Fatbike Tires Compared to Not So Fatbike Tires

reed scott

reed scott

Well-Known Member
As of now I'm choosing 3 inch tires and 2.8 inch as I don't ride in areas that might require 4 or 5 inch tires. But those who do prefer fat tires often acclaim the better ride qualities of them. Seems to me 3 inch tires are still pretty fat. I've never ridden anything more than 2 inch tires. I'm wondering if those who can compare and contrast the possible differences could give their opinions having experience with both sizes?

I've read many posts by those who ride in sand, snow and mud and I grasp those preferences. I'm really more interested in the differing qualities experienced on hard or firm surfaces and not technical single track either as I'm too old to do that stuff. I do ride on dirt roads that can be pretty rough and mildly rocky.
 
It's funny you mention this, as I'm contemplating replacing my 4" fat hub with a 2.5-3" bike. For the Toronto winter on the routes I ride (when there IS snow), I found the 4" is more than enough, but almost overkill.

Going from sub 2" to 3" you'll definitely find the ride more plush, especially if you keep the pressure on the lower end (of course, the lower the pressure the more energy you're wasting but it's all a personal balancing act).

If you're sometimes riding on dirt roads, and not going through 4" of mud or soft sand, I think 2.8" will do the trick just fine, and suck up less energy on the harder packed/paved surface. Of course, tread pattern makes a difference too.
 
I ride two analog bikes (a flat bar roadbike and a fully rigid 90s mountainbike 26er) and the Juggernaut Ultra (26er, 4 inch tire, fork replaced with rigid). The most usual problem I have is hitting a pothole and getting a flat, the thinner the tire the greater the chance of this mishap. There is also a better chance of an obstacle upsetting the steering of the bicycle and causing a crash, again the thinner the tire the greater the chance of a crash.

In summary, the benefits of a fat tire (apart from float) are:
- The fat tire provides suspension, allowing you to forgo rear and fork suspension, which are a hassle to maintain.
- The fat tire allows you to roll over a wider range of obstacles without losing control.

The disadvantages of a fat tire are:
- Less sharp maneuvering: I more often put a foot down in turns with a fat tire, but a throttle allows me to accelerate quickly out of turns.
- More weight: Almost all e-bikes are sluggish to pedal with the motor off, and a powerful motor makes the added weight penalty virtually unnoticeable.
 
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I sold my 4.9" fat tire bike. It was like riding an army truck with about the same steering response. It felt like I had to pull with one arm and shove with the other to steer that thing! I broke a collarbone on black ice on the fat knobby tires, so no love for riding on winter precip. I hated the fat tires when riding in slush and on top or over other bicycle frozen tracks. The widest tires I have now have are 2.4" tires. When I take it on a single trail, I carry about 18-20psi in the tires and they have plenty of grip. When I ride pavement I carry 40psi. I do not miss the noise and drag of the fat tires one little bit.
 
Fat tire bikes, when they first came out, reminded me of a mountain bike Cris Mouse or Ed Roth would design. I loved them. Like RichC I might be ready to go thinner (3"). I like how they work here in Florida scrub but don't like them on hard-pack trails or asphalt. No doubt the slow steering aspects have raised a hackle or two. If and when I get another eBike I will probably go for something more hybred, like the Giant Explore 4.
 
For my riding, which doesn't get much worse than occasional gravel path or a grass path, we get by on 2" tires at most. I have a 20" inch and 26" fat tire bikes, both electric, and they don't give me the biking experience I want. I like the easy pedaling of light wheels. As I get older. i really feel the difference between the bikes.

I blew a fuse on the 20 incher a mile from home, and I was surprised at the effort it took to get ho,e. Of course, the tires were down under 5 psi, so maybe that was most of the problem.

Funny thing, I been going out with my wife every day on our 20x2" tire folders and no one says nothing. The other day I dusted off the 26" fat tire (converted Walmart) and a neigbor exclaimed "what a beautiful bike!". A week later, I'm riding my 20" fat tire and get called a cheater for the first time ever. There are certain times I like riding the fat tires, mostly now, and I have the room to keep them around, and no need to recover the little money I have in them.
 
i have 27.5x3in and to me they feel more like a 2in than a 4 in, the 4in Fat tire i have ridden had a max PSI of 25/30lbs, they had a very soft bouncy ride that my 3in just dont provide. the upside is the 3in can pretty much handle the same terrain as the 4in but with a little less rolling resistance.
 
