The monster bike
One of the trends at Eurobike in 2014 was the so-called fat bikes. The fat bike category originally comes from North America and was manufactured there in the 1980s. Back then, they still had some unusual rim designs. Do you need something like that? The manufacturer Pedego now even offers an e-fat bike. Rims are the main topic for these bikes. With tire widths of 3.7-4.8 inches, these are more like motorcycles than bicycles. The tire sitting on them can be used in a wide range of air pressures, allowing you to ride in deep sand, snow, or similar surfaces.
The question that comes up frequently is: “Do we need something like that?” The clear answer is: “No!” But do we always only buy things that we need?
The fat bike is just as useful on normal surfaces as a pickup truck in front of the ALDI supermarket. On the other hand, you can also get a lot out of this handling. Potholes or even curbs are of little interest to the fat bike. The rolling resistance is also extreme, not least thanks to the coarse tread.
Electric Fat Bikes Reviewed
Overall, I was not able to get much out of the conventional fat bike when I first met it at the bicycle press service meeting. The situation is different with electric drives. The manufacturer Pedego from San Diego has been offering an alternative to Surly & Co. for three years now, the so-called Trail Trekker. A fat bike weighing just under 30 kg with a 250-watt direct drive on the rear wheel hub. The same drive is also used in the manufacturer’s other vehicles sold in Europe.
This drive turns the heavy vehicle into a very agile vehicle. Even if it might be tight for very difficult terrain with only 250 watts (European version), the vehicle is delivered in the USA with 600 watts. For urban use away from difficult terrain, however, it allows something like a relaxed drive to the ice cream parlor in an off-road vehicle. Of course, you have to love the attention that the sound of the studded tread attracts. On the other hand, for extroverted city cowboys, it may just be the complement to the lemon-green neon rims. All in all, the impression remains of a bike that the world does not need, but which attracts individualists.
Addendum from 14.01:
We have now replaced the brakes. The cables of the Avid BB7 had stretched too much. Now the fat bike brakes with a Magura T2, where the deceleration is a bit better suited to this load anyway…
