Fat tire mountain bike

[Colleen]

Hi, I currently own a couple of Stromers, looking to purchase a couple mountain ebikes for my husband and I.
For these bikes I prefer to be in $2000 range, any suggestions?
Thank you

 

[Stefan Mikes]

For these bikes I prefer to be in $2000 range, any suggestions?

Honestly? You can buy a good hardtail non-electric MTB for the money.

 

[mrgold35]

Any steep hill climbing, long down hill runs, technical riding, or mostly fun rides on level off road riding on improved trail or single track?

You might be limited to rear hub fat tire ebikes in the +/- $2000 range. The average specs for those types of ebikes are 65-90lbs, hardtail (no rear suspension), 7-9 gear range (limited hill climbing gears), 750w & 75-100Nm of tq, could be a mix of hydraulic vs cable 180mm brakes, avg chance of spring vs hydraulic front fork, probably a Class II with throttle with 20 mph speed, and a mix of cadence vs tq PAS sensors depending on the brand.

It is like @Stefan Mikes is saying of you can get a very good regular fat tire MTB or basic entry level eMTB for $2000.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

basic entry level eMTB for $2000.

I meant a $2000 e-MTB was crap
A good air-fork alone starts from $1000.
A full suspension pedal MTB is well over $3000, no motor, battery or controller...

 

[Colleen]

Any steep hill climbing, long down hill runs, technical riding, or mostly fun rides on level off road riding on improved trail or single track?

You might be limited to rear hub fat tire ebikes in the +/- $2000 range. The average specs for those types of ebikes are 65-90lbs, hardtail (no rear suspension), 7-9 gear range (limited hill climbing gears), 750w & 75-100Nm of tq, could be a mix of hydraulic vs cable 180mm brakes, avg chance of spring vs hydraulic front fork, probably a Class II with throttle with 20 mph speed, and a mix of cadence vs tq PAS sensors depending on the brand.

It is like @Stefan Mikes is saying of you can get a very good regular fat tire MTB or basic entry level eMTB for $2000.

I won’t be doing any crazy technical riding-just some off road trails, should have been more specific. Hoping to get recommendations for decent fat tire bike in $2000 range. I have only ridden my Stromers for over ten years, have no experience with others. Thanks for responses!

 

[Mike TowpathTraveler]

On craigslist right now, I see a lightly used Haibike FatSix for under 2 grand, sized large. There is also ebay and facebook marketplace.

I personally would have no issue whatsoever, purchasing a used Haibike FatSix or Full FatSix as I know it was the top tier fat tired E-mtb of it's time. I say this from personal experience, having my Full FatSix since early 2017. Not one issue with the Yamaha drive system nor the battery or charger.

The early FatSix's were Bosch powered. The later ones, Yamaha powered. All had premium brakes, shocks and derailleur systems. The same also applies to a used Bulls Monster (Bosch powered) in both hard tail and full suspension and the Felt Outfitter (Bosch powered).

All of these fatties are mid drive motors, which is what you want.

Go to the video reviews on this site and search out reviews of the FatSix, the Full FatSix and the Outfitter. I seem to recall Court Rye did a review of the Bulls Fat E-bikes. And then begin your search. Oh, I believe there is a later model Haibike FatSix (Yamaha powered) in the PinkBike want ads section. Quiet Kat has their populaity with the hunters, but it will require searching on the used bike aftermarket to find something in your price range. Look for the Quiet Kats with the mid drive motor. I believe they are Bafang motors, which bears more investigation on your part.

I cannot nor will not recommend any other new fatbike with a rear hubdrive. They are heavy and made of cheap-o components, unlike your Stromers.

Haibike Full FatSix......

 

[Colleen]

Thanks so much for info! Good starting point!

 

[Nvreloader]

Colleen
Here are some models you might want to look at,
these first 5 are Step Thru Mid-drive motors,
and then the rest are Step Thru Hub motors
All have motors from 500W up to 1000W,
and are Fat tire models.

