storckm

So I've always liked the idea of having one bike that can do everything. Currently, that's a Rivendell Appaloosa, set up with fenders, bottle dynamo lighting, front rack, studded tires, etc.--although I also have a summer fixie, a Yuba cargo bicycle, and a tandem.

But after lubing my rear derailleur that seemed to be stuck due to salt, etc, I'm reconsidering. I have an old Fuji S-12 that I might build up into a winter bicycle. I'd either put some sort of drops or perhaps trekking bars on it, probably make it a fixed gear--no more corroded derailleur--with generator lights, fenders, rear rack . . . . They only thing I'd have to buy right away would be a saddle. I probably have all the other pieces on hand, although I might at some point get a hub generator. (I'm in central Ohio, so hills aren't much of a concern, although I don't really like carrying extra weight with a fixie.)

MNBikeCommuter

I'm not sure what the problem is as it seems like a no-brainer to go ahead with it since you have the parts. Winters and summers in MN are definitely two different seasons requiring different equipment, so for me, a winter bike is a must. The question I wrestle with is, "Do I need a fat tire bike to add to the winter fleet?" It'd be easier to go for it if garage space wasn't a premium.

CliffordK

I don't really have a dedicated winter bike, although I had one that would work well as a winter go to bike.

I have wondered if my few years in St. Louis damaged the paint on my old Colnago. It makes me feel a bit sad at how much wear that bike got over the years.

More recently, I've had issues with water and grit getting everywhere with my newer bikes. Grit into my Campy bottom bracket?

Fortunately, here in Oregon there isn't much road salt, but we still get RAIN.

Do you use studded tires? Perhaps pick a bike that you can get studded tires for. A Titanium frame would be SWEET!!!

Anyway, it wouldn't be a bad idea to build up a winter only bike, if that suits your riding habits.

ThermionicScott 

I have a little trouble picking which poll option to choose, since I don't want to tell other people what they should do for their specific winter conditions.

As for me, I enjoy not dealing with derailleurs in the winter, but I do appreciate them in the summer, so that means at least two bikes for me.

(In theory, I could strip down a derailleur bike and make it a fixed-gear just in the winter like racers of old, but I'm too lazy for that and having multiple bikes is nice!)

Riveting

Option 4 for me: No: I ride all of my bikes in all conditions, and you should too.

pdlamb

Option 5: It Depends.

storckm

I have 700x35 marathon winters on my main bike:I'd probably transfer those.

Thulsadoom

There's no way I'd ride my 3 season bike in the winter around here. I go into winter knowing that the salt is most probably going to eat up a chain and set of sprockets each season. I don't even try to wipe down a chain after lubing in the winter, I just spray on the lube, knowing that there's a major cleaning/disassembly in the future. My winter bike has much fatter tires that I don't need in the warmer months. My winter bike has cheaper components and wider bars for more control. I love riding in the winter but it's a total departure from riding in the other seasons and definitely requires a different bike. We get a lot of "lake effect" weather here, which basically means that crazy weather blows in off Lake Ontario.
As far as the poll goes, I didn't see an option for ---Yes, I have a dedicated winter bike and you probably should too if you live around here.---

BTinNYC

Few will understand or believe your area's snow. Heck, I worked in Watertown for 6 months and I still shake my head.

On the other side of the world, here in NYC, I think we can get more salt than snow and I'm making my Motobecane the winter bike.

scottfsmith

We get around two weeks of salty roads per year. I just hose down my bike after a salty ride (using a yard pump sprayer, hose is frozen), then blast dry with air compressor. I could do this for a month a year but after that I'd probably get a dedicated bike.

Gresp15C

I built up a dedicated winter bike for each member of my family. In upper Midwest, "winter" means road salt season, and it's a long winter. The salt is tough on bikes. First big rain washes away the salt. Then the bikes get hosed down and put away under an awning in the backyard. That way, I'm also not changing out the snow tires.

