Originally Posted by
DarKris
So I'm potentially thinking about getting a hardtail MTB however I am finding it hard to justify. My current bike is a Giant Toughroad and will fit up to 50mm wide tires which is wide for a gravel bike but narrow for a MTB. The only reason I would want a dedicated MTB is for winter riding and for more steep + technical trails. The issue is those two scenarios are scarce for me, however the snow part is more common for where I live.
I tried out a few bikes from Salsa: the Fargo, Timberjack, and Beargrease. The Fargo had 29 x 2.6" Tires that I got to try out in the typical snowy conditions that I experience here, and I can say that the 2.6" tires performed remarkably better than my 45mm and 50mm tires, and I think that would be a good balance for what I want to do with my bike. The Timberjack had the same size tires as the Fargo, although they were definitely more trail oriented, and the Beargrease's 27.5 x 3.8 tires felt pretty overwhelming to ride with when I did my short test ride. Unfortunately I wasn't able to ride those two in snow.
So summary I guess: I want to get a MTB that can run 29 x 2.6" tires, however it would only see limited use due to availability of trails to ride and snow which'll make it hard to use my gravel bike. Due to this limited use case, I'd be looking to spend around $1000 or less on a complete bike. There doesn't seem to be mant 29ers in this price range that will fit those tires from what I'm finding, however there seems to be better priced options in 27+, but will I be losing out that much in therms of traction compared to a 29 x 2.6"?
Advice/Options?
I have 2.15" tires on 30mm rim in front and plenty of clearance on my Toughroad. I bet you can mount any of the studded 2.1" tires front and rear.
I'd say the difference you noticed between the toughroad and the MTB 2.6" tires is more related to the tread pattern than width. If you have plowed paths, a thinner studded tire may work equally as well. If you want to use with as a weapon, go fatbike.
BTW, on unplowed trails (3" snow) i see cyclocross bikes etc. and they seem fine given the circumstances. so i bet you could equip the toughroad with a dedicated wheelset and studded winter tires and would be fine.
One thing that speaks for an MTB would be a dropper post. When going over seemingly icy patches I lower myself on the fatbike to get more stable and have my feet closer to the ground if needed. You can't get that on the Toughroad with the stupid D-shaped post.
New MTB with enough tire clearance all have suspension forks. In the cold they can get stiffer and cause other problems. I'm just going by what i read, though. But many people with fatbikes swap their suspension forks for rigid forks in winter.