Originally Posted by
gerv
About 70% of winter commuters I know in Des Moines don't even use studded tires. Or a mountain bike.
On an average winter you might lose 2-3 weeks of riding if you have only a road or cross bike.
However, you need to be willing to ride on some pretty cold days. We get a lot of sunny, cold weather. To do this, you need to keep riding through the fall so that you get acclimatized to riding in bitter temperatures.
If that doesn't work, you can also do what many riders do... wait for breaks in the weather where it gets into the 40s by day. You'd be surprised at how many days fit this pattern through the winter. You just need to be ready for it.
I've been thinking I want a fat bike for the winter . . . . But I have two project bikes sitting around that I should try to turn into winter bikes and try them out first. This is my "new" commuter (I need to install some fenders on it though):
