MnHillBilly

I'm trying to expand my horizons to winter cycling - not going overboard, but trying to stretch as much as I can out of the season before the temps drop below zero here.

I have a regular 26" wheel bike that's comfortable, but I'm an ice wimp - I sit very high on that bike and I can foretell an inevitable wipeout would be harder to recover from. So instead, I'm considering using my Giant Halfway - which is a better quality bike to begin with, easy to store as I'll be busing as part of my commute.

I've gotten general tips on the Winter Cycling forum - but I wondered if people with folders had any suggestions for things that aren't typical of other types of bikes.

Ex:

Are there preventive measures one can do to prevent folding hinges from rusting a part the usual wipe down at the end of the day? I live in a big snow/ice region, so it won't take very long for the elements to wreak their havoc.

With 20" tires - is it worth the investment of a new set of snow tires for better traction, or do we already have a leg up on the world with the smaller standard tires.

Thanks for any tips!

fafnir

I bought a dahon boardwalk ($199) as a winter bike. It was a singlespeed coaster brake version which meant it had horizontal drops on it. I picked up a cheap fixed gear hub and converted it to fixed gear which seemed to help on the ice. Single speed drive trains are very easy to keep clean in the winter and the bike was cheap enough that if it only lasted a few winters I wasn't terribly worried about it

somnatash

Hmhm, I thought about that too. Drawback on small wheels in winter is that all the wet and snow is nearer to the hubs and chain - make them wear sooner. To wheels I would say: again a drawback since they probably sink more easily into mud and snow so yes, go for wider and better traction snow tires.

invisiblehand

I agree. Moreover, my personal experience is that small wheels are worse for surprises in the road. That is, I would rather be on a big wheeled bike if I hit an unexpected hole. When you ride through the snow, you obviously can't see what is underneath in many circumstances leading to a similar event.

Fat tires do help in this area.

brakemeister

you need these
https://www.thorusa.com/dahon/accesso...es.htm#stelvio

marathon Winter ....
they are expensive but they sure do work very well
thor

nekohime

OT, but do you know if the 16x2 big apples will fit on the dahon piccolo's rims?

juan162

I use my single speed Crescent take apart bike as a winter bike and it works great. Juan

chagzuki

Last winter I was pleased to find that falling off my 20" folder much is less awkward than a standard bike due to the step-through frame. Shame I wasn't wearing gloves, which in Winter is clearly not very clever.

striegel 

A couple of tips. I've been riding a Dahon Mu P8 since last November and commuted last winter with it.

You DO have fenders, right?

The Marathon Winter tires with their studs are great. I bought mine AFTER a fall on black ice last November and have never had another problem. They just went back on this weekend in time for today's snow.

Since I can park the bike under my desk at the office, I store it inside of a waterproof zip bag to keep melting slush off the carpet.

My routine includes changing clothes at the office. I bring office attire with me daily but I leave the shoes and a pullover sweater in a file drawer at my desk. The large single pannier I use (Arkel Utility Basket) keeps the center of gravity low on my rear rack. The hooks are adjustable so it fits just about any rack and I can keep it far enough back to clear my heel.

Though I wear a helmet, I bring along a fleece hat in case I have to get off and make any repairs (also a pair of nitrile gloves).

Maintenance is important, so expect to re-lube the chain at least weekly (and every day that there's snow on the streets).

Clean the rims often too. The collected cinders and other grit can really wear away at the brakes and rim itself, plus it comes off on you when you brush against it.

Have spare lights and spare batteries. Cold weather drops the runtime of my lights considerably, so running redundant lights means I'm never completely in the dark.