Winter Cycling - Winter 2009-2010: What Worked, What Didn't

Ideas This Year That Didn't Work So Good

STI Shifters and Mountain Cranks
Switching between two wheelsets/tires - pretty much stuck with the Hakka 240s



On the fence about

Magic Shine Light - inexpensive and bright but cable is fraying
Pearl Izumi Amfib Bibs - nice, but a little stiff and a lot spendy



Stuff that Worked

Nokian Hakka 240s
Performance Neoprene Booties
Smith Electra Goggles
Craft Windfront XC pants
Campy Ergo Shifters with Mountain Cranks



Maybe with some different weather and road conditions both the Amfibs and being able to quickly switch wheels might have been more valuable.

What worked for everyone else?

New stuff that didn't work:
Shimano m454 hub - RIP.

On the fence about:
Wrist warmers
Ergon grips

New stuff that worked:

MEC Pogies
MEC Polartec Powerdry shirt
Smartwool medium weight socks
Magicshine (aside from cable connector annoyances and charge light inaccuracies at cold temperature)
Rotating multiple chains to a cassette.
Homebrew chain lube.
Lighter weight lube in freehub.
MEC Windstopper N2S over-gloves... just get larger ones and slide em on over the regular riding gloves for temps around zero.

Good thread...

Worked:

A mirror... I'm not fond of them in general, but it is nice to quickly see what is coming from behind when you don't want to take your eyes off an icy/snowy road.
Brake overhaul - several winters of biking have wreaked havoc on my linear-pull brake arms. One side eventually became stuck. And I was still running the same cables/housing throughout all this! So I replaced everything and it is smooth sailing!
Chain-L No 5 chain lube... this stuff is supposed to last 1,000+ miles and through hard winters. This winter hasn't been too hard on Milwaukee, but it has performed well. I applied it in early December and it is still performing well. No cleaning, no relubing. In previous winters, I'd relube with Tri-Flow very often, especially on wet days. And full cleaning was an every 2-3 week thing.
Bolle Shark Goggles w/ clear lens... paid only $15 from Amazon in September... great deal. Haven't used them much, but they work great.



Hasn't Worked

I learned this last winter, but the extra set of wheels to swap between studded and non-studded tires was a flop. I've been keeping the studded tires on consistently through winter for three years now.
Handlebar covers (aka pogies, aka ATV mitts from Cabela's) can be a bit *too* warm at times

Ideas This Year That Didn't Work So Good

STI Shifters and Mountain Cranks


This is because there's a difference in cable pull between Shimano's road and mountain FDs. You can mix-and-match RDs and shifter types to your little heart's content, but FDs work best only with the types of groups they're designed for.

Didn't work: fancy 'technic' clothing. Ordinary stuff at 20% the price from some chain store works just as well.

Worked:
Snowmobile grease.
Windshield washer liquid, in a spray bottle, to clean the bike before getting it inside to dry.
Getting the bike inside to dry at home and work.
WD-40 to get the water out if there was a risk of seizing by freezing.
Plenty of chain oil. Some more.
Pedaling hard to stay warm.

Next year:
Pogies, pogies, pogies.

good stuff to remember

studs
fenders
rubber over-boots
wool sock liners
wool socks
chemical toe warmers
cycling rain jacket
reflective tape
snow pants
MagicShine (&water bottle for battery)
shower cap for the helmet
3 hole hunting face mask/balaclava
racquetball glasses with strap with extra vent holes drilled in

This is because there's a difference in cable pull between Shimano's road and mountain FDs. You can mix-and-match RDs and shifter types to your little heart's content, but FDs work best only with the types of groups they're designed for.

In this case it wasn't a cable pull problem since I was using a road derailleur. It worked OK in the lab ;)

The Sora shifter I had on there had no trim adjustment. The chain rings lacked ramps or pins and the Sora FD just isn't that great. The killer though was that the cage of the FD was actually limiting tire clearance when on the small ring. This was OK for my 40 mm studded tires but wouldn't have been with my summer knobbies.

I could have maybe gotten something to function acceptably with better Shimano shifters/FD/Chainrings but a set of used Campy Ergo shifters made it real simple and cheaper. It helped that Campy 10 speed shifters work well with Shimano 8 speed drive trains without requiring a jtek shiftmate.

Ideas This Year That Worked

M775 Hydraulic STI Shifters - work way better than the M765s, although there was never a cold enough day for much of a test
Switching between two wheelsets/tires - pretty much stuck with the slicks all winter, as it never friggen snowed. Nice to have the option though.
The new fullface - It's just so comfy.
The MW80s. Provided it doesn't get too cold...which it didn't.



