Fat bikes have recently been gaining a lot of popularity with many cycling enthusiasts. Although their frames are designed to look like regular mountain bikes, they have several unique features that distinguish them from regular mountain bikes. These features also mean that fat bikes have a different riding experience when compared to regular bikes. If you are wondering which one is better in terms of riding experience, well it depends on a number of factors.
- Floatation
Fat bikes have undoubtedly better floatation compared to regular mountain bikes. The larger surface area of a fat bike’s tire distributes the load over a wider patch of ground. This allows you to ride better over terrain that would otherwise be more difficult to ride on a regular mountain bike, like snow or loose sand.
- Traction
The traction on fat bikes is better compared to normal mountain bikes, particularly when it comes to climbing traction. The tires can hold on to terrain a lot better due to their low pressure. The low pressure also enables the bike to conform better to irregularity on the riding terrain. This also makes climbing traction easier. However, fat bikes’ tires offer poor cornering traction compared to normal mountain bikes, but this will depend on the type of terrain and soil. If you are riding over muddy or loose terrain with a compact base, the fat tires will not dig into the ground as much as thinner tires on regular mountain bikes would.
- Frame Flexibility
If you are a backpacking enthusiast, you know that a 29er is the ideal size of tire for the mission. When it comes to covering huge distances on smooth gravel tracks, a 29er or a 29+ set up is usually the best. However, if you love adventures that take you off the beaten track, a fat bike is better designed to serve you. When you are fully loaded up, the fat tires do not flip flop like when riding an ordinary 29er mountain bike. Additionally, you experience a more forgiving ride when riding a fat bike through bumpy terrain, and their geometry is more relaxed as you get to have a better view of the world than backside up, head down.
- Tire Durability
One of the main advantages of fat bikes over ordinary mountain bikes is that the likelihood of getting punctured tires is low. When riding harsh, rugged terrain, thorns, shards of glass, nails, and sharp rocks are a constant threat, but with the big tires and the low pressure of fat bike tires, the threat is minimal. It’s also easier to set the tires of fat bikes as tubeless.
Overall, fat bikes have several advantages over regular mountain bikes. However, most of these advantages will depend on the type of terrain and ground surface you will be riding on. If you are going to be riding on paved roads, an ordinary mountain bike is probably the best option, but if you’ll be riding on tough, irregular, and unstable terrain, a fat bike is better suited.