in Buy/Sell and Lost/Found

I am looking for a winter commuter bike.  I am switching to a new job that is only 4.5 miles from my place instead of 30 miles.  I am intrigued with a fat bike, but i dont really want to spend more than $700.  I know there are a few models that fit that bill.  But was wondering if anyone had any insight on this ?

I would prob want to run a rear rack to carry extra clothes etc...

Or a CX bike with studded tires maybe ??

I'm 6' so I normally ride a large or 19-20" / 58cm

Depends on the commute, but in my experience a cx or regular mountain bike with studded tires is a better choice.  I've found that 99% of the time I'm better off cutting through to the pavement than floating on top.  Again depending on where you'll be riding, but I'd guess on most days there probably won't even be snow on the ground.

I have a beater mountain bike with studded tires and a fatbike.  I use the mountain bike for commuting and the fatbike for singletrack, military ridge (which is never plowed - packed down by snowmobiles), etc.  I didn't take the fatbike on my commute a single day last year and there were only 1 or 2 days where I think it might have been the better choice, but even then probably only in one direction since my commute gets plowed pretty quick.

Salt is not going to be kind to the bike you use, so that's something to keep in mind as well.  Fenders (preferably with lots of clearance for snow) are also highly recommended for those days when things are a big sloppy mess.  You'll also need to oil your chain and brake/derailleur pivot points much more frequently to keep them from from rusting solid.  You could check out dreambikes which has a good collection of used bikes to see if they have something in your size.

I love commuting on my fat bike when conditions are good for it but last year that was maybe 3 days. Pretty much any 700c bike works great and a studded tire is a nice safety net.  I strongly prefer a tire who's studs are off to the side and don't touch the ground when riding straight and level, it's just enough to save you when you need it but won't make you constantly hungry from the frying bacon sound that more aggressive studded tires make.

Fenders are a must
Bar mitts are fantastic

The commute is about 4-4.5 miles all on roads and side streets. 

Mccarthy... I had a SS mountain bike from Dream Bikes and I whipped down (every ride) and lubed that thing like 2-3x a week and I rusted through the chain in one winter season. 
I totally agree on checking out Dream Bikes (I used t volunteer there and they always have something cool)

Studded tires, Fenders and the Bar Mitts I think will make my winter a much happier day and night riding. 



I saw on CL a SS belt drive trek and the internal 8 speed belt drive.   Those might do a little better from the grim and grit of winter ? ?

My commute is 4 miles with the majority on the SW commuter which is really nice, but I can totally see how it might make a lot of my experiences not applicable to others.  I do have the ability to store my bike in a sheltered location both at home and at work which also really helps I'm sure.

Lots of people will likely disagree with me, but I prefer to just use a regular drivetrain since it's cheap and worst case scenario is losing the ability to shift in some gears in which case I'm right back at a SS.  Although mostly I just don't like riding SS. If things get really gummed up, I sometimes end up just using the front derailleur (on a triple) and stay in a middle gear in the back - nice range of gears and in my experience the front derailleur is way more resilient.  As long as I oil the pivot points every so often, I can't recall ever losing shifting ability with the front derailleur in the few years that I've been winter commuting. 

I've heard maybe belt drives can pack up with snow?  Although I certainly could be way off on this and really know very little about them.  My approach is to just go for something that I can easily and inexpensively replace.

Oh yeah, and I used this chain all of last winter, and it's still going strong.  I just used wet lube on it fairly frequently (mostly just when it stopped being silent) and never bothered to wipe it down.  Sure it got really dirty, but easy to maintain and will be cheap to replace when I do finally have to.

I've heard maybe belt drives can pack up with snow?  Although I certainly could be way off on this and really know very little about them.  My approach is to just go for something that I can easily and inexpensively replace.

That depends upon the generation. It may be a few years now but Gates has a newer generation where there is a spline that is around the teeth in center and it fits in a cut in the belt.

We don't do extensive snow riding with our commuter having the newer Gates system, you hear and sometimes feel the internally geared hub, but it's nice to have a bike that for the most part only requires air in the tires and occasional hose down.

I would second most of the above, though I have no experience with belt drive.  My commutes are mainly on streets, so more salt than the bike paths, and a chain per season seems about right; never wiping it down but lubing often.  I also keep the bike in as cold an environment as possible, i.e. outside; I figure that the chemical reactions of rusting is slower in colder temps, and I never have to take a wet bike back out into freezing temperatures.   That combined with the generous oiling means that I can't recall ever losing any shifting.  Studs are an annoyance 95% (or more) of the time (noisy), but a lifesaver the rest, so they are worth it.  The bike will be a wreck, though.  I did one season on a bike I cared about and the work to get it decent again in the spring made me go to Dreambikes and get a $100 beater, which has served me well for several years despite considering it disposable.

All great points.  And I was just at D.B. today and they dont really have any good beaters that I would like to buy.  They have a internal 8 speed Mongoose rigid fork but it has 28x1.75 tires on it... ??   Andy they wanted $425 for it and it is scratched to hell, broken off bolts in the rear where a rack would go (need a rack)

They had a nice Trek 7.3 FX with fenders all set to go for $325 but it was a 17.5 and I need a 20 or 22" being 6'

The mongoose doesn't sound like a great solution, but maybe you could make it work?

According to sheldon, looks like 28 x decimal is just 29"/700c?  You could also try something like this rack that can mount through the quick release.

I picked up a 90's Trek 850 Multi-track from Pawn America for $85.00.  And a rack from Dream bikes for $30, put my commuter bags on it and winter pedals.  Just need fenders and studded tires for when the winter get real bad. 

nice find!

I saw a pair of nokian w240  2" on craigslist for $70 last week, they were used 1 year. Idk if they are still there, but that is a pretty good price...the cheapest I could get for a new pair was 80, but I had to pay shipping from Germany (I was getting some other pieces, so it was worth it).

I saw those tires on CL and offered him $60 cash same day... No word back yet.