On the fence about

MEC Pogies - They are indeed warm. And my hands are indeed affixed to the handlebars...




Stuff that Failed

Aerogel Shoe Inserts - I could only find one type, and they were too thick. Into my skates they go.
My judgement. More than once.



This list is subject to change at any time without notice.

Failed
Neoprene booties

Worked
Lake MXZ302's

Worked:
Underarmor ColdGear (leggings and shirt)
Gore "socks" + toe covers
2 bikes: road bike w/ rack for dry days and hybrid w/ fenders & x35s for wet days
Bike-specific full finger gloves

Didn't work:
Cold feet (pre-Gore socks + toe covers)
Fingerless gloves + ski glove liners on top (too warm on palm, didn't block wind on fingers)
Wind breaker + whatever on dry days (retains sweat)

Still works: sunglasses w clear or amber lenses, helmet mirror, fenders (Planet Bike), 32mm Vittoria Radoneur tires, 24oz Nissan Thermos for coffee transport (!), Dinotte 200L (on helmet), cross bike, no-name ProBikeKit lined bibs, balaclava, Pearl Izumi AmPhibs shoe covers (RIP after 3 season), rain cover on REI Novara commuting backpack, heavy duty zip lock baggies, shower cap or plastic gorcery bag to (sort) of keep seat dry during the day.

New & Worked: lightweight Endura rain/wind layer jacket, Inova 35mm studded tires (biketiresdirect), Dinotte 600L (on bike) and 140L/li-ion taillight, smartwool socks, underarmour knock-off base layers from Target

Didn't work: Still looking for perfect gloves/mittens/liners combo, studded tires (heck ANY tire) don't work well on refrozen deeply rutted snow. AA NiMH batteries (Dinotte 200L) not holding charge very well this year (I *think* they are new).

Came too late (maybe) to try: Lake MX140 winter cycling shoes (end of season sale). Will try on next cold/wet riding day.

Commute rig: Bianchi Castro Valley, 2x9 compact/wide-range drivetrain, 700x32/or 35mm studded tires, fenders, drop bars, Planet Bike fenders, rack, small pannier (for stuff that stays w bike).

Based on single digit temps:
LL Bean fleece lined dungarees were great,added rain pants when wet..
LL Bean Wildcat boots. These pull ons worked great with BMX pedals.
Oakley M frame had a good grip on my balaclava. Had 3 lens colors.
No fogging as I didn't use a full face clava.
Chan'l no 5 lube was pretty impressive.
Used liners for my 12 year old gloves.

In this case it wasn't a cable pull problem since I was using a road derailleur. It worked OK in the lab ;)

Duh. I should wake up fully before replying to posts. You said cranks, not FD.

On the fence about

MEC Pogies - They are indeed warm. And my hands are indeed affixed to the handlebars...


One annoyance with those pogies are that they are somewhat difficult to get into... if there was a sub-frame inside the pogie it would be better... on the plus side if my hands get too warm since there is no frame i can take my hands out and rest them ontop of the handlebars and still use the brakes. They also get fairly stiff at -20c or so since they are rubberized but they also are virtually water-proof in the cold rain... Plus they are a bit silly looking... but i still liked em.

Worked:

Moustache handlebars. Tried on a bit of a lark, and after more research I don't think that they're the best bars for how I ride, but they're such an improvement over the old flat bars with bar ends. I love having my hands in a strong climbing position while still sitting in the saddle, no more spinning out on hills! And now there's plenty of room on the bars for the 5F and below mittens.
Friction shifters. They rock! I'll never go back to indexed shifting.
Cascadia Fenders. Especially now that it's above freezing every afternoon when I head home.
Merino wool. Because I like to be warm and I hate to do laundry.
DiNotte taillight. The PB Superflash really impressed me. The DiNotte blew me away.
Black Diamond Mercury Mitts. Overkill above about 5F, but just wonderful below it.
Convincing my lady to commute through the winter! Go baby!

Didn't work:

Praying to Ullr. It's been a pretty lackluster snow year.
Whining that it's been too warm.
Using the new bell to scare moose off of the trail. Stinkin' ungulates don't move for nothin' short of a rifle shot.

Always has, always will work:

Nokian studded tires.
Ski gloves/mittens
Insulated, waterproof boots (with a Gore-tex sock vapor barrier below 0F).
Respecting other trail users.
Situational Awareness.

