fordraceing_man

just curious, thinking about getting into riding bikes again and before i think about getting a new one i wanna see if i can get back into it first, right now i got a 8 year old huffy mt. bike from wal mart just your normal 15 speed huffy, wondering if i can just ride this in the winter (im michigan) with out too many problems or do you need studded tires and stuff for this?

thanks

Portis

The huffy is a department store bike and likely won't be as fun or reliable as a bike purchased from a bike shop. But if you want to ride it, go for it. Studded tires are only needed for ICE. There are better choices for snow, like the Geax Blade for example.

And yeah..you'll need some more "stuff." Check this forum for the details. Also, mountain bikes are ALL I ride in the winter. They are the most stable and the most versatile IMHO.

Roody

I'm in Mich. and I did my first winter riding a few years ago with a badly used Walmart MTB. No serious problems.I just used regular knobbies and didn't have any additional equipment. Just buy a better bike (MTB or other type--whatever) if you find yourself loving riding. As somebody said, "It isn't about the bike."

Personally, I think your next investment for winter riding would be a headlight and red blinky, as winter almost always means darkness while you're riding. You can put off other purchases until you're ready for more.

Machka 

I ride a 7-year old Mongoose - a "normal" Walmart bicycle - on my commutes and during the winter (Canadian winters). I've logged thousands of kms on that bicycle (including many, many centuries and one 200K brevet) and have done very minimal repairs to it (one chain, a couple tires). It's been great!! I've had A LOT of fun with it, and it has been completely reliable!!

In all the years I've cycled during the winter, I have never used studded tires ... all I do is to flatten my tires a bit ... for example, instead of 50 psi, I'll go with 30 psi. If they keep the roads relatively clear in your area, you should be fine without studded tires too.

And be sure to get out on some snow covered trails as well! I don't like mountain biking in the summer, but I have a blast out there in the middle of winter.

.

fordraceing_man

what is Geax Blade?
also i can just dress warm and ride a normal bike, just watch out for ice i guess huh

Portis

Google says....https://images.google.com/images?svnu...=&q=geax+blade

stapfam

Basically if riding in snow- any bike will do- providing you can pedal it through the depth of snow. MTB tyres are a must and a good tread are all that is necessary. We do not have much snow in the UK but We do have it. I did a ride last year- and the first 10 miles of it were on the road. As soon as I got offroad- my chain snapped. The slush and salt from the Road had washed off all the oil from the chain. I do keep my chain oiled but when it snapped it was bone dry and it had been squeaking for about 3 miles.

Depends on how deep and how frozen but treat it the same as mud- but cleaner and you should not have any problems.

CrosseyedCrickt

I tooled around on a Huffy last winter, didn't commute to work all winter but did it a few times with a broken huffy and had a darned blast on it.
Granted, I love riding my higher end bikes better and have since gotten rid of the huffy.

GreyGoat

a lot depends on where you will be riding.. if off road, you may not need studded unless on ice as mentioned in a previous post.. if you plan to ride the road much in winter, studded tires are nice to have.. for me, it's not worth the risk of going down riding without them..

FBKS-AK

Around here many roads are covered with ice and hard packed snow. Studded tires are nice.

mike

Yes, you can ride a Huffy mountain bike in winter and it will serve you well.

You will have as much fun with it as you would with a more expensive machine. Sure, more expensive bikes are lighter and have some advantages, but if you are used to the Huffy, it will be fine in winter too.

The knobby mountain bike tires will be fine as-is for most of your riding. If not, you can buy studded tires, but just hop on the Huffy and give it a spin - see if it is good enough for your needs.

stapfam

Several types of treaded tyres for mountain bikes but can be broken into two types. Those that offer a rounded profile and those that offer a flat one. I ride on Wet chalk that is slippery. Even worse is the chalk that has a covering of Algae growing over it. Wet chalk is bad enough but "Green Chalk" is akin to black ice. The tyre that works on chalk has a flat profile., and you do not throw the bike around or lean it too much. Last Sunday I was on green chalk and no grip- Till I let the Pressure down from the normal 50psi that I run. Got them to around 35psi and I had grip. Same works in snow- but nothing works with Ice except studs. Unless you are very carefull.