Originally Posted by
Bring A Bicycle
The salt is the deal breaker for me. We had a warm spell last Winter which ate away at the snow and some rains came and washed away the salt. Then we had crazy cold arctic winds. I did 18 miles in weather that started out at 12f and then got to 8f half way through. I made one or two stops for hot beverages and glove warmers. If I had better gear I would have suffered a bit less on that ride, but it definitely beat riding through slush and salt.
I need to get an aluminum frame beater bike that I won't feel so bad about using out there. Winter lethargy can be an issue. I don't ski and I am not interested in it so that makes my options a little more limited.
Hands & esp feet are the tough parts to keep warm for me--my bike shoes don't have room for thick socks & the std width winter shoes are too wide.
It's nice to have a separate winter bike--alu frame might help but I find the main problem is salt stripping chain lube. Beater or nice bike, one will have to clean & lube chain after ride with a lot of road salt spray. I'd like to try a Gates belt S/S even though some folks report belts don't always work perfectly in snow.