My third winter of commuting and I'm still learning.
NEW STUFF THAT WORKED
-NEOS overshoes. The Explorers. I bought these after the two boots I tested failed. These work. Anything below 10f and the toes stay warm on my 55 min commute. Learned this one from folks in Alaska. I switched to homemade powergrips to keep them on the pedals. That worked great.
-Uvex flex seal goggles from Labsafety.com. They didn't fog up with my mouth and nose covered up. But they did make me feel like I was Scuba diving. But I only wore them below 20f. Above that I wear the Visorgogs.
-Wool socks. I found some more comfortable wool socks. LL Bean Boot sock. These feel like little pillows on your feet. And from Bass Pro Shops. Redhead Merino wool hunting sock. I think these are more comfortable than the LL Bean's.
-Loki Mittens. These things sometimes worked too good. They are warm. Somedays I had to open the vent because they got too warm. And it was 22f out. The finger dexterity is great. The gauntlet works great one handed. Durable and worth the money.
-Sporthill XC pants. I bought a second pair. Got them on sale with free shipping at Amazon back in July. These are your top of the line winter cycling pant. I wear these alone down to 18f before I have to add another layer. Simply great.

STUFF I LEARNED
-To avoid the service roads in my neighborhood when they've got 4" or more of mashed potatoes on them. I made better time staying on the main road that was plowed. Last year I used to slog thru that to avoid the traffic. Stupid.
--That three years ago I should have bought the Nokians right off instead of the Schwalbe Snow studs. They sucked. They didn't last two rides in the snow before I bought a Nokian for the front. I have a wheelset with Nokian 294's on them now and I find that switching wheels takes me six minutes.
-That riding a bike in the winter is a piece of cake once you overcome the cold. If I'd known what I've learned from you guys I'd of done this years ago. The snow isn't really a problem if the City gets out there and plows the roads. Ours did a good job this year. Almost every morning it snowed the main roads were plowed at 4am. That helped. Being inconveinienced one or two days a year isn't so bad.
- That after not even three years. My Showers Pass Century jacket is about worn out. I'm having problems with the zipper engaging the teeth. Probably get another one tho. They're too nice.

STUFF THAT DIDN'T WORK
- The North Face Baltoro 400 boots. These had 400 grams of Primaloft insulation. Which is excellent insulation. But the thin material on top made them flunk the 5f test from last year.
- LL Bean Wildcat boot. Another boot with Primaloft but these made my toes feel the same at 15f as my other boot. Which is an LL Bean Snow Sneaker. So I figured they'd flunk the 0f test. I went with the NEOS's after that.

Worked:

- Wool socks. Wool socks. WOOL SOCKS! WOOL SOOOOOOCKS!!!
- Waterproof "walker" mailman shoes in EEEEEEE width from New Balance (since discontinued).
- Gore-Tex snowmobile gloves from the Job Lot ($5)
- Polar-fleece lined wool hat from the Stop & Shop supermarket on clearance ($3)
- BMX Pedals
- Sigma 3-led headlight, generic 6-led tail-light. Really, really waterproof, by experience.


Sort of Worked:

- Detours Uptown Pannier - More than a match for whatever the weather. Hard-core tuff. Utterly impractical off the bike, and too small.
- Un-labeled fleece-lined, ear-flapped, waxed-canvas lumberjack hat my Mother-in-Law sent me for Crimbo - This is Rhode Island, not North Dakota, so it worked too damn well. I'll wear this if the bay freezes over, and I have a cold. Or if I move to Calgary.

Didn't Work:

- Name-brand canvas work jacket - Great for welding in late-autumn. Sucks for everything else. Not enough insulation on cold days, too much on cold days riding uphill. Drinks in every ounce of rain/snow/sleet, and makes you shiver for it.
- Name-brand "breatheable" rainsuit - Sauna in an overpriced little stuffsack. Don't stop riding, or you'll freeze on the spot in a block of your own sweat.

Vented windbreaker from Target instead of a Carhart shirt as a shell.
100% wool sweaters for $3 from the Goodwill store.
Chemical warmers in the seat bag for when the toes get cold.
Learned to appreciate my Nokian Mount and Ground tires.

I'm still looking for warm, lightweight foot wear for teens and twenty degree weather. I have Goretex boots that keep me warm but they are too heavy.

Worked:

Using a $200 used Specialized Mountain bike as a dedicated winter commuter (with studded tires).

