PdalPowr

I asked my bike mechanic what he thought about fatbikes with studded tires as a commuter in winter. He said they are great on snow,ice and off trail but not when there is a signifigant amount of snow on ice. He said the tires wouldn't chew through the snow but the snow would slip on the ice.

He runs a mountain bike with just about the best studded tires on it.
I respect his opinion a great deal and his opinion reflects what everyone at the bike shop thinks.
But that is just a few opinions and only from one shop.

What is your take on what was said?

Darth_Firebolt

if you want to cut through the snow and get studs into the ice, fat bike tires are the opposite of what you want. in a commuting scenario, assuming you ride where cars have already compacted the snow into basically ice, you might get away with studded fat bike tires.

PedalingWalrus

Yeah, he is right. If there is ice and then snow on top of the snow, the fat tire will try to 'float' on the snow but then will slip on the ice.

The fat bike or fat tire will do better on snowy surface that is soft and would make narrower tires to cut in and get pushed around whatever is underneath. A fat tire will try to roll over it with it's wide footprint. Then on surfaces that are icy a fat tire with studs will help climbing or descending when you need to make a turn or when you need to hit the brakes on a downhill where regular tire will just slip.

PdalPowr

Thanks for the confirmation.
Getting that kind of input makes trusting my bike shop all the easier.

Too bad about the fatbike though.
I was looking at Moose Bike's fat bike 1. She is a beauty.
If I could afford one just for recreation then an impassable road or two doesn't matter.
But I also need it to get to appointments and such.

Leebo

Fat bike efficiency? Try fun factor. Length of commute and conditions? Do they plow the bike paths? What is your winter like? My studded fat bike tires work pretty good on the ice. Not better than my 29er with 2.1 tires though. Look at what is the best tool for the job for most of the conditions.

jrickards

Any tire, including studded car winter tires, will encounter snow thick enough that, although the tire might grip the top surface of the snow, it won't penetrate the snow to the ice or hard-pack, slippery snow below it and traction will suffer. It is my opinion though that studded tires are good for winter conditions because when ice or hard-pack slippery snow is encountered, rubber knobbies on the tires won't bite into these surfaces but studs will.

drowling23

The effectiveness of the spikes is directly related to the pressure per square inch (or centimeter) that the tires apply to the ground. Consequently, the thinner the tires, the more effective the spikes are. Can't fight with physics?

Personally I've hit a balance of sorts with Ice Spiker 27.5/2.6 tires that's recently been released by Schwalbe.

Hypno Toad

I run 45NRTH Dillinger 4 studded tires, they are great on snow, ice, and pavement (however, you need to adjust tire pressure for the conditions). I've ridden these tires on snow over glare ice without issue, once the snow is deep enough, the tires will float and typically the snow will grip the ice enough to keep traction (don't do anything 'crazy').

If you have the choice of studded fatbike versus studded 26er (or studded 700x); I'd recommend the 26er (or 700x) because there are many more tire choices and studded 26er (or 700x) tires are A LOT less money and run a little more efficient (faster) for commuting. Frankly, Dillingers are designed for snowy trails, not clear pavement; they run well on pavement, but not their design focus. And there are lots of studded 26er (or 700x) tires designed for commuters, with the focus on efficiency on pavement with grip for ice.

I ended up getting the Dillingers last year when we had super icy conditions and my old 26er frame broke... so the fatbike was the best bike for icy rides. And I moved to a home office a couple years ago, so winter rides are for fun, not commuting.

For reference, here's a clip of my Dillinger tires on some snow covered ice:

PdalPowr

Thanks for sharing the info and that sweet ride.
You must be tough. It looked pretty darn cold.

As for working at home?
You could still commute.
The stairs would even be fun.

Hypno Toad

Lisa and the dogs would get really PO'd if I rode down the stairs... but I've been known to move my trainer into my office and ride while working

I'd love to think I'm tough... but honestly, this was the most direct route to the tap room to pick up a growler

I'm going to ride a 15-mile race on that lake on Sunday, that'll be tough... we had two days of thaw, now the temps are falling to make sure the ice is totally free of snow & smooth as glass, and race time temps will be around 8F with light snow. This will be my first race on the Dillinger tires and their biggest test! I'll be sure to share a race report and video/photos. Planned race course

26220872_10155378811696925_3833953261504056806_o.jpg

(Sorry, kinda off topic, but not totally off topic)

rumrunn6

looking forward to it!

Hypno Toad

Dang! I forgot to post an update.

I created a thread for this race: Fatbike race on lake ice... hold my beer & watch this (video)

rumrunn6

oh sorry, I saw that, guess I didn't make the connection. my bad. nice sunny day!

Hypno Toad

It's so Minnesotan to say "At least it's sunny" when it's sub-zero