Regular ETrike or Fat Tire Electric Trike? Which Type of Electric Tricycle is Right for You?

Fat tire e-trike or regular tires? Hey everyone, I'm Dustin. I have nearly 20 years of experience in the bike and e-bike industry, and today we're gonna answer the question, fat tire e-trike or regular tire e-trike? I've got the EZ Transit 750 watt folding e-trike, the fat tire version, and the regular tire version, and by regular I mean 2-inch wide tire. Now, both are 750-watt motors, both have mechanical disc brakes, both have a throttle, both have reverse. Well, currently we're gonna have new versions that will have 13 amp hour batteries, but right now this regular version has a 10.4 amp hour battery. Both have throttles, five levels of pedal assist, both have seven speeds, and both have the same front and rear baskets. Now, why would you choose a fat tire over a regular tire? Or vice versa? So, fat tires are becoming increasingly popular on trikes. I do think they have their purpose, but I also think many people are choosing fat tires not necessarily for the right reasons. So, number one, if you do add a 4-inch tire, you're doubling the width of your tire. It is going to create more stability. Now, that doesn't mean that this trike, the regular EZ Transit, is not stable. The 4-inch wide tire, because you're putting more rubber on the road, of course, you're adding stability. So if stability is number one for you and you really wanna feel stable, yes, adding that extra width is really great, especially with a knobby tire like this. Now, other options exist out there for other trikes that are more like 3-inch wide. I like the 4-inch wide if you're gonna go fat tire because it really, really increases the stability.

Now, the other benefit is for taking on trails or off-roading. Of course, having the extra width is gonna be great, especially if you're going in crevasses or uneven terrain, you're gonna want that extra stability. You also want a more serious tread to dig into the trail and get better traction, right? With the 2-inch wide slicker tread, it's more of a pavement-type e-trike. You can ride it on hard pack trails, but again, having the knobbiness of this tread is gonna do better on trails. Then a more slick tread. Now, the downside of a fatter tire is it's going to drain the battery quicker, and it's not going to be able to hit the top speeds you could on a thinner tire. Now, the motors can generally compensate and get them faster, get them up to the same speed limit, but in riding both of these, I can get way easier, get up to a higher speed on this one than this one. Now I'm 230 pounds, so that also has an impact on it. If I were lighter, they probably both would go about the same miles an hour, but of course, this one's going to get going much quicker than this one is going to get going. So, again, totally up to you. The other piece of that is you are gonna drain the battery quicker with the fatter tires.

Now, You can compensate for that by having a larger battery, of course, but that's going to drive the price up as well. So it will be noticeable if you're using higher levels of assistance or using the throttle. It definitely will drain the battery much quicker because the battery just has to work harder. The other thing about the fatter tires is going uphill. Again, more drag on the pavement. It's going to create more resistance if everything is created equal. Between the trikes. So, things to keep in mind. Now, if you're looking at getting a different e-trike and you see it has a 20 amp hour battery, 21 amp hour battery, and they're trying to add, you know, features to make up for the drag that the fat tires create, you can do that as well. Just keep in mind, of course, a 20 amp hour battery will be more expensive than a 13 amp hour battery. So, all things to keep in mind when you're searching out there. If you are just looking to go on short mileage trips and you're going to use low levels of pedal assist, then you don't need to spend the money on the bigger battery, but if you want to feel really stable, then opt for the 4-inch wide tire. Now, the other thing is obviously when you fold it up, it's not going to be as easily transportable, right? This is designed to fold, be transportable, fold up very compact, easy to take with you. This one can fold up as well, but it doesn't fold up nearly as compactly as this one because you have the bigger, bulkier tires. Now in terms of weight, it only adds a few pounds, like two, three, four pounds max between having the fatter tire. So it's not that big of a difference all in all when you're talking about the fat tire weighing 80 pounds and this one weighing 76 pounds. Now that's with everything on them too, the baskets, the fenders, you name it.

You can also remove the battery, which is eight pounds, to reduce the weight as well. So, the fat tires are really up to you. My one suggestion, though is don't choose them on the aesthetic. Choose them because they would be the right fit for you and the type of riding and maybe also the stability that you're looking for. Now, if you have any other questions at all, reach out to us at theteam@sixthreezero.com, or call us at 310-982-2877. We also offer a 30-day test ride on your e-trike policy. If you don't love your e-trike in the first 30 days, send it back, no questions asked, no money out of your pocket. In addition to that, we're gonna warranty everything for one year. If anything goes wrong in the first year, we take care of it, parts and labor. And lastly, join our Facebook group called Sixthreezero Pedalers. There are thousands of members in the group. Join before you purchase to talk to existing riders and make sure you're making the right choice. Then when you have yours, post in the group, make friends, and finally download the app to track your rides and compete on the leaderboard. So thanks for sticking around, and don't forget, it's your journey or experience. Enjoy the ride.