Fat bike tires

[Beaver]

My fat bike came with some cheap ass Choyang Big Daddy 4.9 tires. I assume they're cheap ass because every cheap ass bike on the market seems to have them.

How much difference would a Maxxis Minion FBR & FBF in a 4.8 make?

How about studs? I've never considered them on my fat bike until last weekend when the trails were icy. I built some for my commuter using self tapping metal screws that work really well. I can't justify $200+ per tire but $10 worth of screws, some shoe goo and a bit of time is an easy one to swallow.

[gravitylover]

The thing about purpose built studded tires is concave, carbide tipped studs in a proper pocket in a reinforced knob will be far more effective and long lasting than cheap metal screws sticking through flexy knobs.

[HankScorpio]

I'm also too cheap for proper studded fat bike tires but obviously see the advantages. My fat bike came with 4.8 MInions and I've been content with those on most types of snow.

Are people with studded tires able to run them on dirt or do they get trashed?

[smartyiak]

Won't matter for snow, but I replaced 45N Husker Du with Minions...the side knobs on Minions are ALOT more grabby on hard-pack...sometimes unnervingly so. I preferred the 45N tires by a bunch.

[SJG]

Define what kind of surface you are riding on FIRST. Some tires are good on dirt and rocks, but suck on anything other than groomed snow. Some tires are fast rollers but slick, others are extremely grippy but slow. You need to clarify your use for a more dialed-in recommendation.

[ACH]

Chaoyang manufactres private label tires for a lot of brands including Specialized, WTB and others.

I have a set of their Snow Storm studded tires on my fat.
The snow up here (PNW) packs and gets firm and very slippery so studs are mandatory if you don't want to go down. Generally speaking, they are fine, maybe a little heavy but it's mostly a tool for getting the dogs out in the Winter so I'm not real picky either. I don't ride them on dirt and once Spring is here and the snow stops falling the standard tires come back out. That said I also tend to stop riding the fat at that point regardless.

[SJG]

I ride a lot of deep snow. I have ridden 3 tires on fatty, Maxxis Colossus, Maxxis FBF/FBR, Surly Bud/Lou.

Colossus was poor in anything more than 3" of snow. Self steer was also really bad below 5psi on hard surfaces.

FBF/FBR is a good dirt/sand tire, but only fair on snow.

Bud/Lou is THE standard for deep snow riding. It's fantastic, but heavy and a bit of a slow roller. I'm not saying it's the best deep snow tire, just the standard because it's been near the top for so long. I also studded mine because of a few dangerous "situations" on off camber thaw/freeze surfaces. $$$ now.

[Beaver]

I generally run on snowshoe trails and boot packed trails, pretty much all snow except a few feet that may melt out in the sun. Typically not icy but occasionally. I never purposely ride dirt on my fat bike, that's what mountain bikes are for.

I agree with the soft screws being crappy, on my commuter I put them in a pan and got them red hot then dumped them in water to harden them. They're wearing very well.

[Touring_Sedan]

I've run a Dillinger & Nate, FBF & FBR, Bud & Lou, Snowshoe, and Ground Control. NOTHING compares to the Bud & Lou. Yes, they're heavy, and you can put some gripstuds in there if you need, but I've never found it necessary. I've had the box of studs and install tool hanging out in the parts bin for the last two years.

[Shredhead]

I ride everyday, regardless of conditions. Studded tires just aren’t versatile and I don’t want to be changing them all the time.

[sethschmautz]

Last year I rode summer and winter on Jumbo Jim's. They were okay in the summer but not great in the winter. We got a lot of snow last winter and the rodes and trails I rode on were pretty icy. I took a couple of falls.

This year I bought a pair of studded Wazias and they are a much grippier tire. They are heavier and role slower, but traction on snow and ice is much improved. I ran then in dirt and in mixed conditions before everything was snowy and they were really grippy on dirt but had quite a bit of auto-steer even at higher pressures (10-15psi). In snow I don't notice it at all and have been running 6-8 psi. I don't think the dirt is bad for the studs and the little bit of rock is probably not great, but not terrible either.

The studs have definitely come in handy but I've taken a fall even with the studs on really hard ice. Overall they are a big improvement over the JJs for winter. I'd love to have a better summer tire, but these things are crazy expensive so I'll probably just put the JJs back on for summer.

Seth

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[drakeson]

I recommend studded Snowshoe XL for winter use. They are great on on hard pack and ice.

[radam]

My fat bike came with those Chaoyang tires. I don't know if it was the rubber compound, the tread pattern or the fact that my bike has 95mm rims that are actually too wide for those tires (no way are they a true 4.9.. probably closer to a 4.0), but they were really quite terrible. My riding buddy has 4.6 Ground Controls on his bike and he would just be motoring up stuff no problem and I'd be back there spinning out and having to walk. Cornering was a very delicate affair as well. I'd usually have to air down so much just to get something resembling grip that self steer would be a serious problem.

I swapped out for Bud/Lou combo and it was night and day. I got my pair used for cheap, but it looks like now you can get 3.8 Nates or 4.3 Ednas for a good bit less if you don't need all that width. I think Minion FBFs/FBRs would probably be an improvement over the Chaoyang's as well, but everything I read pointed to the Surlys being the better choice if you're on primarily snow. My friend got the 3.8 Nates for his wife's bike and they only look a little smaller than the allegedly 4.9 Chaoyang's, fwiw. Whatever you do, replace the Chaoyang's unless you're only going to ride groomed trails on near-perfect days.

[ticketchecker]

I studded a Bud/Nate combo with grip studs, pretty awesome setup. Then I scored a pre studded dillinger for $75 so I'm running that on front and the studly Nate rear.

Would sell the studded Bud if anyone is interested, like new condition. I've got a couple Nate 120 tpi's that were hardly ridden that I'd like to sell too.

[thommy21]

I like my Bud Lou combo for everything but freshly groomed track. We have a couple trails that we are allowed to share with Nordic skiers and the grooves from the groomer cause the front to wander a good bit as the treads want to ride in the groove. Once there is some tracks on it it’s totally fine and less sketchy especially on the downhills.

[Tips^Up]

2 Buds ftw. They're slow until they're fast.

[rideit]

I have some basically brand new Nate 4.0’s for sale...$120 plus shipping?

[Cabinfever]

Anyone interested in trading straight up for a pair of 4.0 Minion DHF with ~ 50 summer trail miles on them. Ideal trade would be 4.8 Jumbo Jim’s w similar wear.

I like the way the JJ’s roll and dig the balloony fatness as a complement to my regular trail bike. The 4.0 Mnions do grip like an angry badger tho.

I cant remember the specific type on the Minion’s. Will take pics and update tonight


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[sethschmautz]

I would. My JJs have a few more miles, but in good condition. I'll send you a pm.

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[bluenext]

2 Buds ftw. They're slow until they're fast.

I run Lou and Lou. Captain Lou traction control.

[Pauldotcom]

4.8 Specialized Ground Control - from my experience there isn’t anything that is better.

[jackstraw]

I have some basically brand new Nate 4.0’s for sale...$120 plus shipping?

What are you running instead of Nates?