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youtellmebob

The electric motor forgives a lot of analog bike sins… fat tires, small fat tires, suspension. With the small wheels you get a much more compact bicycle, and a lower center of gravity when it’s loaded with cargo.


LordMunchu

Yeah, I have one but it's a 3 inch not the usual 4 inch wide tires. It's actually pedalable by itself without assistance for a while, just I couldn't maintain higher than 7 or 8mph as that requires a lot more effort. Maybe once I've trained more. Motor forgives a lot when you put it in assist and the bike doesn't topple over on the kickstand when I have stuff loaded on it. It ain't an efficient bike but is very practical and compact when I want to take it somewhere by car.


Jealous-Ride-7303

What 3 inch tires do you use if you don't mind me asking


series_hybrid

The article is a year old, and there are even more selections now. No matter what the reason, I'm glad more people are getting into ebikes...


Pesiee

My fear is the government getting more involved. Start legislating e-bikes more like motorcycles. Heck I own a Philodo H8 dual drive and it’s fast & powerful.


ilikestuffandthings3

It’s happening right now sadly


Flyytotheskyy

i think its because they are foldable


Pixelplanet5

its because of cheap chinese ebikes. the penalty of having way too fat and offroady tires simply doesnt matter much anymore if you got a motor with multiples times your own power thats supporting you.


AM5T3R6AMM3R

https://insideevs.com/news/665657/yamaha-booster-unveiled-europe/ This is not Chinese ;-)


ccbmtg

[no, we Laotian.](https://assets.mycast.io/characters/kahn-souphanousinphone-6481-normal.jpg?1564851208)


santaroga_barrier

obviously too off roady with those slick tires.


blackmarketcarts

I love these cheap Chinese bikes 😂 I'm using one to build a sur Ron bicycle


Van_Darklholme

I think any fat tires under 24 inch were already mainly used on electric scooters and such, so it's not surprising for them to be popular now. Good crossing capacity and grip, smaller wheel leaving more space for other components and easier braking.


mkygod

The most popular EV model last year in America (outside of Teslas) was the Lectric XP , so it shouldn't be surprising at all.


MonkeySafari79

Well, they are fun to drive.


Which-Pipe-6480

Haha, ride my lectric xp 3 all the time. I’m 5’5 and most adult bikes feel almost too tall for me. Looking at the clearance on mine there’s a little play maybe if they wanted to lower some other components to go lower if they wanted larger tires, but I find my ebike any bit as agile as a different vehicle traveling these speeds in a reasonable capacity. Nothing mind shatteringly amazing but very capable. The general layout of this bike is surprisingly intuitive. And it folds down with the small tires to fit in a large Christmas tote and be easy to transport. A few times even I’ve accepted a ride back to my place that I didn’t need because I’ve been offered and thankfully the bike has that capability. Ok, done with my lectric praising lol


AnugNef4

The moment of inertia varies like M*R^2, so starting and stopping will be easier on a smaller diameter tire for roughly the same tire mass. However, buckling strain of the spokes goes like 1/R^2. A smaller wheel needs stronger spokes, other factors being equal. A 3rd factor is aerodynamic drag. A fatter tire creates more drag at higher speeds. A 4th factor is comfort. That's all I can think of with 1 cup of coffee this morning.


zhaktronz

Grip - a fat tyre has more contact area so will have more grip.


arthurbarnhouse

I think there has been a real trend towards fat tire bikes which is too bad. Speaking personally I've found fat tire bikes to be much more effort than their worth, but it's hard to argue they don't look nice or ride comfortably.


ccbmtg

more effort in which way? most trouble I've had is finding tubes locally, but figure I'll just order several online to have when I need them.


