What do you HATE about your fat tires?

[Stefan Mikes]

Those JJ's will have less rolling resistance than many popular MTB tires (there is a huge variance within fatbike and MTB tires, depending upon the exact tire of choice). This is an issue exaggerated way beyond reality. When somebody posts about a new eMTB with an aggressive set of tires, nobody seems to act like they're made of concrete the same way as fat tires, when the reality is pretty close with the Enduro, downhill casing-type tires that are popular with eMTB's these days.



Again, you have an exaggerated view of the weight differences. My fat bike is actually lighter than my MTB. Same type of bike (both dual suspension), just slightly higher end build on the fat bike (more carbon, less aluminum). But if you saw them sitting side by side you would assume the fat bike is dramatically heavier. It's not with a quality build.

Here are the weights of the complete wheelsets for comparison:

View attachment 112409


View attachment 112411

And the fat wheelset has 220/200mm rotors vs the 200/180 for the MTB.

If 1 lb, 7 oz makes the difference between being able to lift a bike over a tree or not, both bikes are way too heavy for the user on that trail. I went on a ride recently and had to do that a good 10-12 times (lost count).


View attachment 112412

And yes, it sucked, but mainly due to all the crap bolted to the bike (dual batt setup, rack, panier filled with heavy crap, etc). The fat tires themselves were but a minor contributor. Finally threw in the towel when I ran into this:

View attachment 112414




There is no suspension that offers the small bump (trail chatter, etc) compliance that fat tires can.



Have you tried any different tires on that bike? The Juggernaut's are really pretty crappy offroad tires. Throwing a set of Vanhelga's on there would be transformative.


Out of curiosity, what fat bikes have you tried? If you haven't tried a dual suspension bike with modern trail geometry and 27.5X4" tires, you don't really know how fast and nimble a fat bike can be in summer conditions. A lot of people get a little experience on a rigid fat bike with 20 year old geometry and cheap, extremely heavy wheels and tires and assume all fat bikes handle like that. Thankfully, that's not the case.

@Jon A: My deepest respect to you! You certainly know what you are doing! You have the tool that you have really sharpened and know how to use it!

Which cannot be said about the majority of folk riding their 20" fat tyre folders in cities.

 

[Nvreloader]

Hey Guys
If I can ask a question,

Where can I buy fat tire FULL length fenders (front and back) that are at least 100mm to 125mm wide,
or wide enough to cover 4.8" tires?
I prefer metal if possible, but will settle for HD glass/plastic ones, Black in color, or that can be painted Black,
for my Wart Hog bike.
Every place I have found is out of them or don't carry them any more.
Any DIY places?

Any thoughts or suggestions.........
Tia,
Don

 

[rtp]

Hey Guys
If I can ask a question,

Where can I buy fat tire FULL length fenders (front and back) that are at least 100mm to 125mm wide,
or wide enough to cover 4.8" tires?
I prefer metal if possible, but will settle for HD glass/plastic ones, Black in color, or that can be painted Black,
for my Wart Hog bike.
Every place I have found is out of them or don't carry them any more.
Any DIY places?

Any thoughts or suggestions.........
Tia,
Don

This one's kind of tough. I had a tough time sorting fenders for by BBHSD fat bike (Eunorau FAT-HS). As you mentioned, the metal variants seemed to perpetually be out of stock. I did plastic on front and it's not bad, but held off on the rear as I didn't like the 'flat board swept upwards' look of some of the options out there.
Here's a couple of options for the front anyways:

Amazon.com

https://shop.cyclepathpdx.com/mudhugger-mudhugger-fathugger-front-fender.html - this is what I did up front, but kind of $$, I might go for the first one on Amazon below doing it again but it works fine on my 26x4.0 fatty..

These are metal - you may be able to find a way to make them work - first set is the most promising IMO.

Amazon.com

Amazon.com

 

[Nvreloader]

Thanks RTP
I have looked everywhere and no success so far, they are always out of stock.
I am just about going the DIY method, ie;
get a section of 30" dia PVC pipe, slice off the width needed, shape to fit, paint them flat black,
but I think the hard part will be finding good fender wires/parts in stainless steel etc.

