Fat bikes are becoming more and more popular nowadays. Known as Fatties, fat bike, fat tire, fat-tire bike, or snow bike. The sport is sometimes referred to as fat biking or fat-tire biking.
But what is a fat bike and what benefits do fat bikes offer?
A fat bike is an off-road bicycle that utilizes literally ‘fat’ tires, which are usually between 3.5-5″ wide.
A fat bike is a popular alternative to mountain bikes for off-road riding and bike packing. Although similar to mountain bikes in many ways, their wide low-pressure tires provide extra traction when riding.
The frame, fork, and wheels are also specially designed to accommodate the wide tires.
Fat bike frames need extra clearance so the wide tires don’t rub, thus fork arms, as well as the seat stays and chain, stay wide. This makes the hub spacing wider on fat bikes than on mountain bikes.
Because the tires and rear hub spacing are so wide, the bottom bracket and crank spindle need to be wider as well.
Fat bike tires can run at incredibly low pressure of 5-14 psi because the fat tire is so voluminous already that they won’t bottom out and hit the rim if you hit an obstacle.
The question for many is; why would you want fat tires on a bike? Aside from it drawing attention and stares from strangers, wide tires is to distribute the weight of the bike and rider over a larger surface area providing increased traction compared to typical bike tires.
It’s designed for tackling soft terrain that regular bicycles would struggle with. Fat bikes were invented for riding on deep snow and soft sand.
Fat bikes are more than just snow bikes nowadays, they’re also used for riding on the diverse terrain of mountain biking trails, road biking, and beaches
Fat bikes certainly have their function. The primary benefit of a fat bike is that they’re able to travel over diverse terrain, it can perform well in mud, and loose gravel better than regular bicycles. The wide tires provide the extra grip and traction, and combined with low tire pressure, allows you to pedal over terrain that’d make regular bikes sink.
You can ride a fat bike where no other bike can go. This is possible because the wide tires distribute the weight of you, the bike, and your gear across more surface area. The fat tires put less pressure on the ground. This allows the tires to roll over the snow, sand, and mud instead of sinking in and getting caught up as a standard mountain bike tire would. The large tires provide increased balance and control giving you the confidence to be more adventurous.
Soft tires absorb shocks and vibrations from the road or trail, and absorb the impact instead of bouncing off. This improves comfort and reduces fatigue while riding rough terrain because you’re not bouncing around too much. The frame design of most fat bikes offers a comfortable upright riding position. This puts very little stress on the back, neck, and shoulders.
Since you can ride off trails Fat bikes are becoming known for bike packers and touring. Many have used it to cross streams, rivers, and muddy and rocky trails.
Can greatly improve your strength and stamina. An excellent workout for weight loss or generally improving your physical fitness.
Fat bikes are still a small niche and thus making you a bit different than everyone. It’s still head-turning and draws attention especially when you have a unique set-up. They give you an enhanced experience on the fun and comfort factor while also feeling stylish.
Allows using their bike year-round in different weather because you can ride softer terrains, slippery and muddy with a fat bike.
Will burn more energy and cover less ground than you would on a mountain bike and thus less ideal for long-distance touring. Rolling resistance created by the wide, low-pressure tires slows you down as you would on a mountain bike thus, if you want to race on the road, then a fat bike is not ideal compared to usual mountain bikes. However, this is not always the case for all fat bikes, you may want to check fat bike tires out there which are designed to boost your fat bike’s performance to offer maximum rolling speed without compromising on grip.
The extra-wide tires, rims, and other specially built-for-fat bike parts have more material thus adding to the weight. But in general, depending on the brand, a fat bike doesn’t feel heavy when you ride and it gives you an insanely smooth ride.
Those wide tires are what make it so hard to store a fat bike, where it might not fit into normal mountain bike storage hooks or storage. But nowadays, there are already options out there where storage hook is wide taking specifically designed to cater to fat bikes.
Regular bike shops don’t typically have fat bike parts replacements. However, you may still find specialized shops where fat bike tires, rims, hubs, bottom brackets, and cranks are readily available.
Final Thought
Considering the Pros and Cons, we recommend readers to try fat bikes out before committing to purchase any bike. Get a test at your local bike store if you haven’t tried it already. You will understand if the pros outweigh the cons!
Fat bikes aren’t the best choice for every rider but certainly a good choice to consider. In the end, this choice comes down to personal preference and style you have.
Check out this article to learn more about the health benefits and disadvantages of cycling.
Share your tips and experience in the comments below!
Photos Credit to Fat bike owners| Cyclists: Epong Dapz Trivino, Osena Marc Osny, Allan Garcia
References:
wheretheroadforks, Last update March 10, 2022, Fat Bike Vs Mountain Bike: Pros and Cons, accessed 24 May 2022,
Wikipedia, Fatbike, accessed 24 May 2022, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatbike
BikeLockWiki, accessed 24 May 2022,
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