Mt Bike, Fat Bike, or Hybrid?
#26
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No question that a fat bike is more versatile. Why? Because you can build up a set of regular mtn bike wheels for any fat bike and then you have a fat bike when you want it and with a switch of wheels you have a mtn bike. I'm on my second fat bike and like my first, just built a set of wheels (Stans Flow) that I put 2.4" tires on. Now I can swap back and forth whenever I want.
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Fatback Corvus
Here's my bike, rockin clownshoe rims with D45 studded tires. I haven't taken pics of the mtn bike wheels but they are 27.5 wheels built on Fatback hubs. Nothing remarkable about them but the 2.4" Mountain King II Protection tires are incredible in dry conditions for my use on hard dirt/gravel/rock roads. I have them setup tubeless and run them under 20psi and I weigh over 200lb. No problem. Our bikes are setup with twist shifters for easier use with gloved hands inside pogies in winter. My wife has the same bike as I. I changed out my front ring to go from 30 tooth to 26 so I'd get lower gearing for the 12-14% grades in Denali Park with my mtn bike tires.
Last edited by digibud; 11-30-16 at 12:26 PM. Reason: clarity
#28
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Snowcat rims and Schwalbe IceSpiker Pros and it still dumped me twice Saturday morning. This is my fourth winter full time commuting and the first time crashing on ice with studded tires. For the first two winters my bike was an old Rockhopper with Snowcats and Nokians and never a slip.
I ask because my experience is that the fatter 2" tires like the IceSpiker Pro have more issues on snow than "skinnier" 30c-40c tires that cut through the snow better. For commuting or street riding they're the worst of both worlds for size - not skinny enough to bite through snow like a 30c-40c tire, not wide enough to stay floating on top of snow like a fat bike tire does.
Unfortunately there's nothing with 2 wheels that handles snow extremely well. :-/
#29
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It was on rutted up ice. Unfortunately Anchorage is a bit shy of snow right now. If I wasn't so cheap I would buy a pair of Nokian/Suomi studded tires and see if it might be a tire compound issue. All my 26 inch bikes wear the Nokian/Suomi tires (2.1 and 2.3 inch wide) and are much more stable on ice, especially if they are mounted to the wider Snowcat rims. I also run the tires a little on the soft side, but on the Fargo it didn't help.
Justin
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#30
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A glancing comment on this discussion...i think that most of this thread is about commuting, but if your ride includes groomed trails, then you shouldn't use mountain bikes...a two inch tire ruins two hours worth of grooming in about two minutes. A three inch tire is marginal, most of the time.
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A glancing comment on this discussion...i think that most of this thread is about commuting, but if your ride includes groomed trails, then you shouldn't use mountain bikes...a two inch tire ruins two hours worth of grooming in about two minutes. A three inch tire is marginal, most of the time.
#32
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Some of the trails around this area are often post-holed by hikers with no snowshoes and bikers with skinny tires run deep grooves as they try to get across. The nordic skiers are at the top of the totem pole, of course. After that, the snowmobilers and fat bikers get priority, so not all trails allow fat bikers..that is changing, albeit very slowly. My pet peeve is the post holers, who get on trails after a snow (without snowshoes) and leave a million 4"-8" boot sized holes all over. That ruins it for every type of user, and I am sure it cannot be fun post holing it through miles of trail. More and more muddy trails are closed now, with rangers handing out warnings and then tickets. More trails have gates that close when they are muddy. At least that is an improvement and reduces trail erosion/damage significantly.
#33
Jet Jockey
The fatbike is fun, but in an urban setting is not actually as useful as my utility bike with 35mm studded tires.
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#34
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Agree completely. I have no commute but use a cross bike as a winter bike and gravel bike. The Fattie is reserved exclusively for snowed-in trails. It would be a bit too much to commute on.
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