pickpocket293

Hey everyone, I'm a new guy from Wisconsin and I'm just getting into the sport (transitioning from running).

I made this thread because I've been lurking and I see lots of people that are still riding outside and their areas have climates much like mine! The cold doesn't bother me but how do you guys/ladies go about riding your bikes around in the snow/slush/ice without binning it every time you hit the brakes?

Also, is there any special maintenance required for your bike after riding it around in the salt?

Arcanum

For riding in snow, slush, and ice, studded knobby tires help quite a bit. They're not perfect, though: Ruts and mushy snow that shifts under you will still be treacherous. You have to be careful where the road or path isn't clear.

pickpocket293

So this is common practice? I had just assumed I would need a trainer.. Is it common to just have an extra set of tires laying around that you swap out once it snows? I'm just trying to compare this to cars and motorcycles where you don't swap out TIRES (you might do the whole rim/tire combo) until they're shot.

tjspiel

When I first started riding in the winter I found this site: https://www.icebike.com/

It hasn't been updated in about four years but there's still a lot of good information there and it helped me a lot. There's also a winter biking forum on bikeforums.net.

For me getting around on snowy/icy roads is about the right tires and the right route. Some of it is technique. It's not always easy but in a normal winter the roads are clear a good chuck of the time anyway.

BA Commuter

PP, there's a whole forum dedicated to Winter Cycling> https://tinyurl.com/y8p62pb

If you're going to put on a set of studded tires, leave em on until the snow & ice have moved on. There's no point in changing them when the weather folks say it might snow or if the temps hover around freezing.

In addition, here's a site that has plenty of info about studded tires> https://www.peterwhitecycles.com/studdedtires.asp

Enjoy riding during the cooler months!

pickpocket293

Thanks for the replies everyone!

neil

Over the past 3 years, my riding year has been steadily expanding. This year is my first real attempt at biking midwinter, though I did start in early spring last year. So I'm no expert, but here it is. Riding on ice no matter what kind of equipment you have takes some skill at balancing the bike. A couple weeks ago I slid sideways and while I didn't fall, I did wrench my back in order to keep myself up, and that hurt for a few days. I have some screws stuck through my front tire, in the method described at the bottom of this website, and that has greatly helped my steering and braking. I still slow down a lot more for corners than I would in the summer.

Maintenance wise, I try to clean my chain and gears every chance I get. I don't have my own garage, and doing it outside is impractical, so I can only accomplish this when I head into the community shop across the river. When it gets really cold, I find that my freehub doesn't work very well, and I cannot backpedal without dropping the chain, which can make starts a little more challenging. Shifting gears can also be chancy in particularly cold or mucky weather.

Changing tires on a bike is a lot easier than on a car/motorbike (though actually, a lot of car owners here change their tires for winter as well). If you can afford a second wheelset, it is significantly more convenient, but even without that, we're talking maybe 15-20 minutes per wheel. Many people only use one studded tire (there's a front or back debate in winter biking forum, but most people I know prefer front) Probably if you have a second wheelset, you might actually change tires depending on daily road conditions. Swapping tires on the same wheel, you'll probably only change once per winter.

Jim from Boston

Hey BA Commuter.

The OP is from Wisconsin--don't sugarcoat it.

pickpocket293, enjoy riding in the bitter cold, wet, windy and slippery conditions of winter with cold hands, feet, shivering with the sweat you've generated under all those layers of clothes, and if you wear glasses unable to see from the fogging, and worrying about cars sliding haphazardly. Buzzman calls us the Order of the Bike Fanatics.

When you arrive at your destination though, you'll be able to triumphantly answer that question, "You didn't ride in today, did you?".

ItsJustMe

Wow, Jim. It's really not that bad. Really. Most days in the winter I'm pretty much as comfortable as any other day. Cold and sweat is just a matter of dressing properly, most days (at least 9 out of 10) it's not really slippery at all.

On my particular route there are always slippery parts, but most people are not riding through 4 miles of gravel road through farm fields and woods on their commutes. For those parts, I just avoid rapid turns and I'm fine; in fact I have never fallen when I had my studded tires on, though last week I did slip a bit once, when I found some rock hard ice right on a corner. I let off the front brakes, moved to rear brakes and completed the corner with just probably 3 inches of slide.

Jim from Boston

HI IJM,

Thanks for the reply. BY the way I edited that post to add "windy." I just was amused that BA Commuter used the euphemism "cooler months." Actually my commute is wonderful in comparison to some I've read about, and I'm thankful for that. I'm riding better this winter than ever thanks to the many posts I read on these Forums. In fact just today, I sent this in a PM to another BF subscriber:

Sincerely

JIM

xtrajack

+1

I wound up going down this morning on my way home, in the middle of a turn, definitely a wake up call especially after riding all last winter and never even coming close. Complacency will do it every time.

BTW, I wasn't injured. The woman who was turning on to the same road stopped and asked if I was OK. I told her that I would live.

Arcanum

Oh yeah, trying to pull turns at speed on anything but a perfectly clear road/path is a recipe for disaster no matter what tires you have. Glad to hear you're ok.

pickpocket293

When I registered for this forum I got the idea that it was a little slow moving-- I'm glad that isn't so!

Thanks for all the advice everyone.


On a separate note, I've got an eye on THIS bike. Sounds like a great deal.



As it is right now, I'm biking for exercise only (I live 5 minutes from my college campus) and I'm not looking to compete in any races.. Just gotta keep the weight off. Later down the road riding in "wintery mixes" might be possible, but for now... eff that.

Wheelzy

After a few winters of riding in Boston and now Providence, I've come to be almost evangelical about fenders. Really, a set of full fenders is the best way to keep not only yourself but your bike clean. Especially if you're riding in areas where they salt the roads, you basically should be cleaning your bike after every ride, which is a drag. Full fenders can cut down the need to hose off the whip every single time. But it's also good to have a dedicated beater for riding in the winter. I have an old Trek 400 that I've converted to fixed gear--another great way to stay safe when the roads are slushy. And, of course, don't forget to get a serious pair of gloves.

rumrunn6

don't use your front brake

pickpocket293

Sweet. From the sounds of it I'll be pulling out my old POS mountain bike from High School for winter.

^^^ This sounds like very good advice. Thanks!

rumrunn6

I got this MTB for $30 and fixed it up for snow commuting. however we haven't gotten that much snow so it has only been used for 3 commutes, one of which was a test run.

I put studded touring tires on my main commuter bike and just play with the pressure depending on the rain; sleet; snow factor

DogBoy

Greetings fellow cheesehead!

snow/slush is pretty rare unless you are riding in downtown Madison where they don't believe in clearing roads. Unfettered snow is easy, slush is easy (hard work, but easy to balance). Balance get's hard when you have ice ruts, loose snow and worst of all...loose snow over ice. I use knobby studded tires. I swap out bikes. I have a bike for winter that is full chaincase IGH to help with the maint.

Yes. Keep your chain lubed and clean. Wipe down every ride if you can to get the salty water off your ride. As mentioned, fenders help a lot here. If you bring your bike in/out or when the weather starts doing freeze/thaw, be more diligent about cleaning things off. If you start having trouble in the really cold weather with your freehub, go fixed or take it to a bike shop and go with a lighter grease that won't turn to sludge when cold.

Aside from that, use lots of lights when its dark and don't be afraid to take the lane if the median/bike lane is full of crap that will slice open your tires. Check for traffic before you do though.

Clothing is tough to figure out. 4 years later I still screw it up often...usually overdressing.

Best of luck!