I just moved to Minnesota from Wyoming and I am looking forward to commuting to work (only about 5 miles) in the winter. Just wondering if anyone has some advice more particular to this region/state? I am busy going through the other threads... Anyone in the Twin Cities area or more specifically around Wayzata or West of the TC?

Yup. ~Five miles of urban commute and I'll be biking it all winter for the first time. Be ready for slush and about two weeks of blistering cold in late Jan. We'll learn together. Others have gone before us and done fine.

Cool. I live on the Luce Line trail, which is great for my commute during non-snow times (it is a 63 mile Limetone state trail that runs from West from Plymouth, MN and happens to go right by my house and real close to my work!) but when it snows I think it is closed to bikes??? We'll see. Are you buying specific bike winter gear, or are you just gonna try some general winter stuff and see how it works?

In my observation bike trails around here generally aren't plowed. Those that are seem to be dead last in the priority. Also beware of plow creep where the plowed pile moves farther into the street--choking your room to ride down.

As for clothing I've a mix of stuff--some specific, some not. I'll pick up stuff as I go along and it's on sale. I do plan to invest in proper studded tires for one set of my MTB/commuter wheels. Most of the intense stuff will be on a trainer in my livingroom.

I rode the Luce Line to Hutchinson and back. I think it may be longer, it's supposed to go to Willmar. But in answer to the question. A five mile commute shouldn't be too bad. It takes the stress off the workday. Riding in the cold nasty weather is way more mind consuming than the details of the workplace. I used to ride 12 miles from Brooklyn Park to Minneapolis. Riding home in a blizzard was one of my most memorable experiences. My suggestion is to watch out for cars and stay out of their way. Cars in snowy areas create a lot of accicents. It's possible that your commuting route will become unusable because of the snow. It,s not worth getting hit by a car. Unless you wanna increase your travel time by leaving earlier and working harder at navigating snowy routes. The closer you are to a metropolitan area the easier it is to commute, because of the high traffic the pathways are usually cleared off. But if you don't play in the snow it's gonna drive you nuts. Hard core bikers add brilliantly to a normal cold winter day. Welcome to MN!

Thanks ChroMo2. I am really enjoying the area! I have been utilizing two LBSs- Gear West and Erik's. I will use the Luce Line for as long as I can, but the LBSs have been helpingme plan a winter commute on some roads that are reasonably plowed and light on traffic, I guess I even go right by Kevin Garnett's house. I have ridden in snowy conditions before, when I lived in Illinois it could get pretty slick, and in Wyoming there was actually a lot more snow, but just a different kind. But all of that riding was leisure and so commuting will be a bit different I am sure, so thanks for the advice.
Do you know much about MORC (minnesota off road cyclists)? Seems like a pretty good organization...

I used to live on the Luce Line in Long Lake. I still trya nd get out there every other week or so, just to keep up on the changes that my little town has gone through. Two years ago I rode a century and utalized the Luce Line. It wasn't plowed out that far, but the paved Greenway stuff was plowed here in town. I commuted for a good year from Saint Paul to Plymouth. Then I moved to Minneapolis and commuted from there. The paths are plowed, and out in Plymouth they are plowed less frequently. you can do it.
Look into investing a pair of Nokian studded tires, get a "beater" to ride the winter roads, as the snow and salt they use on the roads will eat your bike up. I also commuted on a fixed gear, one of the best winter bikes out there. The direct drive is great in slippery conditions. The studded tires aren't that great on ice, I tried crossing a lake and the bike slid out from under me several times, and getting up and started was something of a challenge. I used a rack and panniers in the winter, and in summer I switch to a messenger bag.
Now I live a mile from work, so those long cold commutes have come to an end. I also invested in a pair of cross country skis, so this winter should be a nice dry no snow winter.
Welcome to the great midwest.

I'm new to this so I apologise if I am posting in the wrong spot. But my question is related to the winter comute. I live 2 miles from my shcool and would like some advice on tires I sould look into or ask for my dads input on for snow. I may not be biking through much in terms of depth but I am just wondering if there are any spacific trates in a tire I sould look for. Along with any specific winter gear I sould use. By the way I also live in cold MN.

