Hey all,

I know that some of ya'll commute year round..... I'm tempted to try it this year (Lord Know's I cant afford another car payment ).

I live in Highland, IN (Just accross the Border from Chicago... about 35 miles from downtown Chi-Town) and will need to ride into Gary, IN (Scary? YES! But I do it all the time when its warm ) and into East Chiago, IN. Its relatively flat and I rarely hit rush hour.

My questions concern mostly Bike prep and clothing...... I have a Trek 750 MultiTrack


She's kinda long in the tooth (I'm the second owner, bought it off of craigs list for $125 this spring), but she hauls my fat ass around just fine

The Curent Tires are cheapo Kenda's (700x35).
I have a Rear rack and Fenders (Bontranger's) installed curently.

What would you sudgest I get bikewise for accessories? Studded tires? **********??

What do you sudgest for clothes? I'm guessing my old Snowboarding gear isnt going to work too well.....

Remember.... Broke college student W/ Wife, 3 sons and a Morgtage!

TIA

Billy

Broke college student? OK. Add longer fenders, and you should be good. My winter strategy is to ride on plowed roads, where the only problem is melted ice. There is a winter cycling forum on this site where they will have other advice for you, like studded tires made in Finland or something, but that type of things is usually only necessary if you will regularly ride through deep snow.

For clothing, get a balaclava -- performance bike sells some good ones -- and maybe a skull cap for when it's only in the 50s or so.

i have a wintery headband for the ears for temps between about 20 and 40. Below 20 I use the balaclava

Gloves are also a big thing. I can get by with a windproof cover plus some generic insulating gloves. Length of commute matters here. The longer you are out, the colder the fingers will get (depending on your gloves). But what I have noticed is that the biggest help is windproofing.

1+ on the long fenders. Go for a $30 price range Planet Bike model.

I think the studded tires are great once the snow falls. Nokian Hakkepelitta are the way to go. I bought some cheaper (half the price) Innova Tundra Wolfs last winter and about half-way through I regretted it (studs wear out fast).

Get lights for the dark. Planet Bike Super Flash tail light.

Regarding cost... just remember: If you keep biking through winter, compare the cost of bike accessories to a car payment and gas. The stuff I mentioned "only" adds up to about $220, with tires being almost half that cost.

Being from Chicago and commuting through winters, I second the fenders- big time.

Studded tires might be much, but maybe switch out your slicks for knobbies. That should help with ice and snow issues.

For clothing, you'll need a wicking layer against the skin, a warm layer over that, and a windbreaking layer to top it off. Under Armour makes great wicking clothing... or use dri weave or coolmax clothing for the wicking.

If it's a really cold day, I'll use a fleece jacket as my warmth layer. In a cold day when it's not cold enough for a fleece jacket, you can get the armwarmers instead.

I have a couple of pearl izumi jackets for my windbreakers. They have thin ones that are great for not-so-cold days when you're using the armwarmers, and they have slightly thicker windbreakers that work better for the cold days when you've got to break out the fleece.

I also wear a hat under my helmet. I have a coolmax cap that fits snugly on my head. I also have a fleece hat that I can wear over that. It all fits snugly under my helmet, and I can pull it over my ears when it's colder out.

I also have a fleece round scarf that fits snugly around my neck. It is perfect for those windy days when you feel like the wind is blowing right against your neck.

For my gloves, it's lobster mitts. If it's really cold, I wear a pair of cloth gloves under the lobster mitts.

Finally, for my feet, I have a wicking material for the thin inner layer sock. I'll put on a pair of coolmax or woolen socks over that to keep my feet warm. I always ALWAYS ALWAYS wear sandals- I just love them, so I also put on booties over my sandals. If it's warmer, I'll put on toesies and skip the booties.

That's about all I can think of right now.

koffee

Fenders

Kool Stop brand Salmon colored brake pads

Quality lights front and rear

Studded tires

Layer for clothing. Rain pants are essential as you will get splashed with a lot of slush. Check out the second hand shops for waterproof pants and an uninsulated jacket with pitzips.

