For those of us in snowy climates, fat biking extends the mountain biking season to a year-round activity. It provides good exercise, allows you to explore favorite trails in winter, and is a heck of a lot of fun.
Unfortunately, there are VERY few options. A few years ago plus-size tires were all the rage, and it was easy to find a bike for riding in the snow or sand. Today, plus size tires have fallen out of popularity, and it’s tough to find any bikes with tires over 2.5″.
Here are your very limited choices…
But First, What Is A Fat Bike?
Fat bikes are mountain bikes with wide-rimmed wheels and “fat” approximately 4-inch tires. Because the tires are so wide, they can be run with very low air pressure. As a result, they can be ridden on snow or sand.
They can also be ridden like a regular mountain bike on singletrack. Because many kids bikes don’t have suspension, the fat tires can also be nice because they provide a little extra cushioning. That said, if you mostly plan on using the bike for mountain biking, your child will be much better off on a lightweight mountain bike.
What About Mid-Fat And Plus-Sized Kids Bikes?
While a true “fat bike” has 4″ tires, kids can easily get away with running mid-fat (3″) tires or even plus-sized (2.6″+) tires on snow. Their bikes are smaller and they simply don’t weigh enough to require true fat tires to roll over snow and sand.
Unless you are riding in some deep serious snow (which isn’t something kids generally like to do anyway), you can probably get away with a mid-sized or plus-sized bike. As previously mentioned, there aren’t many kids plus-size bikes on the market anymore, but you might be able to find a used one.
The bonus to a plus-sized bike is that you can ride it on dirt or trail as well as on snow/sand. (You probably wouldn’t want to do that with a true fat-tire bike).
The one caveat to that is that plus-sized bikes are heavier. If you are a serious mountain bike family doing long rides, you might want to choose a fat bike for winter and a regular mountain bike for summer riding.
Our Top Picks
| Bike | Size | Price |
| FULL FAT (4″) | ||
| 9:Zero:7 NX Squall | 24″ | $2,199 |
| Mongoose Argus Trail 24 | 24″ | $649 |
| PLUS TIRES | ||
| Cannondale Trail Plus | 20″ / 24″ | $550 |
9:Zero:7 NX Squall
Price: $2,199
The 9:Zero:7 NX Squall ain’t cheap but it is fantastic. If your family takes winter fat-biking seriously, this is the bike you want.
To help offset the investment, the bike will also accept smaller tires for summertime riding. The bike comes with a carbon fork, Avid disc brakes, and SRAM NX 11 speed drivetrain.
Mongoose Argus Trail 24
Price: $649 List
Generally, we steer people away from Mongoose kids bikes, but the Mongoose Argus Trail 24 is actually pretty decent–especially if you’re just looking for a bike to tool around in the snow now and again. It has an 8-speed Shimano drivetrain, mechanical disc brakes, and nice wide 4″ tires.
This is the bike my son has been riding the last two winters, and we’ve been surprisingly happy with it!
Read Our Review: Mongoose Argus
Cannondale Trail Plus
Price: $540 / $550
The Cannondale Trail Plus comes in both a 20 and 24 inch version and has 2.6″ tires. It’s surprisingly light for a plus bike and has a lifetime warranty. Score. The components are solid including Tektro mechanical disc brakes and a Microshift 8-speed drivetrain.
How to Choose a Fat Bike for Your Child
Check out Diamondback athlete @portermtb‘s little one on an El Oso Nino: go ride and tag us in your pics! pic.twitter.com/BOSyDCiGZj
— Diamondback Bicycles (@Diamondbackbike) December 12, 2015
Weight
Because of the wide wheels and big tires, kids fat bikes usually have a weight problem-ha! The weights of many of the bikes on this list are comparable with an adult-sized fat bike, but the riders are usually much, much smaller and lighter.
This causes a definite body weight to bike weight ratio issue. For this reason, I would recommend choosing a bike based on weight first and components/price second.
Brakes
Assuming you are buying a fat bike for use in snow rather than sand, disc brakes are definitely the way to go. Riding in snow makes for wet riding, and brake pads quickly get saturated.
Of course, there are different levels of quality when it comes to disc brakes. Many of the bikes on this list have either Tektro or Avid brakes–both solid choices.
Size
While it’s always best to measure your child AND compare to the manufacturer’s guidelines before buying a bike (read this article for tips on doing so), here are some very general guidelines for choosing the right sized bike.
| Wheel size | Age | Height | Inseam |
| 20” | 6-9 | 4’0”-4’5” | 22-25”55-63 cm |
| 24” | 8-11 | 4’5”-4’9” | 24-28”60-72 cm |
Keep in mind that the bigger the tires, the more likely the bike is to fit “big.” While my son fits easily on a 26″ mountain bike with regular sized tires, he’s still riding a 24″ fat bike with 4 inch tires.
