Versatile Year Round Setup
 

I have a vintage Schwinn touring frame that I built up with old components I had, 2x9 Ultegra shifters, cantilever brakes, 700x32C tires. The frame is made for 27" wheels, and the whole braking situation has never been great. I ride mostly dirt/gravel paths with some undulating hills, but nothing crazy. I had a lot of problems when riding in 2-6" of snow, especially in a shaded section that became icy and took forever to melt. I thought about getting a fat bike, but I love to go fast. I just can't decide what to do. I'm looking for the optimal setup that I can go fast when it's dry but still allows me to bike through the snow and ice in the winter. I am seriously considering the State Allroad. It has an option to be able to switch between 700C and 650B. I'm just not sure if 2.1" tires are going to do the trick through the winter. I have also toyed with getting a plus sized MTB and possibly throwing on a rigid fork and some drops. Oh, and I am looking to do this on the cheap (>$1000).

I commute year-round in Colorado Springs , so same climate as you, but a little less precipitation. Ice in the shadows when all else is dry is a real issue. For the last five years I have had a dedicated snow bike that gets studded snow tires in the winter. I decide which bike to take based on the weather forecast, and my own observations of the streets.

But if I had just one bike, I would get a second set of wheels and mount studded snow tires on them and swap out wheel sets as needed.

My only experience with studs is Suomi Nokian W-106s which have two rows of studs, a nearly unbroken center section for smooth pavement riding, deep tread for snow. and a soft, sticky compound for gripping cold, wet pavement.

The beauty of this tire is that by varying the air pressure, you get three tires in one. They are rated for 65psi max which rounds out the tire and lifts the studs off the pavement. I run them at 70psi and they roll fairly quickly, although not like more supple summer. However at high psi, since the studs are off the pavement, they don't really help on icy patches, but do come into contact with the pavement when cornering, which is felt as a sudden slight loss of grip.

By lowering the tire pressure to around 30psi the tire deforms enough that the studs are in contact with the pavement and allows safe, secure riding and STOPPING on ice...even on my steepest downhill portions.

For deep, soft snow, about 20psi helps provide even more grip.

My tires are 26x1.65 and as I said above, riding on dry pavement with them at 70psi is acceptable, but not enjoyable. At 30psi on dry patches the tires are dull and heavy. And at 20psi they are a chore on dry pavement.

I don't know how the Suomi Nokian W106 700x37s would be, but I would guess they would roll better all around.

And then there are other brands and styles of studded tires that may work better for speed.

One thing is you wouldn't want to use the studded tires year-round as summer heat would ruin them.

Even if you didn't get a 2nd set of wheels and just mounted the snowtires in the winter, that would help, although this weekend I will be buying a second wheelset for my snowbike so I can more easily swap between road and snow tires.

Thanks for the detailed response. I was talking to a friend and he was also suggesting studded tires. I searched quickly online, and it seems like studded tires are way more expensive, like $150-300 for a pair. How long do your tires last?

Holy cats things have gotten expensive! Still here's a pair of what I have for $84.

https://www.amazon.com/Nokian-153774.../dp/B0127ATEA2

I bought mine 5 years ago in the summer for $60 on Amazon.

They get used only from roughly November to April, so 5 months. And while I commute most days, I take the snow bike only when needed, some years more, some years less depending on the weather, so maybe 45 days of commuting at 18 miles round trip plus longer weekend fun rides...I'm gonna say 800-1000 miles a year over 5 years is about 4000 to 5000 miles, and the tires are still great. Very little wear on the tread, and I think maybe one or two studs are gone, but they are still solid. I usually get about 1800-2000 miles out of my regular road tires. But the snow tires really get ridden mostly on snow and ice, so that may mean less wear than on dry pavement, and they don;t get ridden in extreme heat.

Your Mileage may vary.

Here is a photo from when I took them off after last winter in April:

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...51aab5b957.jpg

I ride in Denver and don’t find I need studs all that often. Our climate isn’t like other places where snow hangs around for months. I have a bike equipped with studs but I only use it a few times per year. Most of the time a bike with knobs does the job.

I would also suggest that if you want to go the mountain bike route, that you keep the suspension fork. You might even want to get a dual suspension bike. The suspension does more than just provide comfort. It provides control. Whether off-road or in packed snow, the wheel is trying to climb out of ruts and can’t do that because it has to countersteer to get out of the rut. The wheel is trapped against the rut. Often you are going to go down because you simply can’t control the bike.

With a suspension fork, the fork moves and allows the sides of the tires to climb up and out of the rut without countersteer. Control is better.

Rear suspension squats the bike when you pedal and pushes the rear wheel into the ground giving you more traction. It won’t help as much on ice...studs are better there...but it will help in snow and packed snow.

Look for a mountain bike that has a lockable fork so that you can lock out the fork when you don’t need it. A good rear suspension bike would be on old Specialized Epic that uses an inertial valve to lock the rear during pedaling but it opens when it’s hit from below.

I did tire swapping but found it was hard to do without damaging the tire bead if done often .
so consider 2 wheel sets or just 2 bikes.

I like the Suomi Nokian Tires for those with studs.. Finns ride year around.