Is a fat bike good for Buffalo ny winters or a normal bike

[boytitan]

I got lucky last winter but I feel this winter is going to be worse and have been considering getting a fat bike. I feel id do much better with a fatbike this winter.

Thinking of getting this because its one of few full suspension fat bike frames.I have a decent rear shock sitting around on a project bike for a regular mountain bike I gave up on and started putting the parts on other bikes. Even with the huge price the fact is a full suspension fat tire bike leaves so much room for upgrading the price is worth it. I also plan on replacing the rear hub motor because that looks small as shit.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/The-Tumbler-26-Electric-Mountain-Bike-Fat-Tire-/142492067189?hash=item212d306575:g:jHIAAOSwy5BZpyrW

Also last winter I had front wheel drive which gave me 2wd. When I went slower.

 

[Raisedeyebrows]

You'd think with aggressive studded tires on there it would get some traction. Amazing they can sell the bike with a battery for that price. Curious how much a set of decent studded tires costs for those things.

 

[boytitan]

You'd think with aggressive studded tires on there it would get some traction. Amazing they can sell the bike with a battery for that price. Curious how much a set of decent studded tires costs for those things.

129.99 or 200 usd only 2 options. Also I know A full suspesion fat bike frame alone costs 999. they really like to over charge for the higher tire clearance.

 

[MadRhino]

Is it to ride the street ?

Fat bikes are not that good on the street winter conditions. Even 3" is wide. Narrower tires with lots of studs are best. I like the 57mm X 26" Nokian Extreme 294 on my dirt bike, that I ride on the street when winter conditions are snowy, slushy or icy. When the streets are clean I ride my street commuter with 3.0 X 24 no studs. Studs are a handicap on clean pavement. I used to make my own, but this is time consuming and expansive. See this page for choice and description: http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/studdedtires.php

Fat tires are at their best in deep soft conditions, where you want to float. On pavement, you want to slice the slush and snow to catch some grip on the hard. In the summer, fat tires are not that bad on the street.

 

[markz]

Fat tires are at their best in deep soft conditions, where you want to float. On pavement, you want to slice the slush and snow to catch some grip on the hard. In the summer, fat tires are not that bad on the street.

^Agreed ^

 

[Chalo]

My buddy who's moved to Anchorage tells me that fatbikes work best within a narrow range of snow conditions, like groomed cross-country ski trails. Too soft and they sink, too packed and they slide around.

I'm really glad I don't have to experience that kind of riding weather.

And, that eBay bike in the top posting? Godawful. You can tell just by looking that no engineer has ever been within a quarter mile of the thing. Don't do it. Or, do it-- and report back to let us know what a stupendous pile of fail it is. But don't say I didn't warn you.

 

[MadRhino]

I'm really glad I don't have to experience that kind of riding weather.
.

Winter commuting on 2 wheels in slippery conditions is dangerous and uncomfortable. Cars are dangerous already on clean pavement, when they have poor vision and no brakes it does turn into a war zone. Cold is even colder with speed, and poor traction is keeping the rider under stress. No wonder why we don't see many bikes on snowy streets. You have to be a hard core rider to like it.

 

[dogman dan]

Speaking of cross country ski's,,, 8)

But seriously, you might want to consider a tadpole trike for serious winter use like you have in Buffalo. Studded tires of course. Then at least you can creep along fairly slow, and warmer than trying to keep up the speed bikes need to balance well. Sure, faster much of the ride, but able to creep when the conditions call for creeping, with an eye on that car coming with a pinhole defrosted on the windshield.

 

[MadRhino]

Trikes are making slippery surfaces much easier to ride. Yet in the city trafic they are stucked following the cars most of the time, risking being crushed in a sandwich. On a bike you need to dance the twist sometimes, but at least you can keep ahead and you always have the option to jump in a snow bank to avoid a crash. The good part of winter riding, is taking a slide on the street without any scratches and burns. Snow banks are making a cushioned crash stop, and cagers are much slower when they have no brakes.

 

[boytitan]

I'm really glad I don't have to experience that kind of riding weather.
.

Winter commuting on 2 wheels in slippery conditions is dangerous and uncomfortable. Cars are dangerous already on clean pavement, when they have poor vision and no brakes it does turn into a war zone. Cold is even colder with speed, and poor traction is keeping the rider under stress. No wonder why we don't see many bikes on snowy streets. You have to be a hard core rider to like it.

I did it last winter I have a heated vest so cold is not a issue.

On the regular biking side people seem to enjoy em. In weather conditions here.

Mad rhino I slipped when breaking on black ice twice last winter. Falling on black ice does not cushon you all.

Chalo I have ridden some cheap bikes in been fine for normal bike use. I went from a crappy huffy road bike to a fuji in my normal bike riding can't get worse then a huffy.

Also you can compare 3 inch tires to 4 inch tires. I have never seen someone say 3 inch tires work in snow. I seen people say fat bikes work in snow but plus bikes are just a no.

 

[melodious]

Regarding a tadpole style bike, if you look hard enough there are front kits that replace your stock fork. Look even harder, there are kits that offer a less wide profile, and kits that have leaning characteristics apparently giving better control in turns. 8)

Whichever bike you go with, you're going to need an option of studded tires in the long winters of Buffalo. Apparently, people from Buffalo like to bring up conversation points about the great blizzards of yesteryear :lol: .

 

[MadRhino]

Mad rhino I slipped when breaking on black ice twice last winter. Falling on black ice does not cushon you all.

Yep. It doesn't cushion at all when you fall flat on it, but it does make a 30 mph slide much more fun than dry pavement.