Evelo Omega ST $2599 * Juggernaut Ultra Dro 4 ST $2799 Denago Hunting 1 ST $2799 Juggernaut Ultra Duo 3 ST $2949 (BBSH Motor) Area 13 Sabre ST $2999 Wildeway KW26 ST $1049
Bee Cool PathFinder ST	$1199
Rattan Pathfinder ST	$1249
Lectric X Peak ST	$1299
ET Cycle T720 ST	$1299
Go Trax Tundra ST	$1399
Velotric Nomad 1 ST	$1399
Mooncool MC 3 AWD ST	$1399
Heybike Explore ST	$1399
Himiway Zebra All terrain ST	$1499
Bandit X Trail Urban ST	$1499
Freesky Wildcat Pro ST	$1549
Senada Herald All Terrain ST	$1579
FD Freedare Eden ST	$1599
Rad Rover 6 Plus ST	$1599
Haoqui Antelope Pro ST	$1599
Haoqui Eagel Long Range ST	$1649
Velowave Rover ST	$1699
Vetanya Alligator ST	$1699
Magicycle Ocelet Pro ST	$1699
Coffman's Ridgeline ST	$1699
Vtuvia Raindeer ST	$1799
Denago Fat Tire Bike ST	$1799
Aventon Adventure 2 ST	$1799
Velowave Ranger 2.0 ST	$1799
AIMI Big Sur ST	$1799
Ride 1 UP Rift ST	$1895
Hovsco HovAlpha ST	$1999
Velowave Pony Compact ST	$1899
M2S All terrain Scout ST	$1999
Velowave Grace ST	$2000
ET Cycle T1000 ST	$2099
Magnum Nomad ST	$2199
M2S All terrain ST	$2199
Mokwheel Basalt ST	$2199
Troxus Explorer ST	$2299
Stalker Forester ST	$2325
Ventanya Kodiak ST	$2399
HJM New Toury ST	$2399
Juiced Rip Current S ST	#2399
Magicycle Deer ST	$2499
Juggernaut Hub Duo ST	$2499
Excell Camo 26 ST	$2599
QuietKat Villager ST	$2799
Cyrusher Trax All Terrain ST	$2799
Predator Sabre ST $2875
Pedego Trail Tracker ST $2995

 

[m@Robertson]

...
All of these fatties are mid drive motors, which is what you want.

If you are used to Stromer's level of quality/engineering you will have to dip down WAY below that to reach a $2000 price point, and part of that descent will be taking on the compromise of a hub motor, which will give a dramatic performance degradation on trails in hill country. So dramatic you could find the bike unusable at times.

The used Haibike would be ideal. Just for starters finding a quality ebike that is fat is more difficult than it once was, and it was never easy. I ended up building most of mine frame-up as a result of that. But since fat tires have largely been displaced by plus sized tires (similar benefits with fewer consequences) it has cut back the availability of manufactured fatties.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

But since fat tires have largely been displaced by plus sized tires (similar benefits with fewer consequences) it has cut back the availability of manufactured fatties.

What's the fat vs. plus cutoff? Other differences?

Perhaps off-topic, but given your experience with sandy beach riding, what do you see as the minimum tire width for loose, dry sand? (My 2.3" hybrid tires are fine in damp sand — the kind available within a hour or so of low tide — but worthless in the loose, dry stuff.)

 

[Mike TowpathTraveler]

If you are used to Stromer's level of quality/engineering you will have to dip down WAY below that to reach a $2000 price point, and part of that descent will be taking on the compromise of a hub motor, which will give a dramatic performance degradation on trails in hill country. So dramatic you could find the bike unusable at times.

The used Haibike would be ideal. Just for starters finding a quality ebike that is fat is more difficult than it once was, and it was never easy. I ended up building most of mine frame-up as a result of that. But since fat tires have largely been displaced by plus sized tires (similar benefits with fewer consequences) it has cut back the availability of manufactured fatties.

Yep, fully agree. There are fat bikes and then, there are high tiered fat bikes. And the good ones seemed to have stopped production or just flat out left our US market as Haibke did (they even discontinued the fat ebike from their german catalog).

