So I'm moving to Halifax for school in the fall and I can realistically only keep one bike with me. During the last few winters I've been riding a cheap rigid MTB single speed geared fairly low with fat studded tires. I notice that people recommend fixed during the winter even with narrow slicks. Does this really work well or is this just hardcore posturing? Can you ride in all conditions? How low do you gear? I can see how a high-pressure slick might cut through drifts better. It would be nice to just bring my cyclocross bike with a fixed/ free wheel. Thanks.

I say bring the cyclocross with fixed/freewheel.

S/F,
CEYA!

It really depends on the roads you're going to be riding on. I usually go with a little larger cyclocross tire fixed. Lower gearing is a must for the winter winds, I like 42x16...

The winter cycling section might get you more answers, but you'd probably have to search for them. I don't think too many people are hanging out there right now...

If you live in a city that plows the streets quickly, the snow will be cleared before it gets packed down. I prefer narrow tires in the snow since they seem to cut through the snow right to the asphalt. Of course, when there are actual sheets of ice those studded tires come in handy. That will be very rare though if your city salts the streets. I think that fixed gear gives you a better feel for the traction you're getting. And be sure your front tire gets good traction in wet conditions. I think riding when it's wet is way harder than riding when there's dry snow.

Gearing can be a tricky one.

Take into consideration that cars usually spin-out and lose traction when too much torque is applied to the driving wheel causing them to break free.

A slow steady application of power will help to prevent your bikes rear wheel from spinning out and keep your crotch from trying to bend your bikes top-tube.

This last winter I was doing alright with 39x15 on my singlespeed mountain bike with higher pressure sorta-slicks.

Those sorta-slicks being Serfas Drifters 26x1.25.


Bring the cyclocross bike. Run it fixed and have the fun. If your toes get too and numb get off and jog the bike a little.

Narrow tires just plain suck in snow and slush..period. I ride an SS MTB when there is snow and it handles just fine. Undisturbed snow is farily easy to ride in. But moslty whatever snow is on the roads usually gets packed or turns into to car snot really quick. Narrow high pressure tires break through the hard pack...you don't want that, and narrow tires are immpossible to navigate through car snot. You want something geared low with fat tires for snow.

studs are amazing in slush and ice. They're well worth the money(you can make your own too but I wouldn't reccomend it). Chains don;t work as well though(if anyone even makes them anymore.)

I use 700x32 inverted tread tires in the winter and they work fairly nicely. They have the advantage of cutting through the snow like slicks, and they have some bite when cornering like knobbies but they don't get clogged with snow. I think mine are the continental cityride. You'll be glad your tires are at least semi slick for all the days where the roads are clear and dry (usually the majority of the time).

Thanks for the info. I do have some semi-slick speedmax tires that might do the trick. I usually ride cheap 26” knobys with sheet metal screws in the side threads. I don't know the winter conditions in Halifax i.e. whether studs are necessary. I'm guessing that slicks might not be the best idea though.

fixed gears are great in the winter because they giv you so much feedback and control over your traction in slippery conditions
especially when accelerating and braking

peter white sells studded tires for 700C that i have never tried butt they are expensive!
https://www.peterwhitecycles.com/studdedtires.asp

if you've got a cross bike, then you should be able to fit the nokian (expensive), or innova/nashbar knockoff studded tires on. Get the ones with carbide studs.

Two wheelsets might be the way to go- one with slicks for fast dry/wet weather commuting, and one with studs for ice & snow, or even just a spare front wheel with studs for those extra-bad days.

I like to gear significantly lower in the winter- i've found that you can power out of unexpectedly deep snow and tire ruts where otherwise you get bogged down and crash. Also, being able to powerslide around corners on a bike is fun.

