Roll Over Everything With the RadRover Electric Fat Bike

Rad Power describes its new ebike as being "the ultimate all-purpose electric bike" that feels like a jet.

It used to be that fat bikes were really only ridden by serious cyclists who love to ride in snow and sand, because while those wide tires are great for rolling right through and over soft surfaces or rough terrain, most people couldn't (or wouldn't) justify buying one just for those rare occasions when a fat bike would come in handy. On top of that, bike frames that can fit 4-inch wide tires didn't use to be so widely available, and neither were the rims or tires for these fat bikes.

But that's rapidly changing, and fat bikes are now finding wider acceptance among casual cyclists and urban riders, perhaps in part because with tires that large, the ride can be much smoother and more comfortable. However, using pedal power alone to propel a fat bike isn't nearly as easy as it is with a skinny-tired road bike, or even a standard mountain bike, so matching up a fat bike with an electric motor can let riders have the best of both worlds by taking some of the effort out of pedaling a heavy bike with huge tires.

Rad Power Bikes, based in Seattle, WA, is launching a new model of electric fat bike, called the RadRover, which features a Samsung 48 volt 11.6 Ah battery pack and 750W brushless hub motor (in-wheel electric motor) on an aluminum frame, with disc brakes on both wheels and a front suspension fork. The company claims the RadRover has a range of up to 50 miles and a top speed of up to 20 mph (depending on conditions), with a 3 to 5 hour charge time for the battery.

The bike can be pedaled manually, with the 7-speed Shimano drivetrain, ridden in power-assist mode to add some oomph to your effort, or can be powered entirely by the electric motor with the twist-grip throttle. The RadRover also includes an integrated LED headlight, as well as a large-screen backlit LCD display featuring a speedometer, a wattmeter, odometer, and battery gauge.

The company has turned to Indiegogo to launch its fat bike, and its crowdfunding campaign has already raised almost $200,000 USD over its initial goal as of this writing. Backers who pledge right now can take advantage of the early bird pricing of just $1199 for the RadRover (as opposed to the full retail cost of $1499).