Components and Price
Generally speaking, the more you pay for a kids fat bike, the higher quality the components will be. Better quality components make for a more enjoyable ride, lighter bike weight, and longer life of the bike. I always urge parents to spend as much as they comfortably can.
More Stuff You Might Like
- Guide To Winter Biking With Kids
- Articles On Mountain Biking With Kids
- Best Kids Mountain Bikes: 13 Brands That Deliver
About Us
The Rascals are a family of three. Kristen (mom), Blair (dad), and Parker (kiddo). We started Rascal Rides when Parker was born and we didn’t want to give up our passion for biking. As we learned, we shared.
Over the years, we’ve added other families to our team and have tested hundreds of kids bikes, helmets, bike trailers, and more.
Kristen is a licensed USA Cycling coach and NICA coach, and loves to share her passion for biking with other families. Blair is a bike geek, mechanic, and mountain bike junkie. Parker is 13 now and is our resident shredder.
If you see us out on the trail, make sure to say hi!
IG: @rascal_rides
YT: @rascalrides
Great article!!
Thanks Jen!
The Cannondale looks like it will be my daughters’ next bikes. 21lbs for only $450?! That’s lighter than bikes that cost twice as much.
Have a 4’ 8” 8.75 y/o boy that weighs 132.6lbs. Wears a men’s 7.5 baseball cleat and a 10.5 (wedding ring finger) ring. He’s going to be a BIG boy. What might be the best option to fit him a few years? He outgrew his Schwinn 20” mountain bike in about 4 months.
If we’re going to spend some dough on a great bike for him, I want it to last at least 2-3 years, barring any huge growth spurt like he had this past fall. HELP! He looks soooo silly on his 20” Schwinn mountain bike!
Hi Michelle,
Even though he’s still on the smaller size, I’d probably be tempted to put him on an XS 26″ bike. If you’re looking for a mountain bike, here’s a list of good options: https://rascalrides.com/xs-mountain-bike-options-26-mountain-bikes-for-kids-and-small-ladies/
In any case, look for a bike with a minimum seatpost height that allows him to just barely reach the ground. That will give him max room to grow.
My granddaughter is 4’9” and 80 pounds. Would you recommend a 20” or 24” inch fat tire bike? I have read contradicting recommendations and so am feeling a bit confused!
Hi Linda, 24″ for sure! In fact, she could even be ready for an XS adult fat bike but since there are so few of them, I’d probably stick with a 24″. If you can, measure her inseam and then compare it to the manufacturer’s size chart before buying. That’s the best way to be certain you are getting the right size bike.
Cheers,
KB
actually, from my experience most of them just use height, not inseam measurements. And in regards to buying the XS–that costs twice as much as a kid’s bike, so if you’re expecting the kid to grow a lot more, I’d stick with the cheaper kid bike. And also, kids have a different riding style than adults and a good kid’s bike will be designed to accommodate that style. I’m a small adult who fits kids bikes. The thing I’ve found is also the braking and shifting components of kids bikes are designed for smaller hands, which I love, because even on my 48 cm my small hands have trouble braking and shifting.
I just got a Borealis Tejon 24 for my 8-year-old and it’s great! Much cheaper than any other 24″ fatbike I’ve found.
https://www.fatbike.com/tejon
Thanks for sharing Dan. We will check it out!
Any tips for riding just on the sand? I have three boys ages 5,6 & 6. We live on the beach in the Dominican Republic and don’t have roads where we can ride bikes. We do have miles of beaches though right out our front door. Trying to figure out the best bikes for the boys to ride in the sand, for their size and for a budget of buying three of them.
Hi Kristy,
The wider the tires are, the easier it will be. Also, make sure to ride the tires with really low tire pressure. They should be a lot “flatter” than they would be riding on pavement.
Considering that you are going to be riding on flat beach (and not in the mountains) you don’t need to worry as much about weight. You’ll also be getting a lot of salt and water on the bike, so I wouldn’t spend a ton of money on these bikes either….Make sure to wipe down the chain each time you’re done riding.
Once it’s finally time to go ride, remember that wet, compacted sand is a LOT easier to ride so stay close to the water.
Good luck!
KB
We bought our 9yr old daughter a Salsa timberjack. It has been one of the best investments we’ve ever made. It’s a great bike with a really slack and long geometry that just soaks up the bumps. It has a simple drivetrain. Mechanical disc brakes work perfect for her at 75Lbs.
8 yr little sister is blasting tough trails with it too. Looks like the frame will fit a 24×4.00 tire when I need to replace the stock ones.
Can’t say enough.
We’ll probably buy a second one if an amazing XS doesn’t magically appear.
Thanks for sharing your experience. Glad the Salsa Timberjack has worked so well for your daughter!
Specialized isn’t making fat bikes anymore and the 20″ fat bike from last year is no where to be found! I’m in the market for a true fat bike (we live in Minnesota). Any other tips for finding a 20″? Looks like the Diamondback has a waitlist and I’m on the fence about the Mongoose….