A fat bike is the best type of bicycle to experience what riding on mud or snow is all about. If you live in an area where the weather gets wet and cold in autumn and winter, the fat tire bike will allow you to extend your riding season and have more fun.
Fat bikes are also a fantastic choice for bikepacking, as they can go over different types of terrain, so you don’t need to push your bike as much.
Check out what Iohan Gueorguiev did on his for some inspiration!
However, choosing the best fat bike can be tricky for someone who has never ridden one. If you are on the lookout for some off-road thrill of this kind, here are the 11 best fat-tire bikes of our choice for 2025.
Pick one of these best fat bikes and then choose your muddy trail!
Contents
- Lectric XPeak
- Trek Farley 5
- Salsa Beargrease 2.5 Cues 11
- Co-op Cycles DRT 4.1
- Devinci Minus Deore
- Rad Power Bikes RadRover 6 Plus
- Max4Out Fat Bike
- Tern Orox
- Mongoose Argus
- Surly Ice Cream Truck
- Salsa Heyday 5.6 Advent
- Suspension or Rigid: What’s Better?
- Wheels
- Tires and Pressure
- Riding Terrain
- How Many Gears Do You Need?
- Bottom line
Lectric XPeak
Excellent for Commuters and Weekend Adventures
The Lectric XPeak is a bargain fat e-bike with all the features commuters and avid riders could ask for. It will ensure that nothing stands in your way on the road to success lined with long distances, hills, and rough roads.
- Frame material: Aluminum
- Tire size: 26″ x 4″
- Number of gears: 7
- Motor and Battery: 750W Motor & 672 Wh battery
- Brakes: Hydraulic disc brakes
- Max Load: 330 lbs.
The sturdy aluminum frame and suspension fork on this bike provide you with practicality, durability, and comfort, whereas the wide tires give you unlimited possibilities when it comes to the terrain you will ride on.
If you want the most possible value and you’re not willing to spend a lot of money, you’ll find this bike attractive. It has one of the widest tires of all the best fat bikes out there. The Lectric XPeak’s tires are 4″ wide and 26″ in diameter, so they provide plenty of grip, especially on soft terrain.
The Lectric XPeak lets you explore the unknown thanks to huge tires, disc brakes, and powerful electric components.
Moreover, the bike is fitted with a 1×7 drivetrain and hydraulic disc brakes. These are entry-level components, but they’re good enough for recreational riders.
Last but not least, you get a powerful 750W rear hub motor combined with a 672 Wh removable battery. You get 55+ miles of range with three riding modes: pure pedal mode, pedal-assist, and throttle only.
Lectric did a great job with the XPeak fat e-bike which offers satisfying performance for a very reasonable price.
Trek Farley 5
Best Adventure Fat Bike
MSRP: $2,200
Few bikes out there can come close to the Trek Farley 5 when it comes to adventure riding. This Trek model is one of the best fat bikes you can get for this amount of money. As you can see from its looks, it’s ready to take you through some serious blizzards.
- Frame material: Aluminum
- Tire size: 27.5 x 4.50
- Number of gears: 10
- Components: microSHIFT Advent X
- Brakes: Hydraulic disc brakes
- Weight: 35.72 lb
Trek Farley is a cumbersome machine with an aluminum frame and massive wheels and tires. It looks like a tank and has similar capabilities.
If you have money to spare and you want a bike to ride when the weather gets as bad as possible, then your funds can safely go here. You’ll get a decent amount of value from the components and the build.
Trek Farley is among the lightest fat bikes out there, but its aluminum frame and huge tires also make it one of the most comfortable and most practical ones.
The Farley comes with a 1×10 drivetrain, so you’re equipped with plenty of wide-range gears to power through any mud pit. The components are microShift Advent X, which is an entry-level option. You also get dependable hydraulic disc brakes. All of these are reliable and efficient enough even for the most demanding beginner riders.
The star of the show is the 27.5 x 4.5 tires rolling on double-wall aluminum rims. If you deflate them a bit and add studs, you can take them over rocks and snow and let them seek adventure for you.
