Originally Posted by
cyccommute
I haven't found them to be that bad for the 35 years I've winter commuted. If you want to avoid rust, don't use steel components. That's a bit tough for the chain but not so much for the rest of the bits. Also rinse them off once in a while. I realize that's harder in St. Paul than in Denver but it shouldn't be impossible.
As for the chain, I used a KMC X9 Eco Pro Teq chain (it comes in other widths as well) on a couple of bikes last winter. It's a corrosion resistant chain and it does exactly what it says. It resists rust quite well and is only a bit more expensive than a regular chain.
As for the rest of the bike, I'd suggest titanium for as much of it as you can afford. Titanium is resistant to chloride corrosion unlike aluminum (which is bad) and steel (which is worst).
emphasis mine for correction
Well spoken and agreed, with the exception of the Ti bit. Corrosion resistance, and for that matter any benefit of a Ti bike, at the average Ti price point is not financially advantageous with respect to the consumer as is evident by the market share of Ti bikes vs. carbon fiber.