I was going to try some cyclecross tires this winter and whip some fenders on my bike. This will be my first winter commuting on a bike, should be interesting.

rad!

i rode all winter in halifax this year.. no brakes.. and 23s.

you basically just get used to it.. the roads in the winter here are basically just covered in salt and slush..

yeah if you live in a place where you wont have to worry about serious ice sheets and dense snow then you can ride slicks. i rode 23c tires all winter and it was fine, except when there was a blizzard and nothing was plowed yet. i still was able to get around but i had to be extra careful. slush and small amounts of snow are fine though. the cars usually clear out most stuff that will give you a problem pretty quick. when there was still a lot of snow around i picked up my under-used ss mtb and bombed around on that.

I would keep a cheap mtn bike with studded tires if you had to put all your eggs in one basket. I had several crashes on glare ice on my winter beater (with 700c road tires)-- I didn't have a mtn bike at the time. We tend to have much more ice than snow around here-- particularly heavy frost that freezes overnight, or freezing rain. It generally doesn't get very cold here (not much colder than freezing). We also have hills.

Riding fixed with road tires is good for clear, plowed roads-- but even then, you may encounter patches of snow or ice that are protected from the sun.

Hardcore posturing? Winter is a very relative term. I was always amused my the term "winter cycling jacket" when I lived in Minnesota. Winter could be well below zero (F or C)-- nothing like the climate the jacket was designed for. Road slicks are pretty much worthless on snow or ice. A few winters I went on a fixed winter ride in Mpls, and everyone crashed at least once.

i rode all last winter with 23's. i ended up taking the T to work once during a burly storm. there was one day when the sides of the road were so bad that i took up a lane. other than that it was fine, however this past winter didn't strike me as that snow. however, i do remember a couple bitterly cold days where i'm guessing my tire pressure went down a as it was in a bike cage. made the ride home kind of slow going.

Go fixed. SS freewheels are notorious for failing (pawls not engaging, so you just spin pedals both ways) in the extreme cold, which SK no doubt has copious amounts of. Stick with slicks if they are good about plowing the roads, otherwise go with studs or knobbies. Use fenders too!

So you don't really need studs then? They hardly use salt here. Just put down gravel every once in a while. I can see now that winter really is a relative term. I did'nt expect such a variety of opinions.

... and none of us have any idea how ****ty winter is in Saskatoon, i'm sure. The kids in Minnesota probably come closest, but I'd bet that that even pales to the EXTREME northern central plains.

and the winters are really hit and miss sometimes.. and getting milder and milder it seems..

one week might be pretty mild and you get your hopes up.. then there's a bunch of snow.. which in 3 days when it warms up a couple degrees turns to slush..
it's just annoying when it gets really cold one night and that slush turns to ice before it can be salted..

i rode in all winter (across the macdonald bridge to dartmouth) nearly everyday no-matter what the weather on both SS and fixed.. and the ONLY time i crashed on my fixed was when the idiot bridge folk boarded up the path due to "extreme wind"..

and thanks to the occasional bit of ice i've slid under a parked car or two on my SS.

Here in Minneapolis we at least have good road treatments. It's rarely more than a day or two until the major roads are plowed. I'm lucky to have the most used part of the greenway if I want it, and that's often better than the roads right after a snowfall...

i ride with slicks in the winter on a much lower gearing. riding fixed in the winter is rewarding, just make sure you bundle up and have something warm waiting for you when you get home.

You have more control with a fixed drivetrain in the snow, this isn't posturing. But skid stops are impossible. Try different tires and see what works, If there is real snow and uneven ground beneath you might want the cyclocross.

38c knobbies and fixed gear with brakes would be ideal.

Well it gets pretty cold. A typical winter day is probably -18 to -26 C (0 to -15 F- not counting wind chill) with a few days per year dropping below -30 (-22). Its not a problem if you dress for it. When its windy the snow tends to drift over the paths. Nothing sucks worse than pushing your bike through drifts. Also, the morning after a dump of snow you're sharing the wheel ruts with cars. Sketchy but also kind of fun.

What I always hated riding in Toontown in the winter is the drivers who'd scrape a credit card size spot on their frosted windshield clear and try to drive. Grrrrr.. But I loved riding in -40... oh so crispy. Until you come out and find you've got a flat