When niches collide: Pedego’s electric ski-fatbike

File under: signs of the apocalypse

With niche bikes all the rage, it was just a matter of time before someone decided to toss a fatbike, some batteries, a motor, and a single ski into the blender.  That someone, it turns out, is Pedego.

The Felt that Chipps found at Interbike notwithstanding, the Pedego Trail Tracker is “the world’s only electric ‘fat bike.’” “A heavy-duty, off-road monster,” the fat-e-bike is said to be “attracting interest at ski resorts from those looking for a new kind of winter fun.”

The Trail Tracker is outfitted with a 10 amp-hour 48V battery and 600W silent electric motor, which net a range of 15-30 miles at electric speeds of up to 20mph.  Speed is controlled via either a handlebar-mounted twist throttle or  “pedelec control,” which creates the (admittedly entertaining) sensation of pedaling with bionic legs.  The £2,100 bikes come complete with a 7-speed Shimano “shifter and chain,” comfort saddle, and suspension seatpost to augment the cushion provided by those 4in tyres.

With certainty that suggests that he knows something we don’t, Daniel Robinson of Pedego says that the company is “very excited to bring this very unique product to Europe for the first time” and that they’re “confident its market-leading design and outstanding capability will blaze a trail across the continent, especially in the snow in partnership with Bikeboards.”

As we all know, fatbikes are entirely unsuited for snow use, ahem.  Happily, Pedego has paired with the “off-road thrill seekers at Bikeboards” to provide a strap-on ski for the front wheel.  Bearing in mind that “it’s steeper than it looks,” this video shows just how horrifying awkward exciting the result can be:

Well, if that doesn’t sell you…

pedegoeurope.com