Hi Raphael,

Thanks for pointing that out. We’ve added Giant as a brand to “Where to buy” section, as Giant bikes can be found all around the country basically in every large town across the US. Their bikes and selection are indeed very good. We made this post to diversify the selection and point out some of the best bikes you can order online, without the middleman.

Hey David, those are excellent bikes, just like so many others out there. Unfortunately, we can’t mention all of them as the article would become way too long. Plus, those two bikes are a lot more expensive than $3,000. Cheers!

Hey JP, you should always avoid cross-chaining, i.e. riding in the front largest gear and rear largest gear (or vice versa) to avoid potential issues with drivetrain performance and postpone wear and tear of the components. Keep the chain as straight as possible when shifting gears.

Hi John, the term ‘bottom bracket’ refers to the lower center part of the bike where the pedal cranks and the crankset connect to the bike frame. The method you are referring to instructs you to measure from the center of the ‘bottom bracket’ to the top of the saddle. Hope this helps!

You’re welcome, Colin! We’re happy you found it useful.

There aren’t any that come to my mind in that price range unless it’s on a hefty discount. There are, however, plenty of great electric hardtails in the 3,500 range. You can check out our buying guide on this link.

Thanks for the comment! You are right, though a lot of manufacturers sell their bikes as class 3 even though they have a throttle because you can typically disable it to conform to the regulations.

As for the class 4 that we mention, we are simply referring to uncategorized electric bicycles that can do more than 28 mph. Officially, class 4 does not exist, but these e-bikes are often referred to as class 4.

Cantilever brakes are definitely very straightforward and easy to maintain. No wonder they had been used for CX racing until recently.

However, from my experience, disc brakes perform really well even in very cold temperatures. Your body will usually start performing worse much sooner than the brakes in such conditions.

The only real concern for me with disc brakes in winter is riding through some very deep snow, in which case snow and ice may build up inside the calipers and around the discs. But few riders do that kind of riding and a few pumps of the brake will usually clear everything out.

Hi Cliff, all Class 2 e-bikes on this list allow you to ride with throttle only, which allows you to utilize all of the engine’s power without pedaling. Also, all seats can be easily changed to more comfortable seats, you can do it in any local bike shop.

I recommend choosing a bike with a low-step frame for ease of mounting and dismounting, such as RadRunner Plus or RadCity 5 Plus on this list. You can also check out our guide on the best e-bikes for seniors where we recommend more such models.

Hey Peter, thanks for the comment! That’s why I wrote “would legally need a license to ride on the road“. You can go as wild as you like off-road, though, unless you’re riding on public trails!

Thanks for the comment and constructive criticism, Reggie! In most cases, the bikes in our reviews are not listed in any particular order, as we try to present the readers with different types of bikes, so the order depends on what you’re looking for.

When choosing which bikes to include, we consider the companies’ and bikes’ track records and user reviews, as well as the value for the money they offer. Nowadays, another vital consideration we need to make is availability due to the global bike shortage, as we can only show you bikes that are in stock and that you can actually buy.

Hope that clarifies things! Cheers!

Thanks, Charlie! We’ll update that info. Cheers!

Hey Greg, you can buy it on Aventon’s official website on this link!

Hey Nathin! Thank you for you comment and constructive criticism! We are aware of those brands and agree they make excellent fat bikes. However, this list can only be so long, which is why we can’t include all the options out there.

On top of that, when making these buying guides, one of the most important factors for us to consider (in addition to value and quality) is online availability, which has been a massive problem in recent years and months due to global shortages.

As the shortages begin to resolve (hopefully), we’ll definitely be looking at expanding this list and including a wider variety of brands.

Happy you like it!

You’re welcome, Zachary!

Hey Bob, we still haven’t had a chance to review that Bikonit model, but the bike looks solid.

Hey Jane, really sorry to hear about your poor experience with this bike. However, Walmart is notorious for poor assembly practices, so it may not be Sixthreezero’s mistake. This is a fun video that clarifies the issue: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UmOzPopJNE&ab_channel=BermPeakExpress

Thanks, David! We’ve just corrected the mistake!

Hey Amy, great question! I can give my two cents:

– If you want to ride alone (non-electric) and be able to ride with and keep up with someone much stronger (electric).
– If you want to ride for fitness and leisure (non-electric) and take kids to school or do grocery shopping (electric).
– If you want to ditch the car and still travel far (electric) but also participate in local group rides (non-electric).

…and so on! 🙂

Hi Tom!

We still haven’t had the chance to try one out, but we’re looking to change that.

They’re well-built smart e-bikes with lots of modern features that are great for urban commutes. They are certainly not affordable, but worth it if you like all the gizmos.

That is the MSRP, Bruce. You got the standard deal. Enjoy your Ranger!

