What do you HATE about your fat tires?

Hmm. Interesting. I asked what do people HATE about their fate tires, and almost every reply is praising fat bikes and fat tires with photos and long stories about their love of their fat bikes. It, kind of, makes me not want to read any of the replies to my question. What would happen if i now ask what people love about their fat tires.
Well, maybe the premise of your question is not widely appreciated. I don't hate anything about the ones I have bought and, later, built. If I were to look for something I disliked, at one time it would have been that flat preventatives were thin on the ground (thicker rubber tires, thornproof tubes) but since early 2021 those issues have been solved, albeit not via providing those products - better tire sealants came into common use. Likewise, I have to say I did hate pumping up tires, and I hated needing so many co2 cartridges... but since the advent of practical portable compressors that either run off the ebike battery or carry their own... those issues are gone as well.
 
Well, maybe the premise of your question is not widely appreciated. I don't hate anything about the ones I have bought and, later, built. If I were to look for something I disliked, at one time it would have been that flat preventatives were thin on the ground (thicker rubber tires, thornproof tubes) but since early 2021 those issues have been solved, albeit not via providing those products - better tire sealants came into common use. Likewise, I have to say I did hate pumping up tires, and I hated needing so many co2 cartridges... but since the advent of practical portable compressors that either run off the ebike battery or carry their own... those issues are gone as well.
Yea, but, no one is forcing people to reply. I am wondering if others feel the same way as i do about fat tires, and WHY. It could be the brand of tire i need to change. How can i find out when everyone is simply ignoring the question asked and responding with praise and photos of their fat bikes. I tend to think that if people don't like the question, then, why bother responding to a question that was not asked, and ruining my "quest for knowledge"? What's the point?
 
I bought my Banana Boss e-bike only because it has a long seat like a motorcycle seat AND because i am able to attach a bike trailer to where the passenger foot posts are located. I remove one foot post and screw in my trailer. I couldn't see any fat bikes that were able to take my trailer.

I find fat tires way too supple. I had a flat in the rear tire and i was not even able to push the bike 10 feet before the inner tube came out, got jammed between the rim and the frame, and caused the tire to not turn - it was dragging. I had to try to carry the rear end of the bike with one hand and steer it with the other hand. No way! I have carpal tunnel syndrome in both hands.

I tried Slime in my fat tires but i am sure the fat tires are far too supple to allow the Slime to work properly.

I like my bike, but it's the fat tires i'm not crazy about. They look cool, yea, but i usually found spare tires and inner tube on abandoned bikes. I'll never find spare 20x4" tires or tubes on the street. So, now i have to spend $80 bucks CAD on each tire once per year. I never had to buy 26" and 28" tires and tubes before.
So fat tires are not my style.
Looking at what you were complaining about, it looks more like you were unhappy with things that you weren't familiar with and didn't understand how to resolve more than anything else.

If you have a flat tire, pushing a bike is a waste of time... I don't care what tires you have. this is why you always, always, always carry a tool kit with patches. And why you put sealant in the inner tubes. Your supposition that sealant doesn't work in the tubes because of how the tires sit on the rims is incorrect. In fact, sealant works BETTER, because there is so much air in the tire that your typical puncture doesn't take it instantly flat. You can jump off, use your needlenose pliers and pull the offending glass or metal shard, then either spin the wheel or jump back on and ride a block. Centrifugal force will coat the outer tread side of the tire and seal the flat. You are much more likely to have an instant dead-flat on a smaller tire. But even if this happens, a portable compressor will re-fill the tire and let the goo glop into the hole. Been there and done that many times.

And as for rim fitment (the tire coming off the rim while pushing) trust me thats a feature not a bug. Most modern tires need levers and a s**tload of force to get them off the bead and back on again. Much more so than in years past. You should be able to get that bead seated on one side without issue. The other side, you want that off so you can pull out and patch that tube. then you pop it back in, the bead on by hand and pump up with the compressor... which is a lightweight device you just sit and watch work.
 
