If their is a more aptly named bike on the market today, I don’t know what it could possibly be. The Beast is big and bulky and its fat tires definitely make it a stand out from nearly any other bike you’ll come across on the road or the trail. When fully assembled, including kickstand and old-school chain guard, the bike tips the scales at about 48 pounds (22 kg). So much so, that I don’t believe that my current road bike and mountain bike weigh that much combined.
The most notable feature on the Beast, at least from a visual stand point, are the massive 4-1/4″ tires. They actually look like they’ve come off a small car and on more than one occasion I had someone stop me to take a look at them. Those tires provide a bit of a floaty ride but they also allow this bike to simply roll over just about any obstacle. They’re designed to roll through snow and sand without any problems and I’d say they perform surprisingly well.
Your bike will simply work better, and you’ll have more fun riding it. I have not driven it much yet,but it seems to have lots of power and performs as it should. Quickly switch between 9 gears, perfect for riders who are commuting in the urban city and exploring in the mountains at the same time. My son was apprehensive to let loose with the rigid platform. He did say that he noticed a difference in the handling with the big tires and it felt kind of like his Kawasaki KLX 110. Gradual climbing up our neighborhood trails was OK for a while.
All E-Rad kits ship with the C965 controller and are version 4 of the BBS02. Earlier versions of this drive unit had a few bugs with the controller and bearing issues. mongoose fat tire bike A cycling community enthusiastic about mountain biking and all things related. As with any bike, stay within your budget but get the best spec you can afford.
After an hour or so I found myself getting very uncomfortable in the saddle, even while wearing padded shorts. I’m over 6’2″ in height and often felt kind of cramped, even with the seat extended to its highest point. The drive train is setup for either snow or sand riding and my son seemed to ride comfortably. 5) Purchase a singlespeed Deadeye Monster fatbike from Bikes Direct or an 7 speed Dolomite from Walmart which both have the industry standard 68mm BB. It is likely that you will need to find offset crankarms to clear the chainstays.
The rear end of the bike also has quick release dropouts with 190mm hub width. The torsion and stiffness from fat wheels and hubs paired with quick release skewers might allow for some flex, but when riding mellow trails, the setup seemed to do just fine. There aren’t many kids fat bikes on the market, and generally this is for good reason. Fat bikes are heavy and not ideal for every day riding. 2) Chris at Lectric Cycles just released a 100mm BBS02 drive unit under the e-Rad name and the 750 watt unit sells here for $1200, about $99 less than Doug’s unit. The gear sensor is hooked to a proprietary e-Rad only extra Higo plug that uses custom firmware for perfectly timed motor cutoff when you shift.
We will definitely stick to mountain biking with his Trailcraft, but I am excited to get my son out on some decent snow rides. As you can imagine, a bike with a heavy frame and gigantic tires isn’t exactly a speed demon. If you’re looking for a fast ride, you’ll want to look elsewhere. Those big tires won’t turn on a dime and they certainly wont take the sharpest of corners. But then again, when they are capable of simply rolling over just about anything that gets in their way, the point is mostly moot anyway.