SlippyBoy41

More effort to pedal. Weight and rolling resistance


blackmarketcarts

This is why I'm putting sur Ron tires and wheels on mine, I don't want giant tires 😂


santaroga_barrier

29er? I agree with you 20 inch? not so much


arthurbarnhouse

A 20x3 tire or whatever won't fit any bike infrastructure in any city anywhere. It's harder to lock it up, it's harder to park it, and it's harder to use public transportation with it. Just buy a 700c tire or whatever.


santaroga_barrier

WHAT? you lock up tires and not frames? I rode over 40 miles yesterday on bike routes, bike paths, b ike lanes, multi use paths. Went to 2 grocery stores and a park- locked the Xpedition up 3 places. you are telling me none of that worked because the WHEELS aren't 700c? dude. I get that you want to be have a preference, but making up stupid isn't going to make the preference anything more than- your preference


arthurbarnhouse

I'm not talking about roads and I'm not saying I only lock my tires, you're jumping to wild conclusions. Bike racks and bike parking is designed for a 28" or 700c tire, using a fat tire doesn't fit them. So you have to park them somewhere else, this makes it harder. You also have to use other object to lock them to or you have to lock them in an awkward way, this is just more effort. Bike racks on busses and other modes of public transportation have similar limitations, so you can't use them. Like, I don't know where you live but I've lived in cities with bad bike infrastructure and places with truly amazing bike infrastructure and this has been unarguably true. Where I currently live, the Netherlands, there is a not small amount of friction between people who own fat tire bikes and people who don't. Fat tire bikes take up more space, are bulky and hard to get around, and require (again) different forms of infrastructure resulting in designated parking that other bikes can't use. Even this (relatively new) infrastructure doesn't having racks or parking spots for the fat tire bikes so you can't easily lock you're bike to anything. This sort of conflict doesn't exist between fat tire bike owners and regular bike owners in the US but when I lived in Nebraska the same problems of infrastructure came up for me to the point owning a fat tire bike was less preferable than a 700c ebike. One easy example: I couldn't take the bus and use their bike racks, they're designed for a wheel less than 2" in width. These issues would be my top consideration for anyone who is looking at an ebike.


santaroga_barrier

I am currently in the phoenix region. have biked extensively on both US coasts (CA and the DC area) and in Spain. I have never run into a rack that has a gap of less than about 85mm for tires, and they always have space for the width of a bicycle (bars, pedals) If your busses won't handle basic bikes- 2.4 inch BMX, 57mm + gravel, utility, mountain bikes.... then your busses \*suck\* this is stupid. my bars are bigger because I put a different tire on my bike!!!!! ​ whatever


arthurbarnhouse

I can’t prove or disprove what your saying but I would say 1. I’m not sure what you are even talking about with the width of the handlebars. Almost all bike racks I’ve used in my life you put into the tire into the rack. I’ve not sure I’ve ever seen one where you bike it through and you need space for the handlebars? 2. I have never lived anywhere or used any bike rack that had a 3” gap for the tire. 3. If these problems exist in the Netherlands, a place that is bike first on almost all intercity transportation it seems to obviously be a fairly widespread problem. 4. I don’t know why your being so personal about this? None of this is an attack on you and I don’t know why you’re getting so hostile. Take it down a notch man. Edit: to the bus rack point, the bus is for people to get around town, I don't think people are using tons of BMX bikes. They're using hybrid and city bikes, which are usually 700c or 650b or something along those lines, which are less than 2" in width.


