Winter Bike
 

So I'm thinking I want a winter bike, and I have an idea of what I want it to have, but I'm not sure who makes it. I'm not even sure anyone does.

I want 700c tires, fender clearance, discs and a single speed. I thought about getting a 29er single speed with discs, but I think I want drops for those windy days. Is there a bike like this anywhere? Please help. I'd like to keep my costs under a grand too.

Grab a Giant Seek 0 r Seek 1 (2009 model) - 8 speed internal hub, great tires, loads of room for fenders and tough as nails.

I have a Giant Seek2 (2009). It's not internally geared, but other wise it's similar to the other Seeks. It's a decent commuting bike, and while discs have great stopping power, they're a bit annoying to maintain (and make tires changes a little trickier). If you're looking for speed, go with a cyclocross bike, rather than a hybrid; they'll be lighter and have drop bars but still accomodate wider 700C tires with knobbies/studs. It will also make a fast summer bike with slicks. I'm now wishing I'd bought a cross bike instead of a hybrid! I did a winter of commuting on a hybrid last year with a studded tire on the front. It wasn't awful, but let's just say my bike handling skill improved by leaps and bounds. I'm going with a mountain bike this year with two Nokian 360 tires, and am looking forward to the extra sure-footedness (tired-ness?). I think that's better than skinny tires, since you shouldn't go too fast with skinny tires anyways if the pavement conditions are anything but clear. Plus, the winter road-salt will wreak havoc on components and, to some degree, the frame, so you're probably better off just picking up an inexpensive mountain bike.

I have a cross bike now, I'm really looking for something in a single speed with discs. I'd prefer drop bars too. Just not sure what's out there. I've looked at single speed 29's with discs as an option. But I love a more road like geometry.

The Surly Karate Monkey has 29 inch wheels,disc breaks and is a single speed.It has the ability to fit wide tires with fenders also.But at around $1,100 it may be a little expensive for a winter bike even though I still want one.

Edit:It doesn't have drop bars though.

Costs under a grande? That's a tall order for a new, quality bike. I think I'd be more inclined to pick up a used bike and kit it out as best I could. Disks would be preferable in most winter conditions, as I recommend on VeloWeb's Winter Cycling page.

You might also want to check out the Reader's Rides page to check out how others approach year-round commuting bikes -- there's some single-speed/fixed riders there.

How about the Norco Vesta?
http://www.bicycletimesmag.com/image.../vesta-500.jpg
Not sure about fender clearance but it does have the braze-ons to mount fenders and racks. Otherwise it seems to meet all your criteria. It's also got the Gates belt drive - perfect for winter IMO. The Norco website lists Cheshire Cycling and Repair as their distributor in Connecticut (and until today I had no idea that Connecticut was spelled that way.) As a Canadian riding a Schwinn I think it's only fair to see an American riding a Norco.

BTW if the link takes you to the Canadian webpage by default, just click the little Canadian flag at the top of the page to change to US info; you will see the bike retails for $950 USD.

^^ Struck speechless by the bike, or just by the fact that one like it exists?

You know, you Canadians make me envious! :) I'm not familiar with Norco's bikes, but this bike is awesome!

While Norco offers some decent bikes (the frame featured on the newest addition to VeloWeb "Reader's Rides" page isn't one of them!:)) and are one of the biggest bike parts distributors in the country, they are not anywhere near a good reason to envy Canadians.

Maybe our public medical system might be a better reason ....