Note:  Photos of Specialize Fatboy Tires Below

Specialized bicycles calls their "Fatboy" tire a "Performance Road" tire. At 26x1.25 for 559rims these are a pretty good choice for mountain bikers who want to ride the asphalt. These are a pretty good choice for middle of the road 559 Recumbent trainers.

I've ridden these on both my mountain bike and my recumbent. They definitely fill a bit different depending on the type of bicycle you are riding. On the Mountain Bike they feel a bit unstable to me and I'm not that comfortable on them... however on the recumbent they feel just about right and seem to handle better. Probably just my perception as on the Mountain Bike I am much higher in the air and used to wider tires with a lot more grip.

At 390 grams these are fairly light wire bead training tires. The tread is a bit stiff, but inflated at about 85psi they offer a fairly smooth ride... pump them to 100psi and the ride gets noticeably harsher, but they do roll a lot better.

The Fatboy Tire is 60 tpi nylon with Specialized Flak Jacket sub tread. In the 1,300 miles I put on them on the Recumbent I did not encounter a single flat. However in the photos included below you will see I had a pretty bad puncture that extended through the tread. This occurred on the front tire. Fortunately I also had a thin liner in this tire courtesy of the technician who trued my wheel. Saved me a long walk home!

Having ridden several brands of tires in the 26" size on my mountain bikes over the years I'd say Specialized makes a decent tire for the money. Nothing terribly special about these (pun intended). The tread is a bit hard but rolls well but the casing on the rear tire is beginning to separate. On smooth asphalt barring accident or misfortune you might be able to push these to 2,000 miles. They retail for about $25.

If you have actual experience with these tires please feel free to comment. Please refrain from posting opinions of these tires unless you have experience with them.

They are not the easiest tire to mount, but there is a solution to that which I have also reviewed - Kool Stop Tire Bead Jack

Specialized Fatboy Tire Mounted on Recumbent Rim

Puncture Failure in Tread (Sharp Rock)

View of Puncture from Inside Tire

Sidewall Separation on Fatboy Tire

Is it too much to ask for companies to be ethical?

I had a miserable experience with them, just left a bad taste in my mouth like they were trying to trick me. Their customer service is pathetic (My opinion your mileage may vary).  Different prices on their different sites for the same products!  I don't view this a differentiation I view this as a deceitful practice from a company who is trying to "game" every last penny out of customers.

Are there any legitimate Online Vendors anymore?

I've had good luck with some LBS's, AEbike, Colorado Cyclist (So So Customer Service), Chain Reaction Cycles, Performance Bike (Pathetically Slow Shipping), and TreeFort Bikes to name a few.  I had a very bad experience with Nashbar when they billed more than was advertised on their site.  Then sent me additional bills later on.  I will also never buy another item from JensonUSA after they tried to pass off used equipment on me.

I try to buy from local shops, but they do not always have what I need/want.

Sad.