If you're searching for a way to ride over bumpy terrain while also getting a little extra help along the way, you're in the market for a fat tire electric bike.

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What is a fat tire e-bike?

"Fat tire" on its own is not a conventional category you'll find on many electric bike websites. In fact it's a broad term that covers models that fall into a handful of different bike categories. The unifying feature is of course the wide, usually very grippy tires.

Chief among these 'fat tire' categories would be electric mountain bikes. MTBs all reliably have wide, chunky tires, to help give you extra confidence on rooty trails and rocky paths. They also have front suspension, and sometimes rear suspension too.

Another part of the Upway website you'll find used fat tire bikes is the city and hybrid e-Bikes section. Hybrid bikes tend to have fatter tires than you'd find on a road bike, although they may not have quite as chunky a tread pattern as a full-on mountain bike. In the case of hybrid and city bikes, the fat tires fulfil a slightly different role – they're there to ensure a more comfortable ride, absorbing some of bumps and potholes of urban roads.

The third category where fat tires are a consistent feature is gravel bikes. You'll find Upway's electric gravel bikes within our road e-Bikes section, but you can easily distinguish them from speedier, asphalt-loving models by – you guessed it – the fatter tires they have. A gravel bike is a great way of combining the flatter, smooth surfaces you find on roads with trails and tracks in the countryside. Adding an electric assist just makes everything that little bit more fun!

How to choose the right fat tire e-bike?

The key to finding the right electric bike for you is purpose. What do you want to use the bike for? Where will you be riding it most of the time? What is it exactly that led you to click onto this guide about fat tire electric bikes in the first place?

When shopping our used e-bikes for sale, it makes sense to first narrow by the categories already discussed. Are you an adrenalin-seeker, or a city-slicker? Do you want your fat tire electric bike to enhance the off-road riding you already do, or are you actually seeking a more utilitarian everyday transport solution? If the answers to those two questions are the former, then you probably should start with an e-MTB. If you're a city-slicking utility rider then head first for our hybrid and city bike section.

If you would like a sportier bike that connects the linked but distinct worlds of on and off-road riding, e-gravel is the way for you.

What makes a good used fat tire electric bike?

Here are some features that mark out a great used fat tire electric bicycle.

Cargo capacity

Fat tire bikes like hybrids can be great for getting around your city or town, completing errands or getting to and from the office. If that sounds like your kind of riding, then it's smart to look out for e-bikes with extra carrying capability. That could mean a built-in integrated rack, or the option to add an aftermarket rack using mounting points on the frame.

Removable battery

Not all e-bikes have a removable battery but it's a neat feature, especially if you're storing your bike in a garage or someplace else where you don't have easy access to a power outlet. In that case, you would simply remove the battery and take that to where you had the charger plugged in, without having to worry about long trailing extension cords. Removable batteries also allow you to carry a second backup battery for longer adventures into the wild. Once one battery is depleted, simply remove and replace with the other. This is particularly useful if you're using your fat tire electric mountain bike for multi-day adventures.

Suspension

Fat tire e-bikes often come with some sort of suspension. The most common type would be a front suspension fork, but more advanced mountain bikes may also have a rear suspension system The purpose of suspension is to smooth out the trails beneath your wheels, and in many cases this overlaps with the reasons you might want fat tires on your bike.

The only type of fat tire ebike we've mentioned so far that you would not expect to find suspension on is the gravel bike.

Powerful motor

A powerful motor is an absolute must-have for a good used e-bike. Whether you're riding up and down steep inclines on a mountain bike trail or stopping and starting a lot at traffic signals and stop signs in the city, the importance of powerful assistance can't be overestimated. Look for bikes with motors boasting higher Nm values, around 80 or 90Nm.

Battery life

Battery life goes hand in hand with your powerful motor. After all, it's no use having a super-strong motor kicking out plenty of Newton meters, but a battery that is flat after only 5 miles! Batteries with Wh numbers in the high hundreds are best, but you can also get away with a lower capacity if the bike is especially light. For instance, a 400Wh battery will keep an e-gravel bike rolling much further than it would a heavier, full-suspension mountain bike.

Find your perfect used fat tire e-Bike at Upway

It's easy to discover your perfect used fat tire e-Bike at Upway. We have a huge selection of e-Bikes, all of which have been carefully checked and refurbished so that they're like-new when you take them for your first spin.

Used Fat tire electric bikes for Off-Road Adventure

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