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?

I ride steel all winter and rust isn't a problem. It might happen a tiny bit more than in the summer. I do leave the bike outside so don't have the melting - freezing cycle happening all the time.

You really do need fenders in the winter. Any bike I get has to be able to have those added over my tire size. I use the 32 mm wide tires. They are a nice general use size. I don't get the slick tires even for summer.

how tall are you?
what size frame is your ss/fg?

if you ride anything less than a size 57cm, you should go for a 26", because 26x2.1 is the same diameter as 700x23.
29'er are best far tall riders, because the wheels are massive, which makes the frame massive as well.

I think either of those options would likely work well as a winter commuter. I went a similar route this year and bought a Kona Unit. (SS 29er)

Looking at the specs, the Bullseye seems to be a little more quality. The components on both bikes won't be confused as "high-end", but as winter is going to take its toll anyway, that's not necessarily a bad thing.

As I just went through this process, one thing I noticed was the lack of fender mounting points on the front forks and rear stays. As you will definitely want fenders, you'll want to make sure you have a plan to address this. I posted here about how my LBS solved this problem for my rear fender. (link https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.....-No-Problem!)

Either way it's great that you're planning on taking on the challenge of winter riding. The right clothing, and some studded tires, and you'll likely enjoy the experience.

Good luck!

I actually live in MPLS as well and ride a SS/FG 29er; I can tell you based only on the first snowfall we've had that the thing is a monster and handles the snow like a champ. I personally got it used off CL, it's a Redline Monocog that came with disc brakes and a suspension fork for $400, I've since put the rigid fork back on and ditched the rear brake, making the whole rig FG with a tomicog.

Fenders are a must, I don't have em and I've consumed more road juice in the last 3 days than I'd ever want to. As far as 29 vs 26, you'll have an easier time finding a cheap 26er frame to build up but I personally prefer the lower torque of the 29" wheels, makes everything more predictable and smooth.

I know there is an ongoing debate about whether it's better to rock small tires and get the pizza cutter effect or to rock big tires and just plow through. I can say in my experience that traction in thicker snow has yet to be an issue and I am less susceptible to getting pulled into other peoples' tracks with the 2.5" wides.

As far as BD bikes go, I've heard wonderful things about the Dawes Deadeye. For the price, it really can't be beat and the wheels are already disc compatible so you can order a tomicog for 15 bucks and have that thing fix geared in no time. The tires are good for offroad, if you have the funds i'd recommend some winter rubber but I think regular MTB tires work pretty well for anything but ice.

Good luck man! Hopefully the drivers are kind to us this winter haha, I know these MN folks act like they've never seen snow before every time it flies so it shouldn't be too bad.

Thanks for your input guys, its much appreciated. Its tricky because nights like tonight riding back from campus/work when things are mostly plowed I really appreciate the speed afforded by my regular tires. I don't know how studs will play out when its actually plowed and I'm riding pavement. Being able to ride the greenway regardless of whether its plowed or salted would be a huge perk, though--or just not having to carefully plan my ride to be busy rodes that I assume will be plowed. That sucks because I'm definitely riding with a lot of traffic, and if I do hit that stray patch of ice and go down cars are usually pretty close to me.

All of those considerations leave me thinking that while the Nokain w106 might be serviceable if they fit on my bike, I'd really like to score a 29er. I'll ask really nice for christmas and hope the Dawes Bullseye is something my parents are ok with splurging on. Disc brakes seem like a god send in the winter, and I gather I could throw big studded tires on and roll through anything. I'd also like to be able to ride regardless of the forecast--I feel like with my Maddy if I know its clean and plowed I'm good. With a 29er I could see snow falling and shrug it off, which is amazing for someone who doesn't own a car and loathes the bus.

Last two winters I commuted with a Redline Monocog 29er. Used the Nokian W240 sudded tire in 40x700. The rim brakes are useless if the rim get snow on them. When the brakes are applied, the snow turn to ice and gives no braking action. Went with discs and they are unaffected. Fenders would be nice, especially in spring when the snow is turning to slop. My current ride is a Surly Karate Monkey with the same tires. Last Friday was 3F for the ride home and my rear shifter was freezing up. May convert to single speed once the cold sets in. 35x17 works well for everything around here. Don't need to go fast in frigid weather. A little bit of snow provides a lot of increased resistance. We get booming winds here, gusts to 39mph for my ride home, 35x17 good compromise here.