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harryS said:
The other day I dusted off the 26" fat tire (converted Walmart) and a neigbor exclaimed "what a beautiful bike!"
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I get that too when I wash the (fatty) bike. Eyes glom on to the clean knobbly front tire and then the inevitable question, how fast can that bike go?
 
I actually hate riding out with my only 2.6" knobby tyre e-MTB for grocery shopping... Because of the noise and rolling resistance. Very, very few people ride their fat e-bikes for the intended purpose, which is riding on soft sand, deep snow or over a morass.
 
I have never ridden my Fatbike without someone commenting on it. "What a cool bike" is the usual response. I like my 3.5 Inch Speedster pumped to around 18-20. Lower and you get some self steer
 
After riding nothing bigger than a 2.3" width, I decided I wanted to try 26x4" tires - mostly for the ride, but I do have to deal with occasional loose stuff as well. I bought an Ultra powered Rize Rx Pro. Bike is used as a hybrid with 60% pavement/40% dirt use. I rode the stock knobby tires for about 50 miles to get a good feel for them (Kenda Juggernaut). They were not as noisey as I thought they would be on pavement (until you get over about 12mph), and there was a very noticeable vibration caused by the knobs. So off they came and I installed some 26x4 Origin 8 street tires using the stock rims. I had heard about self steering, but never experienced it, until I installed these. Bike looks huge, felt very heavy as there's was suddenly a LOT of rubber in direct contact with the road. Very noticable self steering (big time unpredictable over steer for those that haven't had the pleasure) was brought under control with very careful 1lb adjustments to air pressure. Max inflation was 20psi and I ran 16 in front 18 in back. Still felt big and heavy but with minimum self steer. So off came the 26x4" and we went with a 26x3 pavement tire (Kenda Flame). Now we're talking. The 3" tires look great on the wide rims, I get a pretty darn decent ride on surfaces that would make me crazy to the point of avoiding with 2" tires, and the self steering issue is gone. The Flame's max inflation is 30psi, and I'm using 25 in back (remember, I'm 300lbs) and 15 in front. Rolling resistance isn't bad, unless you're comparing it to a 2" tire.

Clearly, you are paying a price for the ride. For that reason, if somebody is looking for a commuter that will spend the majority of it's time on pavement, I would NOT recommend a fattie. -Al
 
AHicks said:
After riding nothing bigger than a 2.3" width, I decided I wanted to try 26x4" tires - mostly for the ride, but I do have to deal with occasional loose stuff as well. I bought an Ultra powered Rize Rx Pro. Bike is used as a hybrid with 60% pavement/40% dirt use. I rode the stock knobby tires for about 50 miles to get a good feel for them (Kenda Juggernaut). They were not as noisey as I thought they would be on pavement (until you get over about 12mph), and there was a very noticeable vibration caused by the knobs. So off they came and I installed some 26x4 Origin 8 street tires using the stock rims. I had heard about self steering, but never experienced it, until I installed these. Bike looks huge, felt very heavy as there's was suddenly a LOT of rubber in direct contact with the road. Very noticable self steering (big time unpredictable over steer for those that haven't had the pleasure) was brought under control with very careful 1lb adjustments to air pressure. Max inflation was 20psi and I ran 16 in front 18 in back. Still felt big and heavy but with minimum self steer. So off came the 26x4" and we went with a 26x3 pavement tire (Kenda Flame). Now we're talking. The 3" tires look great on the wide rims, I get a pretty darn decent ride on surfaces that would make me crazy to the point of avoiding with 2" tires, and the self steering issue is gone. The Flame's max inflation is 30psi, and I'm using 25 in back (remember, I'm 300lbs) and 15 in front. Rolling resistance isn't bad, unless you're comparing it to a 2" tire.

Clearly, you are paying a price for the ride. For that reason, if somebody is looking for a commuter that will spend the majority of it's time on pavement, I would NOT recommend a fattie. -Al
Click to expand...

I would never want a bike with those 4" Kendas, at least in my application, which is 90% MUTs. My bike is long, heavy(61lbs) and very stable at speed and does well with road irregularities . OTOH, I sure wouldn't want to throw it down some downhill at speed.
 
