Originally Posted by
jpmac55
Hello,
I am looking for a bike to ride in winter. At first, I thought of getting an internal gear hub bike but am beginning to reconsider a singlespeed. The concern I have about singlespeed is deciding if SS's are suited for the hilly, upstate country roads like in Rennselaer County. Although I'd like the option of busting through some fresh snow, I probably will wait until the roads clear. I am too far away for commuting, live in the country and am looking to ride just enough to deminish the symptons of spring fever. Anyway, here are a few questions:
1. Are SS bikes best suited for city riding and commuting?
2. Do you ride a SS on county roads outside of Albany, Troy, etc?
3. Do you ride in winter? If so, what is your bike of choice?
I have done plenty of research but sometimes the more I read, the more confused I get. For instance, I thought I needed a commuter bike like the Jamis Commuter 3 but that evolved into a Bianchi San Jose. Unfortunately, I am not that handy to build my own.
http://www.bianchiusa.com/07_san_jose.html
http://www.jamisbikes.com/usa/bikes/...commuter3.html
Thanks!
Not in upstate, but in VT, and I have a Surly CrossCheck that I use as a fixed gear winter bike. (and I ride it the rest of the year too... I like it so much...) I built it with a flip flop hub, but I've never flipped it to the SS side. I ride 42x19 for the terrain here in Burlington. I've been through Albany and Troy and Bennington many many times and I think a SS would be fine - but you'll have to experiment with the gearing to get it just right for you.
It's adaptable so you can later put gears on it if you want.