What Are Fat Tire Electric Bikes and Who Are They For?

Go big, but don’t go home. Because why would you return to your house when you’re having so much fun on a fat tire e-Bike? Wide tires and an electric motor are key ingredients for an enjoyable and comfortable ride, even over tricky terrain. Here’s a brief guide that defines fat tire electric bikes and which people may benefit the most from riding them. 

Fat tire e-Bikes have oversized tires between 3.5” to 5” in width. These ultra-wide tires provide additional traction and stability over soft, loose terrain like sand and snow. However, the largest benefit likely comes from the super-low pressures that these tires can accommodate to increase cushion and all-terrain capabilities. 

Fat tire electric bikes can be ridden confidently almost anywhere because of their wide tires and pedal assistance, which offsets any weight gains or extra rolling resistance from the tires. There are recreational all-terrain, moto-style, cargo e-Bikes, and folding models with fat tires. 

When people are searching for an all-terrain electric bike, I like to point out the differences between those models and electric mountain bikes. While both types are designed to go off-road, so-called “all-terrain e-Bikes” or “fat tire electric bikes” are more affordable and built to be a solid value. 

E-MTBs, on the other hand, have fancier parts for more aggressive, performance-oriented riding. They have more premium parts like suspension forks, rear shocks, drivetrains, and hydraulic brakes that can really stand up to rowdy riding— and there’s significantly longer suspension than fat tire e-Bikes that typically max out at around 80mm to 100mm front suspension. 

The fat tires we see so often these days are a bit of a newer invention. Tire widths are increasing in general, but fat tires take it to the limit, measuring between 3.5” to 5” to maximize comfort and grip. Mainly, fat tires provide high levels of traction, comfort, and stability across softer or uneven terrain because of the large contact patch and low tire pressure.

That said, those benefits come at the cost of weight savings and efficiency. Fat tires add a significant amount of weight, and the often heavy tire tread increases rolling resistance, meaning the electric bike motor has to work that much harder. 

The biggest factor is that the weight is added to the wheel and rim area of the bike— weight here is equivalent to adding up to 10x more weight to the frame of the bike in terms of efficiency. Most fat tire e-Bikes have rear hub motors, and the motors will have to use more power to rotate the wheels with more mass, draining battery life. Riders also report that fat tire e-Bikes are very difficult to ride with no assistance if the battery dies, due to the weight and cumbersome tires.

In general, if you ride soft terrains like snow or sand, fat tires can provide some serious gains. Comfort-oriented riders will also enjoy the additional cushion from such high-volume tires— just keep in mind that these beefy bikes aren’t designed for ultimate efficiency. Here are the best fat tire e-Bikes for summer!