Select a fat tire electric bike for yourself
iGo Outland – Oka
When picking the best fat tire electric bikes we considered just which e-bikes are really up to the task of off-roading. Some after all are still meant for urban environments while others were definitely built with trails in mind.
Knobby tires are a good start for a more trail-oriented fat tire electric bike, but that’s hardly enough. We like to see a more robust drivetrain, an air/oil front suspension fork and brakes that can stop a bike on a steep downhill. The iGo Outland Oka provides all those features and more, making it an obvious inclusion on this list.
Once an e-bike is meant to be used off-road, hydraulic disc brakes become noticeably more important, in part because it often takes longer to stop on dirt than on pavement; the iGo Outland – Oka is equipped with Tektro hydraulic discs and 180mm rotors for enough power to stop all but the setting sun.
The 500W Bafang hub motor can provide up to 80Nm of torque for climbing the steepest hills and the thumb-button throttle is removable for those who need a Class 1 bike to be able to ride their local trails legally. The Bafang motor features 5 levels of assistance as well as a sixth called “Off Road” that can be unlocked for a 42km/h top speed (26 mph).
The iGo Outland Oka features its own app to tailor the bike’s performance to a rider’s preferences, making many adjustments easier to program; the app is available for both iOS and Android users. We don’t often see e-bikes as capable as the Outland Oka and at ~$2700, it was a natural inclusion in our roundup of best fat tire electric bikes.
FLX Gladiator 2.0
For those wanting a mid-drive fat tire e-bike that can handle off-road riding but are on more of a budget, the FLX Gladiator 2.0 is a terrific option. It makes our list of the best fat tire electric bikes because of its 500W Bafang mid-drive motor with a whopping 120Nm of torque. With that kind of power, this e-bike could climb the Great Pyramid at Giza.
To hit a sub-$3000 price point (and this hits well below that), FLX made strategic choices about components , such as the 8-speed Shimano Acera drivetrain, SR Suntour spring suspension fork with 63mm of travel and mechanical disc brakes. And while they chose to spec a mechanical disc, they also made the strategic choice of choosing 203mm rotors to improve stopping power. It’s a terrific strategic choice.
At 77 lbs. this is one of the heaviest bikes in our roundup of the best fat tire electric bikes, but we respect that with e-bikes they are either light or affordable, but seldom both; being price-conscious is an emphasis we respect as it will allow more riders to add an e-bike to their life. That extra heft means that the bike will be a bit harder to turn and won’t be especially nimble in tight turns, like on trails. The integrated battery does place a good deal of the bike’s bulk low to help make it more maneuverable.
Speaking of the battery, the 840Wh battery paired with a 500W motor will allow for many, many miles of riding per charge.
Good hill-climbing, great braking, and all-day battery? The FLX Gladiator 2.0 is worth a look amongst the other best fat tire elctric bikes.
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