All check out the winter cycling section; there are a lot of tips and also a big thread on cheap (Target and the like) sources of clothing.

P.S. Good luck with the stench of Gary!

Balaclava for your head
Winter boots for your feet or booties for your bike shoes
Mittens not Gloves
Avoid cotton.
"Merino" wool socks from Costco
Wicking base layer
Fleece warmth layer
Wind proof outer layers
Ski goggles when it's really cold

Studded tires are for ice and hard packed snow. They do nothing in loose snow.
Knobbies help in loose snow, but the best trick is to run your tires at low pressure.
Don't turn fast or expect to stop fast.
Some people go clipless all year but I prefer platforms in the winter.
I'm not one to claim that fenders are a must but in Winter I really really recommend them.
It's darker in the winter so lighting becomes more important.
Put a light coating of oil on all the unpainted steel parts of your bike to help keep corrosion at bay
Plan on having to clean and lube your chain a lot more often.

I recommend buying a second wheelset for studded tires--- so you don't wear them down when you don't need them. A good set of Nokian Extremes can run close to $100/each. You will also need another cassette if you want to easily swap wheels. Biking on studs is safer than walking.

I've commuted in Chicago winters for several years.

All the tips re: clothes, fenders etc are right on. Balaclavas are awesome below 25.

My best investment has been a good ($200-300) goretex shell coat (no insulation) with pit zips. I ride that in anything from spring rain (with a tshirt and the zips wide open) to five below (with several layers and the coat zipped tight). The pit zips are key for warmer (40+ weather). Very versatile and keep you dry and out of the wind. Get non-bike-specific (e.g. patagonia, north face) so you can use it everywhere.

I will vote against studded tires. In a winter, there are a small handful of rides that must be accomplished on snowy roads - usually when it is actively snowing at the time and the plows haven't arrived yet. Even aggressive tread is overkill. I'd suggest a light tread, with a small pattern rather than large knobs. Most foul weather rides will be on wet, salty roads.

Also, expect to go through some components. My winter commuter (an old Giant hardtail mounain bike, similar to your Trek) goes through a cassette and chain every season, due to all the salt and grit. I just buy the basic bottom of the line ones each spring for $30 and call them semidisposable. Brake pads and levers also take a beating. I go through a rear derailleur every few years, again just get a basic one; I've removed the front deraileur and just use the top chainring - no hills around here.

I use studded tires in winter, I put them on the bike in November and take them off in April. They're good to have on ice and hardpack, especially when you think the road is clear and you hit a little surprise patch of ice. I use the Nokian Hakkapelliita W106, I'm not sure if it's still available in a 26" size anymore. It's intended as a commuter tire, so it has fewer studs than the more extreme studded tires. Check https://www.peterwhitecycles.com/ for more about studded tires. Start shopping for studded tires now, they aren't that common and the few people that sell them don't stock a lot. Peter White Cycles used to take names in the spring and notify people the next fall when the tires arrived.

Definitely get good lights and lots of reflective tape, moptorists appreciate it when you make an effort to be visible. I use the Cateye TL-1100 on steady and a Planet Bike Superflash in flashing mode, plus a generator powered front light. Generator powered front lights are nice, but they cost. Cateye makes really nice LED front lights that put out a decent beam and run on AA batteries, they seem to be the best value for the money. Lithium AA cells cost more but they work better in the cold and last longer in the basic LED lights. Some kind of climber's headlamp (Petzl Tikka, etc.) is a nice auxiliary light for reading signs or adding extra visibility. Reflector tape is a good way to make yourself more visible, I put silver tape on my cranks and rims and red on the rear rack. This is a good source:https://www.identi-tape.com/.

