Bigger wheels better on rough terrain?

[bigcanoe]

Hey! I purchased a Lectric XP step thru a few weeks ago. Its a great bike but I am thinking its not the right fit for me and my riding environment. I live in the country and there are no nice paved bike paths nearby. I am usually riding potholed dirt roads or on the side of the paved back roads with traffic, which also have potholes. The potholes hurt! I was thinking a 26" fat wheel bike with suspension may be a better choice for me. I may sell this and go for a Himiway or Rad Rover. Anyone have insight to share?

 

[Art Deco]

Hey! I purchased a Lectric XP step thru a few weeks ago. Its a great bike but I am thinking its not the right fit for me and my riding environment. I live in the country and there are no nice paved bike paths nearby. I am usually riding potholed dirt roads or on the side of the paved back roads with traffic, which also have potholes. The potholes hurt! I was thinking a 26" fat wheel bike with suspension may be a better choice for me. I may sell this and go for a Himiway or Rad Rover. Anyone have insight to share?

Someone on this forum mentioned that the Lectric XP is the "gateway drug of ebikes".
That seems true enough, and although I haven't ridden that bike, I have ridden a heavy 20 inch wheeled folder but bought a lighter 26 incher. There is a reason why all the mountain bikes are full sized. Even 29 inch wheels are common.
Since good used bikes are still scarce, this might be a good time to get what you want and sell the XP. Or keep it for guests in true N+1 fashion.

 

[bigcanoe]

Haha, yes, I think it lit a spark! But I already have too many collections to start another...I think. Thanks!

 

[teskow]

I have had a Juiced Rip Current for two years and am very happy with it. I ride a lot of the same kind of terrain you speak of.
My machine has cadence, torque sensing, a throttle and 9 speeds. These are some of the features I wouldn't want to be without. It ads cost but to me it is well worth it.

 

[AHicks]

Bigger wheels handle rougher terrain = yes, without a second's hesitation.

I would add that 26" fatties (3-4") are as tall as 27.5" frequently.

 

[Gordon71]

Hey! I purchased a Lectric XP step thru a few weeks ago. Its a great bike but I am thinking its not the right fit for me and my riding environment. I live in the country and there are no nice paved bike paths nearby. I am usually riding potholed dirt roads or on the side of the paved back roads with traffic, which also have potholes. The potholes hurt! I was thinking a 26" fat wheel bike with suspension may be a better choice for me. I may sell this and go for a Himiway or Rad Rover. Anyone have insight to share?

I have the Rad Rover and I'm sure you are correct. I also live in a rural area and between the fat low pressure tires ,front suspension, and upgraded wide saddle the rover handles pot holes and bumps very well.

 

[Bruce Arnold]

No question, a fat tire bike with suspension will smooth out your ride. Maybe unbelievably. That's what my current ride (Juiced Bikes HyperScorpion) has and I've got to say I was truly amazed.

 

[Art Deco]

My bike has neither suspension or really fat tires, but does fine on most rough trails...balloon tires on 650B wheels, comfort saddle and grips, and the Como's slack geometry is all I need. But the full sized wheels are the key.

 

[Luto]

Lower tire pressure also helps comfort too. And it often make the bike faster (less rolling resistance). I have 29" 38mm and 50mm tires rated to 60 psi and run them at 28-30 psi, which is smoother and faster than 40psi. But it depends upon the tire. That is why fat tires are helpful, lots of ability to cushion bumps.

 

[Dave Rocks]

29 inch wheels cover the most ground. The bigger the wheel the less thud.

 

[PDoz]

Food for thought, you could just upgrade the forks and front wheel - keep the smaller ( stronger) rear , but get the stability benefits of something larger diameter. Perhaps go narrower for more precision ? You may get lucky and find the lbs / rubbish dump has an old front end that could at least be tried to see if you liked how it rides before investing in some disc brake compatible forks.

Something like this

 

[PDoz]

For what it's worth, dirt motorbikes have been running the mullet set up for decades - either 17 or 18" rear and a 21 front, the rear is wide for traction and front narrow for precision. It works, and mountain bikes are dabbling in the concept with 27.5 rear , 29 front.