The tire question really dpends on your riding. Investing in a set of studded tires is a big investment if you aren't going to ride often. And then if you live here you know what the streets can be like. I've ridden on slicks, knobbies, and studs. Most any tire will work on snow pack it's the "black ice" that develops in the depths of the cold, at stop signs where I have been most prone to slipping on a slick surface, other than going out on a lake (if trucks can do it, why not a bike?). I rode through a snow a couple years ago where I was better able to handle the streets than a cop.
As far as dressing for it biking and cross country skiing are similar, in that you are going to sweat, so dress in layers so you can dress down and up for the cold and your body heat. I have come close to hyperthermia, where I stopped on a long ride, and drank out of my water bottle. As my outer body cooled, so did my inner body with the cold liquid in the water bottle. It was pretty frightening. The only other time I came close was a couple years ago and I rode all the way home (25 mile commute, one way) without drinking anything, I wasn't sweating like I did in the summer so I didn't think it was really necessary, well I got home and I was cold and clamy. I immediately jumped in the shower to warm up. Scary.

Thanks for all the posts. I may soon be moving up to Hibbings, MN and was wondering about all this, too. But I mean, Hibbings is even way 'up north' than TC, and I'm thinking I may be better off just buying a pair of skis... Anyone from the northeastern (or northcentral?) MN?

I lived further up than Hibbing, Cook, it's in between Hibbing and the Falls. It's country too, so if you are going to ride I'd get some snowcat rims and studded tires. It does get plowed up there, but in Cook they'd create these islands of snow in the middle of town and then haul it off. Not condusive to riding, but then Cook was/is a small town, smaller than Hibbing. One thing up there is there are some resorts that cater to the cross country skier, but mostly the dollars in winter come from snowmobilers. Northern MN has miles and miles of snow mobile trails, that cross country and bikers can't use, even in the off season. There are snow mobile clubs right now working on the trails through out MN. All hoping that winter will be nice wet and cold.

Heh, what you going to do up there in Hibbing? Not the most happening kind of place, unless you drive one of those big dumptrucks down in the mines.

I lived in Eden Prairie for a while. And then a couple days a week I had to drive to Brooklyn Park for classes. I can't give much winter riding advice, but I am sure you will appreciate it. Considering that TC people can't freakin drive worth a crap if the skies even have a hint of snow. This is true even if the roads are dry.
Being from Ohio I had always thought Minnesotans would know how to drive on/in snow. And then I realized that the TC area is not full of Minnesotans but transplanted people.

Well ok my advice is... If you are commuting on the streets be extra alert to the new found idiot winter drivers up there

Where will you be living and working? Be specific and we may be able to suggest a good route. There are several hundred miles of bike trails around here, and many of them are plowed all winter.

A couple of hints from someone who biked into downtown Mpls. for 32 winters.
Fat tires are a pain to push through street snow, most messengers use Conti street tires all year.
Corrosion is a problem, ride a junker.
Hammering along on a 53 lb EZ-3 recumbent trike can be faster than a good 2 wheeler on which you have to be careful.
I'd estimate that less than 2% of winter riders here use studs.
Keep your bike somewhere unheated when not in use.
Gets light late and dark early here, so good lights are a must.

BTW 37 years ago I'd see the tracks of only 2 other riders in the snow. Ed Prosser, and a Huffy rider who wore a motorcycle helmet all year long. Now, most days the bike racks downtown are at least 1/2 full.

instead of riding a junk bicycle, ride a nice bike. Your safety depends on it.

Well, I live in Long Lake- by Stubbs Bay and commute to Wayzata- Lake St by Wayzata Bay. I will be using my Trek 830 Mountain XC. I am in the process of de-mtb'ing it and focusing it more on commuting. The RST shock is worthless and so I will be replacing it with a rigid fork. The front derailleur was crap and so I already removed it. I am considering different tires, but will I have to replace the wheels as well? I am also thinking about throwing on a rear rack to keep my weight even for the ice. I want to make the transition as smooth and inexpensive as possible...
I have been commuting on the Luce Line trail which goes right by my house- b/t Stubbs Bay Rd and Leaf St- to Ferndale Ave and take a left on Lake St to my office. The LBS suggested a route that I am not quite clear on- but basically Watertown Rd to 15...
Any better/more clear thoughts?

Instead of "junker" I should have written "beater". A good beater looks like junk but works well. As long as the bike is well maintained, what safety issues do you see? As my son said, "It takes longer for thick tubes to rust through".

