Barrettscv 

I'm a road bike person who wants to ride year around. Last winter I attempted to continue cycling during the winter, but was held back by my bike. I used a 1987 Trek 400 sports/touring road bike with summer tires and fenders. I was able to ride down to 15F, but stayed off of icy streets, due to the risk of sliding on ice. The bike also showed considerable damage from corrosion after one season.

I'm considering a new bike for this winter. I may just take the plunge and get a Salsa Mukluk, but I have a few questions;

I'm planning on riding during winter using a 50/50 ratio of urban streets and snow covered bike paths. The snow on the bike path should be hard enough from daily freeze/thaw cycles. The urban streets will be salted.

Is a fat bike ideal for this use, or will a 29er with winter tires do the trick?

I'll also use the bike year around year around for gravel and easier single track.

Thanks!

plodderslusk

IMO you will be better off with either a cheap Bikesdirect CX-bike with studded tires or an old rigid Mtb also with studs. Salt kills bikes and that Salsa is way to nice to be mistreated like that. If you can wash it down often it might work.

Barrettscv 

I'm rethinking the Mukluk and I am considering a Less costly 29er with studded tires: https://www.bikesdirect.com/products/...9_trail_xi.htm

wolfchild

If you plan on riding trails then a 29'er with a rigid fork is a good choice. My personal choice would be something from: surly, salsa, or soma. They all make real nice 29'er frames. But if you looking for something cheap then bikesdirect might be a better choice. A lot of 29'er frames can fit up to 29x2.4 tires which is plenty big for riding snowy trails.

Barrettscv 

I'm thinking this: https://www.bikesdirect.com/products/...y/29point2.htm 29er from BD & this: https://salsacycles.com/culture/enabl...aster_of_many/ enabler fork from Salsa. The rigid salsa fork will allow a big fat Surly Endomorph or Larry tire up front.

scoatw

I've been riding an aluminum frame the past 4 winters and its holding up great. If you're going to rinse off the bike to clean off the slush and everything else make sure you dry it completely.

I'd get me a nice hardtail or front suspension Mtn bike with an aluminum frame able to handle the fattest tires I could put on it. A nice Surly would fit that bill.
But I second what wolfchild said.

JAG410

Go full fat. Pugsley/Mukluk/9Zero7. By the time you invest into a BD bike, Enabler, Fat rim, Larry, etc, you'll be about the same price point without the full benefit. You can get the current Mukluk on Hucknroll for $1499 shipped. Do it right the first time You'll find that many of the people who experimented with the fat front setup have now gone to the whole enchilada.

Barrettscv 

The more research I do, the better the complete Fat bike looks. It is likely that I can keep the Fat bike away from salt, I'll have 50 miles or more of snow covered bike paths within a few miles of home, I'll just need to drive the bike to the trail-head.

I'm pleased with the resale value of these bikes. It will also make for a fun summer bike on easier single track & gravel.

Heck, this guy did a 200k on his Pugsley;

JAG410

That picture is great! The fancy tri bike and the look of suffering pointed towards those fat ol' tires. I wouldn't mind doing a century on my Pugsley, but a 200k is just insanity Those few extra miles would be torture.

electrik

A mukluk or puglsey is really an off-road type of deal and not very good on icy streets.

Why not just get studded tires for your old trek?

BTW, do you realllly want todo 200k on a pugsley like that guy?

Barrettscv 

The caliper brakes will not fit both fenders & studded tires.

electrik

Ah, ok.. well 29r singlespeed can be had for pretty cheap. The bikesdirect stuff is ok, sorta boring.

Most of the time(when there is ice) you can ride a CX like bike with studs, but during a snow storm you'll be happy for the wide flat-handle bars and fat tires of a mtb. If you're looking at new frames - disc brake only and disc brake on the chainstay not seatstay will let you use any style rack withouth jury rigging something.

Barrettscv 

I’ll plan on using my CX bike with multiple wheel-sets this winter. I’ll try a variety of tires, including studded winter tires, all-terrain and MTB. In Chicago, I stay on pavement since the off-road cycling is almost nonexistent. Adding tow-paths and easier single-track to the mix will be fun. I might also add a low-cost used hybrid or MTB for salty roads.

Next year I’ll possibly add an adventure bike that will be more focused on off-road cycling. I’m thinking about a 29er that has disc brakes and that takes fenders & racks. Something in the Salsa Fargo/Vaya or Gunner Rock Tour/Fast lane niche. A Pugsley might be fun and useful as a year around bike.

wolfchild

I am sure that Pugsley is a lot of fun on snowmobile trails, but I think it's overkill for riding around the city. Not the best choice for pavement. I don't really see a need for 4 inch tires. Snow covered rail trails, tow paths and other off road trails can be easily ridden on a 29'er with 2.3 inch tires.