Hey Stuart! Actually, most of these bikes will suit you. Lectric XP has a 275 lb maximum rider weight, RadExpand 5 carries up to 275 lbs, Tern HSD P9 has a 264.6 lb maximum rider weight, Engwe EP-2 pro has a 330 lb max load, etc. So feel free to choose any of these.

You are welcome, David! We’re happy that you found it useful!

Hey Tim, no special reason not to include Poseidon Redwood. There are simply so many good gravel bikes out there right now that it’s hard not to leave some out. It’s a decent bike, it might make the list in the future.

I’m happy to hear that, Gina! Have fun on your e-bike!

Thanks, Margot! I’m glad you enjoyed it.

Thanks! I’m glad you enjoyed it!

Good luck and have fun! I think this selection is a good place to start.

Not at all!

Why not, Alice, that sounds like a great idea. You can take a detour on the way home and have some fun as well!

Thanks for letting us know, Bob. We’ve fixed the issue now.

Happy I could help! Good luck and have fun! 🙂

Hey Robert, you can switch the headlight on and off by pressing a dedicated button on the left-hand display/controller. On older models, you can do that by pressing the Up Arrow and Mode buttons at the same time.

Janet,

I currently ride a 250W hub motor city eBike (45Nm of torque), I weigh 190lbs and it still climbs some descend climbs with some extra leg-work on the lowest gears. The thing is that 250W has a peak power of 570W.

Hi Mark

Check out Hollywood Racks – Sport Rider SE for Cargo Bikes

We try to keep our eyes opened and update this post weekly, but in the meantime you can check out something from more expensive, fat tire electric hunting bikes.

Jim, that is an awesome idea that you are thinking of doing! A $1,700 budget is where to expect a great hardtail mountain bike for an intermediate trail rider. What kind of riding is she thinking of doing – exploring the trails, or competing?
If she already has a carbon road bike, I’m sure she appreciates a good ride quality, therefore choosing an MTB can be a difficult one as there are quite a few types of mountain bikes to choose between.

If you’d want to max out on the $1,700 budget, I’d prefer to look for a hardtail trail MTB (100-130mm travel on the front).

Rad Power Bikes batteries cost around $450 – $550, although that’s definitely something not to worry about as their batteries are rated for 600-800 full charge cycles and there’s a 1-year warranty on the electrical components.

Hi Gabe

You are not far from right. We have reviewed the Sinch in a more suitable post – Best Folding EBikes Review. Matter of fact, we are going to publish a brand review of Aventon bikes anytime soon, and add their bikes to more of our reviews. Stay tuned

Look for comfort bikes that have a more comfortable entry & upright riding position.

It depends how often are you going to use the bike and how heavy are you. The weakest part about used to be the Shimano Tourney derailleur which they have fortunately updated to microSHIFT. Front suspension plays a huge role too, and currently there’s a heavy coil shock which might not be the smoothest, but does its job at its price range. Other than that, I didn’t have major setbacks.

It is best for recreational commuting on mixed terrain and definitely worth its price. If you are planning on updating the parts, take a look at best under $1,000 MTB’s, there’s quite a noticeable gap there.

Good point, Dimitri. We’ve listed bikes that can be used as Class 2 when using the throttle only. We’ll be updating an eBike Laws article soon where we could clarify that.

Hi Liz

Citizen Seoul seems like a decent deal for its low price.
Frame – Not sure about the quality of the alloy frame, but it seems sturdy enough for your weight (Max capacity: 220lbs). Recommended heigth range for the Seoul is 5′ – 6′

Brakes – V-brakes are quite old-school but do the trick for light riding. They might be a good choice at this price range & in the occasion of folding up the bike regulary. Disc brakes are a better alternative among newer bikes.

Gearing is probably not the strong point at this price range which means that it might need some extra tuning every now and then.

In conclusion – if you are planning to use the Seoul for commuting with your kid on the bike – its doable, but probably not as convenient as you can only use the seatpost kids’ seat on it. (Thule Ridealong type).

The electric model London seems to be a great deal for its price. It only weighs 36lbs and the electric assistance can help a ton towards comfortable commutes.

Are you going to take the bike with you on the bus/train?

Did you mean Oyama bikes? Check out Giatnerd.com

I’d look up State Bicycles bike. You’ll get a pretty sweet deal at under $500! They do not have a mountain bike, but you’ll be needing serious luck to score a decent MTB for trails at under $500

Bad Boy 3 runs on WTB Byway 650b x 40c clincher tires which means that the tires are tubeless-ready. Cannondale hasn’t provided any information regards the wheels besides that they are Cannondale C2 wheels.

Thanks for pointing that out, we’ll add it to the list!

Coming right up!