Using the regular Novara Buzz on the days with no snow/ice and not having to switch tires.

My Nike Balaclava until I lost it.:(

My "glittens" fingerless glove w/mitten flap combined with GoreTex mitten shield when needed.

Didn't:

My rain gear and rain pants just aren't holding their own these days. Ordered all new- they're on their way.

My neoprene booties are a pain in the butt. Too tight for my big feet combined with my winter cycling shoe and they're not really "waterproof"

. They also get fairly stiff at -20c or so since they are rubberized but they also are virtually water-proof in the cold rain.

It's been -20C here for about for ten minutes all winter. :D

I haven't tried them in the rain yet, I'm only using them at -8C or below, so I haven't got much real time on them.

It all (almost) all worked for me.

Favourite gear:
-Neoprene and fleece half-face mask
-Lake MXZ302s
-Nokian Extreme tires
- MEC pogies (they saw -35C... I didn't notice they got stiff, and they were usually fine to get in/out... I just wish they were bright yellow instead of black).
-Wind pants with articulated knees and zip and velcro to snug down the ankle area.
-Yellow bike-specific wind jacket (MEC Whoosh)
-Plant bike 2 watt LED headlight. Almost bright enough to see with for only $25. Way bright enough to be seen.
-Fenders, that saw their first liquid water last week.

Didn't work:
-Headset overhaul with synthetic Dumond tech lube. It was an improvement, and good enough, but not the magic bullet of low-temp lube I was hoping for. Bike was still noticeably stiff sub -30C.

- Un-labeled fleece-lined, ear-flapped, waxed-canvas lumberjack hat my Mother-in-Law sent me for Crimbo - This is Rhode Island, not North Dakota, so it worked too damn well. I'll wear this if the bay freezes over, and I have a cold. Or if I move to Calgary.



Although your description sounds delightful, I doubt this would go over that well here either...:lol:. Personally I stick with the Pearl Izumi Barrier, or a balaclava if it's really cold.

Worked for me:

I second the BD Mercury Mitts (with wool glove liners at times). Gloves don't do it for me. Maybe it's that my paws are so far away (37" sleeve) but my damn hands were always cold.
Gore-tex socks with midweight wool socks under old hikers.
Cheapo Nike Dri-fit longsleeve shirt under Gore BW shell.
Marathon Winter studded tires, effective but roll pretty good on pavement.


Did not work well:

Shimano indexed shifting. Thinking conversion to single-speed for next winter seeing as how winter and wear will require replacement of BB and entire drive train anyway. Any comments on this idea, by the way?

Did not work well:

Shimano indexed shifting. Thinking conversion to single-speed for next winter seeing as how winter and wear will require replacement of BB and entire drive train anyway. Any comments on this idea, by the way?


I wrecked my BB on my first winter commuting. I didn't know anything about bike maintenance, just kept spraying the chain with WD-40 when it got noisy enough to be heard over the studs. After replacement by the LBS, they explained the importance of regular drivetrain care. If you keep it running smooth, you shouldn't have to replace the BB every winter.

I've ridden with Shimano indexed shifting for the entirety of my commuting life. In the winter I found that to keep it shifting reliably, I had to be hyper-anal about keeping the cable housings cleaned and lubed. For the last few seasons I've taken to leaving a daub of grease over the hole opposite the derailleur on the bottom stretch of housing, and seems to go a long way in keeping grit out. But I switched to friction shifting this year and now don't worry so much about housing cleaning, plus I can dump gears fast when I hit variable density snow. I wouldn't entertain the idea of single-speeding though, just because I don't want to give up the ability to shift gears for snow of inconsistent density (it's fluff! now it's plow chunder! now it's fluff again!) and steep, icy hills.

If you're look for less maintenance but don't want to lose variable gears, maybe an internal geared hub would be worth looking into?

If you're look for less maintenance but don't want to lose variable gears, maybe an internal geared hub would be worth looking into?

Thanks for the tips. I sort of got lazy on the maintenance after realizing I had left it too long in the beginning. My next bike willl be a whole other story.:thumb: Also it's a low-end mountain bike with entry-level components. Interesting you would mention the IGH - I have been seriously considering it. But they are not cheap for a decent one and I was thinking I could go with a series of "disposable" Craigslist bikes for a similar cost. Still mulling over my winter strategy for next year.

And I agree that gears are very useful, as long as they work.

