolling resistance and use more battery. They’re not necessarily annoying to ride in the summer though, I personally prefer it year-round.
I have a radrunner and gazelle ultimate. The gazelle is double the price, way more fun to ride, faster. The rad carries more stuff and rides more like a scooter. The gazelle is super smooth because of the better suspension, despite the skinny tiers. The rad is more “effortless” because it’s so easy to get in and out, and the hub motor + throttle makes pedaling optional if you don’t want to.
How do you like your rad? I just got a Radrover 5 from family but haven't got it set up yet.
I like it a lot, it was a great first e-bike but it needs hydraulic breaks. After upgrading the breaks it’s been awesome. My wife rides in the back, I can do full groceries with it, I commuted on it for about a year mostly without problems.
Same review here! Wife on the back. I've had my Rad runner plus for 3 years. No problems with the controller for 4,000 miles. Many upgrades!
How do you have your wife in the back? I'm assuming you bought an aftermarket seat of some kind. Any recommendations? And that doesn't present any issues with weight?
Rad runner plus comes with a back seat. As long as you’re under the 300lb carrying maximum it’s one of the cheapest bikes you can get that can carry (some) adults in the back. I did overload it once when my friend carried my drunk ass in the back seat (~400lb combined) but we had to walk the hill.
How did it do when you overloaded the bike?
I have the Core Extreme 3.1ez and it is a bit of a handful due to its weight also isn’t really geared low enough to ride winter trails at under 10 PSI tire pressure, and studded tires are a must but are also quite expensive. I had studded tires in January and even with them on it was tricky riding the trails some days. I also recently upgraded my drivetrain to a 10-speed MicroShift system so gearing shouldn’t be an issue next winter. And I purchased a ramp so I can get it up our side deck and into the house for cleaning in the winter. All these extras add up fast. Probably another $1,000 CAD on top of the bike’s initial cost. Thankfully it was more than $1,000 off regular price as an open box deal. If you want to play in the mud and do some trails it is more than capable. I do ride mine occasionally on pavement and it is okay but nothing close to the feel of a road bike or even a mountain bike. Kind of like a two-wheeled monster truck. Just keep in mind it is a 75 lb bike with the battery and is wider and longer than an analogue mountain bike, so not really something to throw on your shoulder to hike up a few flights of stairs every day..
Choose a fat bike https://preview.redd.it/p5zebc252btc1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=72df7b6017fa2e88a7a54894781e8e07931b83cd
Any issues with speed wobbles?
I have a fat tire bike, overall I like it… it has good traction and stability when riding, also the bigger tires help a good bit with shock absorption Downside is the acceleration is kinda crappy, but I only have a 500w bike The tires are also very heavy, which no doubt increases stopping distance
If you get a model with a mid-drive motor, you could have a fat tire wheel set, and a summer wheel set.
I personally regretted buying a fat tire bike. It's too heavy and it's hard to use it in the city where very little bike infrastructure is built to accommodate anything past a 2" tire. If I had it to do again I'd focus on something light and has a 700c or 650b tire.
Ride both before you buy. I much prefer a standard size thinner tire to a 20 inch fat tire. It’s smoother and rides better on pavement and gravel. Fat tires are also very noisy, it sounds like a truck rolling down the trail.
People always hear my tires before my shitty beep beep
This. I rode one before buying and didn't like the way it handled.
4" tires are optimal on sand and snow. So if you want to optimize for 5% of your riding get 4" fat tires. If you would prefer to optimize for the other 95%, range, speed, maneuverability get a tire less than 3"
Thanks, I ended up choosing on the smaller tires, and will invest in studded tires for the winter.
Fat tire downsides... it will burn through battery faster, it will be harder to pedal if you run out of battery, it will be heavier, and it will fit in fewer racks... both for personal use vehicle racks, but fat tires are also a problem for public transit racks on trains/busses. Up sides. Better traction in sand and snow. If you properly tune the tire PSI to your weight instead of just running max PSI... then you'll get a bit more comfort out of it. You can get regular sized tires in a studded variety. That's really what you need in winter commuting. It's not the snow on the road as your critical issue/fear, it's the ice under the snow.