While I don't own a fat tire are we talking bikes with fat tires or real full on EMTB fat tire bikes because there are very few?
I like talking about the "full on eMTB fat tire" type of bikes because that's what interests me. However, this board is largely commuterbike-centric, so clearly different people are talking about different things. While I do wish there were more, there are full on eMTB bikes out there, several being introduced in just the last couple of years. Until we get over this supply crunch, judging what the big bike makers choose to make should be done with caution--it's perfectly natural for manufacturers to focus on producing higher volume/higher profit margin products as fast as they can in times like this. When they no longer have 1-2 years' worth of backorders to worry about, then taking time to fill niche markets makes more sense.

I guess I thought many beleive that it might be because the 27.5 PLUS sizes work so much better....

Such thoughts really are dumb. There is a wide performance spectrum that different sizes fit into different places upon--and as mRobertson said, there's a lot of overlap. 27.5+ work better than fat tires at things that 2.5/2.6" tires work better than plus tires at doing...and on and on. Speaking of crazes that have peaked...plus tires is one of them. A good article about it here: http://www.dbanjia.com/reviewsmtb/are-plus-tires-and-bikes-still-a-thing/

That said, many do like plus tires a lot and many fatbike owners have a second wheelset with plus tires on them for those reasons. Fatbikes usually have enough clearance for 27.5+ and lot of fatbikes can even take 29+ tires--fewer MTB's do. It seemed for a while ebikes may bring them back in popularity a bit, but 29X2.6" tires will probably keep a lid on it, save the mullet setups that are gaining a bit of popularity with eMTB's.

Keep in mind, zero MTB's were designed for the way you use a bike. Or lots of other people, for that matter. People seem to forget, the driving design goal for the "sport" of "mountain biking" is getting the fastest times going downhill. If that's not your thing, one should feel free to make different choices. For those to whom difficult climbs are just as important, they might lean toward plus or fat tires more than a typical "mountain biker" as traction for climbing and handling feel take on a different amount of importance. As well as for those to whom a smoother ride is more important. Or people who have no desire to spend the winter on an indoor trainer....
 
OK, I'll play, I hate swapping summer tires for winter tires. I can't find a cheap wheelset so I swap tires onto the rims.
 
Ok,so if I'm riding along the road in my area where there are no shoulders and a pavement drop of 2-4" followed by a drainage ditch a few inches deep you are saying skinny high pressure tires would handle that better than fat low pressure tires if I had to leave the pavement for any reason?
I am almost certain I did not write it backwards.
 
Looking at what you were complaining about, it looks more like you were unhappy with things that you weren't familiar with and didn't understand how to resolve more than anything else.

If you have a flat tire, pushing a bike is a waste of time... I don't care what tires you have. this is why you always, always, always carry a tool kit with patches. And why you put sealant in the inner tubes. Your supposition that sealant doesn't work in the tubes because of how the tires sit on the rims is incorrect. In fact, sealant works BETTER, because there is so much air in the tire that your typical puncture doesn't take it instantly flat. You can jump off, use your needlenose pliers and pull the offending glass or metal shard, then either spin the wheel or jump back on and ride a block. Centrifugal force will coat the outer tread side of the tire and seal the flat. You are much more likely to have an instant dead-flat on a smaller tire. But even if this happens, a portable compressor will re-fill the tire and let the goo glop into the hole. Been there and done that many times.