My son's winter MTB had a 700 x 30 cyclocross knobby in front and a 26 x 1.5" semi-knobby in the rear. Great for street use, but conditions on the Luce line might require a bit more flotation. Especially in the spring when packed snow starts to rot. Anyone know if that's a plowed trail? The guys who are responsible for the trails would rather leave them unplowed, so frost wouldn't go as deep, but there is public demand to keep them usable.

BTW My son biked 8 miles to the U of M for 4 years and never missed a day due to weather. If it got too icy for the MTB he'd borrow one of my recumbents.

backpacks are more functional than racks. a rack will make your bike more unstable. using a backpack directs the weight to your bottom bracket when you stand, making the weight transfer to a lower center of gravity. also weight on your back isn't "dead weight" and your body will shift the load from inertia enabling better handling in snow, which we all know has less friction than pavement. I always bike with a backpack, even when riding trails. One time me and a friend were trying a new trail, and it was pretty critical. We took turns and watched eachother in case one of us crashed. I told my friend I better put on my backpack, because I didn't feel right without it. I had a rack I used on occasion and I cut the length in half so the weight wouldn't extend too far out the back of the bike. I could feel the rear end of the bike "sway" with as little as three pounds on it.

i use WTB Moto Raptor (2.4") for winter riding, inflated to about 25lbs for "fresh" snow, inflated full when streets are "clear." My bike is a 1X1. When I was in school (at the U of MN TC campus), I road the streets to the campus, and the Bike path on campus...parking on the campus sucks in the winter because most of the racks are buried (from plowing the sidewalks!!!!)...rode all winter...was cold some days, but I didn't freeze...on SUPER cold days, I wore regular winter boots (Sorel) and a snowmobile suit...otherwise I'd layer w/ a windproof outer layer, wool hat, mitts...normal winter stuff...I'm WAY off topic!

Sorry!!!

wait untill January 15th!

I think I'd stay with the Luce line. That route along 15 while there is a bike lane is along a highway. I've sat at the big curve just below Fox st. waiting for traffic coming from Lake Minnetonka so I could cross. While in the winter it would be plowed, the traffic would drive me crazy. Luce line isn't that bad, it doesn't get plowed though, I had a tough time with it on that Century. Another alternate is highway 6 but getting over 12 with all the bridges gone is a bit tough, but it is a nice less trafficked route to Wayzata. It is part of my 60 mile ride.
I still miss Long Lake. We lived off Watertown and Brown Rd. a block away from St. George's Church. We had the woods behind us all the way to the Luce line all to ourselves. Then they started building back there. Although it's not in the history books but we did some MTBing back then my brother's Schwinn Stingray was riden down some of those hills.
I'll have to post the link my brother sent me, the city has a camera that you can watch the progress of the new highway work. It's sort of fun to watch. Like paint peel and grass grow. I think those are faster than the work on highway 394.

Naisme-HAHA..No kidding about the construction work- I can't believe what is going on- they tore down 2 of the 3 bridges and the one they left seems to be a temporary from a while ago. Plus they paved and painted Old Crystal Bay road- and then tore the whole thing up again! 394 is whole other mess! Ok, I am pretty familiar with where you lived- they had the Corn Days Festival there this year... 6 is definitely an option- albeit not as direct as I would like, but hey- it'll be winter and it might be faster than the more "direct" routes.
ChroMo2- I guess I'll just have to see about the rack thing. I always wear my camelback, even just for short rides, and I've never even had a rack. I thought that the rack might be more stable in the winter- but I could see how it would not be- especially since I am so used to my bag.
New_dharma- Thanks, I wouldn't say you are off topic- the clothing and parking situation is quite related to biking in MN winter.

I think that I will test ride the different routes to my work and feel them out before the snow flies. I also need to reconfirm the route that my LBS was talking about because they made it seem like I only crossed 15 and didn't actually do much riding on it. So, I will take a look at some maps and go test ride the routes and wait for the snow.

I don't know about camelbacks, but water freezes way too fast in winter. In winter hydration isn't that critical on a commute (since you aren't riding that far), and you can drink water before and after your commute. if you really wanna be hardcore, testing your routes before you ride them is an excellent idea, keep in mind that the more snow there is the less passable the trails will be, possibly forcing you to compete with cars in traffic. The commute is going to get harder and more difficult as you approach the dead of winter, but that just makes it more fun.

I didn't mean that I was going to have water in there during the winter. That would be quite interesting but not too fun! I may still use the camelback in the winter, but without the bladder. I have a messenger bag that I also like. But, my intention was to say that I am very used to having the weight on my back. Thanks