How Does Your Lectric XP Compare to Bigger Wheeled Bikes (26" and Over)?

[tommybgood]

I'm looking at several folding models with 20" wheels, including the XP. For those of you who ride bikes with standard sized wheels 26" and bigger, do you find that the smaller wheel size makes balance more difficult or that you have to correct your steering more often? I don't want a twitchy ride, I want something that's close to a standard sized bike in stability.

 

[contraktor]

Personally I hate 26" bikes. 27.5" fixie is cool. 29er is where it's at. 20" fat tire is an unusual breed,.. nothing like it.

 

[tommybgood]

20" fat tire is an unusual breed,.. nothing like it.

In a good or a bad way?

 

[contraktor]

I'm thinking it's amazing. I mean I'm grown & something about 20" with even 2.85s catches my eye. 4" is just cool. So to answer your question, a good way.

 

[okievision]

My 26 in fat tire is smooth and no handlebar wiggle at any speed. My lectric.....not so much, lol.

 

[Stoneyrun]

Wider the tire the more options for various riding surfaces. Fat tire will do better on grass/sand/mud/dirt/snow/gravel. Skinny tire for pavement/concrete... mostly. Price goes up significantly with larger than 20" fat tires but stability increases. A DIY build of a 24" fat tire may be my next project.

 

[myers830]

To be honest, a 4" fat tire, 20" diameter is like wrestling with the bike compared to a 27.5 or 29" diameter 2.75" wide tire...not to mention the larger tires have much less wear and tear per mile and last a hell of a lot longer and the bikes themselves are much lighter. IMO there is no reason (other than looking cool) to get a 4" fat tire bike in 2021 unless you enjoy riding in sand or snow and I'll bet 98% of people don't fall into that category. In fact I have also noticed that the small diameter 20" fat tires bite too much in sharper turns for my taste, and if you are not paying attention you could find yourself on the ground quickly. I find myself taking very wide turns without power to be safe. Take the same turn with a larger 27.5 or 29 and you probably wouldn't even notice anything. I let my son (who has several bikes and an avid biker) ride the XP and when he got off he mentioned that it was very unstable compared to what he is used to and it had nothing to do with it having a motor. When Lectric went to 3" tires they knew what they were doing. That's what they mean when they say the 3" tires are more agile. There is nothing agile about a 4" fat tire. They may look cool, but I think Lectric knew most folks would still think the 3" tires are just as cool while offering a much "easier" riding experience overall. Good move Lectric. Couple that with a front suspension and body will ever miss the 4" fat tires.

 

[okievision]

There is nothing agile about a 4" fat tire. They may look cool, but I think Lectric knew most folks would still think the 3" tires are just as cool while offering a much "easier" riding experience overall. Good move Lectric. Couple that with a front suspension and body will ever miss the 4" fat tires.

Spot on

 

[lloose]

Personally, I like the 20x4" tire. I think its actually very nimble and very forgiving in turns. I can really lean into them at higher speeds and feel confident. The rolling resistance and tire availability are both huge factors though. 20x3" tires are much more popular and can even be swapped with tires from Radpower's offerings. 20x4 is a lot more stable though too and I wonder how the older customer base of the XP will do on 20x3.

 

[Stoneyrun]

I prefer fat tires. Not for looks, but for riding on dirt/gravel paths, sand, snow, mud, and grass. If you primarily ride on pavement/concrete a skinnier tire will increase range. But a fat tire will handle that okay too. Just not as far.

 

[tommybgood]

To answer my own question, 20" wheels, even with 4" fat tires, fare very poorly compared to standard sized wheels. Stability decreases dramatically.

The ride is sketchy at literally any speed. When you're going slow, the front end flops around and you want to go faster to get some momentum so your front wheel straightens out. When you're going faster you want to go slower since the small rollover feels so sketchy and unstable.

This is the first wheel size I've tried which fails at everything.