What Should I Look for When Buying a Fat Tire Bike?

Fat tire bikes, also known as fat bikes are a type of bike that features oversized, huge, fat tires. (Hence the name!) They’re not exactly fast, so don’t use them if you’re looking for speed.

Instead, they are the perfect bike type for going off-trail, as they are essentially the all-terrain version of bikes.

Thanks to the oversized big tires, they can cycle through router terrains and can make it through mud, sand, snow, and many more, with ease.

Basically, fat tire bikes are the perfect bike option for cycling in the wilderness, and going off the path, into the unknown. They can handle any sort of ground type!

There are plenty of fat tire bikes to choose from in the market, so finding the right one for you can be somewhat of a challenge. What should you be looking out for? What does your fat tire bike need in order to be the best option possible?

What Should I Look For When Buying A Fat Tire Bike?

Let’s take a look!

We like to take a few factors into consideration, and they’re the things that you should be looking out for when buying a fat tire bike. So here is a summary:

Tires

Fat tire bikes are also available with different types of fat tires, as there are many levels of thickness that you can go for, depending on the use you’re going to give the bike.

Usually, the bigger and thicker the tires, the more expensive they will be, so that is also a factor you should consider. Although one of the advantages of tires is that they are interchangeable (most of the time), meaning you could always buy more sets of tires and switch between them for different needs. (Although that would mean investing a lot more money).

Suspension

Fat tire bikes can come with or without a suspension mechanism. If you’re going to be using your fat bike in a similar way to a mountain bike, then a suspension will make those bumps a lot smoother.

However, most fat tire bikes are now rigid, and come without a suspension system, so that’s something to figure out beforehand.

RELATED: Do you need a Suspension Fork on a Fat Bike

Frame

The size of the frame affects the size of the bike as a whole, and it’s important that the bike suits you in size, and in height, so that you’re comfortable when cycling.

However, the frame can also determine the limit of wheel size. So if you’re planning on switching between different types of tires, you might want to take that into account.

How much do fat tire bikes cost?

The cost of a fat tire bike isn’t a set price, and it varies depending on many factors, such as the brand, the make of the bike, and the place where you’re buying it from.

As with most things, you can find fat-tire bikes that are high-end and incredibly expensive, and you can also find good value affordable options if you know where to look.

However, on average, fat tire bikes are slightly more expensive than normal bikes, due to the special tires they require. In fact, some of the more high-end fat tire bikes can be more expensive than replacing the tires of your vehicle!

On average, a decent but affordable fat tire bike will cost around $500, while more advanced fat tire bikes will be closer to the $1000 mark. So yeah, a lot pricier than average normal bikes.

But why are fat tire bikes more expensive than normal? Here are a few reasons:

The Quality and Design

Whenever you buy a specific type of bike, it will tend to be more expensive than your average normal bike, because you’re purchasing a specialized and focused design, with a specific purpose in mind. Usually, more attention to detail is put into these products, resulting in higher quality.

Although, of course, this can widely depend on the brand and the place you’re buying from, as there are always affordable options to be found, as well as cheap knock-offs that aren’t to be trusted.

The Tires

The tires are the main and most significant reason why fat tire bikes are more expensive. This is because the tires are incredibly specialized, and unlike any other tire type used by other bikes.

These tires are incredibly big and thick, made from far more durable materials, able to get through rougher and trickier terrain and ground types. The entire purpose of the bike relies on the tires being effective, so a lot more effort and quality are put into them, making them pricier along the process.

The Increasing Popularity

Fat tire bikes are becoming increasingly popular nowadays, with more and more people venturing into cycling in the wilderness, and testing out the all-terrain qualities of fat bikes.

And if something is popular and sells, the market makes it more expensive, so that there’s more profit. That’s just how the modern market works, and there’s nothing you can really do about it!