Finally, the Trek Farley 5 also comes with lots of frame mounts that let you attach different accessories and frame bags, which makes it the perfect option for bikepacking and adventuring.
Interested in more options? See our list of best electric fat tire bikes.
Salsa Beargrease 2.5 Cues 11
Best Carbon Fiber Fat Bike
MSRP: $2,899
Fat bikes are extremely fun to ride, but the Beargrease takes that to the next level. This is a super lightweight carbon fiber fat bike with an amazing ability that will fly you up and over any hill you encounter on the trails.
The Salsa Beargrease is one of the best fat-tire bikes with huge tires that you can use to ride all year round and test your limits on different terrain.
- Frame material: Carbon Fiber
- Tire size: 27.5″ x 4″
- Rear Derailleur: Shimano Cues U6000 Shadow RD+,11-speed
- Brakes: Hydraulic disc brakes
When it comes to building quality off-road bikes, including gravel and full suspension, Salsa is one of the most popular bike brands out there. With the Beargrease as an example, we can see exactly why they are so good at this.
The Beargrease is a carbon fiber bike that features rare 27.5″ fat bike wheels. Therefore, it’s ready for serious riding through untrodden territories.
The Salsa Beargrease is a fat bike that is just capable of so much more than other fat bikes on the market. The lightweight set up and larger wheels make for such easy work off road.
The most important part of this bike is its massive 4″ wide tires that are 27.5″ inches in diameter. These are 45NRTH Vanhelga tires, which are excellent high-end tires.
As it befits one of the best wide-tire bikes, the Beargrease comes with Shimano hydraulic disc brakes that show no struggle when it comes to bringing this fun factory to a stop.
The paint job is quite exciting as well, so we believe there’s nothing you will not love on this bike.
Co-op Cycles DRT 4.1
Most Affordable Fat Bike
MSRP: $1,499
If you’re on an extremely tight budget, this is the best fat tire bike for you. It’s one of the cheapest options on this list but it’s still a good choice for the right type of rider. The Co-op Cycles DRT 4.1 is an aluminum fat bike with big tires, hydraulic disc brakes, and 12 gears.
- Frame material: Aluminum
- Tire size: 26″ x 4.8″
- Number of gears: 12
- Components: SRAM SX Eagle
- Brakes: Hydraulic disc brakes
- Weight: 39 lb
Co-op Cycles has become a well-known company, so it does not surprise that they did a good job with this bike despite the low $1,499 price tag.
The DRT 4.1 is built around a heavy-duty aluminum frame and fork with no suspension, but the massive tires help absorb vibration and bumps on the road. The bike is painted bright yellow, so it easily stands out from the pack.
Are you struggling to find a quality fat tire bike that fits your tight budget? Then the Co-op Cycle DRT 4.1 can solve all of your problems!
This is a 26″ bicycle with 4.8″ tires. That’s super wide! If you lower the pressure, imagine how much fun you can have riding on snow, sand, and even over rocks.
When you finish climbing you’ll be happy to have hydraulic disc brakes at your disposal to slow down and control the descent.
Other components include a 1×12 SRAM SX Eagle drivetrain, which is a big plus for this bike. Most fat bikes in this price range come with just 7 gears.
If you’re a beginner or you’re just looking for a fat bike capable of weekend off-road adventures, the DRT 4.1 is a decent choice.
Devinci Minus Deore
Best Canadian-Made Fat Bike
MSRP: $1,800
Fat bikes are fun, sturdy, capable, gnarly, and with quality components, they are even better. Devinci Minus is a purebred aluminum fat bike with big wheels and good components, making it feel invincible out on the trails.
- Frame material: Aluminum
- Tire size: 26″ x 4.8″
- Number of gears: Shimano Deore 10-Speed
- Brakes: Mechanical disc brakes
The Devinci Minus combines a lightweight 6061 aluminum frame with a Shimano Deore 10-speed drivetrain to provide intermediate riders with a versatile bike that can handle different challenges. It’s our first choice for a variety of reasons.
