I've been riding on icy surfaces with the 26er. The reason I thought the fat bike would help was the icy foot prints create a very uneven and slippery surface. I thought a lg tire under inflated would absorb the uneven terrain while giving better traction. I was also hoping someone would say a plus bike would be fat enough, so I could ride the local trails as well in the summer. Or if someone said they ride over stuff like that all the time with a full fat bike, maybe that's the route. I worked almost 30 years at a outdoor ice rink. Now that the rink is gone, I'm ready to find a new excuse to be outside besides shoveling and snow blowing. I'm also hoping to walk the bike as little as possible.