Anyone else here a cyclist?

[Heinz Doofenshmirtz]

I'm away from my family right now, working in a new job that's a one-year temporary visiting assistant professor position.  Since I don't know if it'll turn into a permanent job, no need to uproot the wife and kids yet.

That said, I'm in Iowa and I normally bike a lot where I live in California, mostly for commuting and running errands.

That said, anyone have any experience cycling in snow?  I've prided myself over the years on my ability to keep using my bike in just about any weather condition, but snow is a new challenge for me, and I'm not sure how to cope with it.

I'm also considering getting a new bike, one that's more of a cyclo-cross type, compared to the 'city' or hybrid bike I currently have.

Anyone have any suggestions for successful cycling in snowy weather?

[Mr. Whippy]

If your rims can take a knobby tire, you can screw in short machine screws into the blocks.  They'll function like studded tires.   

NB:  I've never done this on a bicycle (Oregon was never snowy long enough to worry about it), but it works like a charm on small dirt bikes.

[Heinz Doofenshmirtz]

If your rims can take a knobby tire, you can screw in short machine screws into the blocks.  They'll function like studded tires.   

NB:  I've never done this on a bicycle (Oregon was never snowy long enough to worry about it), but it works like a charm on small dirt bikes.

I've seen people who've done that actually... not sure I want to put that much work into it.  I've also seen that there are metal studded snow tires available for bicycles now too, so if I decide I want a tire that that's extreme, I'd just buy one. 

I'm still not sure about this though... I'm wondering if this idea is really even feasible to begin with... 

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

I cycle every day, or at least did till I slipped a disc recently

And I've cycled in the snow with no problem, even with my 16inch Brompton

A good, cheap option is to use zip ties around the back tyre as a substitute for snow chains but that'll only work if you've got cantilever or disk brakes

Fit low gearing and take your mudguards off, and try and make the bike carry any weight as your probably going to take a spill on ice at some point

Decent lights and sunglasses are a a good option.

Cargo bikes like a Yuba Mundo are good due to there long wheel base and low gearing, plus the low cross bar means you can abandon ship or get your feet down easier

Just relax and take it slow and you soon get in the flow of it

[Heinz Doofenshmirtz]

I cycle every day, or at least did till I slipped a disc recently

And I've cycled in the snow with no problem, even with my 16inch Brompton

A good, cheap option is to use zip ties around the back tyre as a substitute for snow chains but that'll only work if you've got cantilever or disk brakes

Fit low gearing and take your mudguards off, and try and make the bike carry any weight as your probably going to take a spill on ice at some point

Decent lights and sunglasses are a a good option.

Cargo bikes like a Yuba Mundo are good due to there long wheel base and low gearing, plus the low cross bar means you can abandon ship or get your feet down easier

Just relax and take it slow and you soon get in the flow of it

Thanks Mike!  Sounds like good info.

My bike is a Specialized Sirrus Sport, it's about 5 years old.  It's got 700c wheels, and for regular commuting I typically run Continentals; a 38c Top Contact Reflex on the back and a 32c Contact Sport Reflex on the front.  I also have a pair of Planet Bike clip on fenders, though the rear one really needs some extra zip-tie support to be truly functional.  Taking those off wouldn't be an issue, and I was planning on getting something like a pair of Hutchinson 35c cross tires for winter riding.

I've already done some extensive modification, so I've already got the gearing.  I've replaced the crank and BB with a Truvativ Blaze 2 crank with an Isis BB, that has a 22 tooth granny ring, a 32 middle, and a 44 large ring.  I also put my older than dirt Suntour XC Pro grease guard pedals on it as well, as I have never been able to get used to clipless pedals; I'm sure that'll be better for winter riding anyway.

I've replaced the crappy stock Shimano DX calipers and disks with Avid BB7's and cleansweep rotors, upgrading my front rotor to a 185 from the stock 160, and they have plenty of power, even when I'm loaded up.  So I'm pretty sure they'll be good for winter riding.

I've got a nice set of Ortlieb Classic back rollers I've had for nearly 10 years, and after all that time, they only have one tiny little tear in one of the seams.  I keep telling my wife that since their waterproofness has now been compromised, I need a pair of the new Bike Packers, but she hasn't bought my story yet...

Unfortunately a new bike isn't an option for me right now... though if I could I've had my eye on one of the new Jamis Aurora sport touring models with a Reynolds 631 frame...  My Sirrus has an aluminum frame, and it's light and all, but I've had nothing but steel bikes up until this one, and my butt misses the cushioning of a good steel frame...

I've got the glasses, a set of nice Smiths with multiple lenses I bought on sale from Nashbar, helmet, etc.  I'll probably need a few pieces of winter specific clothing though, and so on.  So I think I'm pretty close to being all set; I'm just a little concerned about riding in conditions where I won't feel as connected to the pavement as I usually am.

Anyway... too much blab, gotta get back to work.  Thanks for the info!  It is very helpful.

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

Yeah another ''Steel is real'' bloke here

I'd love to see shot's of your rig mate

[Heinz Doofenshmirtz]

Yeah another ''Steel is real'' bloke here

I'd love to see shot's of your rig mate

I'll do it as soon as I can... right now it's in a box waiting to be shipped to me.  I'm working at a new job in Iowa right now, while my wife and family are still home in California.  It's a one year position, with the possibility of becoming a permanent position, so we didn't want to uproot the whole family for a job that might only be a year.  My wife wants me to make the shipping arrangements, and I've just been pretty busy so haven't put a high priority on it, but I'm starting to miss it.  Two months without it is starting to make me a little bonkers... 