Worked well:
-New (to me) winter bike--mid 1990s hybrid, flat bars, rigid front fork.
-Shimano indexed shifting. Triggers work well with ski gloves. The RD cable froze up only once. Starting to get a little sluggish, so I will change the cables this spring.
-MagicShine front light. No problems with mine so far.

On the fence:
-Schwalbe Marathon Winter tires. Great on ice, not stupidly sluggish on dry pavement, but they do have their struggles in the snow. To be fair, I usually keep 'em at 55/60 PSI (they're 700c x 40), and they'd probably do better at lower pressure.

Didn't work:
-Incredibell Micro bell. Rain or accumulated ice tend to silence it, and even when dry it's hard to get a good ring out of it with ski gloves.

On the fence:
-Schwalbe Marathon Winter tires. Great on ice, not stupidly sluggish on dry pavement, but they do have their struggles in the snow. To be fair, I usually keep 'em at 55/60 PSI (they're 700c x 40), and they'd probably do better at lower pressure.


I agree, not that great in snow but I don't think many are. I run mine at about 30 psi. I like to think of pushing along in them as spring training.

Worked for me:
- single speed (39x18 I think?)
- big MEC mittens (gloves suck!) with room for another thin pair inside
- 35c cyclo-cross tires. I saw little ice this winter, but these seem to do okay in the snow and not terrible on dry pavement
- high visibility parka, like like this one (http://www.ago1.com/tsuscdn/show.asp?cat=8&subcat=91)
- MEC 14$ ski goggles. Any kind of ski goggle makes freezing rain/ice pellets/snow/road splash bearable. The double lens keeps fogging to a minimum. Totally worth it, and will upgrade to sturdier ones when these break.
- sorel boots on BMX pedals Heaps of grip and no worries about cold feet, still have room to double or triple up on socks if it ever got cold enough. It boggles my mind that people use cleats and booties.
- a beard! As if winter cycling isn't "crazy" enough to normal types, the beard really makes me look like a psycho. :)

Didn't work
- single speed with vertical drops and a tensioner. Just another point of failure. Next year it'll be horizontal drops!
- exposed chain. Next year I'm going to fab some sort of chain guard/cover
- MTB flat bar. I rescued a specialized sirrus and didn't swap the bars out for drops.
- inadequate fender clearance for snow. Luckily it was a really dry winter here.
- toques. too warm, only worn during snow storms and even then, I'm not sure it was worth it. I think a long scarf wrapped like a balaclava was enough for me. Might consider a neoprene balaclava next year.

Winter 2009-2010: What Worked, What Didn't


Ideas This Year That Didn't Work So Good...


On the fence about...


Stuff that Worked...

What worked for everyone else?

I've been winter commuting for several years now, so everything I use works for me. My only innovation this year was to cut the toe ends off a pair of athletic socks to make some wrist gaiters to cover the gap between the arms of my jacket and the wrist ends of my gauntlet-type gloves instead of trying to the glove ends into the jacket. I think there may be an added benefit because the gaiters that extend over my forearms may serve to further warm the blood flowing to my hands to keep them warm. Unfortunately, it seemed that the temperatures never really got into single digits enough to test that hypothesis. :rolleyes:

I also investigated some new commuting lights, better than my Cateye Opticube, but for the most part the Cateye is fine. I am trying to get a look at the Magicshine, since it seems more reasonably priced with lots of lumens compared to others I’ve seen.

What worked

The Schwable ice spiker Pros are still awesome.

What didn't

The extremely mild winter we had with only 13 inches of snow.

Worked:

http://www.ravingbikefiend.com/bikepics/longbike09winter2.JPG

http://www.ravingbikefiend.com/bikepics/uav1.jpg

Home made studded tyres... :thumb:

Columbia Omnitech jacket... :thumb::thumb::thumb:

Home brew lube... :thumb:

Trekking bars... :thumb: (Just installed set #2)

Have been slogging through our winters for so long I didn't have anything that did not work save for my deraileur geared drive getting a little skippy at -46 C... but this is why I also ride a fixed gear.

The only new thing was my Columbia jacket which worked in Portland's rain and near freezing temperatures and Alberta's frigid cold equally well and the change to trekking bars was long overdue.

Worked

Nokian replacement studs and tool
KoolStop Bead Jack for tire changes
Zefal V-Kaps, see above
T9/LPS3/ACF-50 mixture for chain and rust-protection elsewhere
180-degree+ rear-fender coverage
BBB Ergon-style grips - bolt-secured, but no exposed metal
IQ Cyo lamp + TopLight Flat
fleece neck-gaiter
bimetal thermometer



So-so or still tweaking

digital thermometer - large thermal inertia & reading drifting with battery discharge
handlebar illumination - need sturdier gooseneck



Failure

nothing particularly related to winter

Always worked

Ride cheap!!