 

[fooferdoggie]

Lower tire pressure also helps comfort too. And it often make the bike faster (less rolling resistance). I have 29" 38mm and 50mm tires rated to 60 psi and run them at 28-30 psi, which is smoother and faster than 40psi. But it depends upon the tire. That is why fat tires are helpful, lots of ability to cushion bumps.

less rolling resistance with less air? that's the opposite the more tire on the ground the more resistance. the reason roadies use narrow tires. I had tested this quite a bit on my recombent with a fairing. I could coast dow nthe same hill every day and tested tire pressure and size. narrow tires with higher psi always made the bike coast faster.

 

[FlatSix911]

Here are a few simple diagrams on the pro/con of wheel sizes... a picture is worth a thousand words.
I usually recommend a 27.5" for off-road and a 29" on road for the best performing combination.

 

[bigcanoe]

Very nice information! I think I would rather just trade bikes than try and modify the forks and wheels on the XP honestly.

 

[Mike TowpathTraveler]

A fat tire bike (4.0 to 4.8 wide tires and 80mm or 100mm rims) has an overall tire height equal or close to a 29 inch mountain bike tire, with much more tire tread width to better absorb road side frost heaves or pot holes.

Like everything in life, there are trade offs with a true fat bike vs standard mountain bike. The ebike drive takes alot of those trade offs out of the equation........before getting this Haibike in early '17, I was riding my Specialized Fatboy in the same kind of conditions I ride the Haibike to this day; exclusively on local paved asphalt roads beat to hell with the occassional ride on towpath trails.

I'd advise to avoid potholes as best you can. Even with the fatbike, that's quite a shockload being placed on your rims, spokes, tires and tubes. Everything does have it's breaking point.

Buy the best you can. Think RockShox for front and rear shock control. Or Fox, another top tier shock absorption system on the market. Lower end shocks from no-name chineseium companies are only going to make you ask what the big deal about shocks were all about.

 

[Luto]

less rolling resistance with less air? that's the opposite the more tire on the ground the more resistance. the reason roadies use narrow tires. I had tested this quite a bit on my recombent with a fairing. I could coast dow nthe same hill every day and tested tire pressure and size. narrow tires with higher psi always made the bike coast faster.

Yes what you describe is the common thinking. However the science shows a more complex picture. The amount of resistance and where it occurs are at interplay. It is better to absorb the imperfections of the road in the tire than in the upper bike. Also there is a belief that the sound and vibrations from higher pressure means one is going faster, which is also not the case.

Of course, it is a matter of the correct pressure, versus MORE or LESS, Maximum or Minimum, to match the tire and the terrain. Ditto for width matching the terrain. The most important being the suppleness of the material the tire-sidewalls are made from. Silk being awesome and supple cotton being next, stiff nylon the least.

This article gives a good description of some of the variables at play.

What's the correct road bike tyre pressure? - Cycling Weekly
and here are a bunch.
Search Results for “tire pressure” – Rene Herse Cycles

BTW: the tires I have now are Panaracer GravelKing SK 38mm front and the Maxxis Rambler 50mm rear. Both run best way below maximum pressure. I thought 40-45 psi being the best, but after going sub 30 psi for chip seal roads and gravel, it was very clear.

Bottom line it depends on the tire material, and the riding surface. The OP wanted a smoother ride on rough roads, so lower pressure could give some benefits.

 

[legsofbeer]

I was thinking a 26" fat wheel bike with suspension may be a better choice for me. I may sell this and go for a Himiway or Rad Rover.

I mostly ride urban pavement but it is baaaad pavement. The fatty tires with front suspension have been a pleasant surprise at how they make potholes, asphalt gullies, beer bottles, sewer grates, light rail tracks, off leash dogs, etc. just go away. And it is really nice being able to hop a curb at will, even at a stupid angle, or casually run up or down shallow flights of stairs. I keep the tire pressure at or near the sidewall max, for better mileage.

Downsides of urban fatty use are that a tire 4x wider has four times the chance of finding that screw or nail in your path (four flats in 3500 miles), the extra 7 inches of overall length means it might not fit in some bike rack parking configurations, it won't fit on bus bike racks, and the bike wants to track straight--not so good for hands free turning or one-handed turning.

When I'm back on my skinny tire road bike I have to remind myself to re-engage defensive routing mode.