New to cycling, what necessary measures and changes are to be made when in the snow? Different tires etc.

Winter riding covers a wide range dedication levels.
And huge differences in what "Winter" means to someone.
Studded tires are good on ice and hardpack. But they won't help as long as the snow is soft enough to let the tires leave an imprint. There, all tires with a decent tread will do OK.


For thin layers of snow, fairly narrow tires can work well, as they cut through to a firm, rideable surface below. Deep layers, eventually you'll need a Fat Bike to get "float" instead. Somewhere inbetween, traditional MTB widths - 2.0-2.3 - will work.


Some freewheels/freehubs can go stiff when it's cold, and will need to be cleaned, then relubed with something that remails soft/runny when cold to work well.


Depending on routing cables can freeze in their sheaths. Always park your bike in a rideable gear.

Depending where you live, you might try riding on sand. Some aspects of riding on sand are similar to riding on snow and can orient your thinking.

1st cpl inches are fun, 3-4" becomes interesting, when it's deeper than that, I prefer ice

Clothes are very important layers of them. Face mask googles when really cold. I like the wool air hole brand. I've found theres two types of winter attire needed here in Michigan cold and and very cold. If you wear too thick in not so cold weather, you'll be sweating too much. You should be chilly when you leave because biking heats up the body quickly.

I think you should buy a bike light which is waterproof, IPX7, if you ride at night.

Nice topick, I hope will be more advice like this

some ppl don't like talking about snow this time of year. you might have to wait 'till February

Screw that, I'd rather have snow than summer heat. When I ride in winter I dress in layers and stick to natural fabrics like wool because they work better at regulating body temperature. So called 'performance' fabrics are nothing but fancy plastic and when you're generating heat and moisture in a cold environment, that's where synthetics fail. Riding in fresh snow is pretty simple but is a whole different ballgame once it's packed or eventually becomes ice... stay in the loose snow as much as possible. I just run regular street tires because I live in a city where streets are plowed and treated so studded tires are rarely needed. Of course fenders are a must... the tires will sling sleet everywhere.

In icy conditions, don't forget spikes for your own shoes or boots as well as your bike.

Once arriving to work on an icy morning, someone asked me if I found it slippery on the bike. I told him I slip more when I get off the bike.