eMtn Bike with 27.5 x 2.35" tire on packed snow?

[DougC]

Been driving up to a nearby canyon within 45min with my dog and hiking on snow packed roads. Haven't needed snow shoes unless I take a side trip off the packed snow on the road.

Saw some folks last Monday riding fat tire bikes. I think the tires were wider than mine. At least 3 inches.

Been thinking of trying my Trek Powerfly FS5 this Sunday. Don't think they'll be any fresh snow by then. So the snow that's there will have been well packed by snowmobiles and hikers and maybe getting a little icy.

Not sure if 2.35" is too narrow of a tire, particularly with a 50lb bike and 200+ lb rider. I guess there's only one way to find out. Just go up there and try it. Worried I won't be able to get 10 feet then turn around and put the bike back on the rack.

 

[ruffruff]

Go try and see how it goes.
I fat tire with 4" wide tires. I did not like the handling until I aired WAY down.

Made a world of difference.

I'm guessing your narrow tires are not going to handle it well. But let us know!

 

[JRA]

Drop your psi down to the mid teens or so. Riding packed snow is no issue with even 2.1 tires.

 

[tomjasz]

I ride on 1.95‘s on packed snow. Haven’t bothered to mount my studded tires this year.

 

[DougC]

Thanks for responses. I'll give it a shot if not this weekend then next weekend. The latest forecast is for a couple inches of snow Saturday night through Sunday morning.

 

[DougC]

No snow last night so the road was well packed from the snowmobilers that were probably up here in abundance yesterday. Hardly anyone on the road today. Just a few skiers and hikers. Temp was in the high 30s. Really nice day.

There were some slushy spots that caused the bike to get a little squirrelly. The one item I forgot to bring was a pressure gauge. I just let out a second or two of air. When I got home checked the front and it was at 22psi and the rear at 17psi. Probably would have worked a little better if I had both at 15. But overall it was easy riding.

First pic kind of shows the snowmobile tracks. Second pic shows the view towards Mt. Timpanogos. This is one of the locations where Jeremiah Johnson was filmed.

I went out and back only 3 miles. All uphill going out for 1000 feet elevation change. Wasn't sure how much the dog could take so turned around and coasted back down to the parking lot.

So the answer to my question is Yes, no problem with 27.5 x 2.35" on packed snow. I would have gone out another few miles at least if I didn't have the dog with me.

 

[Smong]

Up here in Vermont there are groomed MTB trails in the winter. There is abundant signage at all the trailheads forbidding the use of tires less than 3" on groomed trails. They require that we stay off the trails if our tire tracks are more than an inch deep to preserve the trail and recommend 5 psi. They haven't forbidden ebikes on some trails but they are a no-no on others.

Snowmo trails are a different story. No regulations for bikes on them and I have ridden them extensively on 2.2" rubber before fatbikes. It's fine as long as temps are below freezing and not too sunny. We have had to resort to roads for return trips a few times when the trails softened up on long rides in March.

 

[ruffruff]

I was out last weekend on snowmobile trails. It was warm and sunny and the trails were really soft.
Once I got going I would hit really soft spots and die! Even with the fat tire I had to bale after about 300 yards.

 

[ruffruff]

No snow last night so the road was well packed from the snowmobilers that were probably up here in abundance yesterday. Hardly anyone on the road today. Just a few skiers and hikers. Temp was in the high 30s. Really nice day.

There were some slushy spots that caused the bike to get a little squirrelly. The one item I forgot to bring was a pressure gauge. I just let out a second or two of air. When I got home checked the front and it was at 22psi and the rear at 17psi. Probably would have worked a little better if I had both at 15. But overall it was easy riding.

First pic kind of shows the snowmobile tracks. Second pic shows the view towards Mt. Timpanogos. This is one of the locations where Jeremiah Johnson was filmed.

I went out and back only 3 miles. All uphill going out for 1000 feet elevation change. Wasn't sure how much the dog could take so turned around and coasted back down to the parking lot.

So the answer to my question is Yes, no problem with 27.5 x 2.35" on packed snow. I would have gone out another few miles at least if I didn't have the dog with me.

View attachment 46291View attachment 46292

Is that an English Setter?

 

[DougC]

Is that an English Setter?

