The fat-tyred electric bike is an instantly recognisable category of active transport machinery.
It stands out from bikes with slim or regular-sized road tyres in the same way a stuffed crust pizza is set apart from its flat Italian brethren. We’re going beyond the thicker tyres with deep treads used on mountain bikes, to e-bikes with wheels that might not look out of place on a motorcycle.
Why would you want this? Well, apart from standing out from the crowd and looking like you’re off to ride your bike over some thoroughly rural terrain, a fat-tyred bike has advantages in grip and stability.
But it doesn't end there. The motor prevents the loss of power you’d suffer when pedalling against the resistance offered by such large tyres. Combine this with suspension and the extra cushioning from the tyres, and you’re looking at a smooth ride over rougher terrain.
You can also run these tyres at a lower pressure than road tyres, meaning they spread out more, enhancing grip further. This is especially useful if you live in a cold area, and face snow or ice, and the same advantage can be felt on sand, though watch out for the grains getting into the bike’s mechanisms.
Fat tyres are, however, larger and more expensive than normal road tyres, and take longer to inflate as they come with a larger tube to match. This means it’s well worth investing in some form of puncture protection for them, such as tyre liners or sealant that’s injected directly into the tube’s valve and then forced into any breaks in the tube by air pressure.
Under UK law, e-bikes with motors that output 250W of power or less, and which can’t propel themselves faster than 15.5mph, can be ridden on the road without registration, tax or insurance by people aged 14 and over. Anything with an output greater than that is classed as a moped or motorcycle, and can’t be used on the road without a driving licence, crash helmet and other paperwork.
Best fat-tyre electric bikes at a glance:
- Best for on-road riding: Himiway Cruiser - £1,699, Himiway Bike
- Best for carrying a load: RadRhino 6 Plus - £1,849, Rad Power Bikes
- Best for folding away: Hygge Vester Electric Folding Bike - £1,099, Currts
- Best for futuristic design: Engwe X26 - £2,499, The Electric Revolution
- Best for tackling rough terrain: Himiway Cobra - £2,899.99, Eco Bike Company
- Best for heading off the tarmac: Red Rocket SX Sport Utility - £1775, Eco Bike Company
- Best for carrying a passenger: Synch Longtail Super Monkey 2 Seater - £1,999, Eco Bike Company
- Best for carrying cargo: VEE C1 Cargo - £1,999, Virtue Electric Bikes
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Himiway Cruiser
Best for: on-road riding
Fat-tyred e-bikes can be a lot of fun, and the Himiway Cruiser leans into this with a torquey motor and comfortable ride. Offering up to an estimated 60 miles of cycling per charge, which is more than many others can manage, this is a bike for riding along flatter paths rather than off-road trails, as its tyres are fat but don’t have particularly deep treads.
Some of the bike’s specs have been chosen to keep the price down: the motor is in the rear hub, and the brakes use cables instead of hydraulics, for example, but there is front suspension to keep the ride even smoother, and it’s a good choice for the kind of on-road riding a lot of us do.
Buy now £1699.00, Himiway
RadRhino 6 Plus
Best for: carrying a load
American brand RadRhino is packing up and leaving Europe soon, so you’ll need to get in quick if you want one of its excellent fat-tyred electric bikes. The RadRhino 6 Plus is an extremely comfortable ride with front suspension to augment the large tyres, and strong disc brakes to bring you to a halt.
Fat-tyred bikes tend to be heavier than normal road bikes, and the RadRhino is no exception, tipping the scales at slightly over 30kg. There’s a range of baskets and racks available too, so you can fit more on. This means it’s not a nimble ride, but its carrying capacity and ability to smoothly ride over bumps and other small obstacles, plus the 250W electric motor, make it a winner.
Buy now £1849.00, Rad Power Bikes
Hygge Vester Electric Folding Bike
Best for: folding away
Fat-tyre bikes don’t have to be huge. This model from Vester has 20in wheels and is designed to fold down in a similar manner to the classic Brompton, so you can take it with you when using a different mode of transport.
