We’ve seen electric bikes with the ability to slog through snow and sand, but the unique Exterrain 500 is a fun fattie that can run on a 10-inch wide front tire, delivering a huge amount of float over soft surfaces.
Despite its absurd appearance and limited application, this bike is actually pretty cool. Regular bikes have their limits, being designed for use primarily on pavement and similar hard surfaces. Even most fat tire bicycles come equipped with a 4-inch wide tire, so they work best on packed sand and bog down in the softer, looser stuff.
The ATV-style front tire on the Xterrain 500 at a ridiculous 10 inches wide, partnered with a 4.6 inch wide rear tire. This combo compliments the 500-watt motor, allowing easy gliding over any type of soft sand, mud, gravel, and even giving smooth propulsion through deep snow. The bike will go for 20 miles on a single charge of the 48-volt battery.
If you enjoy biking during the winter months, the Xterrain 500’s ability to sail through snow and mud is a real advantage. And with the option to use electric power to help you pedal it’s a smooth ride. You can even glide along without pedaling at all. When you do want to ride on pavement or over more irregular surfaces, simply switch out the front fattie. The Xterrain 500 comes with a second front wheel that runs a more traditional 26×4-inch tire. The change is easy, too: just move the RockShox suspension forks closer together via an adaptable crown plate.
On the electric side, there’s plenty of zip from the 48-volt 9-Ah Samsung battery that’s used to power a 500-watt/48-volt electric rear hub motor. It provides pedaling assistance to a top speed of about 20 mph.
An Indiegogo campaign is set up to help get the company needed funding for full production so the Xterrain 500 should soon be available in the U.S., selling at a retail price of approximately $1600.
