Originally Posted by
Gresp15C
I definitely prefer to have fenders on my winter bike. In my locale, they spread a mixture of salt and sand on the streets, so it gets mixed with the slush and all gets slung up onto the bike. I rode my summer bike one day because I thought the streets were clear, and it was covered in sticky grit when I got home.
No sand here (on purpose at least, the lakefront bike path is another story!) but I can totally relate! Thats what I'm trying to avoid, especially since I finally picked up the sugino 75s I've been eyeing for over a year (along with a new chainring and chain). Everything is still so pristine, I dont want it to get trashed as much as the old ones were. Its really unavoidable if you want to ride in winter without fenders though.
Originally Posted by
Gresp15C
There's a tradeoff between clearance and protection. I think you generally want enough clearance so a "typical" piece of gravel stuck in your treads won't hit the fender. On the other hand, more coverage will keep your bike cleaner. I don't think it affects ride quality, especially given all of the other encumbrances such as bulky clothing, boots, and studded tires.
So how much space would you estimate I need with these tires on snowy pavement? Like half an inch all the way around? More?
Originally Posted by
Gresp15C
I'm afraid that my winter bike is no longer single speed. I just strung up an old Sturmey Archer 3 speed coaster hub for it. There's a hill where, if I stand up to pedal, I lose my traction, so having a lower gear helps me push through that stuff.
Cool. Not a bad choice of hub for bad weather if you ask me. When I rode in Pittsburgh I would always have issues with traction on hills in the snow. I find riding fixed really helpful for that though since you get more immediate road feedback. I just gear down in the winter in general for that reason.