I'm still trying to figure out how I can get one of those new Jamis's though... not like my wife is gonna see it while I'm here... but what she WILL see is the CC statement!!! 

[kirk13]

Havnt done a lot of snow riding but found deepish snow similar to riding in very loose gravel/sand.Had full knobbly SpeSmurfpillsed 26x2 3/4s fitted at the time.Now running Michelin 26x3 full knobblys on the my 99 Hardrock.If we have another round of major snowdays this winter might consider riding up to work in the West End

[Peter]

I have never ridden in the snow, so i am no use to you. But i do love push bikes, any push bike. They are just such a great way to get around. I even had a fixed gear MTB, rocky downhills would put the fear of God in you, on that bike.

[Zed]

I tend to use my MTB for snow work as find my racers wheels spin , you could try and find some cyclocross tyres in 700-32c but make sure you have the right clearance , i ride everyday in any weather and even after 30 odd years have only slipped a handfull of times, usualy my fault while MTB'ing  did come down hard on my hip one year and was off my bike for a month, just watch out for roads early in the morning that have not had a lot of traffic on them as pretty slippy 

[sjian]

As someone who rides a bike all year round in Canada, in snow and ice.  Just use mountain bike tires and consider the following:

-Keep warm (extra/warm gloves) + ski mask (balaclava)
-Might want to lower your seat for an easy dismount
-If you can find/invent one, get a 2 wheel drive bike

[Mr Biriyani]

I been biking all year around in snow and ice with studded tires(without to) that are quite common now.
Works really well you can take the curves much safer on ice.
I have a mountain bike though with some space in the frame to host wider tires.
Then i just switch back to normal tires in the spring.

[Heinz Doofenshmirtz]

Thanks for the info guys.  Right now it's a bit of a moot point.  My wife never sent me my bike because it turns out I packed the box too full and she couldn't lift it to take it to have it shipped.  I also have only one month to go here before the school year is over and I get to go back home to California, and can start riding regularly again.

I don't know if I'm going to be hired back for the tenure track position they're advertising for the job I'm holding now, but if I do get hired back, you can be sure that if I don't bring my bike with me, I'll buy a new one here.  I've been looking at a Jamis Coda Elite... I can't wait to get my sorry buns back onto a steel frame!

[Zed]

Thats a good weight for steel frame, reynolds is a great steel, i miss my steel framed bikes, my dream bike is a Ti cyclo-cross  bike , one day 

[ryan1835]

my alloy carbon bike is as stiff as anything, you can fly but my god does it hurt on a rough road

[Zed]

my alloy carbon bike is as stiff as anything, you can fly but my god does it hurt on a rough road

Ali is the same ryan, this is why steel feels better as has a natural flex same as Ti, I rode carbon road bikes back in the 90's and found them stiff as a board, good for sprints and time trials, but painfull on longer rides, although carbon fiber frames have moved on alot since then, wish i still had my carbon Vitus and cfr1    long gone now,

[Heinz Doofenshmirtz]

My next bike is definitely going to be a steel frame.  My Specialized is a fine bike, but I just don't like the AL frame.  Even after getting a softer and more ergonomic saddle for it, my backside still hits the wall at about 20 mi.  At that point it's painful.

I don't recall if I've ever had a steel framed bike made with Reynolds...  I've had several bikes made with Tange steel, and even had a couple made with Columbus steel, but don't remember for sure that I've ever had a Reynolds bike.  However, my wife has a Soma Double Cross that's full Reynolds 631 and she simply loves it.

I know the Jamises are Reynolds 631, and I really like their design philosophy.  They design their bikes a lot like how Bridgestone used to make theirs, designed for riding, not for marketing.  I guess that's why Jamis is still a small company in comparison to Trek and Specialized.

[Zed]

ive had a lot of reynolds frames as pretty popular in the uk, i mainly had it on training bikes /fixed geared and tourers, on MTB's ive only really had Tange prestige, i loved tange as had a great comfy feel, i raced BMX from 79 till 4 years ago and trusted in good old 4130 as i broke a few ali bmx frames and after i snapped a headtube off a se pk ripper in 05 ive never trusted it for racing, im hopeing to build another steel rigid forked SS MTB in the next fews years, although lol in my shed ive also got my old ali zaskar frame hanging there waiting on a make over    sadly a £££ issue, my road bike is ali as well, back in the early 90's when i raced i prefered ali frames as i liked the stiffness as was a sprinter, so ive stuck with ali since as never got on with carbon frames, back in the early 90's they tended to flex in all the wrong places and was stiff at the saddle  its all trial and error with bikes,i also want to get fit enough again to go back to a single geared MTB as prefer the more simple set up, ill get there   

[Heinz Doofenshmirtz]

Prestige was awesome stuff... I don't know if they're still making it though...  I had a Waterloo Paramountain the first year they came out.  That was an awesome bike.  It was really my very first high quality mountain bike, and it was made out of Prestige, with a fully lugged frame.  It was a thing of beauty. 

Unfortunately it eventually cracked and since they had stopped making them at that point, they gave me a lousy Cimarron to replace it... that stunk!   

Some day I'll get myself a custom built handmade frame so I can have my cake and eat it too. 

[Zed]

Prestige was awesome stuff... I don't know if they're still making it though...  I had a Waterloo Paramountain the first year they came out.  That was an awesome bike.  It was really my very first high quality mountain bike, and it was made out of Prestige, with a fully lugged frame.  It was a thing of beauty. 

Unfortunately it eventually cracked and since they had stopped making them at that point, they gave me a lousy Cimarron to replace it... that stunk!   

Some day I'll get myself a custom built handmade frame so I can have my cake and eat it too. 

Tange did stop a few years back but now are back again,  the saying is right steel is real