Tia,
Don

 

[rtp]

Thanks RTP
I have looked everywhere and no success so far, they are always out of stock.
I am just about going the DIY method, ie;
get a section of 30" dia PVC pipe, slice off the width needed, shape to fit, paint them flat black,
but I think the hard part will be finding good fender wires/parts in stainless steel etc.

Tia,
Don

Worst case I think you can get the fat huggers from the uk mudhugger site…or buy some kydex: https://amzn.to/3tNGn3P
Same issue on mounting but look at how some of the plastic fenders mount - front should be easier and via zip ties. Could do the same on rears, just add ‘ears’ and tie them to the seatstay.

 

[tomjasz]

Hey Guys
If I can ask a question,

Where can I buy fat tire FULL length fenders (front and back) that are at least 100mm to 125mm wide,
or wide enough to cover 4.8" tires?
I prefer metal if possible, but will settle for HD glass/plastic ones, Black in color, or that can be painted Black,
for my Wart Hog bike.
Every place I have found is out of them or don't carry them any more.
Any DIY places?

Any thoughts or suggestions.........
Tia,
Don

I have some made for early Sondors but I’m in Minnesnowta. And size makes shipping expensive. I’ve had several smaller fenders from China, Aliexpress. Theyre inexpensive and OK quality. It just takes patience waiting for delivery. Score of orders with no problems.

 

[TForan]

I absolutely hated the Kendas on my Biktrix Ultra. I switched to 3.5 inch Speedsters and loved those around town.

 

[GypsyTreker]

Ahhhh Fatties vs Thinies, another unifying eBike topic, lol

My biggest complaint on Fatties ...the steering seems slow but that could be that my add on offset air forks changed the geometry. The second, $100 per for a decent tire, are you kidding me?

Honestly, I ride at like 10-12mph on groomed or paved trails and don't feel I get a bad ride. I actually have more issues trying to find the proper bar and stem. As to peddling? Ok Stefan, where we agree on cheap bikes....the included batteries suck. I found this out when my battery quit after 8.5 miles (still showing full bars) on the Santos bike trail. Thank god it was paved.

As a result...I had to pedal 4 miles back. Santos is not hard but not level, it has rolling terrain. The bad news, my wife pushed it the last half mile because she loves me and my pension. The good news was the fact that @ 70 I could pedal those first four miles with way less effort than I would have ever thought. So three things have occured to me. Running out of juice is not the end of the world on a fattie. If there is a moving stream running in the direction your going you can float her back and last but not least? I'm A Ok with hub motors.

When I do upgrade at some point I would go with around a 2.75 to 3.0 tire with more of a gravel bike tread, it will probably be a mid drive because I'll keep the fattie and have two different eBikes

 

[Gordon71]

"The second, $100 per for a decent tire, are you kidding me?" Guess it depends on what you mean by "decent". The two year old 26X4 tires on my Rover have over 3,000 miles on them with plenty of tread left and cost $49.

 

[Cowlitz]

I got this to get up and then back down terrible logging roads. It works well for that. This year I got up the courage to try it on snow, although the snow was plowed. It's a no suspension bike and I feel it if I ride it very much. But it works well in the woods on dirt and rocky roads. On pavement, it is noisy and I think of it as the elephant bike. I imagine elephants are actually smoother than this bike, It is fun in the woods, and I can put the dog attachment on the seat post. Last I looked, there were not many tires of this size to choose from--another minus. Did I mention that it is fun in the woods?

The headlight broke off shortly after this picture. I had read in the reviews that the headlight would not last long. It was true for me. Here it is in town, where I just tried it on plowed snow and had the dog attached. It's good for that. I have noticed that it is noisy, at a different pitch, in looser snow. I do not like all the attention it attracts. For some reason, it gets way more attention and questions than my Gazelle, which looks more like a boring bike, I guess.

