Southwest - Flagstaff commuters... and the snow!

How do you handle it? My brother in law lives there and I'll be moving to Flag as well in the next year and a half. I've ridden around town a lot but have never been there during a winter like this. How difficult is it to get around by bike after a heavy snowfall? Been thinking I'd ditch my rain bike before coming (I live in Seattle), but maybe a 'snow bike' would be worth having, something with IGH and amenable to studded tires. Thanks for the info.

snow in Arizona?

Seems weird, doesn't it? Flagstaff (and much of central Arizona) lies at fairly high altitude and can get lots of snow- especially during an El Nino year like this one.

Uh they got something like over 80 inches of snow this year. They do it like anyone else does I guess.

I wouldn't be surprised if some people cross country ski

I live in Flagstaff, and I see a few other snow riders around town. I get by with a fixed gear mountain bike with studded tires and full fenders. It seems to work pretty well. My friend has a Pugsley that he rides in the snow. This past storm is a whopper, by far the biggest one I'll have been riding my bike through. Should be fun!

As far as ease of getting around... Main roads are pretty nasty during/following a storm, with slush, ice, and bergs and ruts in the middle of lanes. Side streets are worse for a bit longer. Bike lanes are typically buried for weeks after a heavy snow. Sidewalks and MUPS are usually passable (but not always rideable) a few days after a storm. I'm usually riding out with the cars most of the time, so not a big deal for me, but I do miss my trail riding.

I wouldn't be surprised if some people cross country ski

After this last series of storms, that might be a great way to get about.... that, and the aforementioned Pugsley. Hope everyone's digging out OK. Was sad to hear that Bookman's was damaged, that's one of my favorite stores there. I'll be there in March for a week or so but I suspect a lot of the trails will still be snowed in, the way this winter is going.

Yeah, Bookmans is my favorite bookstore here. I have a friend who works there. I guess when Hastings' roof collapsed last year (In the same shopping center, no less!) the owner of Bookmans got some good insurance, so pretty much every aspect of the buisness is covered, and they will be rebuilding. Still stinks though.

And I'm not expecting to be hitting any singletrack in Flagstaff til April, at least. Depending on where you walk, the snow is anywhere from 2 to 4 feet deep over the trails.

There's always some good riding down south in Sedona, though. In March it'll probably be pretty nice!