The first thing you’ll notice on the Minus is the tires. It rolls on 26″ x 4.8″ tires that are some of the largest on this list and don’t shy away from any challenge. You can ride on roots, rocks, sand, snow, and mud without any problems.
The Minus is built around an aluminum frame that’s paired up with an aluminum frame and large tire clearance that will make your riders a lot more comfortable and improve your grip and confidence on bumpy trails.
The 10-speed Shimano Deore drivetrain makes the Minus a low-maintenance choice. You have a wide choice of gears, but also simplicity. This bike is ideal for short trail adventures through remote areas.
A slight disadvantage at this price point are the mechanical disc brakes which are not as good as hydraulic disc brakes, but will get the job done for recreational riders. These are 2-piston brakes built exclusively for off-road riding.
All in all, the Devinci Minus looks good, rides well, and has a pretty tempting price tag. Get it if you want a reliable fat bike that will get you through any adversity.
Rad Power Bikes RadRover 6 Plus
Winner! Best Electric Fat Bike
MSRP: $2,099
The Rad Power Bikes‘ RadRover 6 Plus is one of the most affordable fat-tire bikes on our list, but don’t let that fool you. This is a multifaceted two-wheeler with decent components and even a motor and battery to help you pedal when the terrain becomes tough. RadRover 5 Electric Fat Bike is equipped with massive 4″ tires, disc brakes, front suspension, and a host of accessories.
- Frame material: Aluminum
- Tire size: 26″ x 4″
- Number of gears: 7
- Brakes: Hydraulic disc brakes
- Motor and battery: 750W motor and 672Wh battery
- Weight: 73 lbs
To make RadRover 6 Plus, Rad Power Bikes decided to upgrade the original RadRover 5. The result is a stable and versatile e-bike that’s ideal for rough off-road adventures but doesn’t shy away from weekend spins around the neighborhood either.
RadRover is built around a durable 6061 aluminum frameset with a low standover clearance and a front suspension fork. The fork offers 60mm of travel, so it’s not really trail-ready, but it will definitely come in handy for off-road riding.
Regardless of when or where you decide to ride this bike, it has all the components and accessories required to keep you going. The most striking feature is definitely the fat tires. RadRover rolls on Kenda Juggernaut 26″ x 4″ tires with puncture protection, which are incredibly stable and comfortable.
The star of the show is the geared rear hub 750W motor with a 672Wh battery. This bike offers pedal assistance and throttle up to 20 MPH, so you can ride faster, longer, and harder compared to a regular fat bike.
The RadRover also comes with a 7-speed drivetrain and powerful hydraulic disc brakes. These are entry-level parts, but they are a solid choice for beginners and recreational riders.
Rad Power Bikes RadRover 6 is a durable and capable electric fat bike that offers impressive performance up steep hills, through mud, snow, and sand.
RadRover is also equipped with fenders, lights, and a kickstand, so you can ride it no matter the weather or the time of the day. These features can turn it into a capable daily commuter as well.
If you want an affordable, fun, and practical fat e-bike, RadRover 6 Plus is a very good choice.
Max4Out Fat Bike
Second Best – Best Components and Color
Max4Out is a capable fat bike with a phenomenal list of features for the money. It is the right choice for riders who plan to take this bike out on dry and rowdy singletracks, in addition to mud and snow, to make the best use of the massive 26″ x 4″ tires.
- Frame material: Carbon steel
- Tire size: 26″ x 4.0″
- Number of gears: 21
- Components: Shimano
- Brakes: Mechanical disc brakes
- Weight capacity: Up to 440 lbs.
Some might argue that a fat bike with such massive tires is overkill, but they probably haven’t tried riding Max4Out. It is one of the best fat-tire bikes you can find in this price range for a variety of reasons. Great looks is one of them.
This bike comes equipped with a 21-speed Shimano drivetrain, which means you get plenty of gears to ride different types of terrains and cover different surfaces.
Max4Out is one of the most capable bicycles around thanks to its massive 4.0″ tires, strong carbon steel frame, and modern geometry.
The massive tires meet all requirements to be found on a fat bike and roll over obstacles with ease. They will come in handy when you descend or have to get over sharp obstacles on a fully-loaded bike.
