tomjasz
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Here’s a deal. Pay shipping and donate the amount of your choice to a charity going to Ukraine relief. 2 new tubes and two Panaracer tires.
What do you HATE about your fat tires?
- Thread starter Robbie_D
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tomjasz
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A member asked,
"I am wondering how will they hold up riding around in the rocks etc?
Thanks,"
I never ran them. I bought trusting Karl and I linked his review. The price is around $69 each now. $21 for two inner tubes. $159 today from Amazon.
tomjasz
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I just discovered these are old stock and discontinued. I’m going to donate to local High School bike repair club.
bikeman242
Active Member
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My Specialized Fatboy got me Fat commencing late 2015 and I have ridden nothing but Fat ever since. I estimate I put some 5000 plus miles on her, 12 months of the year. Asphalt road shoulders to NJ Pine Barrens deep sugar sand. Sun of summer, snow of winter. Self steering? Your tire pressures are too low. On this bike, local asphalt riding meant 20 psi so I wasn't wasting energy fighting wrinkled sidewalls. Snow or Pine Barrens riding? Below 10 psi, right at that sweet spot where the bike does not "self steer".
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But then, one day in 2016 while looking on the internet, I found this site. And this guy named Court was road testing a fat tired ebike called the Felt Outfitter. And a Haibike FatSix. That got me to thinking...... the FatBoy is great, but I'm not getting younger and the idea of a battery and motor assisting me further up the trail or down the local road, was really appealing. One summer ride of over 90 miles on the FatBoy had me especially drained for days afterward, so not much further convincing was needed.
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The Fatbike is the Jeep or Bronco of bicycles. Say you are pedaling along on some county road and off to your right is a trail with deep sand, kinda like the sand in this one-dimensional picture. With your trekking or road ebike, you say to yourself "Looks like a nice trail. Too bad I can't go exploring on it." When you are on your E-FatBike, you say to yourself "Looks like a nice trail. Let's see where it goes." An E-FatBike, properly aired down, floats on most deep, deep sand. An mtb with 2.3 inch tires will not cut it. I tried.
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But a FatEbike can't ride on roads! I read that all the time here and smile. With my Haibike Full FatSix, I can go everywhere you skinny tired ebikers can go. But I guarantee that YOU cannot go everywhere I can!Here is an all-asphalt road-run I did a couple years ago. Lewes, Delaware to Ocean City, Maryland, back to Lewes. 60 some odd miles. Here's a nice shot I got of the northbound Indian River Inlet, DE bridge. I like that shot. I passed quite a few road bikers on my way back north. Believe I was averaging over 16 mph heading back; spending a good amount of that time at and above 19 mph as I have a PearTune chip in my Yamaha PW motor....
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Pretty Day Lillies! On the early morning of another ride many folks here say can't be done on an E-Fatbike.......starting out from my Homebase near the Delaware River, straight east to the Atlantic Ocean at Mantoloking, NJ (many of you remember Mantoloking in the News as that was the area where SuperStorm Sandy took out the barrier island in the area off the bridge, thus, connecting ocean to bay.) All asphalt, took 3 batteries with me, one 400wh, two 500's. Just short of 100 miles and with battery power to spare.
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This was a 10 mile run taken into town last year on my local trail. 6 inches fell and after a day of sun, a nice crust was on the top. This was very, very tough going in this spot here, but still, got through. Not a fan of snow riding locally because of the road salt dropped on the local roads that lead to trails like this. But it can be done. This cannot be done on your skinny tired ebikes. A shame, cause winter riding brings out nature in a whole different light you do not experience in the summer. Another win for the E Fatbike! And what a contrast of pics from the previous one, taken mid-summer. A true 12-Month Machine!
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Back in the Pine Barrens again, those sugar sand roads lead to the end of the line, here.
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And a surprise encounter with this critter, whom I moved off the trail so he won't get run over by a passing Jeep or enduro motorcycle. These are just some of the things you are going to find when you go deep-off road with the best All Purpose Bicycle ever invented, the fat tired, electric assist mountain bike.
