Good Morning

I am currently riding my road bike this summer but when winter comes the slick tires are too smooth to get a good grip on the snow. I am planning to get cheap bike to convert to a winter bike, is that a good idea? Or should I pay more?

What should I look for? Wide tires? Treads? A mountain bike with suspension?

I also plan to convert it to a single speed for less maintenance. What gear inches should I be aiming for?

Is a fixed gear bike in the winter a good idea?

I will add more questions as I think of them.

CrowSeph

I'm planning to focus more on my mtb this winter for many reason.
But the main reason is to enjoy it in every terrain for example snow and rain , those two conditions for me are the worst with a road bike.

You won't belive how much i'm hoping to see the snow here because i really want enjoy riding on it (again).

CrankyOne

Where are you located? How much snow & ice?

I never ride a fixie in winter. Being able to gently coast across ice is too valuable to me.

Our daily commuters are Workcycles Opafiets, Omafiets, and Gr8's. Single speeds, 3-speeds, 8-speeds, and N360. All IGH's. I'll put Schwalbe Marathon Winters (studs) on for the winter. Pump them up for days with no to little snow/ice and let a bit of air out for those with lots. Less air equals more stud. In reality I'm lazy and only adjust air pressure a couple of times most years.

These bikes aren't beaters. Since all of the mechanicals are internal they can go years of being stored and ridden outside in all kinds of weather with no maintenance beyond air in the tyres. Wonderful to ride.

More: City Bikes | LocalMile

Leebo

OP, a few questions. Looking to run studded tires? What size? 70 x35-40mm Bigger? Snow and salt eat bikes, think used. Count on fenders, need a rack and bag? Single speeds are tough with headwind+ snow on the ground. One of my winter rides is a 1x8 drivetrain.

blakcloud

Old mountain bike, converted to single speed, no suspension would be what I would aim for.

canklecat

Check out Bike Blogger on YouTube.

He's covered all of this, from winter commuting, tires and clothing, to single speeds and minor conversions -- such as adding a double chain ring and front derailer to a single speed for a bit more versatility.

Personally I wouldn't ride a single speed on slick roads. I've watched plenty of folks locally who ride fixies and single speeds and invariably they wiggle, wobble and veer around more than any other riders. The gearing that's ideal for flat stretches of road isn't ideal for stop and start city riding. Especially fixed gears, which were designed for track bikes where the riders often have an assistant to steady them for the race start. All that erratic riding looks like a recipe for disaster with slick winter roads for all but the most experienced and steady cyclists. But the Bike Blogger guy rides single speeds or fixies all year, so he's an exception.

If I was concerned about low maintenance for the drivetrain I'd consider the paraffin wax method for the chain. Biggest problem I encounter locally is grit accumulating on the chain and gears. No matter how carefully I apply chain lube as sparingly as possible and wipe it down thoroughly, some always migrates from the rollers and accumulates grit, so I have to break out the brush cleaning doodad and start over at least once a month. Chain-L has a lot of fans among messy weather riders. But there are dozens of threads on chain lubes already.

Our North Central Texas winters are pretty mild and we have so few snow and ice days I'd just skip riding the streets then -- although I might take a bike into a pasture just to bomb around in the snow.

But we do get a lot of rain so I'd get an older rigid fork mountain bike and use the SKS fenders I already have in the closet. Those fenders are a bit narrow, for 700x35 or narrower tires, so I can't use them with the 700x42 tires on my current older mountain bike.

My hybrid with spring suspension fork rides just fine in messy weather but can't be fitted with conventional fenders. However there are various clip-on type splash and mud guards so I might try those. They don't look as nice as properly fitted fenders, but can be easily detached and reattached as needed.

I prefer wider tires that can be safely run at lower pressures for comfort and better grip on loose gravel over pavement (common problem in my area, and one of the few things that's caused me to skid and nearly fall a few times). The trade off is lower pressure tires may be more prone to damage from broken glass and debris, although I'm not convinced that's a serious issue -- my tires with heavy puncture shields have plenty of nicks and cuts and some embedded debris, but no flats. In my local group rides it's always the folks with high pressure road tires who get the flats from stuff my tires just ignore.

Cougrrcj

Hard to beat a vintage three-speed. Check garage sales and thrift stores. Put a set of knobby tread tires on it (be careful of rim size!) and you're golden. I rode one in Cleveland winters for years!

GravelMN

1990s rigid chrome-moly MTB or Hybrid will serve you well for minimum investment. Plenty of room for tires and eyelets for fenders and a rack if you wish.