Why on Earth are 26"x4" fat tires so expensive???

Yeah, if it's not popular... I've thought about getting a fat bike but those tires ain't cheap. I'm sure they are fun, and once dialed in, the price isn't so bad (since a tire should last years), it's just getting to that point--often people want to "tweak" their bike in, better traction, ride, whatever--and the entry price is just too steep for me.
 
Amazon has replacements for my cheap mongoose fat tire bike for $43 shipped. Like you say, good ones are 2-3x that.
 
Boutique/niche item. Here are a couple reasonably priced and in stock. You aren't going to find them at wallyworld for $19.95.


 
Boutique/niche item. Here are a couple reasonably priced and in stock. You aren't going to find them at wallyworld for $19.95.



Thank you, best price I have seen on those Kenda's...I have two on the way.
 
Like so many other items it depends on your application. Need studs for ice? Need float in deep snow? Having a "fatty" for general riding is different than for a specific purpose. Riding pavement? The I say cheaper the better most of the time. I didn't mention sand because I have zero experience with a fatty in sand.

Usually you get a much better fat tire as the price increases tho. I have a Farley 7 I use with my kids often. Summer set up is Duroc 50 27.5 AL rims with 3.8 Hodag and a 26 set studded 5.0 Barbgazi for snow/ice.

Farly 9.8 sees fall but mainly winter riding. Wampa 27.5 rims and Barbegazi 4.5's do well. Also have a studded set for the 9.8 for the New England icy crud. Fatty bikes are a niche. Determine what you need and find the right tire. The wrong tire on a fatty is detrimental to the ride!
 
What air pressures do you run in these fat tire bikes? I’ve only ever owned 26” and 29” wheeled mountain bikes.
 
What air pressures do you run in these fat tire bikes? I’ve only ever owned 26” and 29” wheeled mountain bikes.

One of the best advantages of MTB tubeless set up is that you can tweak your air pressure to get just the right traction for the terrain and you avoid the dreaded pinch flats often the result of a tube at lower pressures. I run all of my mountain bikes tubeless and my fatty bikes. On the fatty its literally saves a few pounds. Look into it. Very easy do it yourself matter. Park Tool link below.

Everyone will find an equilibrium of pressure that fits their weight, tire, bike, and conditions. A lot like dialing in your suspension; it's an art.

 
One of the best advantages of MTB tubeless set up is that you can tweak your air pressure to get just the right traction for the terrain and you avoid the dreaded pinch flats often the result of a tube at lower pressures. I run all of my mountain bikes tubeless and my fatty bikes. On the fatty its literally saves a few pounds. Look into it. Very easy do it yourself matter. Park Tool link below.

Everyone will find an equilibrium of pressure that fits their weight, tire, bike, and conditions. A lot like dialing in your suspension; it's an art.



I’m aware of the benefits of tubeless and if/when I ride more I’d like to switch as I’m 220 lbs and not what anyone would call a finesse rider. I run 30-34psi in my 29er but was curious with the fat tires if they are down in the single digit or low teens?
 
True fat bikes, 4" & up tires, are definitely a little niche. There's a pretty large bike community here and there are very few fat bikes around. I've seen 2 on the trails and a couple grinding along on sidewalks and berms. If you need the flotation they can't be beat, I can't imagine one as your only bike but who has one bike? I talked with a guy who ran his 26 x 4 in the 5-10 range on trails. I ran my not true fat 27.5 x 3 bike 12 front 15 rear, crazy traction and took the harsh chatter away on rocky trails. Yeah not XC race fast but that doesn't matter to everyone.

A 220 lb rider might benefit from 29 x 2.6 tires or even 3.0s if they'd fit.
 
I’m aware of the benefits of tubeless and if/when I ride more I’d like to switch as I’m 220 lbs and not what anyone would call a finesse rider. I run 30-34psi in my 29er but was curious with the fat tires if they are down in the single digit or low teens?
You can run fat tires at very low pressures. I typically run my 3-season tires @ 12 PSI, and my studded winter tires @ 7.5 PSI. I've done the Polar Bear Crossing (a fat bike ride across frozen Lake Winnipeg in March) a couple of times, and both times there was a lot of glare ice. The first year I didn't have studs, and had to drop the pressure to about 5 PSI to get any traction at all. The 2nd year was with the carbide-studded tires, but with more ice, and again I had to keep the pressure low. By about halfway across, the sun had melted the top layer of ice, creating a slushier and grippier surface, and I was able to bump the pressure up to 7 or 8 PSI, using the small pump I carry. I haven't got tubeless yet, but low pressure has not presented any problems so far.
 
...and so hard to find?
I can buy a car tire for cheaper than most of them, just stupid!
Agreed, fat bike tires are indeed pricey. It costs as much here to shoe a fat bike with two carbide-studded tires as it does for four good (but unstudded) winter tires for a car. And that's with doing the bike tire installation myself - and not paying for mounting and balancing! But, we've gotten three full winters of riding out of ours, and are hoping for at least another couple.
 
Arisun Big Fatty is some kind of freaky well kept secret. 120 tpi, folding bead... About 35 bucks. I use em on some builds to keep the costs in check.
 
Not very common. Economies of scale do not apply here.
I mean, it DOES apply--but in a negative way!

Yeah, it really comes down to economies of scale. The average bike tire mold costs about 25K USD, and with fat bikes you're amortizing that over a lot fewer tires... It's not the whole story though. They're using about 4 times the amount of raw materials as other bike tires.

As someone who is a bit of a tire junkie though, bike tires are crazy when you look at cost per mile vs. car tires. The tire manufacturers themselves also make much better margins (about double) on bike tires vs. car tires, because it's less competitive compared to the auto world. Kenda, Maxxis and CST control the majority of the low/mid-range tire market. So the other answer here is "they charge that amount because they can".
 
I’m aware of the benefits of tubeless and if/when I ride more I’d like to switch as I’m 220 lbs and not what anyone would call a finesse rider. I run 30-34psi in my 29er but was curious with the fat tires if they are down in the single digit or low teens?

PM Sent!
 
I’m aware of the benefits of tubeless and if/when I ride more I’d like to switch as I’m 220 lbs and not what anyone would call a finesse rider. I run 30-34psi in my 29er but was curious with the fat tires if they are down in the single digit or low teens?

I weigh 265 and my fat bike has 80mm rims and 4.8 inch tires. I ride mtb trails with about 9 psi in the rear and 8 in the front. 4 inch tires would need a little more.
My 29+ bike (3 inch rear, 3 1/4 inch front) uses about 28 psi rear and 24 front.
Tubeless is awesome.
 
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