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"But....but.....but.......it's alot harder to pedal a fatbike compared to a skinny tired bike" No, it's not. A good mid drive fat bike will have a premium derailleur system with the latest, super-low gear cassette cogs that can allow it to climb any mountain or slog through any deep snow or sand with ease. Do NOT compare these drive systems by Shimano or Sram with a hub drive featuring a steep 7 gear cog with gear ratios that a Lance Armstrong might find agreeable with. "But you don't get as much range on a battery charge compared to my trekking machine" I can get up to 40 miles per full charge on my 500wh battery using the High Power Setting. "But, but.....a fat bike is only good for snow riding." My H-Bike is a 12 month/4 Seasons All Purpose Do Anything Go Anywhere Bike. Yours is not. "But, but.....those tires are noisy!" Yes, they may be to you. They are music to my ears. And they certainly get the attention of absent minded trail walkers who always turn to see what that approaching noise is. "But.....those tires are expensive!" I exclusively run on the Schwalbe Jumbo Jim and they are as pricey as any other premium bicycle tire will be. I got about 6 thousand miles on my rear JJ, just changed out for a new one 2 months ago. The front shows minimal wear. 'But, but......why would anyone want a bike that is only used in the winter months of the year and it's going to sit the other 10 months?" A fat tired ebike can replace every other bike in your collection. And as you see on my odometer reading here, I use my bike for every kind of riding I want to do.
I am here to tell you, that my personal experience runs completely counter to the Flat Earth/Anti Fat E-Biking Crowd that assumes control of these conversations. And I think I have the time in the saddle and the miles on the odometer, to back up my opinion!
You are a kind man Mike to save that snake's life.
IMVHO, a quality, mid-drive fat eMTB is a thing of beauty and an absolute weapon in the right conditions, and perfectly adequate under normal circumstances (if, perhaps, sub-optimal). I'm a Plus guy, myself (for the moment; probably go with 2.5s once I wear out my 3.0s), but considered building on a fatbike at first.
What bugs me is when someone new to ebikes is considering a "full suspension" fat bike with a 500w hub motor for $1400, intending to ride it on the beach and in the snow. Pretty sure a little geared hub will quickly expire if asked to do actual fat bike stuff. Sure, comfy for commuting and fitness rides, I guess, but nothing a suspension seatpost wouldn't handle.
What bugs me is when someone new to ebikes is considering a "full suspension" fat bike with a 500w hub motor for $1400, intending to ride it on the beach and in the snow. Pretty sure a little geared hub will quickly expire if asked to do actual fat bike stuff. Sure, comfy for commuting and fitness rides, I guess, but nothing a suspension seatpost wouldn't handle.
AHicks
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- Snow Bird - Summer S.E. Michigan, Winter Gulf Coast North Central Fl.
Yes, but there's the "cool" factor some feel with a fat bike. That, along with some current marketing campaigns, are going to have a lot of fatties for sale in the not too distant future. My hope is that people that fall into this trap aren't completely lost to the e-bike idea. To my way of thinking, a fattie is a specialized bike that works great in certain conditions requiring the fat tires. People looking for a daily rider should be looking elsewhere most of the time. That's me though, FWIW.
And don't get me started on the 20x4 "scrambler" bikes...
Nvreloader
Western Nevada
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- USA
That the correct tire sizes from 4" to 4.8" are very hard to find, for 100mm width rims,
lots of sizes up 2.5", but above there, it is mighty slim pickings.
and a ps, I just love my fat tire bike......
lots of sizes up 2.5", but above there, it is mighty slim pickings.
and a ps, I just love my fat tire bike......
FrankR
Active Member
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- Milky Way Galaxy
I only read the first page so far, but I will read the rest.
I'm not getting it yet. I'm a rookie to ebikes, but, I have logged many thousands of miles on motorcycles.
I have a fat tire bike. I have no intention of taking it in the dirt. All the time will be on streets. I love the way it handles, and I love the extra rubber over a thin tire.
I find the ride on a fat tire bike to be far superior to a thin tire.
I'm not getting the self-steering comments and the other stuff yet, but, I seriously doubt I will ever regret going with a fat tire design for my ebike.
I'm not getting it yet. I'm a rookie to ebikes, but, I have logged many thousands of miles on motorcycles.
I have a fat tire bike. I have no intention of taking it in the dirt. All the time will be on streets. I love the way it handles, and I love the extra rubber over a thin tire.
I find the ride on a fat tire bike to be far superior to a thin tire.
I'm not getting the self-steering comments and the other stuff yet, but, I seriously doubt I will ever regret going with a fat tire design for my ebike.
Captain Slow
Well-Known Member
and that's exactly what a fat tire bike should be used for.
But I suspect like early SUVs which were meant to be off-road vehicles that never saw dirt I bet most fat tire bikes aren't used like yours.
