Originally Posted by
mcallaghan
Once the now arrives, it will be virtually impossible (and insane) to be riding my bike outside until the snow melts. The peaks around here have already started to get some dustings, so in another month or so I expect to be seeing snow covering my backyard through to April. I live 8000ft up in the Rockies, so winter outdoor riding is out of the question. We don't see pavement here until the spring once the season gets going. I'm contemplating getting snow-tired on my old MTB and riding it the 2 - 3 miles to work though the hill here scares me (cruise at 25mph with out pedaling on my road bike).
Riding in the snow is slow, but I wouldn't call it "insane". I've got
this tire on the front wheel of my Surly, and it makes a huge difference. Soft snow isn't so bad, but around here the side roads aren't plowed, so the roads turn into a bumpy skating rink of compacted snow/ice after they've been driven on for a while. Studded tires are awesome for those conditions, and I'll probably splurge for the rear tire as well this winter.
My commute to work sounds similar to yours - up a big hill, and about 7-10 km depending on what route I take (short and steep or longer and more gradual). Calgary doesn't get as much snow as it sounds like you get, but for me it's the cold that does it. Anything below -15-20 Celsius and I'm taking the bus. When it's flat the temperature doesn't matter as much, but with hills involved the dressing becomes trickier - overheating on the uphill, freezing on the descent.