Building one from the ground up, using high quality components, is another way to get around. I know that @PedalUma built a super nice e-fattie using a Specialized Fatboy.

@Colleen might want to consider seeing if Rick would be interested in commissioning two Fatboys. Or whatever other high quality fatbike for that matter.....

 

[Mike TowpathTraveler]

What's the fat vs. plus cutoff? Other differences?

Somewhat off-topuc, but given your experience with sandy beach riding, what do you see as the minimum tire width for loose, dry sand? (My 2.3" hydrid tires are fine in damp sand — the kind available within a hour or so of low tide — but worthless in the loose, dry stuff.)

If I could take a swing at your questions.....

I've had my Full FatSix in the deep sugar sand of the NJ Pine Barrens many, many times. The FFS comes with 80mm width rims and 4.0 tires. For truly deep sand riding, you need the width of those rims to support a wide tire, deflated anywhere to 5 to 10 psi for the best possible traction and float upon the sand. Go to any fatbike forum and folks there will say the 80/4.0 combination is at best, the bare minimum required to ride on sand or snow. Some of those folks are running 26 x 5 inch wide tires.

Not sure what kind of bike you are riding, but if you were to go beyond a 2.3 inch width tire tread, you run the risk of the tire rubbing against the chain stays, etc, especially when you go to air down your tires when going through deep sand.

PS: When running a fat bike, a good tire pressure guage is your friend and a must have!

 

[CodyDog]

I meant a $2000 e-MTB was crap
A good air-fork alone starts from $1000.
A full suspension pedal MTB is well over $3000, no motor, battery or controller...

I was waiting for some response to the OP initial post before I responded.

Stephan is correct in his response as far as the dollars to obtain a decent FS MTB (non electric). It comes down to what your real application is. Intermediate and up trails (including some beginners) will require a higher end spec gear set and shocks. The $2,000 price range doesn't get you close. Many fat tire bikes are advertised as a Mountain Bikes but in reality only suited for dirt roads at best.

Many years ago I purchased a Rad Rover Fat Tire bike anticipating it having the ability to handle moderate MTB trails (my first ebike). Fun bike but not mountain bike trail worthy and too heavy. Since then I have owned 4 e-bikes ( 2 EMTB's) and 2 analog MTB's. I am sharing this with you so you don't over estimate the trail ability of a lower end EMTB.

 

[PedalUma]

Many fat bikes have chainline issues, like the chain rubbing the rear tire in first gear; then there are 'Q-factor' issues. They are really only good for things like snow. With the fat phase over there could be some good deals out there on five-year-old bikes that have only be ridden a few miles.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

With the fat phase over there could be some good deals out there on five-year-old bikes that have only be ridden a few miles.

The fat phase in ebikes seems far from over here in coastal north San Diego County, where many seem to function mainly as cruisers, posing platforms, surfboard carriers, and schoolkid transporters. They seem to be heavily favored by renting tourists as well.

Nothing wrong with that, mind you — as long as they're ridden responsibly. Most represent a car not on the street.

The vast majority I see are on pavement. Very few on beaches and our generally sandy trails — the very places where they'd actually make some practical sense around here. That includes the surfers, who generally park on nearby pavement and walk to the water.

 

[Chargeride]

The pedals are quite a bit further apart, which results in more pedal strikes, not just leaning over and ground clearance, they also do worse in trenches, also your derailleur is further out to take hits

 

[jabberwocky]

Really depends what sort of mountainbike trail you want to do. In general, as a longtime MTBer I'd steer away from fat tire bikes. They enjoyed a brief stint of popularity for trail riding like 10-15 years ago, but it has largely dissipated for the reasons chargeride mentioned. Really best left to the niches they were originally developed for (beach riding and snow biking). And yeah, I know a lot of ebike brands have tried to bring them back. They aren't bad per se, but don't really have many advantages and come with a lot of drawbacks.

