2021 EUNORAU FAT-HS Review

Video Review

Written Review

Power — Bafang hub drive, 1000 nominal watts, 160 Newton meters of torque

Speed  — 35 mph

Battery and Range — 48 volt 14 ah, 35 miles, additional 14 ah or 17 ah, 85 miles, Samsung cells

Pedal assist sensor — Cadence sensor

Display — Bafang Color LCD

Frame and weight — 6061 Aluminum alloy, 70 pound curb weight

Suspension —  RST Guide, 75 mm 

Gearing — Shimano Deore, 9 speed

Brakes — Eunorau, hydraulic disc, 180 mm rotors

Warranty — 2 year comprehensive, 14 day return

Price — Starting at $2,799 USD

Today we’re reviewing the Eunorau FAT-HS electric bike, which has a very functional and very sweet dual battery design with a huge max range of nearly 85 miles. This fat tire mud machine is also incredibly fast and torquey, and is overall just a really cool ebike. This thing is just perfect for deep backwoods exploring. The FAT-HS has two frame sizes — 17” and 19” and one color, matte black with orange accents. With a starting price of $2,799.0 USD, the FAT-HS is far from affordable, but it’s also far from your average electric mountain bike. Right. Let’s dive into the specs. 

The FAT-HS has a Bafang mid-drive motor with 1000 nominal watts of power and a whopping 160 Newton meters of torque, for a max speed of 35 mph. This motor feels every bit as powerful as it sounds, and because it’s a mid-drive it’s also able to utilize the gearing of the bike for either extra torque or extra speed, depending on what gear you’re in. This is a feat that hub drives simply cannot do. It’s also something you absolutely want if you plan on tackling extremely steep hills, deep mud, snow or sand, or if you plan on towing a trailer with extra gear, which is something you could most definitely do with the FAT-HS. 

My only gripe with this motor is the fact that it’s a cadence sensor, which is less responsive compared to a torque sensor, and that it has wires protruding from the base of the motor, which can get damaged if you bottom out on rocks, logs or some other obstacle on your trail. Because of this, the FAT-HS would excel most at soft, muddy trails with big hills, but we advise you steer clear of rock crawling, hopping over logs or anything else that could potentially lead to strikes. 

To power this electron guzzling motor is a 48 volt, 14 amp hour battery with Samsung cells and a max estimated range of nearly 35 miles under perfect conditions. But probably the coolest feature about this battery system is the ability to slap on a second battery, which attaches to the bosses on the downtube. This second battery comes in a 14 amp hour and 17 amp hour version, and combined with the primary battery can extend the max range up to nearly 85 miles, which is bananas. This gives you up to 27 amp hours of juice and is ideal for extended treks, heavy loads and muddy trails.

The FAT-HS has a Shimano Deore derailleur with a 9-speed cassette and matching trigger shifters with shift detection. It’s great that Eunorau upgraded the derailleur on the FAT-HS to handle the immense torque being placed on the drivetrain, and the shift detection adds another layer of protection to the components by momentarily cutting power to the motor whenever you shift gears. This is an important feature and one that can significantly inverse the longevity of the derailleur and chain. You’ll also notice that Eunorau has a chain guide on the front chain ring to help prevent derailments. Nice.

With a curb weight of nearly 70 pounds, the FAT-HS is heavy, but not overly so, especially considering the full suspension setup and fat tires. The FAT-HS has a RST Guide suspension fork with 75 mm of travel, preload adjust and lockout. It also has a rear spring suspension with preload adjust as well. This allows you to finely tune your suspension to best suite your ride style. With front and rear suspension, the FAT-HS is a comfortable ride on and off road, and is particularly important for those longer rides. 

To bring the FAT-HS to a stop we’ve got Eunorau-branded hydraulic disc brakes with 180 mm rotors in the front and rear wheels. Hydraulic brakes offer substantially more stopping power compared to mechanical disc brakes, and we’re happy to see them on the FAT-HS since it has that super fast 35 mph top speed. These brakes are also equipped with motor inhibitors, which instantly cut power to the motor whenever you hit the brake levers. Basically, they ensure you’re not fighting against the motor when you’re trying to stop. 

The FAT-HS has 26” by 4” Kenda Crusade Sport tires with K-Shield Protection, and these tires are great for floating over soggy terrain, especially if you air them down a bit. The K-Shield Protection is also a nice feature to help reduce flats from punctures. 

There is an integrated headlight on the FAT-HS, and while it’s brighter than most ebike lights out there, it’s still not really sufficiently bright to hit the trails at night with. If you’re a night rider, you’re definitely going to need to get an aftermarket light with around 2000 lumens of output, or preferably even more. 

Wire management on the FAT-HS is a bit all over the place, and it would be nice to see the wires bundled more efficiently, or even wrapped with a nylon or plastic sheath. Thankfully, most the wires are internally routed, which makes for a streamlined look and also helps to protect the wires as well.

The display on the FAT-HS is bright and adjustable, so big brownie points for that. It also has all the necessary information you might need. However, if you wear polarized sunglasses, you may not be able to see the screen unless you tilt your head to the side. Since we’ve got the trigger shifters on the right side of the handlebars, Eunorau put the throttle on the left, which was a smart choice. That’s also where the independent button pad is. The grips flat and rubberized and the handlebar width allows for maximum control while riding. 

I’m really digging the FAT-HS and feel this e-mtb would work best for those trips deep into the backwoods, down the wet, muddy trails that are just to extreme for everybody else. This is also an ideal choice if you plan to haul a trailer with extra cargo. The 1000 watts, 160 Newton meters of torque from the mid-drive motor are going to be more than enough to tackle even the most gnarly trails, and the ability to add an additional battery with 17 more amp hours of juice is really nothing short of perfect.