How to choose the best fat bike tire for your fat bike? In this article you will learn which factors you should pay attention to. In recent years, the fat bike has grown in popularity and is no longer only ridden in winter.

The bicycle with its large wheels is also a popular means of transport in summer; A bike with big tires is no longer a rare sight on the trails. Since the motorcycle is driven all year round, the choice of tires is important to the riding experience.

What is the fat bike tire

A fat bike tire is much wider than a normal MTB tire. A regular tire is between 2.0 and 2.6 inches wide, while a fat tire is much wider, usually between 4 and 5 inches wide. The bike still uses a 26-inch wheel to accommodate those huge tires. The width of these rims is also much wider, 75 to 100 mm instead of 20 to 40 mm for normal tires, but due to the volume of the tire it feels like you are driving a proper 29 inch wheel. If you compare a fat tire to a 29-inch tire, you will notice that the outside diameter is larger than a regular wheel.

To get the best driving experience, you should set a very low tire pressure, between 5 and 15 psi. This way you get maximum grip and still have that floating feeling on the bike. With this large air cushion you can easily plow through snow or sand. It offers great cushioning that compensates for many bumps such as roots, rocks and small bumps that you will encounter on the trails. If your tire is over-inflated you will lose all the handling characteristics of a fat bike, but a tire that is too soft will have high sidewall flex. It's up to you to determine the ideal tire pressure for your local trails.

Fat tires vs. plus tires

Clearance is one of the most important things you need to check when choosing a tire for your fat bike. You need to determine whether your bike can handle the tire size and wheelset you choose.

Nowadays it is common to have an extra set of wheels for your fat bike as it is used all year round. Most people have a set of wheels for summer and winter. There are a number of options to choose from:

• 26 inch wheelset with a fat tire

• 27.5 inch wheelset with fat wheel

• 27.5 inch wheelset with Plus tires

• 29-inch wheelset with Plus tires

The 26-inch wheelset is made for a fat bike, so you can only change tires between seasons. If you're going tubeless, this will be more labor intensive than having two different sets of wheels, but it will be the cheapest option.

The choice of tire itself depends on what you need. A large, knobby tire with plenty of grip for rougher trails or weather conditions, or a better rolling tire with smaller and wider knobs for summer riding and clay trails.

Keep in mind that the height of your bottom bracket will increase if you put on a larger tire or wheelset. Because as already mentioned, the outside diameter of a 4.0" or even a 4.5" tire is much larger than that of a normal 29" wheel. Some riders install a 27.5-inch fat wheelset to make their bike even taller, but this also makes your bike sluggish. Because of the larger tires, you have to put in more effort in the corners.

Then there is the option of a 27.5-inch or 29-inch wheelset with a Plus tire. However, the latter is rather unusual for fat bikes. To clarify: a plus tire is between 2.8 and 3.2 inches wide.

Using a plus tire on a big tire bike makes the bike more responsive than the fat wheels due to the weight difference between the two wheelsets. Although you will lose some of the damping properties of your fat tire, your bike will certainly get more acceleration out of the slow corners.

Choice of wheelset

If you decide to get a second pair of wheels for your fat bike, you should look for a new set of wheels. Although the market is smaller than regular bikes, there are many options.
The first decision is about wheel size. The most common choice is a 26-inch or 27.5-inch fat bike wheelset.

The 26-inch wheelset feels stiffer than a 27.5-inch wheel because the spokes are shorter. And because of the larger clearance, a larger tire can be accommodated on the rim. Since it's smaller, the weight penalty is also less, but since these wheels are made for fat tires, you need to consider the weight of the tire you choose.

A different tire with lower rolling resistance can fit on a 27.5-inch or 29-inch wheelset. As already mentioned, the wheels are more flexible compared to a 26-inch wheelset. If this bothers you as a driver, you can also opt for carbon rims.

A carbon rim gives you the rigidity you need and is much lighter than aluminum rims, so you can ride the bike more nimbly, tire less and go on longer rides.

27.5er Fat Bike Wheels F774 is ICAN's new fat bike wheelset launching in 2024, with high quality and durable design.

What decision do you have to make?

For me, your fat bike wheels and tires depend entirely on your riding style and living conditions. If you use your bike for daily commuting, a 27.5-plus wheelset would be my first choice, but if you use your big, burly bike for shredding rough terrain, I would go with a 26-inch wheel with a nice fat tire choose on it. I don't want to miss out on the benefits and fun of riding a fat bike on the trails, even if it means I have to pedal a little harder.

If you want to find the best fat bike tire, choosing a trustworthy brand is also very important, which means good quality and better service.