Originally Posted by
irclean
Did anyone mention the Marathon Winter's Kevlar belt and reflective strip yet? Zero flats to date (knock on wood) and the sidewalls really pop under direct light:
Maybe it's just me, maybe it's my filthy dirty route, but I find that reflective sidewalls aren't very reflective after the first few weeks, even after I scrub them with a brush to get the grime off.
Originally Posted by
irclean
The consensus here seems to be equip one bike with the Marathon Winters for plowed roads, a fresh dusting of new snow, and sheer ice. Equip a second bike with wider, more aggressive studded tires for mashed potato snow but give yourself more time to get to your destination. While you're at it, you might as well get a Pugsley with some Endomorph tires for deep powder. Just remember... if there's ice under that snow, and studless tires contact it, you're going down.
First I'd have to get a 2nd bike. The Pugsley sounds good though. Every winter when the snow gets deep I look at pictures and think "if only I were so rich I could buy a $2000 bike just to avoid driving for 4 or 5 days a year...