1989 Rocky Mountain Aluminium Stratos (Used, abused, neglected but keeps on ticking)
Original Deore XT thumb shifters (Original cables, can't ever remember ever lubing them
, I changed them to friction mode about 5 years ago but switched them back to indexing this year
and they still work like a charm). When the derailleurs get caked in ice, shifting does suffer though.

Cheapest Shimano Triple Crank,chain,casssette I can find. I think all 3 cost me $50
I am on my 5th season with minimal, and I mean MINIMAL maintenance (can you say rusty chain).
IF they break/wear out I will replace them. I was looking at some New Shimano LX crank deals for $85 but
they are way too nice for the winter abuse I would put them through.
Since I got impatient I rode my XTR equiped KONA a few days ago and when I got back spent 1+ hours
getting all the sand, salt, snow, car snot out of every crevice.

Cheap Shimano M505 pedals when I go clipless.

Nokian Ground and mount studs, fast enough on the pavement, and awsome on the slick uneven ice.
Just wish I got them many years earlier. Invisible frozen puddles, ice ridges hidden under light covering
snow are of no concern.

Oakley M Frames, a little protection when it gets really cold, don't think I would ever do goggles.

Worked New
Magicshine MJ-808, super bright, super affordable, super reliable.
Works great for me in the -10 to -20C (and colder I ride in).
I think the connectors work great, maybe not with thick winter gloves but what would.

Answer Kashmir winter boots. Good till about -10C with 1 pair of socks (1.5 - 2hr rides).
I need to get booties to use them in colder conditions. Until then I use non cycling winter boots with multiple socks.

De marchi thermal tights, just wish NASHBAR would sell them again.


Never worked
Non studded tires in 80% of the conditions I ride. Even though I rode them for many years
but wiped out many times, since riding studded never bit it once, close a couple of
times but without them i would have been down HARD.

Wishing I lived in Arizona!!

What worked for me are Chemical foot warmers. Helped keep my feet from getting numb when temps go south of -10C.

Battery-powered socks have kept my feet warm when working outside in the snow all day... might be something to look into if you're using hot pads often... the battery socks are available at Mark's Work Warehouse and will have your feet toasty in 5 or 10 minutes and then they'll start to get uncomfortably hot.

worked: moved to warmer climate; only one week of below-freezing temps, and no snow or slush. it's been spring for one month already. apple trees in bloom. excellent wine.

on the fence: moved to warmer climate; miss riding on icy roads with my Nokians; miss being (almost) the only bike on the road; miss the sting of the air on my face

did not work: moved to a warmer climate; people are weak and prone to complaining about "the cold." the library isn't as good.

Worked: Old Stumpjumper, BMX pedals, Nokian Mount & Ground tires, SKS fenders, friction shifting, riding with lower psi in the snow, Lands End snow sneakers with REI wool socks.

Didn't work: Cheapo army surplus store gloves

worked: moved to warmer climate; only one week of below-freezing temps, and no snow or slush. it's been spring for one month already. apple trees in bloom. excellent wine.

on the fence: moved to warmer climate; miss riding on icy roads with my Nokians; miss being (almost) the only bike on the road; miss the sting of the air on my face

did not work: moved to a warmer climate; people are weak and prone to complaining about "the cold." the library isn't as good.

:roflmao:

Well, you could always move back. Hey, you should move up here! You'll be able to ride your Nokians from November to May! But you won't be the only biker out by a long shot. Not much in the way of local wine, but loads of amazing beer. Um, sadly Alaskans still whine about the cold, but the Anchorage library is the mutt's nuts!

Just to echo a few different posters here:

What worked:

Cheap steel MTB frame and scavenged parts
Single-speed conversion
Nokian studded tires
My fantastic Lumicycle lights brought with me from the UK
Defeet Wool socks
Louis Garneau winter gear generally
Skiing goggles (definitely better than glasses when you have blizzard conditions and pretty good just for keeping your face slightly warner in the icy morning air).

What didn't:

Cheap non-carbide studded bike tires (don't try to save money buying inferior tires - contact point with the road is the single most important thing in a winter bike)
The real winter - what happened to it? We didn't get more than a couple of days below -20 C here in South-eastern Ontario.