I have a Pedego cruiser with 2.4" tires, and they have a softer ride, definitely, than my old bike that had skinnier tires. The level of inflation also impacts ride comfort. But the best thing for ride comfort, I think, is getting a great suspension seat-post. My bike came with a low-end (retails for $30) suspension post, and I replaced it with a much nicer one, and love it.

All that said, I don't think you need a fat tire bike to get a great ride, but chubbier tires do have an impact on the ride if you inflate them so they are a touch soft.

BTW, these are my tires:
www.schwalbetires.com

Super Moto-X | Performance | Black-Reflex | 20x4.00 | Addix | 11159604

WIDE, COMFORTABLE, SAFE! Whether travelling on asphalt or trail, the beefy Super Moto-X offers the best riding characteristics and plenty of comfort. The extra-resilient DoubleDefense construction lets you reach your destination safely, even in the tough…
www.schwalbetires.com www.schwalbetires.com
 
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I have MAXXIS minion 26x4.8 tyres. They were on the bike when i bought it so i just pumped them up to MAX psi when building it.
I've just reduced both front and rear from 20psi to 17psi after reading this post.
I'm gonna play about till i get it to my preferred ride. I ride mostly pavement with some dirt/mud trail. I've never had big tyres on a bike before apart from motoX when i was a lad.
Not had a bicycle for years before this one. We'll see what happens and i'll keep posted if i find anything i think will be useful to anyone.
 
Terry777 said:
I have MAXXIS minion 26x4.8 tyres. They were on the bike when i bought it so i just pumped them up to MAX psi when building it.
I've just reduced both front and rear from 20psi to 17psi after reading this post.
I'm gonna play about till i get it to my preferred ride. I ride mostly pavement with some dirt/mud trail. I've never had big tyres on a bike before apart from motoX when i was a lad.
Not had a bicycle for years before this one. We'll see what happens and i'll keep posted if i find anything i think will be useful to anyone.
Click to expand...
thats a Monster of an E-Bike you got there! no need to worry about Range or Power!!!
 
My previous bike had 26" x 4" tires and I ride 100% of the time off road. Running a Wren shock on the front but a hardtail in back. The 4" do give a cushion when going over rocks etc. It allows me to not necessarily follow the perfect line through an area and is forgiving in a sense to not wash away or slide out. Pretty maneuverable in tight sections and basically lets me bumble through most things within reason without any consequences.

Present bike has 27.5" x 3" tires and a longer travel Wren shock on the front and I can definitely tell a difference in I have to be more precise in how I carry my line on more technical trails. Soft sand or gravel is a bit more challenging.
But to be honest I like them better. It will force me to be more careful and will in turn make me a better rider.

Never have tried 4.8" tires, The 4" were more than enough for me.
 
ElevenAD said:
thats a Monster of an E-Bike you got there! no need to worry about Range or Power!!!
Click to expand...
It’s my first ebike so nothing to compare it to. From what I’ve picked up reading the forums and YT and stuff it seems to have plenty of both. It’s winter time in the UK just now so only getting quick runs in. I’ll have it properly “broken in” for our summer coming I then I’ll get longer and better days out. I’m learning all the time, the guys here who know better don’t mind sharing tips and knowledge which helps tons when your just starting out like I am. The forum is great. 👍
 
greeno said:
My previous bike had 26" x 4" tires and I ride 100% of the time off road. Running a Wren shock on the front but a hardtail in back. The 4" do give a cushion when going over rocks etc. It allows me to not necessarily follow the perfect line through an area and is forgiving in a sense to not wash away or slide out. Pretty maneuverable in tight sections and basically lets me bumble through most things within reason without any consequences.

Present bike has 27.5" x 3" tires and a longer travel Wren shock on the front and I can definitely tell a difference in I have to be more precise in how I carry my line on more technical trails. Soft sand or gravel is a bit more challenging.
But to be honest I like them better. It will force me to be more careful and will in turn make me a better rider.

Never have tried 4.8" tires, The 4" were more than enough for me.
Click to expand...
To be honest, I didn’t really know any better and they came already on the bike.
I’ll run them for the winter and pick up what knowledge/tips I can and even if I can try different tyres on someone else’s bike or whatever then get another pair to change over as required. From what I have picked up already I may need to change the rear out first so “we’ll see” with that too. I’ll just play it by ear. There’s plenty out there to choose from! I’ll prob know better by then if I need more road oriented tyres or whatever. I think most of my riding will be on road surfaces with a little light trail.
 
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