Despite its small size, you still get a full range of features. There’s the all-important 250W hub motor, which will easily get you to the UK e-bike assistance limit of 15.5mph. You get disc brakes, an LCD display, and a seven-speed Shimano gearing system. There’s even suspension on the front fork, and at 27kg, it’s fairly light, though if that’s important to you, a folding bike without the motor and battery will always be lighter.
Buy now £1099.00, Currys
Engwe X26
Best for: futuristic design
With a motor output of 1,000W, this bike isn’t able to be ridden on the road in the UK legally - at least not without a helmet and insurance. Being a bike that’s strictly for off-road use limits its usefulness, as you’re not going to be able to use it for commuting or for popping to the shops, which is a shame because the way it looks makes it a bike to be seen with.
There’s a padded seat on the back rack that can accommodate a passenger, hydraulic brakes, and fully adjustable suspension for those times you want to go really hard over the bumps.
Buy now £2499.00, The Electric Revolution
Himiway Cobra
Best for: tackling rough terrain
A more conventional electric mountain bike, the Cobra is UK road-legal with a 250W rear hub motor, seven-speed Shimano gears and Tektro hydraulic brakes. There’s suspension on the front fork as well as at the rear, and an LCD display that features a USB charging port so you can top up your phone from the bike battery if needed.
The 20Ah battery should be good for a distance of 60 miles, depending on how you ride it, and it’s a durable bike designed to carry a load of up to 181kg. Due to its robust build, it weighs 40kg, so might be too heavy for some car-attached bike racks.
Buy now £2899.99, Eco Bike Company
Red Rocket SX Sport Utility
Best for: heading off the tarmac
An e-bike that looks very much like a motorbike, but is legal to ride on the road in the UK, the SX Sport Utility has chunky tyres and front suspension that tell you it’s going to be a beast both on and off the tarmac. The frame is a lightweight alloy that keeps the weight down to 32kg without compromising its stiffness, and there are hydraulic disc brakes to make sure you stop safely.
The 20-inch tyres aren’t that tall, but they’re certainly fat, and you’ll get up to 30 miles of cycling out of a full charge of the battery.
Buy now £1775.00, Eco Bike Company
Synch Longtail Super Monkey 2 Seater
Best for: carrying a passenger
A road-legal bike that can carry a passenger, the Longtail Super Monkey has a 250W rear hub motor, Shimano gears and hydraulic disc brakes like a lot of bikes on this list. Where it differs is in its shape, with a design that’s more like a cargo bike, and 20-inch fat tyres. There’s no suspension, so you’re reliant on those tyres to reduce the jolts you get from potholes, but they do mean it’s equally at home on a rougher surface too.
There is a range of accessories available for the bike, including a large LED headlamp for night riding and baskets and panniers for carrying the shopping, but it’s that extra seat on the back that really makes it stand out from the other commuter bikes.
Buy now £1999.00, Eco Bike Company
VEE C1 Cargo
Best for: carrying cargo
Cargo bikes are just the thing if you’re going to be moving lots of weight around using pedal power, and the addition of a 250W rear hub motor just makes this process even easier. The fat-tyred VEE C1 can squeeze as much as 70 miles out of a charge thanks to an enormous LG battery pack, though this depends greatly on the weight you’re carrying.
The bike comes with a rear rack and front basket, and more are available as optional accessories. With a weight of 28.5kg before you load it up, it’s a relatively svelte bike that’s capable of tackling anything you throw at it.
Buy now £1999.00, Virtue Electric Bikes
Verdict
Fat-tyred e-bikes are a versatile choice, and can be used as trail bikes, road warriors, cargo carriers and everyday rides.
There are many types available, targeted at the different uses we put our bikes to, but a bike like the Himiway Cruiser makes a great everyday ride that benefits from the robust build quality you often see in a fat-tyre model.
Others, such as the Synch Longtail Super Monkey 2 Seater and Engwe X26 are definitely more specialist designs, but even they can’t get away from the fact that e-bikes make cycling more fun and accessible, and the fat tyres just turn up the enjoyment even more.