Worked
Me. I'm proud to say that I commuted through the winter. Okay /braging.
Friction Shifting-I use barcons on my frankentourer
Flashing vest-My dad picked it up for me at his LBS. I got so many compliments from drivers who saw me way before they almost hit me. Downside is that the reflective tape in a couple places in the very cold (when it hit 0F)
Clear Ski Goggles (until I lost them a couple weeks ago)
Mid-winter overhaul-my brakes had froze up, cables weren't working well, freehub wasn't engaging consistently. The overhaul fixed all.

Didn't Work
Touring tires-If I stay in the north (from OH, but currently in WI), I think I will get solid snow/ice tires. It was fun to ride in new snow with narrower tires, but the slush and ice took me down more than once.
Grease-I hoped to avoid major bike surgery, but was foiled at my brakes and cables

Mixed Results
My regular helmet-it only got down to -5*F, not sure how much colder I would have wanted to ride with that vented of a helmet
Touring bike-thinking that I might use a suspension-free mt bike so I can throw on some wide tires
Clips-went over twice because I couldn't get my foot out of the pedal in time. Probably would have gone down a couple times if the clips wouldn't have kept my feet on the pedals as I wildly fish-tailed

This year was my first real winter riding
in Winnipeg we have extreme cold -40 or colder with wind
at this low temp, I found the grease in my bearings became so thick that even on the granny gears it was a real work out. Next winter i will try to find an alternative lubricant.

My new Schwalbe snow studs worked well

I replaced, at one point or other this winter, every minor component on my bike.

all the salt and sand did a real number on my rig.

always worked
- fixed gear drive train
- studded tires
- gobi liner socks from mec (so thin yet sooo warm!)

new this year that worked
- neoprene face mask. one word: wow

on the fence
- ski goggles with built in fan. like the no-fogging feature, but the noise blocks out traffic sounds, and that's a bit scary.
- fenix ld20. loved it last year, but dream now about a brighter light with less throw.

did not work
- 501's. just a wee bit too wide in the leg. shredded my last two pairs in the drive train this winter, so it's no longer an issue now.

WORKED: Nokian studded tires, warming up in the T station after 1 hour at 4 F. Pogies kept the shifter pods warm and working. Helmet light, looking at the drivers in the cars about to pull in front of you. 3 different thickness base layers of Patagonia capaline. My $30 winter beater bike with full fenders and a 1x7 drive train, 42 tooth in the front.
DID NOT WORK: Trying to convince non riders that I'm not insane for riding in the winter. They just don't get it, I gave up trying.

oh, i need to add one to "worked this year"...

thermometer.

seriously, weather canada has this annoying habit of giving the temperature at the airport. what good is that? my local temp is always off the 'official' one for my city by three degrees minimum and sometimes by as much as eleven (!!).

if i'm going to choose my clothing by the temperature, it should be the real temperature.

What's this past tense? We just got near twenty inches of the white stuff!

Anyway, so far this winter:

--Contact lenses are doing great. No fogups.

--Goggles I've tried have been failures, so the quest continues on that front.

--Nokians continue to do exceptionally well. No falls at all.

--Weekly cleaning of the chain with citrus stuff is working pretty well, but it still gets rusty.

--BOB trailer is still doing great except in deep snow. Maybe I should rig it with backup ski?

--The boiled wool booties are doing great for my feet.

Worked:

*Having a winter beater bike. Weather here is highly variable, 0F one week with snow and ice, and 45F and sunny the next.
*Platform pedals and boots.
*Wool socks
*Becoming more proficient at bike repair
*PI Gavia jacket
*Bar Mitt road bike pogies
*Mittens (for my winter beater)
*Boot gaiters
*Nokian mount and ground tires

Didn't work:

*Mouth and nose cover. It kept my face warm, but caused my glasses to fog up.
*Leg warmers. Never really used them.
*Shifting on my winter beater. I eventually just made it a SS by putting the chain around the middle ring in front and a middle cog in the back (took off the RD)
*Cutting cables and housings without a proper cable cutter.

Sorta Worked:
*Neoprene shoe covers. These keep my feet warm, but getting them on and off is such a pain in the butt, I hate them.

Paul

Worked:

Fixed gear bikes. Havn`t replaced a b/b, rim, headset due to winter riding in three years. Same brake pads I put on in the summer as well
Skinny tires
Sealed bearings.
Snow board helmet with thin fleece hat
Ski googles
Homemade power straps turned out great
Basspro wool socks. Cheap, warm, comfy, 3rd winter and still not worn out at all. Best socks ever.
Hunting boots for really cold days
Felt insoles for the clippless winterboots
Mec windproof/waterpoof gauntlet mittens with fleece liners. Awesome.
Using 2 chains. I rotate every week or so, depending on salt levels on the road. Clean, grit free chain all winter is nice.


