Rodney Crater

I just picked up a $60 Roadmaster Mt. Fury 26" wheel men's mountain bike from Wally World for my winter riding. Do you think this bike will survive the rigors of a winter in a NW Iowa rural area? We are in the tip of the cold trough that comes down from Canada in the winter ( same trough as the one that covers International Falls, MN). Drifts can get pretty big, over head high( many reach the roof of our school and flow over it ) and some may cross the trail that I need to ride to get to work if we have a bad winter. The last few winters have had little snow but I have a feeling this winter is going to be a whopper again. Also my beloved wife thinks a snow mobile should do the trick but I am not so sure. I kind of have the feeling I need a two piece like a x-country ski suit. The wind whips up to 60 mph gusts from the N and NE and about 15-30 mph almost continually during the winter. I travel West and South to get to work with a little switch back and just the opposite to get home. Any comments are appreciated.

bac

I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this, but no. A Wally World bike will not make it through the summer, let alone the winter. Unfortunately, you've got to pay to play in this cycling world. Look for a good used mtb, and pull the trigger on it. In the long run, it will be cheaper than the WW machine.

Perhaps you can still get a few dollars back by selling your Roadmaster? Good luck!

clevernamehere

Sorry, but I'd have to concur with bac... I wouldn't want to have to count on a wally world bike to get me through the rigors of winter riding. I've never quite understood the "winter beater bike" idea. To me it makes sense to have the best machinery you can afford to ride through winter... I really don't like the idea of breaking down at -35c.

Machka 

Yep, that bicycle should be just fine. I bought a bicycle from Walmart in 1999, and have put thousands of miles on it, mainly in the winter and in bad weather. I've even done several centuries on it, mainly in the winter ... and those are Manitoba, Canada winters I'm talking about! I've only had it in for a grand total of two tune ups, I've changed the chain once, and I've changed the tires once. That bicycle is still going strong!

Not only that, but that bicycle was the best investment of all my bicycles. I paid just under $300 for it, and saved myself over $3000 in commuting costs.

As for clothing, you will probably need less than you think. The worst thing you can do is to wear too much and then start sweating. Sweating will lead to hypothermia ... which will develop into more serious difficulties.

The general rule is that if you are cold for the first 15 minutes of the ride ... and then you start warming up ... you've got the clothing right. But if you are warm right away, you'll be too warm later in the ride. And if you are cold past about 15 minutes, you might need an extra layer.

HereNT

I'm with these guys. You'll probably survive fine, since presumably you know how to dress and act to survive in that weather. But the bike probably won't.

Honestly, in a rural area like that where the roads aren't plowed too often, I wouldn't expect most bikes to work. After a certain depth, it's REALLY hard to pedal through snow. Maybe with something like a Surly Pugsley and some Large Marge rims, you could float over the top... A bike, I think, is typically only good up to about 6" of snow, and even that's hard. Depending on the distance, and the amount of snow, I'd almost suggest cross country skiing for your commute...

But this is a bike forum, so I'm sticking with the Pugsley.

Rodney Crater

I do understand the value of a good cycle however I have a limited amount of finances to invest at the moment and cannot afford a higher end bike. This means I understand your concerns bac and clevernamehere. If this works even somewhat well this year, I will be investing a bit more into a better bike next year that will last and function more effectively. In the Marine Corps we had a saying "We've done so much with so little for so long that now we can do anything with nothing". This has been a guiding principle in my life and has worked to my benefit many times in the face of great adversity. Machka and HereNT, thank you for giving me hope, it is what I needed most at this stage. HereNT, thank you for the great analysis. All of you, thank you for the input. This bike may or may not work but I think I will give it a shot anyway. I live 3 miles from work so the distance is not too great and grew up in Michigan so I am no stranger to cold weather survival. We have been here 5 years now and I rode quite a bit in the cold last winter so I am reasonably acclimated to the area. The sweat situation concerned me in regards to the snowmobile suit so at the most I believe I will stick with some type of two piece layering scheme. HereNT, I have considered the x-country ski option quite a bit. Again, finances have trimmed that idea for now but you can be certain that within a couple of years I will have that again in my repertoire. As you may have noted I value all opinions and firmly believe in the concept that evaluating and assessing group knowledge is the key to more probable survival. I am sure I will have more questions in the future. I also have been receiving mail from the ice bike list. I have great gratitude to all those who participate in these forums. Thank You

clevernamehere

I may have come across more negative than I intended...
to be sure, riding regardless of the bike fo choice, beats driving hands down.
I hadn't realized your commute was 3miles... that's not so bad, you'll never be more than 1.5miles from either home or work.

Ronocerous

I had a dept store bike for my first winter of commuting. It survived - put a total of 2400 kms on it before I upgraded. Really, my only main hassle was breaking spokes because of the weight of my gear in the panniers..and, er, me, I suppose. By spring, it was pretty rusty tho', all around.

Jesse Smith

I think most problems people have with department store bikes is that they are never properly assembled or adjusted from the very beginning.

Many times simply nuts and bolts aren't properly tightened when they're assembled. If the department store assemblier failed to lube the cables, seatpost, and other parts, it will show up eventually as worn or rusted components. Brake levers, shifters, brake shoes, saddles, seatposts, and handlebars aren't set up in the proper position. Brake and shift cables are often set up incorrectly. If the shifting isn't properly set up, the chain, rings and rear gears will wear out prematurely. Many times the brakes aren't set up correctly causing rim and brake pads to wear out. If the hubs, headset and bottom bracket are set up too tight or too lose, they will grind and wear out very quickly.

That said, many department store bikes do come with inferrior components. Many times, the hubs come with caged bearrings and poor quality hub races. But if you swap out the cheap caged bearrings for individual ball bearrings, grease them and adjust them properly, they can work fine. And even if the entire wheel falls apart, you can get another set for much cheaper than an entire new bike.

Your bike's chances of survival increase dramatically if you have it set up properly from the beginning and then keep it maintained. Although a bike is a very simple vehicle compared to a car or motorcycle, it's not something you just ride, never maintain, and throw away when it appears to be wearing out. You don't need to invest in hundreds of dollars of tools either. Basic tools like allen wrenches and both flat and Phillips head screwdrivers will serve most of your repair work. You might need specialized bike tools like think cone wrenches for working on hubs, the headset, and the bottom bracket, but if you know the right size you need, they won't cost you much at all.

There are a ton of sites on the internet showing you how to maintain your bike. Here's a good one.
https://www.parktool.com/repair_help/FAQindex.shtml

Totoro

Since you JUST picked it up, take it back for a refund and buy a good used bike for the money. You should be able to get a decent 10 year old bike for under $100.