We also like the double mechanical disc brakes — there’s not really much that you can say about them other than they stop on a dime. You also get a front suspension fork that will eliminate vibrations and improve your grip when riding on rough terrain.
With all of this in mind, Max4Out is a bike that you can explore your limits with both in winter and summer, on any type of terrain.
Tern Orox
Best Cargo Fat Bike
MSRP: $6,599
If you want to ride year-round, without any limits, then Tern Orox is the right choice for you. It is one of the best 27.5″ e-bikes for adventuring, but it does equally well when confronted with off-road conditions like mud, sand, roots, or rocks.
- Frame material: Aluminum
- Tire size: 27.5 x 4″
- Number of gears: 12
- Brakes: Hydraulic disc brakes
- Motor and Battery: Bosch Performance CX motor and 725 Wh battery
This bike is not really cheap, but it’s not too expensive either considering it comes with powerful electronic parts. This makes it a good high-value model and a decent investment into extending your mountain biking and adventuring season.
Tern Orox comes with a lightweight aluminum frame with internal cable routing. It rolls on 27.5″ wheels and really wide 4″ tires, so it’s ready for all conditions you can image.
The bike comes with a rigid fork, which will make maintenance easy, but also lowers the weight of the bike.
When it comes to electronic components, the competition is hard to beat nowadays. However, Tern Orox has a powerful Bosch Performance CX motor and a 725 Wh battery. This setup will give you all the pedal assistance you need and provide you with a decent 52 to 91-mile range.
Part of the reason why Tern Orox made it to our best fat bike list is that it has all you need for extended adventures, including a long rear rack, fenders, a kickstand, frame bag, and all the mounts you need to equip it any way you like.
Tern Orox is a ridiculously fun 27.5″ fat bike that comes with mid-range components and a very tempting price.
The bike is powered by a 1×12-speed Shimano Deore drivetrain. To stop and enjoy the scenery once you’re out and about, just gently engage the hydraulic disc brakes. They are coupled with large rotors, so expect a lot of stopping power.
All in all, there’s not much to dislike about Tern Orox, other than the 73 lb weight, perhaps. It’s a remarkable fat bike for snowy weather that does its job well.
Mongoose Argus
Best Fat Bike for the Entire Family
Mongoose Argus is a well-built fat bike with a sturdy steel frame and fork. It’s available in an attractive copper color and advertised as a great choice for the whole family, including riders between 5 feet 4 inches and 6 feet 2 inches tall.
- Frame material: Steel
- Tire size: 26″ x 4″
- Number of gears: 7
- Components: 1×7 drivetrain
- Brakes: Mechanical disc brakes
- Weight: N/A
Mongoose Argus is fitted with a basic 1×7 drivetrain, which does not provide a super-wide gear range, but gives you plenty of gears for moderately hilly rides.
Mongoose makes several fat bike models, so they have plenty of experience when it comes to choosing the right parts. You can see that in the mechanical disc brakes which are an excellent solution when it comes to performance and reliability.
Mongoose Argus is a cheap fat bike that’s perfect for beginner riders who are not ready to bite the bullet and spend thousands of dollars before they’re certain a fat bike is what they really want.
Let’s not forget the knobby 4″ tires, which are 26″ in diameter and offer all the grip and traction you need when riding on snow, mud, sand, or rocks.
Mongoose Argus also has plenty of eyelets to mount different carriers and bags on it. Therefore, it’s ready for adventure whenever you are!
Surly Ice Cream Truck
Best Fat Bike With Carbon Fork
Here’s one of the most popular fat bikes with plus-size tires, 26-inch wheels, and a great mid-range list of components that can take a beating. Surly Ice Cream Truck comes 85% assembled and is available in four frame sizes.
- Frame material: Steel
- Tire size: 26″ x 5″
- Number of gears: 12
- Components: Shimano SLX
- Brakes: Hydraulic disc brakes
- Weight: 35 lb
If you want a fat tire bike that is built especially for hardcore off-roading, then this Surly model is the one. It has 5-inch wide tires, which is the widest you can get on the market.
