Originally Posted by
digibud
Can you use non-disc ? Sure. People did it. I did it. I commuted one Winter, about 15 mi each way (North Pole to Fairbanks) and as long as the snow doesn't ice up the rim you're OK but there WILL be times when your brakes are non-existant so disc are definitely preferable.
I haven't had this happen yet. Is it because the snow makes a thin layer of ice that the brake pads can't dislodge? I've had large layers of ice from freezing rain and braking just breaks up the ice off the rim.