And as for rim fitment (the tire coming off the rim while pushing) trust me thats a feature not a bug. Most modern tires need levers and a s**tload of force to get them off the bead and back on again. Much more so than in years past. You should be able to get that bead seated on one side without issue. The other side, you want that off so you can pull out and patch that tube. then you pop it back in, the bead on by hand and pump up with the compressor... which is a lightweight device you just sit and watch work.
When your tire goes flat on a busy, city street, and the sidewalks are full of people walking by, that's not the place i would choose to start pulling apart my bike. I would rather be able to at least push my bike with my saddlebag of tools etc to a quiet area so i can flip it over and take it apart. So, even with a bag of tools that i, now, carry, i still have to fix flats that i would have not gotten on a regular sized tire. Dec 25 2020, 8 AM in the morning, in minus 20 C with a minus 28 C wind chill factor, i was on the corner of a street fixing a flat. Luckily, it happened right in front of a gas station where they had a pallets of anti-freeze piled up. I was able to flip the bike over and put the wide, double crossbar on the boxes so the handlebars would not have directly been on the ground. The previous day, i had been invited to an afternoon party where (on flat tire day) i would have worn a suit and tie under my snow suit. Luckily, i had finally decided not to attend that party because well, i didn't really want to go. What a relief! I was full of grease and all sweaty when i finally replaced the inner tube. Wearing a suit would have been a problem. Are you saying that you enjoy repairing flats on the road when you are in rush hour on your way to an appointment, just because you carry tools? I don't think you do. And if you are carrying tools, i mean, why not carry tire levers like in the old days. At least you'll be able to push the flat tire to a safe location to repair the job. Right? No? Anyway, i don't want to carry on answering questions directed at me me in such a way. I feel like am defending myself, somewhat, and having to explain my riding experience. I'm 60. I am told to carry tools when i asked what you HATE about fat tires. No offense but i am losing time responding to comments that don't really apply to the thread topic. It's a bit discouraging. Uh oh. People don't appreciate that. Defending myself is not what i had in mind. Scuse me. lol Oh, i almost forgot, One week later, after that flat, i had another rear tire flat, also, at 8 AM lol. This is my point. I don't need "lessons" or advice on how to ride a bike. I am asking about tires.
 
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It feels like you moved the goalpost. Your initial question was "I regret buying a fat tire bike. How about you?"

Now it feels like you are talking about JUST the tires on your fat tire bike.
SO is your question
what do you regret about the tires on your fat tire bike?

or are you just trolling?
 
Anyway, carry on with all the praise. I'm probably going to abandon this thread. I don't have so much time to sift through the long responses and essays and photo albums of scenery hoping to see something on-topic response I'll check what comes next and decide whether i want to be interested in this highjacked thread.
 
It feels like you moved the goalpost. Your initial question was "I regret buying a fat tire bike. How about you?"

Now it feels like you are talking about JUST the tires on your fat tire bike.
SO is your question
what do you regret about the tires on your fat tire bike?

or are you just trolling?
Now, i am troll. lol Wow. Thanks. I guess i'll be banned, now for asking a question?
 
Yeah we're talking to a guy who is complaining he can't find replacement parts from junk on the street. This was never going anywhere useful. Besides that the stuff he's crying about is just life on a bike. You dry your tears, deal with it and ride on.
 
Anyway, carry on with all the praise. I'm probably going to abandon this thread. I don't have so much time to sift through the long responses and essays and photo albums of scenery hoping to see something on-topic response I'll check what comes next and decide whether i want to be interested in this highjacked thread.

Maybe it would have helped to start the thread with the specific problem you are having instead of a generalized question. People could offer help with more specifics--what bike, tire size, tire type, etc.

Many here have infinitely more miles than me riding city streets so they may have more use-specific suggestions. One of the many reasons I hate riding city streets--they're everybody's garbage can. From one recent ride:

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A nail and a screw in one ride. Both were over an inch long. Didn't even know it happened. No bike pushing required. I run tubeless with Orange Seal Subzero. When I'll be far from home, I take bacon strips and a tool with me and for really long rides a tube and tire levers but they never get used. Of course now I've jinxed myself....

Anyway, I don't have much faith skinnier tires would have somehow been immune to those punctures.
 
Thread seems to have lost it's focus. Unsub....
 
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