The frame and fork are both made from durable and comfortable steel which is seen on many adult fat bikes. The top tube slopes quite a bit, so the standover clearance is low, which means it’s easy to mount and dismount the bike.
The Surly Ice Cream Truck fat bike rolls on plus-size 26″ x 5″ knobby tires that will give you plenty of traction and grip. They instill confidence on loose surfaces and will definitely prevent quite a few unnecessary falls. The rims are double-walled, so they are strong enough to handle some beating.
Surly Ice Cream Truck fat bike is jam-packed with features and solutions that make it the best fat tire bike for adventuring, including the geometry, components, and other parts.
You’ll also see a Shimano SLX rear derailleur and a 1×12 drivetrain on this bike. These parts are mid-of-the-line, meaning they offer plenty of value for the money.
Finally, the hydraulic disc brakes are indispensable when riding down slopes or soaking the wheel in water and mud.
If you want to surprise yourself with one of the best affordable fat bikes with a focus on supermassive tires, Surly Ice Cream Truck is more than a good choice.
Salsa Heyday 5.6 Advent
Best for Women
MSRP: $1,399
Salsa Heyday is one of the best entry-level fat bikes. It sits at the very top of Salsa’ offering, so it’s suitable for complete beginners and recreational riders. It’s ideal for riders who intend to both train and ride on trails for fun, on all types of terrain.
- Frame material: Aluminum
- Tire size: 26 x 4.6˝
- Number of gears: 9
- Components: microSHIFT ADVENT
- Brakes: Hydraulic disc brakes
- Weight: N/A
To make the Heyday, Salsa re-examined all of its Trail and All-Mountain models and borrowed all of the best elements. The result is a versatile fat bicycle that can do whatever you set your mind to.
It’s made with an aluminum frame that’s light, stiff, and super-efficient when it comes to power transfer. The frame features two mounts for water bottles located inside the front triangle and a plethora of other mounts around the frame and fork.
No matter where you decide to ride this bike, it has everything it needs to keep going. The most important of all is the 26 x 4.6″ 45NRTH Dillinger 5 tires rolling on double-wall aluminum wheels. These are what you’d expect to see on a mountain bike in this price range.
Salsa Heyday is equipped with a rigid aluminum fork, so it’s very simple to maintain. Considering the massive fat tires, you won’t need any additional vibration dampening.
Then there’s the microShift Advent 1×9 drivetrain which gives you all the gears you need while saving valuable grams.
Salsa Heyday is a strong and capable fat bike that performs remarkably on any day of the week and on any adventure you take it.
If you get carried away and pick up too much speed, Tektro hydraulic disc brakes will have no problem slowing you down and helping you regain control.
If you want the best fat bike from Salsa at this price, end your search with the Heyday 5.6 Advent model!
Suspension or Rigid: What’s Better?
Most fat bikes come with rigid forks, without any form of suspension. Many riders think suspension on a fat bike is redundant because of massive tires that soak up any vibrations, bumps, rocks, and roots on the trails.
Most fat bikes ride on tires that are 3.8″ to 5″ wide. So if you want a more comfortable ride, you can simply deflate them a bit and feel as if you have suspension.
However, there are some fat bikes with suspension forks, such as RadRover or Outroad that we talk about in this review.
If you want to run your tires at a higher pressure to be more efficient and maneuver better, you should consider getting some front squish.
But, most of the time, a hardtail fat bike with a rigid fork is the cheapest and the best option to go for.
Wheels
Just like traditional mountain bikes, fat bikes come with different wheel sizes. You can typically get a fat bike with 26″, 27.5″, or 29″ wheels.
Most fat bikes nowadays use 26″ wheels, but the two other sizes are not uncommon either. The 26″ tires will give you better maneuverability, but larger wheels will allow you to roll over obstacles with more ease.
Rim width also varies greatly from one bike to another. Fat bike rims are usually 60mm to 100mm wide, depending on the tire width you want to run. The wider the tire you want to fit, the wider the rim needs to be.
