Originally Posted by
Camilo
I was told by a local bike shop owner that they aren't that great on ice and studded tires are >$200 apiece! Can anyone verify? (performance on ice?)
Any fat bike tire will cost much more than a regular bike tire, more rubber and/or more studs = more $$$.
As far as traction on ice goes, no amount of rubber will help you there. A skinny 23mm tire is just as bad as a 4.8" fat bike tire because they rubber does not grip on clean ice. You will need studs to cut into the ice for traction but I prefer not to ride on that type of ice and weather. I'll wait a day for it to melt a little, but for the occasional spotty icing, a fat bike can be better, esp if the ice is "crystalized", aka, not clear but cloudy or white.