Perfect Winterbike? What? Where? How?

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Permalink Reply by Duppie on September 12, 2009 at 2:43pm

Here are some thoughts:
- Tires. Winter time is when wider is better. Is that Lotus frame a road bike? Then you may be limited to the tire width, but I would say 35mm is the minimum you want to go with. Tires go from cheap to uber expensive, but you get what you pay for. I ride Schwalbe Marathon Supremes in 26x2.0. Except for a few occasions where slush build up on the tires, they worked very well for me the last two winters. Also, you may want to run them at lower pressure than you would in summer
- Fenders. A necessity for winter riding in my opinion. Planet Bike has a good selection for all common wheel sizes and tire widths
- Rear rack. Performance sells a good basic rack for about $20
- Panniers. Look for a good waterproof one. I like Ortliebs, but they are not cheap
- Lights. You are likely to ride in the dark. I run two of these upfront. Expensive, but worth it. At a minimum, I would go with a good LED light. They improved a lot over the last few years and provide the most lumen/$. In the rear I run this one and this one combined. One is steady and one is flashing. Performance usually has good price on both. I also see a lot of PlanetBike Superflash, but I am not a big fan of the flashing pattern.
- And if you park your bike outside, on of these to cover your saddle :)

Since you asked about dreambikes: Upgrades I am thinking about this year are in the lights area. As said, LEDs are improving by leaps and bounds. So my ideal lighting setup would be a Magicshine upfront and a Dinotte taillight. Let's hope Santa Claus will be good to me:)

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Permalink Reply by Matt M. 18.5KM on September 12, 2009 at 10:04pm

I suppose an internally geared hub is the way to go - this might be an option outside of Rohloff Speedhub---

http://www.abikestore.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Pr...

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Permalink Reply by J on September 12, 2009 at 10:22pm

Corinne, there are too many variables to provide a concise answer, but the this thread is useful.

Do take a look at the end of that thread as it discusses a common problem faced by those using frames designed for 27" wheels for winter riding. There are several solutions, but none are really ideal.

Personally, I use a fixed gear cyclocross bike with studded tires once it gets super snowy and icy for longer rides and a Dutch bike with 28" wheels for shorter rides. Both handle slush, ice, and even rather thick snow with aplomb and very little maintenance.

Generally speaking, you want to focus on safety (tires, traction, handling, lighting) first and durability second when considering a winter bike. Your route and its road conditions as well as your size/weight will also really determine what type of build is best for you.

For those on a budget, a super heavy 26" vintage cruiser isn't a bad idea. For $50 or so, you get a zero maintenance machine with decent traction in bad conditions. The weight actually becomes a feature when you get snow buildup and lighter bikes just start spinning the rear wheel.

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Permalink Reply by JKH on September 13, 2009 at 5:51pm

In my experiance 95% of bikes designed for 27" wheels will take 700c with long reach brakes. The advantage of this is it gives a bit more room for fat tires and fenders. I know three people who have bought this single speed / fixed wheelset

and been happy. They're cheap, name brand and tough.

I run a fixed Surly Cross Check with two brakes and 32c knobbys. Worked for me all last winter. Only ended up on the train about 10 times.

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Permalink Reply by JKH on September 13, 2009 at 6:17pm

Having trouble posting a link. Here's the website.

http://www.bicyclewheels.com/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Cod...

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Permalink Reply by mattbikes1 on September 13, 2009 at 6:34pm

I am going to go against the grain on the tire issue. I respect everyones choice but a I must say that coming from Minnesota I have ridden in more winters than I car to count. I have had great success with my thin slicks, 700 x 23c. My rational is this: if you hit glare ice it doesn't matter what kind of rubber you got on, think pizza cutters in snow, and lastly I rode treaded tires my first winter and found that snow got stuck in the tread and next thing I knew, I was riding snow on ice, bad combo. I also ride fixed in the winter so I have a better idea of the traction. I have never fallen on fixed in the winter, however, fixed might not be that fun in winter on a 20 mile commute. My advice is take some advice from those you trust and the rest you will figure out. Good luck and have fun! I love riding in the winter! Makes me feel very alive!

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Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on September 13, 2009 at 8:17pm

Minnesota has more winters then Chicago?