Generally, if you plan to ride slow and bendy trails with a lot of corners, decelerations, and accelerations, you should go for 26″ wheels because they are more dynamic.
However, if you want a lower attack angle to maintain a constant speed, roll over rocks and roots more easily, ride cross country or on the snow, 29″ wheels are a much better choice.
Swapping Wheels
The beauty of fat bikes is that they are very versatile. Most models can easily accommodate several different wheel sizes, including standard 27.5″ and 29″ mountain bike wheels.
When buying a fat bike, you should look for one with a frame that supports different rim options. That way, you can sometimes ride your bike with fat tires and then turn it into a proper mountain bike when it suits you.
If you plan to do this, one thing to keep in mind is hub width. Fat bikes are made with different hub standards, so you’ll likely need to buy a dedicated set of wheels or build a custom one yourself.
Tires and Pressure
Fat bikes usually use tires that are between 3.8″ and 5″ wide. There are no strict rules and definitions here, just personal preferences.
However, there are a few guidelines and common sense principles you can follow when choosing which tire width to get.
Wider tires provide a bigger contact surface and more float, so they are a better choice for soft surfaces such as sand and snow. They are also better for very rough terrain with a lot of rocks and bumps. For snowy and icy conditions, studded winter bike tires are the best.
On the other hand, narrower tires are faster and less squirmy, so you should choose them if you plan to ride on hardpacked trails that are firmer and drier.
Whichever width you choose, make sure to set up your tires tubeless. This will help you avoid flats and allow you to run lower pressure to get more traction and more squish.
Finally, if you plan to ride in winter, get a sealant that works in subzero temperatures and studded tires for a much better grip.
Riding Terrain
Fat bikes are made to be ridden on the most challenging types of terrains. Modern mountain bikes are very capable today, but there are some situations in which they simply can’t get the job done.
Wider tires, better angles, and more durable frames all come together to make a fat bike the best choice for extreme settings.
Here are some of the most common terrain choices for fat bikes and some guidelines on how to tackle them:
- Mud: Very soft mud requires very soft tires. You want the widest tires possible at low pressure, to get enough float so as not to sink and continue rolling on top.
- Roots and Rocks: Depending on how extreme the obstacles on the trail are, fat or plus-size tires can do the job here. Still, fat tires are better for sharp rocks because they can conform to the irregularities and roll smoothly.
- Sand and Snow: For sand and snow, it’s best to go with big wheels and wide tires. Riding these at low pressures will give you a large contact surface that will ensure plenty of flotation.
- Ice: Ideally, riding on icy roads calls for studded tires. These will provide you with the most grip. You also want to get wide tires for more contact surface and inflate them more to avoid skidding.
- Hardpacked Trails: Narrower trails are good enough for firm trails. They will improve your speed and pedaling efficiency, while still providing more than enough grip. Think 3.8″ to 4″ tires.
- Bikepacking: If you plan to go bikepacking on unknown trails, it’s better to do it with wider tires and be prepared for unexpected situations.
How Many Gears Do You Need?
The correct number of gears on a fat bike is a subjective matter. Some models come with single-speed drivetrains, whereas others feature 2x or even 3x setups.
If you plan to ride in very hilly areas, having more gears is always better. Fat bikes are generally heavier than normal mountain bikes, so smaller gears will ensure easier pedaling.
Drivetrains with 1x setups (one front chainring) are becoming more and more popular because they can have up to 12 cogs (gears) in the back. They also make maintenance easier because there is just one derailleur and a lot fewer cables to deal with.
In the end, the choice is yours. However, we recommend avoiding 3x drivetrains (they’re heavy and often unnecessary) and choosing a 1x or a 2x setup depending on your budget, fitness level, and riding preferences.
Consider Also: Used Fat-Tire Bikes from The Pro’s Closet
Bottom line
We chose these 10 best fat bikes to give you a broad spectrum to choose from. It includes different price ranges, component specs, geometries, and intended uses.
Whichever model you choose, you will end up with a reliable and dependable fat bike that will extend your riding season and give you new possibilities when it comes to choosing the route.
I hope you’re already planning your next fat tire adventure and you’ll share it with us!
