The_B.O.C.

i'd like to try commuting through the winter, but my bike won't take tires any wider than one and a quarter, and i don't have the money to by another bike. do any of you commute through the winter on the tires you use in the spring/summer?

GGDub

cyclocrossworld.com has some pretty good deals on 700c knobbies. I have hutchison 700x30c knobbies that I use in the winter and they work great, plus they still allow for fenders.

MichaelW

1 1/4" or 32mm is fine for cold, wet commuting, you really dont need anything wider. In the snow it will cut through rather than float over the surface but you may get problems with wet snow clogging the brakes.

The_B.O.C.

thanks for the reply, GGDub, but mine are 27's. i've been thinking about getting 700 wheels, but i'm not sure i have the extra brake space, or the money.

moxfyre

35 mm studded snow tires: https://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?c...eid=&pagename=

35 mm = 1-3/8 inches, maybe you could make that fit?

MichaelW

Switching to 700c will buy you a bit more clearance. Try and grab the wheel from a friendly bike shop or passing cyclist and see how the brake blocks line up. Often you just have to move the blocks in the brakes to make it work.

dbg

I commute all winter long. The only requirement is fenders. You might notice shifting and braking problems in super cold weather. Ideal is internal geared hub and disc brakes, but even those can have issues. Just remember to stay well balanced over the wheels (no leaning) on super slippery days.

moxfyre

+1

Fenders are really vital in snow. They keep snow from clogging your brakes and crankset. It's amazing how much snow will stick to a bike frame. Without fenders, my head tube will fill with snow, there will be 2 inch chunks of snow coming off my fork, and an aerodynamic plume of snow off the back of my seat tube to within a few mm of the wheel.

The_B.O.C.

I've got fenders, and I'd love an internal geard hub and disc brakes, but my bike is an early eighties Nishiki that's too small for me. So I can't really justify putting too much money into it. I'm saving money for a new bike, but that won't be until spring.

CBBaron

If you can move your brake pads down 4mm you should have no problems with a 700c wheel. You can probably get a cheap wheelset for under $100 plus $50 for the studded tires and you should be good for anything Mother Nature can throw at you. The extra 4mm should give you enough room for the wider studded tires.
However it really depends on the amount of snow you get and how well your roads are cleared whether you really need the studded tires. We get nearly 100 inches a year but the roads are all well cleaned and salted so I only ride on snow and ice 6-12 times a year. Pushing the studded tires on clear pavement for the rest of the commutes is kind of a pain. If you take it slow and are careful you can ride on snow or ice slowly. The only real problems is small patches of ice on mostly clear roads. So if your roads are usually clear and seldom patchy then a road tire is sufficient. Otherwise look into fitting some studded tires.
Craig

dbg

clarification: even with my internal geared hub the cables/housings sometimes collect moisture and freeze up. On super cold days I can usually force shift to a higher gear but it wont release back to lower one. Standard front der's would be similar (force into higher). Standard rear der's would be opposite (maybe can force to lower gear). Keep this in mind if you have hills on your route.

jyossarian

I don't change out my tires for winter since it usually only snows and the tires can cut through that. I run slicks and take turns carefully when it's snowing or the road is wet. If it tends to ice up, you might want to get some studded tires like the Nokian Hakkapellittas.

DataJunkie

If we have a winter like last year, you aren't going to have much to worry about. I ran 700X35 tires with very minimal tread all last winter. Still, anything more than a few inches caused me a bit of grief.
That and longmont is a wee bit closer to the mountains than denver.
I prefer to use my beater mountain bike than bother swapping tires. Plus, I have the option to work from home.

squeakywheel

Last winter was a piece of cake. Lucky for me, it was my first winter of commuting. I used a 35x16 SS MTB with fenders. I used a 26x1.95 knobby tire in front and 26x1.5 street tire in the rear. I think traction is more important for the front tire because skidding the back wheel is fun but skidding the front wheel hurts.

I don't think anyone makes studded tires for 27 inch wheels. I'm not sure about changing from 27 inch to 700c. If your brakes can handle the reach, great. If they do reach, that probably means they are old single pivot brakes. I would upgrade to newer dual pivot brakes. They work better. The down side is that the new dual pivot "long reach" brakes probably won't reach 700c wheels.

Recommendation:

-- Leave current 27 x 1 1/4 road tire on rear wheel.

-- Upgrade rear brake to a modern dual pivot "long reach" brake.

-- Remove front brake.

-- Buy new 700c front wheel and mount that high end Norwegian studded tire on it (starts with an H).

You won't crash hard on ice because your front wheel won't slide sideways suddenly. Rear braking is prefered on slick surfaces (such as winter roads). For mixed road conditions or clear roads, you won't feel as much like a tank going clackity clackity on dry pavement with the normal (non-studded) rear tire. Most of your weight is on the rear wheel when not braking.

Glad you asked. I might have to get a new 700c front wheel for my SS road bike. For bonus points, you can convert your rear wheel to a coaster brake. Fewer exciting moments trying to stop with wet rims.

ken cummings

Another +1 for the balance thing. On my Colorado winter commute there was a sloping corner that I had to take that was unrideable when it was fully iced and just below freezing. Had to walk it several times a year as only studded tires would have saved me.

ItsJustMe

I swear by studded tires. It's not just a balance thing for me; I have 4 miles of gravel road which by midwinter is covered entirely by snow packed down into ice, and it's hilly. I just couldn't do it without studs.

I rode to work one day last winter after an ice storm. I could barely stand up, and I certainly would NOT have driven my car in it, but on my bike I didn't even notice. It was kind of funny; people at work saying "You RODE YOUR BIKE IN THIS?!?!" and my response "Well I sure wasn't going to drive my CAR, I'm not CRAZY."