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Top 5 fat tire electric bikes we’ve tested (and you’ll want to ride) for summer 2020

Fat tire bikes are a ton of fun, but pedaling those big, heavy tires can be arduous without assistance. Fat tire electric bikes solve the problem and are one of the most fun ways to cycle over just about any terrain imaginable.

Get ready, because today I’m listing my top 5 favorite electric fat tire bikes that I’ve tested for the summer.

This is part of a Top 5 E-Bikes for Summer 2020 series that we’re currently running to help introduce our readers to some great e-bikes for hitting the road or trail this summer.

We’ve already covered a few categories, but be sure to stick around over the next few days to see our choices for the following categories of electric bikes:

And be sure to check out our video below that showcases all of the electric fat tire bikes in this list in action.

RadRover from Rad Power Bikes

First up on the list is the RadRover from Rad Power Bikes.

It’s actually available in two options — either the standard RadRover with a typical diamond frame or the RadRover Step-Thru.

They’re otherwise pretty similar, so the major difference is just what type of geometry you prefer.

The standard RadRover has a triangle that can be nice for adding small bags or other accessories, but the RadRover Step-Thru is of course more accessible to a wider range of riders, especially riders with leg injuries or who otherwise find it hard to swing a leg over a big bike.

Both options offer a great ride with a 750W motor in the back, a suspension fork up front, 672 Wh of battery, and a top speed of 20 mph (32 km/h), which classifies them as a Class 2 throttle e-bike. Rad Power Bikes also has a huge line of accessories that you can choose from to customize your ride.

And at $1,499, it’s hard to beat Rad Power Bikes in terms of value.

The only downside to the RadRover I’ve found so far is that it’s just kind of a big bike, which is why I’m actually going to include another Rad Power Bike here, the RadMini Step Thru (seen below).

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This bike gets you most of the awesome ride of the bigger RadRover, yet in a smaller package. Despite offering fat tires, it still folds up small enough to fit in a trunk, which is a feat the standard RadRover could never achieve. And it’s the same reasonable price of $1,499. Not bad if you ask me.

Want to learn more about the RadRover? Check out my full RadRover review here, or watch my RadRover Step-Thru review video.

Aventon Sinch folding fat tire e-bike

Next up on the list, we have the Aventon Sinch, another folding fat tire electric bike that would be great for riding the beach or snow all day and then stuffing in your car when you’re done.

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The Aventon Sinch features an internal 672 Wh battery, which is as much battery as the RadRover above, except that the battery gets hidden in the Aventon Sinch’s frame resulting in a sleek look without an eyesore of a battery.

You don’t need to remove the battery to charge it, but you can if you want to charge it separately from the bike.

For power, the Aventon Sinch has a rear 500W geared hub motor that runs at 750W peak. There are mechanical disc brakes, which I would have loved to have seen upgraded to hydraulic discs like Aventon’s other classy bike, the Aventon Level. But at a reasonable price of $1,499, I can do mechanical disc brakes. And Aventon makes up for it with those beautiful, invisible welds on the frame. I have yet to see another e-bike company get close to the frame build quality of Aventon.

Fenders don’t come standard, which is a slight bummer, but they’re an optional add-on for those of you that live in rainy environments.

In all of my riding, I can only find one drawback of substance to this bike — the throttle doesn’t work from rest. You need to pedal about half a revolution or so before the throttle kicks in. That’s fine on the road, but in deep sand, that half a revolution is a tall order indeed. Once you get going though, it’s smooth sailing and this bike is honestly just a blast and a half to ride.

The wide tires float above sand and obstacles while the small tire diameter keeps the bike nimble and agile. It’s just a great fat tire bike that looks pretty darn good, too, if you ask me. 

I’ll be posting my complete, in-depth Aventon Sinch review soon, so keep checking back for more details on this awesome folding fat tire e-bike!

CSC FT750 fat tire e-bikes

Next up, we have the CSC FT750 series.

There are actually two e-bikes in the series, offering a 20″ wheel size (CSC FT750-20) and a 26″ wheel size (CSC FT750-26).

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Both wheel sizes feature fat tires of course, and pretty much everything else is identical between the bikes. The main difference is that the smaller version rides more like a BMX bike while the larger version is a bit more of a boat, but that also means it’s better for tackling larger obstacles.

Both are very nicely spec’d and are the first models on this list to come with hydraulic disc brakes. They both get nice suspension forks, LED lights, large displays, USB charging ports, etc.

Both of the CSC FT750 models have 750W motors and can easily ride even in loose deep sand, making them powerful bikes that aren’t afraid of hills either.

And with a top speed of up to 25 mph (40 km/h) on pedal-assist or a bit slower 20 mph (32 km/h) on throttle, these are class 3 e-bikes that would make great commuter bikes as well. Sure, fat tires look a bit strange on the road, but the same aspects that make them ride so well on trails also mean you get a nice cushy ride on hard surfaces as well. The fat tires aren’t quite as responsive as skinnies, but we’re not competing here, we’re commuting, so they’re just fine for us.

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At $1,688, the FT750 e-bikes cost a bit more than the first two e-bikes on the list, but they go faster and have nicer specs too, which makes them winners in my book.

To learn more, check out my in-depth CSC FT750 e-bike review here, or watch my review video below.

