What is an electric Fat bike?

If you're looking for your first ebike, we are sure that you have already stumbled upon the term "electric Fat Bike", so exactly what does it mean?

In a few words, an electric Fat Bike is a versatile ebike equipped with wide tires called Fat Tyres, with a configuration that's meant to be useful and comfortable in any kind of terrain.

Fat tires generally can be about a size of 26 inches or 20", and they have a wide section of 4" with offroad treads, as a result we have a very wide tire with a lot of air volume, grip and traction in any terrain. Let's see some of the main questions.

Are fat bikes easy to use? The large wheels make the fat bike quite easy to control: the surface of the tire that rolls on the ground is large with a considerable increase in stability compared to a normal bicycle, especially on rough terrain. On the other hand, due to such extreme grip, the force needed to move them is greater at the expense of speed. But with a modern electric version powered by a motor you will have a lot of power on your legs, so having large tires it's a big advantage and not a malus like in standard bicycles.

Are fat bikes very heavy? A fatt bicycle is only apparently heavy. Its massive appearance is misleading: its tires may also be "fat" but they are full of air with an inner tube (in 99% of cases), and thanks to their remarkable shock-absorbing effect they allow you to feel comfortable like you have an extra rear shock absorber and suspension fork, with considerable weight reduction.

Let's start explaining the story about the origins of Fat bikes digging in the past.

Fat bikes: born for exploration

The desire for discovery inherent in human nature has prompted man to make epic crossings, journeys and adventures, first on foot, with skis and sleds, then with bicycles and a thousand other means of transport.

Digging back in time, we can say that standard Fat Bikes (propelled by muscular power) were born in 1980 as utility bicycles for hard terrains in remote areas of the USA, but now in modern times they have been "civilized" to be more comfortable and useful also in urban environments.

Apart from the very first experiments, which date back to the Thirties (and perhaps even earlier), with "circus" bicycles modified to accommodate car tires, undoubtedly heavy and hard to pedal, we can say with certainty that the first real fat bikes were born out of necessity: in fact normal bikes were no longer enough in some terrains, something had to be created to float on soft ground, to give bikers the opportunity to access places they had never ridden before.

So, in the 1980s, after the mountain bike boom and after the first "standard" mountain bikes hit the shops, they immediately thought about how to modify them to make them even more versatile.

First models of Fat bikes

The first working Fat bikes were born on two opposite sides of the world: one was designed for the desert sands of Mexico and one designed for the snows of Alaska.

They were prototypes, some with wheels made up of two rims welded together (or even three or four wheels coupled together), larger tires cut and stitched together, all to ensure that the greater footprint of the rubber allowed to pedal, to fully loaded and with all the equipment, where a normal bike would stop.

Simon Rakower, of Fairbanks, Alaska, is regarded as the inventor of one of the first wide 44 mm rims that went into production as Snowcat rims.

At the same time Ray Molina, from New Mexico, devised an 80 mm one to be installed on his modified frames for the tours he rode in the desert. The Remolino was born, the first fat bike with 3.5 ″ tires.
 
In a short time these modified bikes opened a new chapter for exploration around the world, even for those who lived in places covered by snow for most of the year and moved on the tracks created by snowmobiles.

It was a period of experimentation that lasted throughout the nineties, where inventors and enthusiasts constantly exchanged ideas and built increasingly effective prototypes, with technical solutions aimed at solving the problems related to the increased dimensions of the tires, the rigid temperatures and the loading needs of these very special bikes.
 
After all that experimentation, in modern days, ebikes producers discovered how versatile and performing a Fat Bike with pedaling assistance was, so it became a very common kind of e-bike.

Electric Fat Bike

Modern electric fat bikes are made to be performing in both urban environments and off road, so the mainly chosen size of wheels is about 20" with wide 4" tires. It's the right compromise in terms of size and maneuverability, to make the electric bike compact while used inside the city and performing in unpaved trails.
 
In addition they are packed with a set of suspensions that let the ride be even more comfy over bumpy terrains. Therefore, better models are equipped with a full set of urban accessories like mudguards, rear rack, kickstand, LED lights and so on..
 
If you're searching for adventures and you want to buy a modern and civilized electric fat bike, we recommend you to look at the brand new NearMee Gallop that's offered in standard version or with a Step thru frame.
 
What are you waiting for? grab your e-fat bike and start your adventures!