Dry or Cool? That is the question.
 

Ok, so, it's almost Xmas and we are FINALLY ABOUT TO GET SOME SNOW hopefully. My mountain/commuter/winter bike is this guy, a Surly Ogre with Maxxis Crossmark 29x2.1" tires:

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=289104

It'll soon have a Nokian Gazza Extreme 294 and my dilemma is whether to try to fit it under some fenders or not. I have some 29'er fenders, but they barely clear the Crossmarks. I know the gospel is that full fenders are a must for winter riding, but I see many photos of people's bikes going without and I'm not sure if there are any fenders that could even clear a studded 29'er tire.

So what're people's thoughts: lose the fenders or the winter tires? Or is there some wondrously wide fender out there that'll let me run both?

As long as it stays cold you're fine.
If it gets warm enough to make slush, you're SOL.

There are MTB fenders that clamp to you seatpost and have an adjustable arm to allow you to position them as needed. Not as good as full fenders but keeps you from getting a skunk stripe and slush in places you don't want slush.

Whew! A 4.5lb pair of tires on a single speed...that'll get you strong!

My inclination is to think that those would be overkill in IA, but I don't know the weather, your route, surface conditions, distance, or how badly you need to get through no matter the weather.

I am highly averse to getting filthy on a commute, however, and unless you have to ride on hard-packed snow and ice, I think that some riding skills and choice route selection could get a non-studded tire through the winter snowfalls just fine until the roads clear (as they have for many years in my case; I tried some 26" studded tires back in '90, and found them an annoying waste).

Pynchonite, I live in Cedar Rapids, and you can read my post from this morning about trying to ride in the sloppy mess we got last night. I hope you had better luck than I did. It was just too warm and wet. Had it been colder and the slushy mess had frozen, it wouldn't have been a problem for me. The Nokians do extremely well in ice and cold snow conditions; but I don't think anything does very well in 6" or more of slushy wet stuff that just squirms around as you ride. I could barely keep the bike going straight. It's supposed to get much colder tonight, so maybe I'll be riding tomorrow. Stay safe out there!

Oh, and about the fenders, if you can make it work with the studded tires, I would use them. Keeping the salt and grime off your chain and derailers is a good thing. Also, keeping water from getting on your shift cables (which then freezes and makes shifting difficult) is also a good thing.

One more thing, if I had a choice between studded tires OR fenders (not both) I would choose studded tires. Fenders protect your bike and clothing, studded tires protect your body from nasty falls. I'd rather protect my body.

The Ogre should have lots of room for fenders. Try some from planet bike.