kidpurple

I am still having a hard time deciding what to do for a winter bike. This will be my first winter that I hope to keep riding. I started commuting to work on an old (~2002) Specialized Hardrock, but last year I bought a Kona Jake which is the only bike I ride much now. Now I don't know which I should get studded tires for.

The Jake is already set up for commuting with racks and fenders and lights. I would easily move the lights but I'd probably buy new a new rack for the Hardrock and would have to buy new fenders. I currently take the Jake everywhere and love riding it - not that I dislike any of the other bikes, I just feel so slow when I ever have the Hardrock out on the road, which is rare.

I have the feeling that a few things might make the Hardrock safer, I'm not sure if any of these are actually true. 1. Hardrock is smaller - has more standover clearance. 2. Wider handlebars 3. No toe-clips (I know I could just remove them) 4. I'd probably be going slower (not that I want to).

I must get studs soon if I'm gonna keep riding and still can't decide. Budget will prevent putting studs on both. I guess I wonder if any of my ideas about the Hardrock being safer are valid? Anyone else have similar dilemma?

https://velospace.org/user/10762 to see the bikes if interested.

plodderslusk

I just bought a Focus Cross Mares (cheap German CX-bike) and love commuting and riding it around with Nokian W106 tires. I also have an old MTB with Nokian Freddy Revenz lite. For anything but the most difficult conditions I will ride the W106 because they offer quite a bit less resistance. My advice would be to buy tires for the Jake and take it really easy when conditions are difficult. (Refrozen slush with car tracks with frozen rain as glazing for instance)

tsl

I'll second the recommendation for the Jake.

I've never owned (or ridden) an MTB. I'm just not into off-road. (Not into off-road motorcycles or trucks either.) So I can't give a comparison between the two.

What I can offer is my experience with my Trek Portland. I'm of the "ride what you love, ride it all the time" school of thought. I love my Portland and just can't see why I should ride a bike I don't like for the winter.

Like you, I have it fully rigged for commuting, exactly the way I want it. It would cost hundreds to rig a second bike the same way.

Finally, I have thousands of happy miles on the Portland. I know how it behaves in all conditions. When things get sketchy, it's one less thing to have to think about.

So, I put my 700x35 Nokian W106s on it and rode all through last winter. Had a blast, never regretted the choice for a moment. I'm heading into this winter with no second thoughts either.

Addressing your concerns:

• Hardrock is smaller - has more standover clearance. So? Are your legs going to get shorter in the winter? If not, then this is a non-issue.
• Wider handlebars My previous winter ride had wide handlebars. They were fantastic for catching every puff of headwind. They were my primary motivation to get a drop-bar bike for the winter. YMMV.
• No toe-clips (I know I could just remove them) I ride clipless. My previous winter ride had platforms. Couldn't keep my damned feet on the pedals. The worse the weather, the more I like clipless.
• I'd probably be going slower (not that I want to). Studded snow tires will make you slower on the Jake too, so this is a wash. Depending on how I feel and conditions, my average with road tires is 16-18 MPH. With the studs, it's 13-15.

It seems like some of your concerns involve falls. That's what the studs prevent. Don't worry about it.

HTH!

Hezz

If the roads are often clear enough to ride with non-studded tires you might consider keeping the Jake set up for that. You can rig up the Hardrock with some studded tires and a cheap rear rack for really bad days when the roads are really icy. That way you can keep your speeds faster when the road conditions allow and if your commuting by bike a lot it's nice to have a back up bike anyway.

You have some valid reasons for wanting to go to a mountain bike in winter but really the bigger issue is rider preference. And having a bike for the road conditions. Either type of bike can fill the role if you feel comfortable on it in the conditions you are riding.

gomadtroll

If I had to have only one bike for winter it would have to be able to run at least 2.1" wide tires, ie Nokian Extremes. Other wise I get limited by conditions and plowing schedules. There are routes where I wish I had a Fatbike :-) https://www.wildfirecycles.com/fatbikes.html. AFAIK, cross bikes and other road bikes can't handle wide enough tires for all Anchorage routes I use. This is why it is hard to give advice, just what I do for my conditions. I have a Cross bike and a LHT running 700c x 42's, not stable enough for me.

dandela

I had a similar problem. I have a 08 Cannondale Rush and a Trek 7300 hybrid that I have set up with lights, fenders, rack etc. Last year I used a 2004 Gary Fisher Wahoo for my winter bike but have since donated it to a relative who was bikeless.

This year I needed to decide which of my remaining bikes should get the studded tires. I went with the Cannondale. I haven't put fenders on it but I really don't think it is necessary. I will ride the Trek when the weather is wet or the roads are dry. When it's icy out you don't run into very much spray off the tires. I have just been backpacking on the Cannondale which isn't as nice as racks but beats having to buy another rack. The lights can be swapped easy enough. My decision was also helped by the fact that the Kenda Klondike tires I have are 26" so I would have needed a new set for the Trek. By the way, the Kenda Klondikes are fairly cheap and have been a pleasant surprise. I ordered Nokians and recieved the Klondikes in the mail instead. I called to complain and return them but was told I would have to wait a month or more for the Nokians. I ended up getting some money back and road the Kendas all last winter and have a few times this winter. Not a single stud missing and the grip is excellent. Rolling resistance is high though.

My vote would be to put the studded tires on the specialized. You will still be able to ride the Jake when the weather calls for it. That way you only have one "slow" bike.

Redrom

It is going to be hard for any of us to suggest to you what you will need in your first winter. My first winter, I just took an old beater MTB, and put studs on it. Because I did l learned a lot of things that have helped me build my first real winter bike. Your results could vary, but here's what I found:

1) With wheels, bigger is better. Wider tires are better than narrow tires, 29ers better than 26ers. I ride over train tracks, rocks, makeshift bridges, and lots of packed ice. Not for the whole commute, but enough that I need to be prepared for it.
2) Batteries do not keep in the cold. I am lucky to get one commute on a battery charge. How many times did I forget to charge the batteries, or started the commute to find I was out of juice? Enough that I thought an internal hub generator was a great idea.
3) Most parts will freeze over in the winter. This includes breaks and gears, so I am switching to disk breaks and internal hub gears.
4) On average, my foot needs to go to the ground once a year in regular conditions and twice a month in winter conditions. You couldn't pay me to ride with my foot attached to my pedal. I saved my neck several times. Frankly, this is why a slightly smaller frame than you would normally ride is also a good idea.
5) Fixed gears are "broken" in the winter. During thaws I would regularly have to ride through 6-8" of water - if I was fixed my feet would have been soaked and then they would have froze. Further, the conditions I rode in varied from day to day - one gear got me up and down my path the rest of the year, but I think I used 3-5 gears through the winter, and I couldn't predict which one I'd need until I experienced it. Would there be slick ice, bumpy ice, bumpy ice covered in snow that the plow hadn't got to yet? Be prepared.

Does this address your question? Probably not yet. I'd put the studs on the MTB, go through the winter and correct the biggest problems as you can afford to. For example, do you really need fenders? I don't know. I know I do, snow melts and often not thoroughly. When it's water I need fenders, and when it's slush I need fenders. Does that mean there's no more ice when there is water or slush? No way. Every imaginable combination will occur during your winter. I say there is no such thing as overkill.