Barrettscv 

Part of the story that I have not detailed is that I'm planning a move from Chicago to Twinsburg Ohio. Twinsburg is just east of the Cuyahoga National Park which has a large network of gravel paths. The area also gets a fair amount of lake effect snow. I'm told that excellent MTB trails are within an easy drive.

wolfchild

Ahh ! That's nice. A fat bike like a Pugsley or Mukluk may be a great idea then. But one thing to remember is that fat bikes are not unstopable. Snow conditions have to be just right. If the snow on the trails is too soft then you're going nowhere , no matter how big the tires are. Fat bikes are great on the trails, no need for fancy ,expensive to maintain suspension.. those big tire will provide all the cushion you need.

tourmuter

Can anyone point me toward a thread that would suggest practical advice /"best-practices" to prevent as much corrosion and excessive wear aspossible from frequent commute rides through salted & sanded slushystreets?

I'm thinking along the same lines as barrettscv. The fat tire bikes looklike a lot of fun. Maybe buy one of those plus a low cost dedicated ice-stud29er. A single speed would be adequate for such a dedicated bike, wouldn't it?...thoughts from ice road commuters?

JAG410

Store the bike in the cold. Freeze/thaw cycles are pretty hard on the bike. When I'm done riding for the week, I bring the bike inside to thaw. I let it drip dry, then give everything a good wipe down, and lube the moving parts. Then let it sit back in the garage to be ready for the next week. After a harsh winter and lots of use, my Pugsley still looks brand new.

ElizabethSW

JAG - interesting to read your note on the freeze-thaw cycle. I'd never given that much thought, but will this season.

I commuted to campus and work 12 months of the last year in Minneapolis with my Bianchi Volpe, and had no problems. The tire is (forgive my lack of specific-speak) wider than road tires but not as chunky as mountain tires. But they worked for all 12 months. And if they didn't, the fork on the Volpe is wide enough to replace the tires.

I think a lot of winter cycling comes from attitude and persistence, in tandem with appropriate gear. I personally don't want the weight of fat tires, and am too lazy to throw on studded ones for the ice. So I just factor in an extra 10 minutes to my commute when there's snow and ice, pile on the layers, and rack up badassery.

Here's an actual quote that transpired with a colleague last winter:

Me: Winter riding isn't so bad. I've got the warm-weather gear, and the chutzpah.
Colleage: Is ... that a kind of tire?

Juha

+1. Also, pretty much anything passes for "winter" on the Forums. Where I ride, we get permanent snow and ice for 2-3 months. I couldn't commute without studded tyres. For someone else, "winter" means more rain than summer. And for a majority I suspect, it's something in between.

Barrettscv 

I'm taking a hard look at the soon-to-be available Surly Ogre (scroll down) : https://www.surlybikes.com/blog/

It's a rigid 29er that should take the largest 700c studded tires, like the 29 x 2.25 Schwalbe Ice Spike Pro HS 379 in the winter, and a large all-terrain tire in the summer. There are a lot of features, like full line guides for derailleur and brake housing, fender eyelets, and disc and rim brake mounts. Both the frame and fork are equipped with mounts for front and rear racks, and the design allows the use of racks, fenders and disc brakes all at the same time.

JAG410

I fully agree with the Ogre build! It'll be a killer winter ride.

tornado60

Just a word of caution. I haul my bikes on a trunk rack, and they get plenty of salt just from ridding on there.

PaulRivers

Just to add even more confusion - some people (like myself) have a bike with an IGH - an internal hub, like I have a Shimano Alfine. The shifting stuff is all on the inside of the hub so it isn't exposed to the salt, sand, etc. They also make belt-drive bikes which use a kelvar belt like used on snowmobiles instead of a chain as salt/sand doesn't bother the belt like it grinds down with the chain. Or very occasionally you'll see an IGH bike with a chain but a full chaincase that completely covers the chain and protects it from salt/sand/etc.

A bike frame itself really *shouldn't* have any problems with salt/sand/etc unless it's a steel frame that is also already starting to visibly rust.

Mr Pink57

I've pretty much sworn off gears for winter riding and strictly singlespeed, last year (MN) it got so cold some days the rear derailleur would just freeze up or only shift a few gears and finally after the season it got so bad it just would not shift period. I do chalk most of this off as my own neglect but I cannot bring the bike inside it would dirty my apartment up too much. Plus I am a SS MTB'er so I am rather used to no gears anyways.

If I was going to get a bike specifically for the winter it would probably be aluminum to avoid the rust in the first place, with most definitely a rigid fork. I would be looking at craigslist or even your local forums for used bikes like the old Treks (I use a 800 Sport), I can fit a 26x2.3 WTB Stout on mine with Linears, rear rack, and fenders.


Last year


This year so far