Ecotric 500W fat tire e-bike

Different e-bikes make my “Top 5” lists for different reasons. Some are works of art, some have crazy power, and some are just simple e-bikes at great prices. The Ecotric 500W fat tire e-bike fits into that last category.

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For $899 on Ecotric’s website (or $928 on Amazon), the Ecotric fat tire e-bike gives you a 500W motor and a 470 Wh battery. There are exactly zero extra frills. Oh, and zero suspension.

But you know what? The bike still works quite well for two reasons.

First, on a budget bike like this, suspension would have to be so cheap that I’d worry about how long it would hold up before breaking, and so I’d rather not have suspension on an ultra-budget bike like this. Instead, I know a rigid fork and hardtail frame will simply last.

And second, with fat tires, you get a bit of suspension just from the large air volume. Look at the kind of off-road trails I’m riding in the video below – rutted out mountain trails – but the ride is much better than you’d expect from a bike with zero suspension. That’s because I’m effectively riding on air cushions.

In terms of the bike’s performance, it definitely doesn’t have the power of the 750W e-bikes in this list, which means that on steeper hills, I had to help pedal instead of relying only on the throttle alone. If you don’t have the strength to pedal or have leg injuries that mean you rely on throttle only, this might not be the bike for you if you live in a hilly area. But for anyone else, as long as you don’t mind pedaling on the steeper hills to help, then the bike performs great the rest of the time on moderate hills and of course on flat ground.

The reason I like this bike so much is that its just a solid budget option, and since not everyone can afford a multi-thousand dollar e-bike, I think it’s great that there are solid options even in the sub-$1,000 range for bikes that aren’t super high end but are good enough to have a lot of fun on. There really is an e-bike out there for everyone!

To learn more, read my full in-depth Ecotric 500W fat tire e-bike review here, or watch my review video below.

Super Monarch Crown AWD 1500 from E-cells

And last but not least, we’ve got a massive e-bike for you to round out the list, the Super Monarch Crown AWD 1500. And yes, the 1500 in the name stands for 1500 W, believe it or not.

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There are not one but two 750 W motors on this bike — one in each wheel — and they put out a continuous 1500 W together.

But get this: at peak power, they’re rocking closer to 3,000 W of combined power, which is what you’ll feel on acceleration and while climbing hills.

This is, of course, a hunter oriented e-bike, if you couldn’t tell by the paint job, but that doesn’t mean you have to go shoot Bambi’s mom to ride it. It’d make a great adventurer’s bike too for anyone that covers tough terrain and needs a fat tire e-bike with all-wheel-drive and extreme power.

It’s also going to be available in black soon, for those that don’t want to go all camo on us. But at the speeds this thing can hit, I’m not sure you’ll be around long enough for anyone to notice what color the bike is anyways. I’ve gotten the Super Monarch Crown up to 33 mph (53 km/h). The thing is a beast; it just wants to do that power and speed all day.

And with a pair of batteries adding up to 1500 Wh, it really can ride all day. That’s right — it’s got dual batteries. And dual motors. And dual suspension. And dual racks. And dual hydraulic disc brakes with four pistons each.

Seriously, folks — this e-bike is the epitome of excess and it makes me love it even more for it. It’s just a blast to ride on everything from narrow trails to wide-open roads.

The high speed makes it a good commuter that can keep up with traffic, and the suspension and AWD fat tires make it the ultimate armageddon bike that won’t stop at anything and will keep trucking over everything that gets in its way.

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It doesn’t come cheap at $3,995, but you didn’t think a 3,000 W fat e-bike with dual suspension was going to be cheap, did you?

This e-bike probably isn’t going to apply to as many people as budget e-bikes like the Ecotric above, but if you want to cover the most ground on the widest range of terrain with a fat tire bike, then AWD powerhouses like the Super Monarch Crown AWD 1500 are the way to go.

What other fat tire e-bikes are out there?

Just like saying thank you’s at the Oscars, I don’t want to leave anybody out. It’s hard to choose just five fat tire e-bikes, especially since we’ve tested so many interesting ones. There are some other great options like the $899 Lectric XP folding fat tire e-bike that I’ll have on the Top 5 folding e-bikes list (spoiler alert!). And we’ve also tested other fun fat tire e-bikes like the EUNORAU FAT-AWD.

Electrek’s publisher Seth Weintraub even built his own DIY fat tire electric bike at home, and you can follow his journey to see how he did it here.

There are a ton of great fat tire e-bikes out there, and we hope you’ll stick around to see many more here on Electrek in the future.

Don’t forget to come back tomorrow for another list of our top 5 e-bikes for summer 2020 in the next category!

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Author

Avatar for Micah Toll Micah Toll

Micah Toll is a personal electric vehicle enthusiast, battery nerd, and author of the Amazon #1 bestselling books DIY Lithium Batteries, DIY Solar Power, The Ultimate DIY Ebike Guide and The Electric Bike Manifesto.

The e-bikes that make up Micah’s current daily drivers are the $999 Lectric XP 2.0, the $1,095 Ride1Up Roadster V2, the $1,199 Rad Power Bikes RadMission, and the $3,299 Priority Current. But it’s a pretty evolving list these days.

You can send Micah tips at Micah@electrek.co, or find him on Twitter, Instagram, or TikTok.