Yes. He had a blast on that snowy road. I had him in that harness not really to pull me but to keep him from chasing Moose or other wildlife. He has a very high prey drive. We maintained a fast walking pace for him of on average 8 mph and he was sniffing the ground most of the way. Great dog.

 

[DougC]

I was out last weekend on snowmobile trails. It was warm and sunny and the trails were really soft.
Once I got going I would hit really soft spots and die! Even with the fat tire I had to bale after about 300 yards.

Because of a few slushy spots, I could see on my ride a couple weeks ago that it was late season so unfortunately that'll be my only snow ride this year. It's 50 deg up there today. Maybe I'll try again next year.

 

[ruffruff]

Yes. He had a blast on that snowy road. I had him in that harness not really to pull me but to keep him from chasing Moose or other wildlife. He has a very high prey drive. We maintained a fast walking pace for him of on average 8 mph and he was sniffing the ground most of the way. Great dog.

11 year old gordon setter! He has a lot of pheasant hunting miles on him but he still loves the bike trips!
I bought a trailer thinking he kinda keeps up for about a 1/2 mile then I can through him in the trailer to recover.

 

[DougC]

Up here in Vermont there are groomed MTB trails in the winter. There is abundant signage at all the trailheads forbidding the use of tires less than 3" on groomed trails. They require that we stay off the trails if our tire tracks are more than an inch deep to preserve the trail and recommend 5 psi. They haven't forbidden ebikes on some trails but they are a no-no on others.

Snowmo trails are a different story. No regulations for bikes on them and I have ridden them extensively on 2.2" rubber before fatbikes. It's fine as long as temps are below freezing and not too sunny. We have had to resort to roads for return trips a few times when the trails softened up on long rides in March.

Sounds like they take their snow mountain biking in Vermont very serious. Around here on the National Forest land there's only snowmobile packed roads and the snow shoe packed single track trails. There's one out and back road of a mile length along a creek that's groomed for skiing doesn't allow bikes. The single track from the trailhead I was at is too steep even in the summer for ride up on a non-assist bike. In fact most of the single tracks around there would be treacherous on a bike when snow covered. I've snow shoed on them but don't think I'd even want to ride down hill on them in the winter.

Wont' be going up again this year but next year I'll see what happens when I take the pressure down to 5psi. Might even look into getting a cheap spare wheel set (if there is such a thing) for a 2.8" set of tires.

 

[ruffruff]

Get a dedicated fat tire! It is a blast!!! I use to downhill ski a lot and single track fat tire riding is just as much fun!

I live in a very bike friendly area.
There is a state off road bike organization that builds, maintains and grooms trails.
I always check their website for trail conditions and if they are closed or not.
These people put in way too much volunteer work on trails to not respect trail closure.

But ya, snowmobile trails are a free for all thing around here as well.

 

[Smong]

Check out Frame bikes. Seem to have good deals
on Fatbikes and decent reviews.
I ordered a wheel set with cassette, rubber, and QRs for $200 last week. Still waiting for them.

 

[ruffruff]

Make sure they can fit your dropouts and frame clearance. 4" tires take up a lot of space.

 

[Jimbo08]

Get a dedicated fat tire! It is a blast!!! I use to downhill ski a lot and single track fat tire riding is just as much fun!

I live in a very bike friendly area.
There is a state off road bike organization that builds, maintains and grooms trails.
I always check their website for trail conditions and if they are closed or not.
These people put in way too much volunteer work on trails to not respect trail closure.

But ya, snowmobile trails are a free for all thing around here as well.

We too live in a very bike friendly region north of Toronto, Ontario and are spoiled with dedicated fat trail groomers, and trails galore in our area. We tend to go with 4.6 tires and bigger due to snow depth and traction for some big climbs that we attempt all winter long. Was out 2 Sundays ago and met a fellow coming out of the trails on an acoustic Plus bike (3" tires) grumbling about how hard it was to ride. No sweat on wide tired bike.
I do sometimes take the Levo with 3" studded tires out onto the the frozen lake, as it is usually packed down by all the snowmobiles and ice fishermen. With the electric assistance it makes it very do-able. For the most part snowmobiles have their own trail system and bikers/hikers/snowshoers have separate ones in the winter. Snowmobiles go too fast to risk getting safely out of the way in time.