Interesting...

mattbikes1 said:

I am going to go against the grain on the tire issue. I respect everyones choice but a I must say that coming from Minnesota I have ridden in more winters than I car to count. I have had great success with my thin slicks, 700 x 23c. My rational is this: if you hit glare ice it doesn't matter what kind of rubber you got on, think pizza cutters in snow, and lastly I rode treaded tires my first winter and found that snow got stuck in the tread and next thing I knew, I was riding snow on ice, bad combo. I also ride fixed in the winter so I have a better idea of the traction. I have never fallen on fixed in the winter, however, fixed might not be that fun in winter on a 20 mile commute. My advice is take some advice from those you trust and the rest you will figure out. Good luck and have fun! I love riding in the winter! Makes me feel very alive!

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Permalink Reply by Natalie on September 13, 2009 at 9:27pm

Speaking of rear racks, if you want to dump a chunk of cash, Tubus makes really nice ones. I have one on my touring bike and love it. I have one called the Logo, I think, which has two sets of rails so you can hang your panniers a little lower and strap something awkward-shaped to the top.

Tubus is owned by the company that owns Ortlieb, which makes my favorite panniers, the waterproof Back Roller Classic. Mine got covered with snow, slush, salt, water, and mud, and nothing inside ever got wet. And they have this great locking mechanism that prevents them flying off your bike when you hit a pothole. And a big reflective patch.

My dream commuter would have a front dyno hub to power a light, but I just bought a cyclocross bike and am still reeling from that financial blow.

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Permalink Reply by mattbikes1 on September 14, 2009 at 12:26am

While I am sure you are a smart guy Dug, I think you misread. I certainly was not insinuating that there are somehow more winters in MN. I don't assume that everyone on here is from Chicago, the midwest, or anywhere that gets winter weather. I was simply saying that I have ridden in a lot of winter weather and am therefore not a novice. Does that clarify for you?

notoriousDUG said:

Minnesota has more winters then Chicago?

Interesting...

mattbikes1 said:

I am going to go against the grain on the tire issue. I respect everyones choice but a I must say that coming from Minnesota I have ridden in more winters than I car to count. I have had great success with my thin slicks, 700 x 23c. My rational is this: if you hit glare ice it doesn't matter what kind of rubber you got on, think pizza cutters in snow, and lastly I rode treaded tires my first winter and found that snow got stuck in the tread and next thing I knew, I was riding snow on ice, bad combo. I also ride fixed in the winter so I have a better idea of the traction. I have never fallen on fixed in the winter, however, fixed might not be that fun in winter on a 20 mile commute. My advice is take some advice from those you trust and the rest you will figure out. Good luck and have fun! I love riding in the winter! Makes me feel very alive!

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Permalink Reply by MM2000 on September 14, 2009 at 7:30am

A lot of good info on winter riding can be found here:

http://allweathersports.com

The best tips can be found here:

http://allweathersports.com/winter/winter.html

and here:

http://allweathersports.com/isport/ibiketips.html

Anything that works in the middle of an Alaskian winter should work just fine here. Also interesting is searching "IDITABIKE", the Iditarod without the dogsled and dogs! Who knew?

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Permalink Reply by Chucko on September 14, 2009 at 10:27am

Though I'm sure it's not for everyone, my winter ride of choice in foul weather is an old beater fixie with full fenders, and studded tires. When it's more pleasant and dry I just ride my usual rigs.

If I had the money for it, I'd probably just buy a aluminum frame to replace the steel so I don't have to worry so much about rust. In terms of racks, the strongest are Tubus or Nitto, though sites like Velo Orange offer some really nice ones as well. To avoid worry about rust, again go with stainless steel if you can. I don't mind aluminum racks, but they're just not as strong as the steel, and can't be fixed if they break. I use cat litter bucket panniers because they cost nothing, are totally water/weatherproof, and I don't worry about them getting totally covered in winter muck.

Also- great site for winter riders: http://www.icebike.org/ Great reviews and suggestions from some pretty hardcore winter riders.

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Permalink Reply by igz on September 14, 2009 at 11:36am

my experience is...my bike got DESTROYED this past winter. ice/snow, freeze/thaw...all paired up with salt...proved to be an incredible menace to all moveable parts on the bike. while thorough, regular cleaning is absolutely mandatory, it is also a pain in the tuckus, and very time consuming...therefore it often doesnt happen as often...or thoroughly as it should. expect damage and replacement parts in spring.

if you know this will be an issue, a cheapo bike for winter is the way to go...i like that $50 cruiser idea. a cheap bike will be cheaper that replacing stuff on your nice bike.

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