Dyno888

Looking for advice concerning commutes ( 50 kms ) half on gravel or hard packed snow and the other half on paved ( bike path )
Travels would be in the 5 C to -10 C

I am considering either getting a Studded fat bike or Studded Gravel bike or Studded 29 Mountain bike ?

What are your opinions ?

1- Fat Bike
2 - 29 niner MTB
3 - Gravel Bike

slo_rida

50km round trip is a pretty long commute, even in nice weather. Too far for a fat bike, IMO. I’d go with a gravel bike and wide studded tires.

mcours2006

Is this 50 round trip or one way? If it's one-way, I'd go with an e-bike. Even if it was round trip I might still consider an e-bike. I commute 20 km one-way with 700c studded tires in either 35 mm or 45 mm and it's not much fun, and slow, and for you even slower if it's packed snow and gravel. I have more confidence on the 45 mm tires when travelling over rutted and uneven frozen slush or packed down snow. The 35's work well on freshly fallen stuff and soft slush, and are a tad faster.

As for your question, a gravel bike would be best.

wipekitty

Gravel bike, for sure.

Does the bike path tend to have snow or ice, including black ice? And is the gravel usually snow pack throughout the winter, or only occasionally?

wolfchild

I would go with a rigid forked 29'er because it gives you options to run bigger tires or smaller tires and has room for full fenders which are important for winter riding You can also put drop bars on a 29'er and build it onto a gravel bike.

rumrunn6

got pics of the route?

gregf83 

I have a 60km commute on pavement which I do up to a few times per year with 35mm studs. It’s significantly more work to do with studs, I wouldn’t want to do it everyday.

For myself, I try and and minimize the energy I expend on the commute. That means good, low resistance tires, tight clothes and a decent riding position. It would be much tougher to commute on a fat bike or MTB so I’d go with a bike you could mount 35mm tires on and get yourself in a decent aero position. Plenty of bikes would be suitable. You don’t need a ‘gravel’ bike to ride on gravel.

HerrKaLeun

The fattires don't really work better or hardpack or gravel and they slow you down a lot. there will be ice occasionally from freeze-thaw (e.g. snow melting next to path and running over the path etc.), so studs will be important. Like a 2" or 40mm would work depending on what clearance your bikes have. i just got Schwalbe Marathon studded tires (240 studs/4 row) and the rolling resistance is much less than with my un-studded fatbike. But more than my normal hybrid tires. So you want to have more time for that distance.

WinterCommuter

I commute year round in st paul mn so i see several months of snow and ice. I have 2 bikes that i use. First, i have a very old 26x2 hardtail mtn bike. Second, i have a newish fully rigid fatty that i have 29x2 wheels on for commuting. As a backup, i ride the bus and 2 inch tires allow me to put the bike in the rack on the bus. I run studs on both bikes. I’ve commuted this way through 4 winters.

i started commuting after i’d purchased both bikes. So, rather than attempt to purchase an ideal commuter, i’ve attempted use what i have. If i were to buy a new bike more specifically for commuting, i’d look hard at gravel bikes, particularly those that are designed to run 700c and 650b x2. That is, for snow and ice having 2 inch or more for running studded tires.

good luck!

Dyno888

Thanks for all the great answers...


I kind of figured that a Fat Bike would be too much resistance and would make my commute miserable.
I figured that I was the commuter biking at the coldest temperatures , But Minneapolis is just a little out of my comfort zone.

davei1980

Have you heard of Jones bikes? I think a rigid 29+ platform fits the bill here:

$1799 for complete Short Wheel base model

$2050 for long wheel base model complete

The LWB model has the option of 'smooth' tires or 'knobbies'

The smooth tires are actually a really trick Vee Rubber 2.8" wide tire with a lot of capability and the knobbies are 3.0" wide; you don't really feel on the road since they're so wide - tread matters very little when you get very wide tires. The SWB version may come with 27.5+ , IDK

davei1980

Try a fat bike - I think you'll find they're way easier to pedal than you think.

WinterCommuter

I concur. If i could only have 1 bike for winter, it would be my fully rigid fatty. 29x2 for commuting (because somedays even i wimp out of the 12 mi bike ride home and 29x2 fits nicely into the rack provided on the front of the bus). 4x26 for playing in the snow and ice. For stability and traction a fatty stands alone and hitting the deck is always the slowest ride.

KP_Doodie

Gravel bike. More importantly, I would recommend buying snowboarding gloves instead of overpriced and ineffective cycling specific ones. For a commute that long, you won't be happy if your hands aren't happy.

chas58

Very True.

OP - try this out with what you have. Any of the bikes listed will work, but are really dependant on your terrain and strength/speed

Fat bike: I don't know how fast you ride. Personally, I don't go that fast in the winter. Wind chill is too much at 20-25mph. I'm happy on a fat bike at 12-15mph. Its only above 15mph where the aero of a fat bike really becomes a problem. But at winter speeds (10-15), they are not a hindrance. They are the ONLY thing that works on trails that people have walked on. Its just too dang chuncky, potmarked, bumpy, messy for me to ride a mtb or gravel bike on a trail with old snow/ice.

29er - I do this when I'm not in a hurry. Works great on fresh snow as it will cut through the snow where a fat bike gets bogged down.

Gravel bike - my goto bike 3/4th of the year or when roads/trails are clear (or in fresh snow). I use it when I want to cruise at 20+ and I'm not worried about black ice (because it is too cold or too warm). Not the best choice for studded tires. Not really the best choice for winter unless the conditions are ideal.

Personally I tend to use a hard tail MTB. That I have a set of studded tires/wheels for that. But no matter what you ride, studded tires are friggen slow and heavy.

Notso_fastLane

Fat quad with e-assist?

https://www.utahtrikes.com/RECENTTRI...oneQuadRS.html