BobbyG

It was in the upper 90s (F) last weekend in Colorado Springs including Labor Day (Monday). It snowed Tuesday night, and this morning (Sept 9th) I woke to 30F and a couple of inches on the lawns and trees. Not the earliest snowfall we've had out here, but definitely not usual.

I went to the shed, swapped the wheels on my bike to the ones with studded snow tires and rode to work with appropriate riding attire (not too cold, not too hot).

For the last five years I would mount the studded snow tires on my old MTB-commuter in the fall and leave them on until spring, and commuting on my other bikes when it was dry.

Last fall I converted my old MTB to drop bars, and it was so fun I missed riding it on non-snowy days, since the studded tires are more sluggish and less grippy on dry pavement than the big smoothies I run in warm weather.

So two months ago I bought a 2nd wheelset, used for $40 at the co-op. I have V-brakes and even though I bought the same width rims, there is still a little adjustment to make in the brake cable length.

Unfortunately the V-brakes don't have trim adjustment, and the new levers I bought don't either. That was fine for the one wheelset, but not for swapping between the two. So a couple of weeks ago I bought in-line barrel adjusters, used $5 each.

This morning I went through the snow out to the shed, flipped the MTB on its back, swapped wheelsets, adjusted the brake cable and rode to work.

There was no snow on the streets, but they were wet, and with temps hovering around freezing and more snow throughout the day, I wanted the cold-weather grip of the winter tire compound, and studs, just in case.

The wheel swap took under 5 minutes as opposed to 30-45 to mount the tires on the same rims.

The rear brake needs a little more futzing, as the winter rim seems to be slightly offset from the summer rim (or vice versa). V-brakes are finnicky to set up, but work better than the original cantilevers.

The front wheel, without gears and not offset took mere seconds to swap with a little trim of the barrel adjuster. I had put a magnet on the spokes for the speedo and without calibration it was only 1/10 of a mile off after 9 miles.

This is going to be the best winter riding season yet!

----of course being 2020 I probably should also buy tires that can be ridden through biblical plagues like locusts, fire and brimstone, etc.

chas58

Sweet! Good call on the barrel adjusters. My rims used to be all the same width, but these days they are all over the place.

Studded tires are great in the right conditions. I got mine and tested them by doing a track like race start on a frozen lake. I was rather surprised when I pulled a wheelie on smooth ice.

noglider 

I've been meaning to get a pair of these, as I have no barrel adjusters or quick releases on my newly rebuilt bike. I just did some searches and found the Shimano SM-CB90 which has both, so thanks for the idea.

fietsbob

I have another bike set up (Old MTB), saving wear & tear on tire beads changing them.. too often..

@ sea level with Smoke & ash in the air.., & this time its not Mt St Helens ..

BobbyG

I hadn't thought about the wear and tear on the beads.

cyccommute 

I went to the shed, swapped the wheels on my bike to the ones with studded snow tires and rode to work with appropriate riding attire (not too cold, not too hot).

For the last five years I would mount the studded snow tires on my old MTB-commuter in the fall and leave them on until spring, and commuting on my other bikes when it was dry.

Last fall I converted my old MTB to drop bars, and it was so fun I missed riding it on non-snowy days, since the studded tires are more sluggish and less grippy on dry pavement than the big smoothies I run in warm weather.[/QUOTE]

As Douglas Adams advised, “Don’t Panic.” (In big friendly letters). Denver isn’t all that different from Colorado Springs and there really isn’t a need for studded tires except for a few days per year. Putting them on now is at least 1 month early and probably 3.

Wheels shouldn’t have “offsets”. The dish on one of your rear wheel is wrong. You should adjust the dish. If you don’t have a dishing tool or truing stand, take the tire off both rear wheels and put them in the frame with the brakes in place. Take the wheel out and turn it around. The properly dished wheel will go back in with the same distance between the pads. If the rim doesn’t fit back in, the dish is off and you need to pull the rim towards the center. Tighten all the spokes on one side to pull the rim towards center. If the spokes are tight, loosen the other side.

As for locust plagues, we had them...in 1874. Trillions of them flew out of the Colorado Rockies and across Kansas. But by 1902 they were extinct.

BobbyG

Excellent advice on the rear wheel dish cyccommute ...thanks! I will try that. Then I will get another wheel set for zombie-proof tires...can't be too prepared these days.

Bikewolf

No damage to your spirt yet, I notice :-)
Keep it up and ‘njoy!

Over the years, I’ve been lucky to get me a spare bike. In winter, his name is Spikey.

BobbyG

cyccommute I spent a couple of hours this morning examining the bike and swapping wheel sets and everything seems to be working now.

The first thing I did, per your suggestion was reverse the rear wheel and see how it sits with the pads. I did that and it was fine. So then I inspected the V-brakes...I noticed some issues:

One brake had the tension peg in the middle hole while the other had the peg the higher-tension hole.

Both brake arms were loose and needed tightening.

I was prepared to clean and re-grease the "stumps" but they were fine.

I read up on the role of the small adjustment screws and how they are used to center the brakes.

The "new" wheel, with the studded tires had a small wobble, which I trued out.

And I re-adjusted the brake pads for less toe-in, to be more parallel to the rims.

Then I practiced swapping the rear wheels over and over and worked out a system:

Going from the original "summer" wheels to the slightly wider "winter" wheels I "open" the barrel adjuster all the way, unhook the v-brake "noodle" and remove the wheel. Then I put "winter" wheel but with the skewer loose. Then I reconnected the noodle and make sure the wheel is centered as I tighten the skewer. Then I use the barrel adjuster to achieve a narrow pad gap. Done.

Going from the wider "winter" wheel to the narrower "summer" wheels I do the same but don't mess with the barrell adjuster, until it is time to cinch down the brake pad gap.

I did five wheel swaps and all was fine, leaving the summer tires on until I need the studded tires.

So the quick summary is that the problem in the rear wheel set swap was improperly mounted and adjusted rear brakes, and possibly some grime and schmutz to boot.

Thank you all for the advice and support...I am now a quick change artist!

cyccommute 

Always check the easy stuff first. The spring in different positions on opposing sides will cause issue. Glad you found a solution.