 

[boytitan]

Regarding a tadpole style bike, if you look hard enough there are front kits that replace your stock fork. Look even harder, there are kits that offer a less wide profile, and kits that have leaning characteristics apparently giving better control in turns. 8)

Whichever bike you go with, you're going to need an option of studded tires in the long winters of Buffalo. Apparently, people from Buffalo like to bring up conversation points about the great blizzards of yesteryear :lol: .

I made it through last winter without stubbed tires.

 

[Raisedeyebrows]

And, that eBay bike in the top posting? Godawful. You can tell just by looking that no engineer has ever been within a quarter mile of the thing. Don't do it. Or, do it-- and report back to let us know what a stupendous pile of fail it is. But don't say I didn't warn you.

That does look like one of those over-designed designs doesn't it? If I wanted a fat bike I think I'd just put a BBSHD on a Surly or something similar, something simple.

 

[MadRhino]

I made it through last winter without stubbed tires.

The streets are cleaned most of the winter. The conditions when studs are a must only happen once in a while. When I was riding only one bike in the winter, I didn't use studs. For those very slippery days, I was slow and careful, trying to avoid trafic. Then, it did happen that streets were real bad for a week and that is making for a long, dangerous week.

 

[markz]

Its better to have a thinner tire (1.75-2.4) to slice through city winters then a fat bike tire that just pushes everything like a snow plow. A lot of extra work required for fatties, but fatties have there place

 

[dustNbone]

We had a pretty heinous winter here last year, a bunch of snow fell, started to melt, and then froze solid (real solid, 10-15 degrees below freezing) and stayed that way for several weeks. A number of roads were just solid sheets of inch+ thick ice, and that was the first time I've felt the need for studded tires. I got a pair of Schwalbe Winter Tire 700x35s and my ebike (Light touring bike with BBS02) became unfriggenstoppable. Sometimes a little dodgy as the studs dig in, but very reassuring once they do. I doubt I'll need them again any time soon, that was a freak winter that crippled much of the city. People here on the west coast aren't known for their winter preparedness, but I was getting along just fine throughout.

I've been riding dirtbike since I was a very young kid, so a little sideways isn't a big problem for me. If you're not used to correcting both understeer and oversteer on a bike, you probably want to avoid riding on ice covered pavement though. Things happen really fast on ice, and if you can't stay on top of it you will. Also your stopping distances will obviously be lengthened drastically, and that's something you want to learn the easy way (with nothing in front of you). Periodic brake checks to determine what you're actually riding over are a really good idea, it's easy to forget especially once you start having fun.

My battery was the biggest shortfall, I had to make a habit of bringing it inside with me when I reached my destination or it would be very unhappy with me after a few hours in the super cold.

 

[craneplaneguy]

They do better then I thought they would, but I stay off city streets. Packed snow on dirt roads is no problem, no studs, I just be careful turning but have plenty of traction. I was headed up to the ski area above my place, about 1500 vertical.

 

[dogman dan]

I assumed black ice, or at least plowed snow road would be the most common conditions, so I thought the trike would work good if the roads were snowy for months. Black ice laydowns do hurt more than normal. You just go down so quick and never have time to get ready for impact.

Trike or bike, you will have minimal brakes on a surface that hard and slick, but with the trike you at least can brake without causing a fall. Studs on the rear wheel should help you brake I'd think. Loved that on my ski cars anyway.

Good point though, about having to be in the lane with a trike most of the time.

Trike could be a fat tad trike, ( Sun trikes) but those are not so cheap.

 

[MadRhino]

Yep. On ice, a wash out does happen very quickly, but you are expecting it or at least you should. Then, like many difficult conditions, once you got some speed, a wash out doesn't hit that bad because it is not square, and you are gone for a long slide. The worst wash out on ice, is when you are almost stopped, or starting; that is when you hit square and have no time to defend yourself. The one major safety reaction that a rider need to learn on ice, is to leave the bike going sliding alone. You have to choose a trajectory for yourself, and avoid being the helpless "passenger" of a vehicle that you can't control anymore. That is also true of most slides, but on ice the slide doesn't slow down much and the final hit stop can be very hard.

 

[Wheazel]

Studded tyres (and I mean the best studded tyres that are available) is pretty much mandatory in my opinion if you want to reduce the risk of getting killed or injured in traffic during the winters here.
Ice surfaces are more rule than exception, and large parts of the winter the temperature is varying below and above freezing often. (drawback of a costal winter)

These were the incentives for me to start experimenting with the narrow track width trike, that will become a narrow track width quad.
After experiencing the difference I am reluctant to bike wintertime at all with an electric bike.
A manual mtn bike going at human power speeds with the best studded tyres is still predictable and safe imo.

I also agree that fatbike tyres are only good for a narrow set of snow conditions.

 

[MadRhino]

Some places in the north don't use melting agents, so they are on compacted snow or ice most of the winter. Here they use so much that everything is salted in the winter. The trafic does lift a mist of calcium salt that covers a bike and rider entirely. The traction is good most of the time, but it is dirty and corrosive. When there is a big snow storm and snow does pack before the city workers can spread the salt, we can be on ice for a few days and it is good to have a 2nd bike that has studded tires. There is an average of 25 days in a winter, when I need to use my dirt bike on the streets.

 

[boytitan]

Some places in the north don't use melting agents, so they are on compacted snow or ice most of the winter. Here they use so much that everything is salted in the winter. The trafic does lift a mist of calcium salt that covers a bike and rider entirely. The traction is good most of the time, but it is dirty and corrosive. When there is a big snow storm and snow does pack before the city workers can spread the salt, we can be on ice for a few days and it is good to have a 2nd bike that has studded tires. There is an average of 25 days in a winter, when I need to use my dirt bike on the streets.

You just reminded me about how salt is worse on the bike then snow. My bike which was bought in December has a few rust spots from salt from days I was to lazy to clean it after riding.