Originally Posted by koffee brown

Commute with the cheaper one. There ya go.

I wouldn't ride my more expensive bike in the winter. No way. In fact, I'm thinking of sending it back to the factory for an extensive makeover during the winter and just ride the hell out of my beater bike until I pick it up in the late spring/early summer.

Koffee

Originally Posted by nathank

honestly don't know what an AWD wheelset is (All Wheel Drive??)

and i've never ridden with Electric assist...

but a mountain bike with studded tires is hard to beat for winter (that's what i use). and in VA you shouldn't have THAT much snow anyway, so ice patches are probably your biggest concern...

if you want the very best setup, i hear that a fixed-gear gives you better "feel" for the ground and traction so a fixed-gear mountain bike might be the very best (but you'd probably have to buy a new crank and rear wheel)

Originally Posted by CBBaron

The safest solution is a trike. No chance of falling due to unseen ice. A coworker of mine rode an EZ-3 through last winter and really had not problems is the snow was not deep. However getting traction on the single drive wheel was a problem if the snow was deep.
Studded tires on a 2 wheel bike work pretty well and are usually cheaper than the trike. However it helps to have non-studded tires on a different set of wheels or a different bike for those days the roads are clear. The studs really slow you down.
I can't imagine an AWD bike would be that helpful with on street riding. The problem is not usually drive traction but trying to keep the bike upright.
So in summary my cost no object choice is a trike. The cost effective choice would be a MTB with studded tires.
Craig

Originally Posted by meb

Yes, AWD= All Wheel Drive, I have one of the MTB wheelsets that has a second freewheel at the rear gear connected to a speedometer cable running to the front with a rider controllable clutch at the front wheel gear. Bought it with the intent of using it for kinetic sculpture racing or as a way of driving and orienting a propellor for amphibious cycling.

I was wondering if AWD and studs complement each other or cancel the other's benefit out.

Originally Posted by meb

Could you elaborate as to why the mountain bike is hard to beat vs. the other options?

I do not yet have studded tires, so I am flexible in that area as to which tires to get or to to make some of my extra knobbies into studded tires.

Originally Posted by koffee brown

Commute with the cheaper one. There ya go.

I wouldn't ride my more expensive bike in the winter. No way. In fact, I'm thinking of sending it back to the factory for an extensive makeover during the winter and just ride the hell out of my beater bike until I pick it up in the late spring/early summer.

Koffee

Originally Posted by velogirl

I'll be using my folding 26" mountain bike with studded tires (not overly studded--those Finnish 106 ones, starting in December). Folding helps when I take the Metro home since I don't ride in the dark. The 106 studded tires don't slow you down too much, but then again, I'm not a speed demon. I just don't like to go down on an ice patch.

Originally Posted by nathank

AWD: again, never actually seen a setup, but i think (also like 4WD cars) that AWB would only help in propulsion and not be much of a safety factor.
but yes, i see no reason why studded tires and AWD would not be good --- unless you need special wheels and so it's a pain to change-out wheelsets and/or tires.

Tri: i have never ridden a tricycle (as an adult) but yes, obvious stability here. not sure of the drive issues (you commented on that) but in deep snow with weight on 2 wheels the forward motion is probably worse than weight on one wheel.

mountain bike has following advantages:
1) wide choice of wide tires and studed tires and basic setup has wide rims so wide tires actually mount "wide" (i find around 2" is the best compromise for snow/ice as for snow you want a relatively wide tire that "floats" and for ice you want a narrower tire that "cuts through")
2) good/durable in snow/slush/dirty grundge
3) wide straight bars and nimble upright riding position so maximum bike handling capabilities (i.e. putting a foot down going over ice is easier on a MTB than road/cross/trekking) -- i.e. one of the top design considerations of most mountain bikes is handling and stability at all speeds (low speed on a MTB better than road/cross/trekker - just try doing a track stand and you'll see the difference!)
4) good brakes (either V-brakes or disc)
5) generally space for fenders (not mounted super-close to the tires b/c of snow build-up)
6) low gears for cranking through snow

i personally find the 1.9/2" wide MTB "semi-studs" to be the best choice for commuting as they perform reasonably well on the road at regular pressures (say 35-35 psi) so a good compromise between speed on hard surfaces and safety for ice. then for major snow/ice you let the pressure down to 15-25psi and get a bigger contact patch and more stud contact.

i put my semi-studs on for the first snow - around end of October here - and then leave on until mid-May or so.

i also own an agressive studded tire (2" wide 26" MTB tire with Major knobs and like 300 studs/tire) which is awesome on ice and snow, but it is SLOW and annoying on paved surfaces. i personally do not see a need to use mine for commuting but i do agressive winter mountain biking (e.g. i mountain bike down an ice/snow sledding/luge course where having this tire in front provides awesome traction/safety)

for commuting where safety is much more important than efficiency (and money not much of an issue), you could buy a 2nd wheel and put the agressive studded tire on that and on major ice-risk days with good ground snow coverage (so little or no paved surfaces) just change out the front wheel, but here you have the cost for an additional front hub/rim as well as an agressive studded tire which costs like $50-70!

P.S. for winter i personally recommend riding with flat pedals (or better yet BMX-style pedals with pins) and wearing warm winter hiking boots.
i have tried various winter bike shoes with clipless pedals and overshoes and whatnot and the WARMEST method is hiking shoes. the main problem is the metal cleat on the sole transports col direclty to the inside of the shoe! in winter the slightly lower efficiency from not having clipless is worth the warmth, extra security if you need to put a foot down as well as nice if the snow is too deep and you have to walk a bit.

Originally Posted by af895

Hey Koffee!

I've heard a few people lately mention not riding their "regular" bikes in winter.
Is this because they use road salt in your area?

I'm trying to wrap my head around this because I'm figuring out what I'm going to ride this winter.
I can understand if roads are very slippery not wanting to ride something like a lightweight track or road bike - instability, possibility of clobbering the bike.

Originally Posted by meb

I usually keep bikes at work and home anyway so if I strand a bike, it's not a big deal as long as enough are running. I'm half a mile on each side of the commute from a Metro station, so folding to get the bike on the train is usually not worth while. Of course, a trike is banned at all times.

I notice the 106 studded tires have 1 ring of studs on the tread center and one ring on each side of the tread. Can you inflate them enough to just ride one ring per Nathank's tire pressure tuning, or are you still riding all three rings at high pressure?

BTW: Since you are accross the river in DC, I presume you have spent some time on the Capital Crescent Trail, Rock Creek Park Beach Drive Trail and maybe the Little Falls Trail after snows. Do those trails hold snow for several days or do they melt off?