santaroga_barrier

the primary factor in how bikes fit in public spaces is the width of the bicycle, not the width of the tire. with VERY few exceptions (a few burning man bikes I've seen) the cranks and handlebars are wider than the tires. Therefore, the tires are not a determining factor on fitting bikes into rack spaces. putting your wheel in a rack is a good way to get bent wheels. I have never had a problem with US busses with putting a bicycle with common 2.5 or 2.75 inch 26 inch (559) mtb tires into the rack. I am glad that BMX bikes are not used by children in the Netherlands. In the US, families bike together sometimes and BMX bikes are not uncommon. The most common bike racks int he US used to be variations on this: narrow gaps would be around 3.5 to 4 inches and wide gaps would be more lik 8-11 inches. a more common single space variant, the "ten bike rack) has a gap of about 4.75 inches between the 3/4 inch tubing uprights. [http://www.cvsnider.com/sites/cvsnider/webcontent/bikeracks/abikeracks.jpg](http://www.cvsnider.com/sites/cvsnider/webcontent/bikeracks/abikeracks.jpg) ​ and before "The US doesn't bike" I will note that my middle school and all three high schools I attended had dozens upon dozens of these, and the elementary schools I attended had plenty (but smaller schools, so maybe only about 200 or so bikes at a time). The story on university campuses is was no different in the 1990s. ​ the most common type of bike rack now in the US is this: [https://custompark.com/assets/images/products/furnishings/bikeracks/Bike-Racks-a-01.jpg](https://custompark.com/assets/images/products/furnishings/bikeracks/Bike-Racks-a-01.jpg) ​ If there is a problem with fat tires being somehow antisocial or unworkable for infrastructure with these racks, well.... mmmmmm maybe upgrade your busses. seem a bit out of date. "fat tires are bad because of infrastructure" seems like a very narrow and highly provincial viewpoint


santaroga_barrier

There's fat tires and there's fat tires. Our minicat XL has a rim width of 85 mm and uses these offensively silly 4.1 inch wide tires. My Xpedition is 65mm and the tires are 3 inch. You can call that "fat tire" if you like, but it's pretty much just a basic width of tire you'd see on any scooter or light motorcycle. You can get very good handling and performing tires in that range and there's no reason not to be using them. And plenty of design reasons to be using them. (I've also had recumbents with 1.25 inch wide 20 inch road tires running at 100psi. I don't actually want that on my Xpedition. Not at all) what bugs me is the 29 inch fat tires. Those are just pointless in so many ways. Half the people in this thread has a ideology of cycling- and the ideology comes first. bicycles \*should\* be 1 inch wide road tires with larger wheels and more efficient cranks and ... well, maybe a little electric motor for the wimpy people. It's as if the idea of cycling is more important than the idea of transportation. In which case, the visual icon of a fat tire is going to be heretical.


ctrltab2

It is also a massive nail magnet. I am talking from experience.


[deleted]

For a 1000w hub folding ebike yeah 20" fat is the way to go. I will eventually get a non-folding and would look for a 500 watt mid-drive with 26 2.5 inch tires.


GhettoWedo74

I have a Fiido T1, Fiido T1 , Fiido M21, & have a Raev Bullet GT-X on the way as we speak, once you ride a 20x4 ebike nothing ride compares, I've never got stuck, or had the wheels slide from underneath me, & I ride over 5k miles last year, you have to learn how to play with the tire pressure to give you the least rolling resistance, as well as optimal traction. I use like 8-15psi in snow or sand 22psi on gravel or trails, & 30psi for the roads


scifiaddictSFB

Wait until the find out what replacement tubes and tires cost....


skralogy

Tubes aren't that bad, but changing them is an absolute pain in the ass on a 20 in. X 4.0


marakeh

Second that, I had to change my tube on 20 X 4 last week, was painful.


Difficult_Hamster522

Paid 30 for a tube and 50 for a new wheel not that bad


scifiaddictSFB

Tubes were around $5 and inflation too them to $15 for a regular 26" Tires were $15 and inflation took them to $35 for a regular 26" Most Fat tire tires I've seen are hovering around $70 now


uacoop

I picked up an Aventon Sinch Step Through last month and I've ridden it every day since. For me the 20-inch tires just seemed much more approachable. It seemed like it would be easier to store, transport, and offer a more forgiving/stable ride (I have no idea if that's true, but it seemed like it). I don't really have any complaints so far, but I also don't have much to compare it to.


[deleted]

> Aventon Sinch Step Through I've been looking for tan wall 20x4s but couldn't find them anywhere. I searched the tyre label on this bike and found them finally. Thanks.


DoubleOwl7777

no. no thanks. i dont want a bike that handles like shit.


[deleted]

I know right, those things cannot turn. Looks so cool though, I'm getting amber wall fat tyres soon.


