The origin of fat tire electric bike, what is fat tire electric bicycle?
When looking for new e-bike models, you often see e-bikes equipped with big, wide tires, but why would any e-bike have fat tires?
Fat tires are versatile because they can hold a lot of air and can be managed accordingly to your needs. The extra amount of air guarantees a high level of comfort, as the wheels absorb vibrations and smaller shocks from the ground.
Meanwhile, a set of fat tires provides a wide contact surface with the terrain, which means safety, traction and plenty of control on loose surfaces like sand and snow. And on dirt and mountain bike trails.
As we've learned, a set of fat tires can be useful in both urban and off-road environments, turning electric bikes into a versatile form of transportation. You can ride as needed or for leisure and have fun on large, safe wheels.
Fat tyres also contribute to better performance during the braking phase as they stick to the ground, making the bike stop faster in a smaller space.
Electric bikes are faster and heavier than standard bikes, so the fat tire group provides proper support in terms of performance and safety, and will result in a better riding experience.
Do you want to know more about fat tires? Let's start with some historical information to explore its origin.
How did the fat Bike come into being?
The need for land exploration led to epic journeys and traverses across the globe, journeys and adventures first on foot, skis and sleds, then bicycles and a thousand other means of transport.
Looking back, we can say that the standard fat-tyre bikes (propelled by muscle power) were born in the 1980s as multi-purpose bikes for hard terrain in remote parts of the US, but now in modern times they have been "civilised" and are more versatile and comfortable in urban environments.
Aside from the earliest experiments (dating back to the thirties (and even earlier), where "Circus" bikes were modified to fit car tires and were undoubtedly heavy and hard to step on, we can safely say that the first truly fat bike was born out of necessity: In fact, regular bikes are not suitable for exploring some extreme terrain, and something must be created that floats on soft ground and snow to give cyclists a chance to get into places they have never ridden before.
In the 1980s, after the mountain biking craze and the first "standard" mountain bikes hit stores, they immediately looked at how they could be modified to make them more versatile - adding wide fat tires. Everything starts to evolve until you find an electric fat bike version on the market.
The Electric Fat Bike: Evolution
As we said at the outset, modern electric fat bikes are versatile in urban environments as well as on off-road trails, so the main choice of wheel size is about 20 inches and tire width is 4 inches. It's the right compromise in terms of size and handling, making e-bikes compact for inner city use and on unpaved trails.
You can also find fat bikes with 26-inch or even 27.5-inch wheels, which work well in extreme terrain but may not be practical in the middle of traffic. In addition, to provide more comfort, the obese e-bike is equipped with a set of suspension to make it more comfortable on rough terrain. So the better models come with a full range of urban accessories such as fenders, rear mounts, brackets, LED lights, etc... Civilize the bike and prepare it for everyday adventures.
High pressure or low pressure?
We don't have a universal general answer, but we have to say that it depends on your needs, terrain type, and preferences.
In some cases, lower tire pressure or a blowout will result in higher wheel performance, such as in soft terrain and off-road driving, because a blowout provides more grip and higher traction. Vice versa, high pressure is more effective on hard surfaces and flat asphalt as well as in urban environments because it provides less rolling resistance and therefore faster and less battery drain.
Also, if you're off-road riding, hard and well-inflated tires tend to bounce off obstacles and rocks, whereas flatter tires will absorb all the little shocks, giving you more comfort and control. So, as you can see, it's not the best solution for anything, but it depends on your needs.
If you're looking for adventure, and you want to buy a modern and civilized electric fat bike, we suggest you check out the new Meebike Gallop, which comes in standard or with a Step-through frame.
What are you waiting for? Grab your electric bike and start exploring!