Hi Nancy

We’d recommend looking into fat tire folding e-bikes which are ideal for all sorts of environments, including light trails. Lectric & Radmini on the top 3 are great and lightweight bikes that have also been one of the best-selling bikes by today.

Hi Carli

Sad to hear from your negative experience. Where did you order you bike from? As far as we know, REI has never dealt with SixThreeZero bikes. Buying bikes from Amazon and assembling by yourself (If you haven’t done it before) can be tricky at first as there are many moving parts around the bike that need to be tensioned at the very beginning, and after the first miles.

Electra Townie is indeed one of the best alternatives to SixThreeZero bikes!

Good point, we’ll add those there at some point. In general, folding bikes have a slightly smaller max weight capacity, for example Brompton bikes have a max weight capacity of 242 lbs, while the popular folding e-Bike Rad Power Bikes – Rad Mini has a max weight capacity of 350 lbs.

They do look sleek and are equipped with a nice set-up indeed!

Thanks for pointing that out, really appreciate it! We’ve made the corrections now.
As the Tern HSD 9 is basically a cargo e-bike, at 57lbs (With a payload capacity of 375lbs) it is quite light for its weight 🙂

That’s unfortunate.

Did you check the recommended tension provided by Brooks? Most saddles generally don’t need too much tension – prefer finger/palm-tight over ‘elbow-tight’ 🙂

Did you send Brooks Saddles feedback for a possible warranty case? Also, thanks for providing an alternative!

Hi Steven

The Prodigy’s first sentence on Ride1Up’s page goes like this “A master of the trails at just under 50lbs.”
The Prodigy rocks a front suspension fork, MTB geometry, and 27.5×2.0″ knobby tires – if it’s not categorized as a mountain bike, then what it is? 🙂

Hi Suzanne

Sorry for the confusion.
Short answer: Yes, it is ‘quite’ an overkill, especially if you are thinking of hitting some gravel roads. Although it is a full carbon bike, the geometry of the Ventum is designed for road use mainly.

There are more versatile options available we’d recommend looking into 😉 Most bicycles over 1,500 USD hold their value rather well, and it happens to be that it is hard to get rid of a used high-end performance road bikes such as the Ventum in the long run.

Hi Dennis

Thank you for your feedback.

If you’d ask a thousand people to name the best hamburger in the world, I’m sure they’d mention McDonalds as one of them. Same for Apple smartphones, although Android phones might have better specs in theory. The Apple watch is the best-selling wristwatch throughout history, is it the best?

‘Best’ is obviously a widely understood term. Instead, this article works as a guide for people who are looking to buy a fat bike online. We have gathered a bunch of bikes by known retailers you can trust, and we have also featured the most-known types and models to broaden the spectrum for beginners cyclists.

If you have suggestions, or even better, own a certain bike yourself that deserves to be on this list – we would be more than happy to see your review of your fat bike, and why not add it here as well!

Look for full-face helmets

Hi Susan

Glad to hear you like the bike. I would contact your nearest paint store so that they could match up the suitable color for you. Their bikes do have very nice and vibrant colors indeed.

Hi Jayson

If you’d like to order online – We’d recommend getting anything from the Cannondale Trail series as their XL frame is indeed extra-large. Besides, the bikes hold great value in terms of components and durability. Co-op Cycles bikes have also proved to offer superb value for the money!

Hi Romero

Cannondale Trail 8 has been among the most popular bikes for a long time, hence the reason their bikes are often sold out quickly.

We’ll e-mail you once their bikes come up for sale again!

Hi B

Swapping out the 140mm to 150mm is the most common upgrade many Mojo owners have been dealing with.
Although we are talking of 10mm (3/8″) of change which is not a lot, but surely, it seems like a solution to get a smoother ride on faster sections.

There are some things to consider though:

1. Ibis Mojo 4 is truly one of the best bikes in its category (Price/Quality/Travel/Geometry), and it is obviously the most upgraded model from the series you can get. Which means – it is the final, 4th version of the Mojo series. I wouldn’t personally change anything about the bike, besides the compression/rebound on the fork.

2. When swapping out the fork is your first consideration, make sure to check the warranty if that backs up the change.

3. Rest of the bikes by Ibis:
Mojo HD5 – 170/153mm
Ripmo – 160/147mm
Ripley – 130/120mm

If that 150mm is your definite go-to factor, you want to look in for a new air chamber/air shaft assembly that is fairly cheap and easy to fit. We’d recommend asking for more information from your local bike store that deals with MTB service.

Hi Joe

Thank you for your honest reply. Matter of fact, I had excactly the same issue on the frame size L which turned out to be a bent rear derailleur. Make sure to get the bike assembled correctly, and don’t forget to re-tune the bike after 10-20 miles of easy riding. I upgraded the bent Tourney rear derailleur on my 2020 Trail 8 and it fixed the problem.

Regards,
Sam