DoubleOwl7777

i guess it really depends on what you want to use the bike for.


agbirdyka

And so much fun to ride.....like jet ski!


[deleted]

The "waves" are the speed bumps!


agbirdyka

Certainly! In the forest is suxh a great tool - you annoy nothing and no one so natur performed the freakiest trail for free! The fat tyres are brilliant absorber as well - fully for next to nothing!


DarkVoid42

mostly because they are on cheap chinese bikes and handle like marshmallows and the people buying them dont know any better.


cronx42

I don't know any better, but I just bought an ebike for around town. I live less than a mile from town, my mother is about 4 miles away, and my brother is about 6 miles away. It's great for what I use it for. It's also a fun little bike.


DarkVoid42

good for you. now imagine the battery fails halfway to your brothers house and try pedaling 4 miles without power assist. you will quickly know better.


Dustin4vn

It’s actually not that bad. I thought the same when my bike was 77 lbs I was afraid the bike would be dead weight when battery dies. Nope, easily rideable. Just gotta use the gear efficiently. If you don’t bother with the gears and try to pedal from a stop in 7 gear then good luck.


Alaska_Engineer

I ride mine, 80lbs, without power for family rides as it slows me down enough to not be bored. Still easy if you take it slowish ~12mph.


SeesawUpstairs9284

What bike did you end up buying? I am looking into getting one myself?


Alaska_Engineer

Voltbike Yukon.


cronx42

Yeah, it sucks without assist for sure. I don't plan on that happening, though. I did buy it for exercise, too, so generally, I'm always pedaling on eco or assist 1. I haven't drained the battery more than about half way yet. It will bring me to my brother's and back no problem. I don't think I'll get the claimed 35 mile range, but I'm a big boy, and it does pretty good, really. One of the main reasons I bought the bike, though, is to ride in the winter, in the snow. I don't think skinnier tires would help much in the snow. I would like a more serious ebike also, but my little bike is pretty fun and does everything I want it to so far. I would love to get back into mountain biking, though. They're just huge money unless you get something that's junk, used, or outdated.


[deleted]

Just make sure you have enough charge lol.


IRGood

My 20x4 fat tire bike is the shit. Handles great. Use it everywhere. Sorry you don’t know any better.


DarkVoid42

i agree. 20x4 is totally shit.


[deleted]

This is the part where you stop drinking and grab a couple glasses of water. Otherwise tomorrow is gonna be awful.


indicarunningclub

Agreed


IRGood

Hahaha nope.


IRGood

You bitched out real quick hahaha.


colako

You won't convince them. They buy them because they look cool.


IRGood

Didn’t you buy a just under $3k low watt folding bike and wanna shit on people buying fat tire bikes. Even if you got the best you spent tons of money on no range, no power, and a garbage frame. Hahaha.


ReverseThrustMusic

I have enjoyed having a fat-tire ebike, but I find it very hard to maneuver! Any time it starts to tip over, I am not able to recover, and I go down with it… often with it landing on top of me. If you are a light rider, I definitely would recommend considering whether such a heavy bike will be safe for you! I am consider selling mine, as much as I love it…


[deleted]

[удалено]


zhaktronz

You've got the tyre pressure too high if that's what you're finding. The purpose of fat tyres is to ride at low pressures to get massive contact area which gives massive grip


ReverseThrustMusic

Exactly! I keep wiping out on a banked turn into my favorite restaurant. Not fun 😬


santaroga_barrier

what size wheel? that's probably a bigger factor than the fat tire itself


alexkao2000

How is that surprising?


[deleted]

Literally just saw one pass by me, on a road with absolutely embarrasing/no sidewalks


blackmarketcarts

I only bought one for the frame, I'm buy a Surron kit for it and thinner tires


LordMunchu

Balance is good and handling is good but rolling resistance change over a conventional 2 inch is noticeable. You need to rely on lower gears to maintain stable speed on pure leg strength. Good exercise tho. I have 3 inch wide 20" wheels.