Hey guys,

I have been cycling nearly year round in MPLS for a few years now. I typically ride ss/fg, and in years past have made do with my regular slicks. Usually this means I have to wait a day or two after fresh snow for the city to plow and get the roads and ice taken care of. I'm exploring alternatives to get through the winter with less of an issue this year.

The cheapest option will be studded tires on my current ride. My only concern is that my bike (an 08 Schwinn Madison) is built with wannabe track geometry, so I'm concerned that even the narrowest studded tires (32's according to a guy at the lbs) will be a tight fit.

An alternative I've always thought looked perfect for riding all winter in Minneapolis seems to be a 29er. I've seen dudes riding in blizzard-like weather on em without a problem, and it looks pretty badass. I'm working full time and attending school right now, so I gather that my parents might splurge a bit on me for christmas. "Splurging" for my family means MAYBE $500 tops, which puts me square in bikesdirect territory. I know nothing about 29ers, but I know the go-to ss/fg from BD is the Kilo TT. Is there a comparable 29er from BD?

The gravity G29, Windsor Cliff, DawesBullseye, and Gravity Zilla would all fit in my price range. I like that the Zilla seems spec'd more for commuting than offroading (which will rarely if ever happen), but if this means its a less capable ice and snow machine I'm open to anything, really. G29 and Bullseye are both competitively priced ss 29ers with disc brakes. I'm a-ok with ss if derailleurs typically present problems in the winter anyway.

So if you had a limited budget and could potentially score a 29er, which would you swing for and why? If you educate me on the pros/cons of frame and component choices, thats great too, as I can better make my decision. For example, I'm inclined to steel because its what I usually ride, but Al would alleviate rust concerns, no?