Are E Trikes w/ Fat Tires More Stable? Tricycle Stability & The Benefit of Fat Tires

Are fatter tires on an electric trike more stable? Hey everyone, I'm Dustin. I have nearly 20 years of experience in the bike and e-bike industry. Today we're going to answer the question, are fatter tires on an electric trike more stable? All right, right here I've got the Simple Step-Thru 750-watt fat tire e-trike. Now, you will notice this is a fat tire trike like I just said. These are four-inch wide trike tires. These things are really wide. It has a 20-inch diameter in the rear and a 24-inch diameter in the front. So, let's say that you are searching for an electric tricycle and you're concerned about stability and you want to make sure you're going to get an electric trike that's going to stay balanced and stable when you're out riding and you're wondering, are fat tire e-trikes more stable? Well, the answer is yes, but sometimes no. Let me explain. Now, of course, if you take two trikes created equally and we put a four-inch wide tire versus a 2.125-inch tire, he fatter tire going to be more stable? Yes. You've got more rubber on the road, and overall more width to the bike, which is going to create more stability and make it more stable, going around turns more stable. I've had countless people ride our e-trikes and many do feel that this trike in particular is more stable because of the fat tires. Now, with that said, though there are other reasons why other trikes can be equally as stable, if not more stable, especially some of the other models that we have. The geometry of the trike plays a big role in the stability of the trike.

The front-to-back length, of course, and the width as well. In this case, we put a bigger front tire diameter-wise than the rear, so we set it lower to create additional stability in the back here also. On some of our other models, like the Two Front Wheels, that's very stable because it has the tilting steering. Our Easy Transit has a very low center of gravity and smaller wheels, so you're not up as high, which just makes it less likely to tip. In addition to that, our Simple Glide has a longer wheelbase, which creates incredible stability as well. So, different ways to make up for the stability elements that you get by adding the fat tires. And the reason we come out with different electric trikes, and we don't just put fat tires on all of them, is there's some level of downside to the fat tire as well. It's gonna drain the battery quicker, especially if you're using the pedal assist more. They're heavier tires. They are going to have more resistance on the road, which ultimately is going to drain the battery. It's gonna be harder to get up to a higher top speed. If you're trying to pedal without assistance or low assistance, you might need to use more assistance to go faster and to get up hills, thus draining the battery quicker, thus usually requiring there to be a bigger battery on it versus another trike. So, also a bigger motor, right? So this is 750 watts.

These tires are substantially heavier than a thinner tire. You have a much bigger rim, and you have a much bigger tire, so you're adding weight. As an example, this trike weighs 92 pounds. Our EvryJourney trike weighs, I believe it's like 57 and 58 pounds, so big weight difference as well. So what we try to do is make up for the stability in other ways by not always adding the fat tires because, again, it adds more weight, it's gonna drain the battery quicker, and quite honestly, not everybody wants to have fat tires on their electric trike. So, it's not to say that everybody should go out and buy a fat tire e-trike because there are other benefits to other models and other tire sizes as well. But if you're looking for something that's very, very stable, also easy to turn, and corners nicely, fat tire e-trikes are the way to go, specifically the Simple Step-Thru fat tire e-trike. It also has a rear differential, which creates equal spinning power to the two back wheels, which creates more traction and more stability for an even safer ride on a trike. Now, I know there are a lot of people out there too that say, oh, trikes are not safe. I disagree. If you can design them correctly and the riders can understand how to properly drive them, they are safe. So make sure you're getting the right design for you and that you're also taking the time to learn how to properly ride a trike because it's different than riding a two-wheel bike by a long shot. So we've got a lot of videos on how to ride a trike. You can check those out on our YouTube channel if you're a beginner or just getting into it. They'll be helpful for you on your journey to being a trike rider.

All right, if you have any other questions at all on the topic, please reach out to us at theteam@sixthreezero.com or call us at 310-982-2877. We offer a 30-day test ride on your e-trike policy. If you don't love it 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 up to one year. If anything goes wrong in the first year, we take care of its parts and labor. And lastly, join our Facebook group. There are thousands of members in there. You can join the group and talk to existing members prior to purchasing so you can ensure you're making the right choice. Then, when you have yours, post in the group and make friends. It's a lot of fun. Then download our 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.