Didn't:
Toasty toes insoles. $4 felt ones worked better
Innova stuuded tire. Picked up 2 a few years ago for $7. For ice they are okay, but in snow horrible.

Still waiting for the winter to show signs of ending. (Here (http://www.s2.org/~chery/images/pysakointia.jpg)'s a view out of my office window.)

Of the changes instituted this winter, 26" tires on a recumbent work much better than 20" on snow.

However, a recumbent still doesn't work all that well if there is a lot of new snow and it hasn't been plowed.

My first winter of car-less commuting worked well! Lowest temp ride was 18F. (That day my free-hub failed.)

Worked, new: balaclava; studded (tires for a day); wool gloves over neoprene gloves; ziplock pogies. Wiping down rims after wet ride along with wiping/oiling chain right after wet ride. Neoprene sock liners under smart wool or rag wool with plastic newspaper or bread bags over them. Low gaiters. Endura rain pants. Neoprene or micro-fleece toque under helmet! If I use thermals underneath rain pants and keep my eye protection on, I'm not bothered by heavy rain a bit.

Didn't work: studded tires on refrozen shoulder snow, that was bad. 35mph wind: bad, that was a work-from-home-day. Not having enough rags to wipe down my chain. I need to sacrifice another t-shirt. Didn't stay in habit of oiling chain after every ride, sometimes was too tired/rushed.

Still works well: Endura yellow jacket. Safety glasses from Lowes. Lycra knee/leg warmers. Salsa jar lid under the kickstand.

I have a long commute (~40 km each) plus I'm a total wimp so I can't use heavy,
low-efficiency gear and still make it to work. I renewed everything this year.

Alu. cyclocross frame (accepts wider tires) good.
Schwalbe Marathon 35mm studded tires on narrow rims, pumped to 90 psi,
very good.
Shimano index shifting works well.
SKS fenders, ok but not great. Heavy, hard to mount. Half of the hardware is
rustable cad-plate. I'd try the aluminum japanese ones next time.
Ayup lights, head and handlebar, excellent.
Carbon handlebar -- very nice. Its warmer.
Inexpensive safety glasses (Northern Safety) good.
wool mittens inside leather shells or, if it isn't too cold, wool gloves inside
leather work gloves. (this combo works great) I have used fancier Izumi
cycling handgear but the wool/leather trick beats by a mile.
Wool middle layer under a dayglow windbreaker has been good.
Breeches and knee socks make great winter garb, but getting tall socks is
a challenge. Best source is places that sell Tyrolian specialty clothes, look
up "Trachten". Much better than tights, but still efficient.
Cheap cotton long underwear seems to work as well as the expensive
"base layers" etc. etc.
Neoprene half-facemask for really cold days is useful, but I had to chop out
the nose hole bigger. Sold at motorcycle shops.
Taped-over vents in my helmet + cheap fake-wool hat. good
Tektro Lyra disk was OK. If I did it again I would stick with cantelever brakes.
This year I tried a platinum catalyst pocket heater. This thing is very useful for
supplementing your heat budget on really cold days. I bought one that can be
started just by pressing a button; that feature is key.
I got rid of the Sidi Diablos and bought Shimano W80's. The Shimanos
have more toe-room and the cuff at the top is more comfortable. It's an
improvement, and they are warmer, but I think they could be warmer
still for the same bulk and weight.

Two best improvements this season were the Schwalbe tires and ditching the
gortex handwear for lumberjack style wool-with-shells.

Here's what worked for me
-I lubed my chain with Transmission Fluid before the winter came.
-New set of windbreaker pants
-Velcro Reflective Ankle Bracelets
-Layer of clothing as follows:
Upper Body-Dryfit Sweater, Fleece Sweater, Windproof Jacket, fleece gloves with wind/waterproof mitts.
Lower Body-Dryfit long johns, wool socks, windbreaker pants
-road in 1 gear. When it gets to cold you can't shift.

What didn't work
-not wiping the snow off my bike (my city uses a lot of salt when they clear the streets). My chains, derailleur, hubs and cables are now rusted.
-just wearing running shoes

Will Buy Next Year
-car brush to wipe snow off my bike.
-shoe covers to help with moisture and wind