[Binda]

Hello all,

I'm a college kid who's sick of driving their car a mile to school in the winter, so I'd like to start riding my bike.

I currently only have a 2005 Gary Fisher Wahoo that I use for everything.

I guess my question is,do you have separate winter and summer bikes?

I'm thinking about trying to set up a singlespeed for winter use, just for the ease of it, maintenance and all....

Any thoughts?

- b

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[Portis]

Deciding whether to run a winter beater or not is a personal decision. It is a decision you have to make based on income, etc. Personally i sort of run a winter "beater." I have two trek 4300's one is a bit newer with more upgraded components.

I try not to ride it in heavy snow, slush etc. The other 4300 i set up for winter riding. In the winter i put a rack on the back and also a trunk bag. The trunk bag is for keeping not only my tube, levers, etc. but I also throw in some chemical hand warmers an extra scarf or two, etc. IOW, i use it somewhat for backup "emergency" items.

You can stay very comfortable on a bike in the winter while pedaling. If you ever have to stop because of mechanical failure, crash, etc, it is good to have some provisions for keeping warm. YOu will get cold fast if you are not pedaling.

Back to the bike:

I have a set of wheels with studded tires mounted on them. If ice enters the equation, i put them on. My winter bike is also set up with lots of reflective tape, and also with rear and front lights. Winter is short on daylight and this bike needs to be seen in the dark.

Other than that, i really don't do anything different. You can ride your Wahoo in the winter, but I would think twice about riding it in snow. Basically you just have to decide how easily you can replace that bike if you have to.

[Mphetameme]

I biked all last year (12 km commute) in Saskatchewan, Canada. We don't get a lot of snow here but it's enough to make it slick and it's really damn cold outside.

If you live in an area where they put salt on the roads, I would definitely recommend getting a second bike. My winter bike is quite rusted and is going to require a fairly hefty tuning before I get on it again for the coming season.

For my own use, a single speed just wouldn't cut it but you may be able to swing it for a mile, depending on conditions.

Hope this helps.

[Binda]

Interesting...

We definitely get a lot of snow here, and they like to dump salt on the roads when the temps are warm enough.

I think what I'll do is look for a beater bike, although I'm not having much luck finding one.

Thanks for the input though!

- b

[gmacrider]

I'm ready for my 5th winter of commuting. Every winter it seems I end up with a different strategy for my winter bike. Here's the history:

Winter 1: I kept riding my ancient Kuwahara. Didn't know much about maintenance. The entire bike expired in a cloud of rust before spring.

Winter 2: I rode my new bike, a Rockhopper, thru the winter but maintained it better with weekly cleans and lubes. By springtime I needed significant drive train fixes - a couple hundred bucks.

Winter 3: Got a new, cheaper bike (but not a beater) for winter use. Heavier and harder to ride but it worked fine. Improved my maintenance routines, but by spring time it also needed much work on the drive train - another couple hundred bucks. Used the Rockhopper for summer.

Winter 4: Same as winter 3, except my winter bike was a total mess by spring and would have cost 3-4 hundred to fix. Used the Rockhopper for summer.

Winter 5: (this coming winter) Bought a cheapo beater ($130) and upgraded it with various components I had lying around - fenders, lights, rack, seat, etc - enough to make it feel like "home". I expect it to be destroyed by one winter's worth of riding - but for $130 who cares? A disposable bike. Maybe I'll just be a new beater each winter from on. We'll see how it goes.

I still love the Rockhopper for summer, although it too always need a few hundred bucks worth of annual maintenance. BTW, by "winter" I mean temps down to -35C.

[richardmasoner]

I use a garage-sale bike as my winter beater bike. Better than tearing up my nice bike when the weather is nasty, IMO.

[plodderslusk]

I have come to have two studded singlespeed beaters for winter commuting. One is a 40-20 geared ancient Scott Mtb with Nokian Extreme studded tires, the other one is an old road bike geared 42-15 with Nokian Hakkapelitta 106 studs tires. I recommend SS if there is slush and road salt in your area, having two bikes I can choose gearing and tires after conditions.

[Zee]

Interesting...

We definitely get a lot of snow here, and they like to dump salt on the roads when the temps are warm enough.

I think what I'll do is look for a beater bike, although I'm not having much luck finding one.

Thanks for the input though!

- b
Try your local Freecycle group (in Yahoo Groups). http://www.freecycle.org/display.php?region=US%20Central According to this, the Marquette, Michigan group has 343 members. It's usually good ettiquette to give something before you ask for/take something, but I don't think it's all that important. You may get lucky - the first thing I got when I signed up for all my area freecycle groups was from a woman 20 minutes away - and she gave me five bicycles :D

I haven't signed up for this group yet, but it looks promising, too - a new one, based on a trading/borrowing system. http://alpha.borrowme.com/about/frugal/?OVRAW=sustainable%20living%20cob%20farm&OVKEY=sustainable%20living&OVMTC=advanced