Riding a fat bike on the pavement is an odd thing to do, but that isn’t to say people don’t do it. Whether it’s riding to the (hard pack) beach during the summer in flip flops, cruising in a parade, riding an entire charity ride, or just tooling around with your kids in the neighborhood, we’ve seen it done. For the most part, fat bike slicks have either been non-existent, or too small for many fat bikes which drops the bottom bracket and affects the handling.
Vee Tire Co. is addressing all of that with their new Apache Fattyslick. Looking more sport bike than fat bike, the Fattyslick is one of a number of new sizes, tread patterns, and tires that Vee was showing this tradeshow season…
Measuring in at 26 x 4.5″, the Fattyslick should be a solid replacement for 4-4.25″ fat bike tires to keep the geometry consistent. When Vee Tire Co. says slick, they mean it – this thing has zero tread. Though it does have tire wear indicators so you know when to replace it after all those burnouts skids. Offered only in a 120 tpi casing with a folding bead, the tire still uses their Silica compound with a 57A hardness rating.
Slightly more practical is the new Rail Tracker for fat bikes. Following industry trends of more aggressive tread patterns for fat bikes, the Rail Tracker is a super sized version of their mountain bike tire in a 26 x 4.0″ size. Offered in 120 tpi casings, the tire will be sold in Silica Compound (black) or Pure Silica Compound (white) which has a softer rubber that is said to offer better performance on ice, run quieter, and pick up less debris.
The Bulldozer tread pattern doesn’t change, but it’s now available in a number of new sizes. Along with 26 x 4.25″ and 4.7″ widths, the Bulldozer is now available in 27.5 x 2.8″, 3.0″, and 29 x 3.25″ sizes.
Following similar logic to the Apache Fattyslick, the Speedster is now available in 27.5 x 3.0″ and 26 x 2.8″.
New to the mountain bike range is the Crown Gem Sweet Spot. This tire has a super soft rubber compound with aggressive side blocks that is designed for wider rims. The Sweet Spot is intended to represent the happy medium between a spike mud tire and a cut spike. Available in 27.5 x 2.4″ and 29 x 2.35″.
Finally, the new Rail Escape is an interesting tire that looks like it could be a contender for fans of the Maxxis Ardent. Bearing a very similar tread pattern, there are a few big differences including the knurling between blocks, and differences in block placement. Available in their Tackee or Dual Control Compounds, it will be offered only in a 29 x 2.25″ at first.