I don't ride recreationally during the winter: Just commuting and shopping. So I don't need my sporty bikes. For exercise during the winter I prefer walking and cross country skiing. The winter bike is pretty klunky. It's got an old 3 speed IGH with coaster brake and a shifter that's easy to operate with ski gloves.

rumrunn6

I don't have the room or the $ for a winter only bike. I've got 3 bikes, as it is ... this winter it was the MTB that got the studs & the most use. I've got studs for the hybrid but never mounted them. the road bike got out for one cold ride when the pavement was clear. just gotta maintain the bikes, despite winter weather. meaning, they do need a bit more attention, cuz whatever is on the road, gets on the bike

Hypno Toad

Can I change my vote? I clicked the wrong one, my answer is: Yes: I have a dedicated winter bicycle, and you need one too.
but that depends on where you live ... if 'winter' is a month or two of rainy and cold, you don't need a winter bike; if winter is 4 months of snow cover and sub-freezing temps, you want a winter bike.

MNBikeCommuter

It feels like we'll be lucky if it's only 4 months this winter...

Hypno Toad

I know, and this week's weather is not helping, snow piled up everywhere, 5F afternoon temps ... but at least it's sunny out

But I did look back at some ride data, and remembered I was still riding my road bike in early December ... also the day a crashed on my classic road bike, I hope to get it back from the LBS next week, ready for spring, when it finally gets here.

79pmooney

I used to live in salt/snow country and didn't own a car. In winter, I rode a fix gear with brakes, fenders and cyclo-cross sewup tires. Salt made a mess of everything. Rims were irregular polygons by March. (Too many bottomless potholes and low enough tire pressure to survive any ice.)

Early spring the ritual. Cut the spokes out. Lace in new rims with new summer rubber. Pack bearings. Clean, HB tape. Fresh new bike for those rainy days, around the city and when i just want to run fixed. Early December, the CX tires go back on and the winter h*** starts all over again for the bike.

sweeks

I have two roughly-the-same folding commuters. One is specialized for winter (ice and snow) and the other is better for rain or fair(er) weather. I take whichever one seems to match the predicted weather

surveyor6

I would never tell anybody that they only need one bike.

fooferdoggie 

we have so few days of snow or frozen water on roads its pointless to have another bike for those few days.

Pugs2xLove

I'm in Iowa and having a Winter bike is a must especially if riding year round. Having a belt drive bike for Winter would be best to deal with all that salt, sand and crud on the roads but it all depends on your budget. I have a Jamis Commuter I that I bought on Ebay a couple of years ago from an older gentleman that was hardly ridden and made it my Winter bike. I have 700X38 Schwalbe studded tires, fenders and rack on it that gets ridden when the roads get bad. It's slow, bulky and heavy but I don't worry about it in case of crashes.

soyabean

Agreed.

It's just so weird to only have one bike.

It's so easy to store a bike anywhere with the correct hardware.

parkbrav

I only have one bike and I keep resolving to get a second bike and dedicate "the tank" to winter cycling. but so far one is all I need

bikemig 

I picked up an old Bridgestone BB 1 frame and headset for $10 to build into a dedicated winter commuter. Winter beats the heck out of a bike and there is a lot to be said for running parts you can replace inexpensively. Sure I'd like better brakes than the cantilevers that come on that bike but cantis do the job and the bike can take a 26 x 2.0 studded tire and fenders which works for me.

MinnMan

I choose an option not available. I have two bikes that I ride in the winter, depending on whether studded tires are needed or not, and both are set up as winter bikes...in the winter. In the non-winter, one of them is my gravel bike and the other I use for commuting, casual rides, and some other things.

But that's a far cry from "one bike is all you need". Neither of these two bikes are my main non-winter rigs, which are both dedicated road bikes.

Hypno Toad

I feel like this is a very Minneapolis set up ... before I moved to a home office (long before the pandemic), I had the Pugsley for snowy days; the SS MTB with studs for icy days; and the summer commuter for some slush but no ice. It's the kinda thing you do when snow and ice are a thing from October through April.