Minneapolis riders-school me on fat bikes

[sfghbiker]

So I am visiting Minneapolis for the holidays from my home in California. I am interested in renting a fat bike to give it a try. I took an older hardtail that I found at my in-laws riding today on some singletrack. It was pretty brutal in terms of no traction even with the tires very deflated. The conditions on the trail seemed to basically be a dusting of snow on top of ice in many spots. So... my question is whether a fat bike alone has sufficient traction to ride in these conditions or whether you need studded tires to really ride effectively. If the consensus is studded tires for this type of condition anyone know any bike shops that rent fat tire bikes with studded tires in Minneapolis?

[kingpin75s]

So I am visiting Minneapolis for the holidays from my home in California. I am interested in renting a fat bike to give it a try. I took an older hardtail that I found at my in-laws riding today on some singletrack. It was pretty brutal in terms of no traction even with the tires very deflated. The conditions on the trail seemed to basically be a dusting of snow on top of ice in many spots. So... my question is whether a fat bike alone has sufficient traction to ride in these conditions or whether you need studded tires to really ride effectively. If the consensus is studded tires for this type of condition anyone know any bike shops that rent fat tire bikes with studded tires in Minneapolis?

Yep. Trails here suck with ice right now. Studs if you got them. I do not have studs for my fat so not riding local single track right now.

The truth is always here in Minneapolis:

https://www.morcmtb.org/forums/trailconditions.php

Assuming Theo or Lebanon were where you were at or at least representative of conditions locally.

I would call OneOnOne Bike Studio downtown or Angry Catfish in S. Minneapolis to see if they have rentals setup with studs or not.

Enjoy the time here. Let me know if you need any other recommendations.

[sfghbiker]

thank you very much. super helpful. will call in the AM