HTH,

mark

For your body:
- An outer shell wind/water proof jacket. I agree with the comments about the zip-pits variety. I use the same shell nearly all year long. It is just a regular wind breaker so I also use it when traveling, and going out.
- water proof pants.
- wicking base layer top and bottom. I highly recommend the merino wool variety rather than the poly-variety. Merino wool will be more expensive, but you can wear the same set all week, with the poly-variety (Under Amour etc.) you will need several sets. Now is a good time to buy as the stuff will be on sale.
- Wool socks
- Water proof shoes.
- A balaclava and hat that fit under your helmet.
- Wind proof gloves.
- Warmth layer - fleece/sweat shirt/etc.

I tend to not buy bike specific clothing. I can use all of my biking clothes for other activities, which takes the sting out of the cost and they usually are cheaper than the biking variety. Another trick is to go to Costco's or other big box stores and get merino sweaters cheap. Though it can take some looking. I do a lot of my shopping for these things at outdoor stores, army surplus stores or utility work stores. Let me reiterate, if you are going to splurge on anything, make it the merino wool under layer.

For the bike:
- Lights
- Fenders
- Tires that can run at a low PSI without pinch flats.

I also carry cab fare and a cell phone at all times when riding in the winter, because I am much less tolerant of the exposure time of changing a flat.

+1 for the Nokian W106s. If you have to deal with packed snow, re-frozen melted snow or risk encountering black ice on the roads you ride, these are the best tires to have.

Do you or your wife know how to knit or crochet? If you start now, you should have enough woolens come winter.

The farther away from the skin I get, the less technical the clothing gets when it's cold and relatively dry out. A balaclava is great under the helmet, and a wicking top followed up by fleece layer(s), old ski gloves, some REI long johns, old sweat pants, wool socks and the same shoes I wore in the summer worked for me until I needed to put a windbreaker of some sort on when it got really cold.

I ran 26x1 3/4 Schwalbe Winter's in Boston last winter - rolling resistance was noticable, but much much less than the Innova I have. They worked great on patches of ice and black ice, I kept them on until April.
The only time I didn't care for them was in heavy snow - not much tread to grab the snow.
If I were running a bike that could take 700c tires I would get them in the 700c x 35 size, they might be narrow enough to slice through deeper snow and grip the pavement below.
If your riding on well plowed roads, I highly recommend them.
Buy good lights that work in rain, snow, sleet, ice - generator hub or batteries I find my bottle dynamo slips.
Full fenders (front and rear) with mudflaps in the front to keep your feet, legs and rear nice and dry.

The best piece of winter equipment I have is a hat with gore tex "windstopper". One drawback is that it does muffle sound - I ride with the back turned up over my ears when it's not too cold.
I am considering upgrading to one with earflaps and ties to keep it from riding up.
I hear that coats are made with the same material - perhaps I wil ask Santa for one next Christmas.

If black ice is a regular risk on your route (and given your location, I strongly suspect it is) then a set of studded tires is an excellent investment. You don't need to go crazy with stud count--100 or so per tire is fine for street riding. I run a pair of Schwalbe Snow Studs (26 x 1.90, 100 studs/tire). I don't consider a second set of rims to be necessary, as studded tires should go on at the first risk of ice and stay on until spring.

As far as clothing goes, for a 6.5-mile one way commute, I wear winter gloves, put a headband under my helmet, and wear a windbreaker and windproof pants over my jersey and bib shorts. I'm fine down to 0 F (-17 C) in this gear. In below-freezing temperatures you don't need to worry about rain, so an outer windbreaker layer and maybe a couple thin inner layers for a bit of extra warmth should be fine.

+1 on the Nokkian W106s. I have had them for four seasons of winter commuting in Minneapolis, MN. They are not as aggressive as the Iditerod where every knobby has a stud. I change out the tires every season to help cut down on costs instead of buying the convenient wheel set dedication. I haven't fallen once due to the ice and snopw since I got the tires.

Be prepared to clean and lube your ride much more often than during warm weather months. Definately love my lobster mittens too in the winter. I also love having a water/grime proof bag. I carry all my gear in a messenger bag that also protect my back. ( I ride without fenders because I'm too lazy to get some)
Definitely get some obnoxious lights for the morning commute to avoid getting doored and have drivers see you at intersections.