But just as SUVs evolved into crossovers which are better suited to how most people use SUVs i.e. city use, perhaps fat tire bikes will evolve into bikes that are better suited for how they're used.
Captain Slow
Well-Known Member
Stephan how in the world did you have over 1,000 wh of battery power on your Vado? I've lost track of your bikes, so that's a Vado and not a Vado SL? Still the Vado only comes with a 500 wh battery doesn't it?
Stefan Mikes
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The 2017-2021 Vado 5.0 came with a 604 Wh battery (and that size is the only available as a spare -- the battery form-factor was identical for all models). I own as many as two spares now. As the batteries naturally degrade with use, the capacity of the two original batteries is now closer to 500 Wh each. I take a spare battery in the pannier for any long ride I'm planning. It will be doable for me to travel with two panniers loaded with spare batteries for super long trips.
The 2022 Vado 4.0 and 5.0 both come with a 710 Wh battery.
Captain Slow
Well-Known Member
Mike Towpath, cool pictures and wow great usage of your bike. I think it's great you're getting so much use out of it.
I respect how you use your bike and I agree it's the best type of bike for you. But it's still not suited to how I want to ride. Mostly because I likely a sportier and more responsive ride. In fact since last year I've been riding my Aethos a lot more than my Creo because I just find the Aethos is a nicer and more responsive ride.
16,000 miles on your bike that's just awesome. I have to think most bikes don't ever see that kind of mileage. I've never had a bike reach that kind of mileage, I've always sold them before I get that high, and I have multiple bikes so the mileage gets spread around several bikes. Maybe in another 5+ years when I might retire then I'll have time to really rack up the miles. I've never had a year where I've ridden 10,000 km's. Maybe when I retire and the kids are older I'll have the time to do that.
I respect how you use your bike and I agree it's the best type of bike for you. But it's still not suited to how I want to ride. Mostly because I likely a sportier and more responsive ride. In fact since last year I've been riding my Aethos a lot more than my Creo because I just find the Aethos is a nicer and more responsive ride.
16,000 miles on your bike that's just awesome. I have to think most bikes don't ever see that kind of mileage. I've never had a bike reach that kind of mileage, I've always sold them before I get that high, and I have multiple bikes so the mileage gets spread around several bikes. Maybe in another 5+ years when I might retire then I'll have time to really rack up the miles. I've never had a year where I've ridden 10,000 km's. Maybe when I retire and the kids are older I'll have the time to do that.
Mike TowpathTraveler
Well-Known Member
Thanks, @Captain Slow, I appreciate those kind words. I completely understand the riding needs & requirements of how and where I want to ride will run counter to what others may need in their own areas of riding. Variety is the spice of life and all of that.....
The odometer now sits at 17,100 miles. Honestly, it has been a coldish, damp and very windy winter here in NJ so the usual amount of winter riding I usually do was curtailed a whole heck of a lot from previous winters.
@bikeman242: Thanks Bill. I'm always looking for small reptiles on the D&R Canal and the local paved Kinkora/Delaware River Heritage Trails. I'll always stop and get them off the riding path cause I know & have seen the results of too many cyclists who don't share that kind of small critter awareness that I might have. I moved that Snakey with a stick as that kind of water snake can be rather aggressive if she/he were picked up by hand! Good thing, too, as a line of Jeeps on a pine barrens trail ride, rolled on through just a few minutes after that picture was taken.
We can all help these critters out by moving them off the local roads whenever we encounter them. It is very demoralizing to see the amount of turtles, snakes, birds, squirrels, ground hogs killed along side our roadways on my rides. In particular, you will find turtles and snakes on the warm asphalt of spring and fall, taking in the heat.... and unfortunately, there are too many brain dead motorists who just don't care who kill these animals. And with the increased truck and car traffic coming to and from these new warehouses that have sprouted up like weeds everywhere, it's a kind of killing zone for these defenseless animals.
It helps to know what kind of reptiles live in your region; for I don't want anyone picking up a snake that might be of the venomous kind. And snapping turtles require a special way of grabbing them from the rear as that head of theirs has an amazing ability to stretch out far!
jdmvette
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theemartymac
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I ended up putting a set of Bontrager Rougarous on in May, and so far they have been great. Not quite as smooth rolling as the Chicane's I took off (and I miss the tan sidewall flair), but very good handlers by comparison. Happy enough given the current selection limitations. Bontrager is owned by Trek, so seems to be a bit of availability out there.
AHicks
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What size tires are those?
tomjasz
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BBSHD any day! Bafang can keep the new mids...
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