XStrada Ultra Fat Bike brings the pedal power of an ebike to backcountry riding

By Kelly Hodgkins Published March 28, 2017

XStrada Ultra Fat Bike

Mix the power of a dirt bike with the performance of a fat tire bike, and you will get the ultimate mountain biking experience. That was the game plan for the folks at XStrada Group who developed the all-season, all-terrain Ultra Fat Bike. The bike’s oversized tires and motorized drivetrain will leave all the pedal pushers in the dust.

The first thing you notice about the Ultra Fat bike is its massively short and stout tires. The company takes the fat tire mission to the extreme with 7.5-inch wide tires that are mounted to lightweight, cold-forged alloy rims. This is almost twice as wide as the standard 4-inch tires that ship on most mainstream fat tire bikes. Because of its tires, the bike has a unique geometry that allow for the installation of an impressive inverted suspension fork. The fork provides up to 7 inches of travel and is fully adjustable so you can tweak it to absorb any rock, rut, or root that you encounter on the trail.

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And if that isn’t enough to get even the seasoned mountain biker drooling, the Ultra Fat bike sets itself apart from the competition even further by offering an optional ebike upgrade. The ebike add-on allows the owner to select a pre-installed high torque 3KW electric middrive engine that can propel the bike up to 40mph for approximately 35 miles. Riders can use the motorized drivetrain to power their way up the steepest hills or cruise on the flats without pedaling. The drivetrain is equipped with a Samsung lithium-ion battery pack.

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After two years of research and development, the XStrada Group has been testing its prototypes and is ready to bring this extreme fat tire bike to the public. The company is currently selling the Ultra Fat Bike on IndieGoGo and is making it available in a variety of models. The XS1 single speed cruiser is the entry-level model with a price tag starting at $995. The XS11 Multi Gear starts at $1,295 and allows the owner to choose between Shimano or Sram shifters. For an extra $1,249, owners can add-on the Xstrada ebike upgrade with throttle control. The bikes are expected to ship in June 2017.

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Kelly's been writing online for ten years, working at Gizmodo, TUAW, and BGR among others. Living near the White Mountains of…

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