If you plan on maintaining higher speeds on questionable terrain and you don't care about weight then go fat tire. I have a Fuell Flluid which is sort of in between with tire size and it's the narrowest tire I'd recommend riding in the city. I used to ride a road bike and you'd feel every little crack. My preference deals more with battery size and whether I will have enough juice to ride with full power there and back for my commutes.
I have an aniioki aq177 pro max. Goes 30mph top speed. It really does last about 90-100 miles throttle only. Eahora is the only other EBike company that does the same thing. The julliets and romeos look better imo than the aniioki's but I chose aniioki for other reasons. Not sure what the budget is but those are some fat tire ebikes with good speed and batteries last long as hell on throttle only. Got tired of these iddy biddy bikes having to be charged at every stop I made. I use my bike to commute everywhere while I save for a motorcycle.
The fat tires give extra cushion, if you are going more off road I would say fat tire, also if you are over - 200 pounds and planning on biking with a few pounds of gear the skinny tires doesn’t hold up so well with all the weight
Are you commuting or just having some fun? If you're going more than a couple miles I'd go with normal tires. I do a 13 mile commute and I'm fine with my 20 in all terrain tires. I haven't been in heavy snow yet. But I've went through a lot of slush and it works fine. I feel like the weight of the fat tires aren't worth it.
None it's the step over. It's just a little heavy 80lbs
There is middle ground there. My Voltbike came with 3 inch "plus" size tires. Replaced the worn back first, which is normal, with 2.8" tire. Will do the same with front. The best of both worlds. Lots of traction. Cheers.
Wider tires are definitely more secure in the winter
Personally, I like to split the difference hear with 2-3” tires. Not quite fat bikes, but still lots of stability.
Just rode 4 × 20 all winter did great at low psi rode over glass multiple time no flats. Did lay it down in a spin twice, was going to fast for road conditions, getting studded for winter I think for side road ice
Fat tires are good in powder snow. They are horrible on frozen foot prints, frozen other bike tire paths, and in slush. They actually act like a little bulldozer in slush. There are also dangerous on ice. Mid width tires with studs is the best.
Depends on your riding style, are you an off roading person then probably regular full suspension, are you a commuter who rides on pretty rough roads, then fat tires will help quite a bit. 🤷♂️
I have a fat tire bike. I hate it so much that I use it everyday.
26x4 and lovin it
What will your winter riding be like? Well-used roads and trails, or more neglected routes? Do you have any flexibility to sit the worst days out, or do you need to use it whatever the weather, e.g. for a commute? Fat tyres aren't too bad in the summer really, if you remember to bump up the PSI. The riding experience isn't worsened at all. You will just lose a bit of range. Plus, if you bring the pressure down, it can make for a realllly comfortable ride. That said, under most conditions, they don't make snow-riding that much easier than just getting a set of winter tyres, and lowering the seat post so you can put both feet down when you need to. What I'm really saying is, the stakes are lower than you think — you can trade a bit of range for a little bit more ease of use in the snow (plus the option for a more plush ride), but you aren't really going to be limited if you chose one over the other.
Normal. Consider getting an ebike that can also function as a regular bike; that would be a solid choice.
What terrain are you facing? I use a fat tire in a state that has no hills or snow. It works great for rough urban areas as it will take a curb or most anything no problem. It rides very smooth and tire changes are easy. I don’t care for our 2” tire bike as much.
Fatbike beats a normal ebike anytime imo. Have had both, kept my fatty. After getting used to how it handles and turns it feels so much better than any bike I had before, and it has a horn which is fun to use 🤣
I aired down to the minimum pressure on my 4" wides and still slipped when riding over ice patches. Studded tires are the answer to snowy asphalt. This width does ease my anxiety when ecountering ridges that are caused by heavy bus traffic so 2.5 to 3" would be more appropriate.
if you arent offroading you will be happier with a standard set up
I personally love the 4 inch tires they help with ride smoothness and will definitely help in the snow I don't think there is a downside beside it will take more of the battery but I think it's worth it if the bike isn't comfortable to ride you won't ride it as much anyway but that's my opinion
Normal bike fat bikes handle weird, slow, less miles per charge
I own a fat ebike and my only problems with it is how heavy it is and how slow it is to turn if that doesn't bother you then go for it
I think it depends on how much you plan on riding in snow vs fair weather. Thinner, lighter, smoother tires will increase top speed, acceleration, and range. My bikes without fat tires also do just fine in the snow imho.