I'd try really hard to get a mid drive. Riding trails requires a lot of precise power control which is much easier with a torque sensing mid drive. You also get a lot of variety in grade so having the motor go through the bike gearing helps a lot there. Nothing inherently bad about hub motors, but actual MTB trails are about the worst suited places for them.

I'd look at an entry level mid-drive conventional hardtail from a brand your local shop handles. Giant Talon, Trek Marlin, something like that. You'll probably have to stretch your budget a bit above 2k but inventory is high and maybe you'll find your dealer willing to cut a deal, especially if you buy some stuff with the bikes or find someone with last years model they want to be rid of.

But the answer to this question really hinges on info we don't have. What sort of trails did you want to ride (MTB trails vary a lot, from basically dirt roads you could ride almost anything on to super technical trail that is difficult to even walk on). Were you thinking mail order or do you have a local shop you like (and if so, what brands do they deal)? Bear in mind that riding trails tends to beat up even high quality bikes so you need to assume you're doing regular maintenance yourself or working with a local shop.

One last thing to keep in mind is that entry level bikes from established brands are basically commodity items. Meaning there isn't that much difference between them.

 

[PedalUma]

Starting with a analog Specialized Fatboy from 2019 could make a good project. The one that I did had a torque sensor and a thumb, throttle, and was through frame with no ugly wires. Going zip tie free is like skinny dipping.

 

[Mike_V]

Hi Colleen,
Consider viewing interesting in depth content about eBikes, and drive systems including torque sensing vs. cadence, titanium vs. steel:
from the famous North West Fat Tire bike builder Jones

 

[Mike TowpathTraveler]

I had ridden road-bikes, hybrids, gravels all my life and then a friend gave me an old Walmart-type fat bike (Iron horse). I was skeptical but fell in love even though I only rode it on road and didn't do any jumps or use it on trails until a long time later. Then I did some long distance rides to test my crazy idea of bikepacking on a fat bike and then gave away my other bikes. I started bikepacking with my fat bike in Colombia some 6-months ago and have loved every moment of my time with it as it's well suited for every terrain we have encountered. It also helps me make friends of strangers as people are curious if I have a motor, why I have tires bigger than those of some motorcycles and jus Why?

Please let me know if you are into fat bikes and what purpose do you use them for? What's been your memorable experience on a fat bike?

I bought my Specialized FatBoy in 2015. Set it up for touring, with a Schmidt SON28 dyno hub feeding a B&M front light. Surly racks, front and rear. Ortlieb bags for front and rear and handlebar. I put about 6 thousand plus miles on it, riding a 75/25 split of asphalt and trail riding. 12 months out of the year. Average rides were a 20 mile trip, almost daily. When I got on the canal towpath trails, I'd do on an average, 50 miles, with a couple of near-Centuries tossed into the mix.

Then, in 2016, I "found" this website and Court's reviews of the Felt Outfitter and Haibike FatSix. Later, he reviewed the Full FatSix and suddenly, the idea of pedal assisted fatbike riding, took control. After finding a FFS at Crazy Lenny's at a price that was too good to pass up, I recieved the above pictured Haibike in March, 2017. Again, riding predominantly on asphalt, with occasional towpath rides on dirt as well as deep sugar sand in the large NJ Pine Barrens forests, I found the fat tires allowed this type of bike to be truly a "go anywhere, anytime, anyplace" ebike, unlike the stuff that people here like to preach that a fat bike cannot do. I've proven over and over and over that a good fat tired mid drive ebike can do what a gravel or trekking bike can do.....and then some. Here we are, 2024 and the FFS is sitting on close to 20 thousand miles (and at that, having sat out riding over a year to tend to my ailing Mom). No problems, no issues with the bike at all.

Some memorable rides that come to mind? A trip from the Delaware River to the New Jersey shore, over 100 miles, 100 percent road riding....... But the best rides are off-road, away from the cars and the noise and the people. The NJ Pine Barrens are always a favorite, as too, the nearby Delaware and Raritan Canal towpath and the adjacent Delaware and Lehigh Canal towpath in Pennsylvania.