Fat Tires Aren't Bad
Posted by OkBuddyAccountant@reddit | ebikes | View on Reddit | 10 comments
I've got a mid drive ebike with fat tires on it and at first, I was a bit apprehensive about getting such large tires but after clocking in 1k miles on bike. I've really grown fond of them. Here's a list of Pro's and Cons
Pro's
- Make up for lack of rear suspension (which I am skeptical of but that's a story for another day) I can eat curbs and decent-sized potholes all day and drive headfirst into them and really not feel the impact as much. Wouldn't recommend seeking them out but it is a great feature to have.
- You can ride through a couple inches or a foot of water. You can go as deep as you want in the water so long as your bike's motor doesn't touch it. Can't really do this with a regular tire.
- Better traction and grip depending on PSI I keep my tires at \~20 and these are just basic kenda fat tires and I've ridden through slick and mud that would wipe out a person with normal tires
- Are the streets looking sketchy? Hop on the grass, and with the motor, there's no issue riding off the sketchy and bumpy grass off the feeder. I literally ride in the ditches without any issues.
- Offroad capabilities similar to the above terrain really doesn't matter you can even ride through sand ( I did and had a blast hitting the dunes, can't do that with a regular tire)
Con's
- Weight if you have a fat tire ebike it will be 10 pounds heavier than your regular bike. If you let your battery die it will be a workout pedling the bike
- Handling it's more difficult and you can't hit sharp turns or corners like you can with a regular bike. Although this can be attributed to skill, it is still much harder to hit sharp turns when you are going fast.
That's pretty much it, I really don't buy into the fat tire bad stance this subreddit takes anymore. As long as you aren't hitting technical trails made for MTBS and EMTBS fat tires are great!
alpaca-punch@reddit
As a fattie owner I could list ten thing that make them suck and totally impractical
OkBuddyAccountant@reddit (OP)
Mind sharing?
alpaca-punch@reddit
The weight, the difficulty changing a flat, the fact that you have to get specialty parts that aren't readily available everywhere, they're more likely to go flat because there's a larger surface area, they're less efficient, they have higher rolling resistance, you pay a premium just for having a smoother ride.
Again I own and love my fat bike, but they are wildly inefficient
OkBuddyAccountant@reddit (OP)
You have a hub drive, that sounds like a hub drive issue. I drive a mid drive so it's pretty simple for me to work on my bike. I am not a fan of hub drives because of the higher maintenance if something goes wrong. If I needed to change a flat id just do it like I was working on a regular bike. I also keep fix a flat with me and a spare inner just incase. Rolling resistance isn't an issue since I have a 1000w Bafang ebike that I bagged for 1.5k
alpaca-punch@reddit
what in the literal fuck are you talking about? i didnt say shit about my motor being a problem.
///if you need to change a flat....the wheel are far larger and harder to work with...but yeah no shit its like changing a regular tire...on a 90lbs bike that you have to flip in a stressful situation.
And yes rolling resistance is a big fucking problem when you lose nearly 5 to 10% of your power just to having fat tires.
Also wtf the handling? does it handle like a bicycle...no. does it handle like a MOTORCYCLE ...yes. you have to lean into turns and drive like you are on a light moto.
Do you actually know shit about bikes ...because i feel like you actually do not.
DohnJoggett@reddit
Honestly, no, most of this sub's posters don't know a fucking thing about bicycles. At best, most posters here had a cheap kid's bike and then got a shitty electric motorcycle or ebike. There are cyclists, and there are people that ride bikes. This sub has very few cyclists and a LOT of the "people that ride bikes" here are on illegal motorcycles that are in no way safe at the speeds they travel.
OkBuddyAccountant@reddit (OP)
The guy called a tire change stressful and he was referring to just changing the inner tube as well. I've built my own bikes with gas motors and am not taking seriously a guy who brings up stupid points and who doesn't even know what a beach cruiser bike is and how they handle like. Again read the description bud other forms of electric transportation are allowed so go find another sub to gatekeep cuz this one ain't it chief
deleted_by_reddit@reddit
[removed]
paxtana@reddit
In the past few months your comments have been flagged or removed by the toxicity filter a whopping 52 times. This will be your only warning to not be a dick, if you can't keep that shit to yourself you will be permanently banned.
alpaca-punch@reddit
Got it.... But...
Only 52? Those are rookie numbers