Since then, I bought a Gazelle Arroyo for pavement, but have found that it actually can go off pavement, and I've ridden it places that I did not think it would go. But the Radmini is fun in the woods, and bikes are all about fun.

 

[ruffruff]

I put Arisun Big Smoohtys on for summer riding

Arisun Big Smoothy Electric Fat Bike Tire 26"x4" (top Seller)

Inverted continuous center tread is formed by dimpled diamond design with narrow grooves between blocks to decrease rolling resistance and provide a smooth ride over hard surfaces Diamond pattern becomes progressively larger and more aggressive as it approaches the sidewall Larger side knobs...

www.bigcatbikes.com

Then I put on CST Toboggon for the winter

CST Toboggan 26x4.0 Snow Studded Wire Bead Tire - Black

-Studded fat tire for cycling in the most demanding cold weather<BR>-Large well spaced knobs easily shed snow, mud and ice build up<BR><BR>-240 Studs per Tire<BR>-PSI: 20<BR>-TPI: 60<BR>-ISO: 559

www.utahtrikes.com

I found them locally prepandemic for $64/each

Then like Cowlitz I bought a Gazelle Ultimate t10+ for serious tar miles in the summer.

 

[Vewlix]

Hey Guys
If I can ask a question,

Where can I buy fat tire FULL length fenders (front and back) that are at least 100mm to 125mm wide,
or wide enough to cover 4.8" tires?
I prefer metal if possible, but will settle for HD glass/plastic ones, Black in color, or that can be painted Black,
for my Wart Hog bike.
Every place I have found is out of them or don't carry them any more.
Any DIY places?

Any thoughts or suggestions.........
Tia,
Don

These are plastic but you can see what they look like on different bikes in the photos:-

Fat bike fenders

 

[ETinVT]

I live in VT and picked up a fat bike for extending my bike season. I couldn't be happier. As mentioned by many, do your homework before choosing a tire style, width and ride pressure, otherwise you will likely set yourself up for failure. I'm using the bike for trail and frozen lake rides. I currently have it dressed with surly Lou/bud combo for increased snow traction. The difference between these 4.8 inch tires and a 4 inch tire is night and day. I've been able to break trail through 4+ inches of snow with these bad boys. If the snow gets too dense I have the luxury of breaking out my snowdog and packing a trail first. Is a fat bike going to be better for fair weather commuting? Unlikely. Will it become your favorite bike to pull out of your quiver when the conditions challenge your sanity for being outside on a bike? It sure as hell will be.

 

[ruffruff]

I'm guilty of 5" tire envy

 

[ETinVT]

I'm guilty of 5" tire envy

Lucky for you there's an easy fix for that!

 

[ruffruff]

Lucky for you there's an easy fix for that!

Pretty sure I can't fit them in my frame.

 

[ETinVT]

Pretty sure I can't fit them in my frame.

Ahhh darn. could always build up a new one! The company I ordered my bike from told me the frame wouldn't fit 4.8" tires. Fortunately they were wrong.

 

[ruffruff]

This one is interesting. They says it can be made for all sizes. Sorry I don't know how to do a quick link. MUDGUARD OMNI.

Are any of you fat tire ebike riders running tubeless tires?

Not tubeless here:
1. I swap tires in the summer and winter. Goop would get spendy.
2. I would worry about the goop freezing.

 

[mschwett]

a non-fat biker here to say that I appreciate the extremes at the end of the bike world; while the wheelset on my road bike weighs literally half a good fattie set, and the bike less than half, there are clearly better tools for some jobs than others! I was up in the snow last weekend and I was curious if a fat bike would be rideable on several feet of fairly crunchy snow pack. my 42mm gravel wheel set most certainly wasn’t

 

[Nvreloader]

These are plastic but you can see what they look like on different bikes in the photos:-

Fat bike fenders

Thank you for that info, I have saved that site, I want the Flat Black ones, as usual they are out of stock.
I am afraid of the plastic type fenders in the very cold temps we get around here.
Those flat black ones are metal, at least I can pound out the dents when I crash and burn........LOL
Tia,
Don