1989Pre 

I'm curious about whether or not others (like me) convert an MTB or hybrid from road configuration to cold-weather operation in the fall and then back again in spring. I do this with my M80. My summer tires are 1.25" slicks (Bontrager SR1's) and my winter tires are 2.15" Hutchinson Toro "knobbies". I actually have two wheel sets so that I don't have to change the tires. I take my water bottle cages off and pop them in a box to save wear-and-tear. The stem goes from a 8-degree rise to a 40 degree rise (puts the handlebars higher to give me more time to react if the tire slips out on slush or ice). In fall, I go from an aluminum rigid (Kinesis) fork to a Manitou Drake 100mm suspension (helps with the harder road surface). My pedals get switched from my Xpedo w/ titanium axles to heavier, generic platforms w/ reflectors. Saddle is switched from a road-racing saddle to a gel saddle (Serfas Reactive Gell 226). That's about it. It is better than buying a second bike. The M80 handles it all, and is even disc-brake applicable, if I ever choose to go in that direction.

One clip on the right pannier has not been hooked. I must have been in a hurry to get home!

w/ Mavic XC717's. Road bike, tourer or heavy-hauler, it doesn't matter to the M80. It does it all exceptionally-well.

rumrunn6

1989Pre wow! that's a lot of work! impressive! I swap tires & add bar mitts, but that's about it!

1989Pre 

Is that on the Muirwoods? Oh I forgot to mention, each saddle has it's own seatpost, too. Summer: Easton EA50 single-bolt and winter: Strong (probably from 1980's)

rumrunn6

wow, but that makes sense. I dislike fighting w/ seat clamps

I have 1 set of drop style bar mitts for the 1 road bike. I only take road bike out in the winter when the the roads or paved trails are dry







I have 1 set of straight bar mitts that I move between the MTB & the Muirwoods
here they are on my Trek FX which I haven't sold yet. the Muirwoods was supposed to replace it but my selling the FX hasn't happened yet



on the Muirwoods

on the MTB

very useful protection in falling snow & other precipitation



oh man now you have me thinking about the cold & I'm still flying kites at the beach!

wolfchild

The only changes I make for winter is change to studded tires and change my gear ratio. I use singlespeed bikes and I prefer to use lower gear ratio during winter than summer.

rumrunn6

gotta remember it's bow hunting season & wear more orange!

1989Pre 

Rumrunn, that is a nice deck set-up on the Bottechia. Do you use lower pressure in your tires in winter? Yeah, true about the hunters. Sometimes, I wish my main helmet wasn't white, but I have lots of orange (jerseys and jackets). An orange (or any day-glo) helmet for this time of year would not be a bad idea. That's a nice-looking pond.

rumrunn6

thank you

the bar thing is for light & camera, sometimes 2 lites because I have a helmet setup w/ light & camera, so sometimes I got out w/ 3 lites, 2 on bars 1 on helmet. mostly tho, that's all on the MTB. I really do like the mountain feed bag most of the year, for stuff I want easy access to like phone & camera batteries & yeah food too, sometimes bug spray & napkins for my nose. when it gets really cold tho, batteries & phone ride next to my body

interesting question about winter tire pressure. I only ride the road bike if the paved trail is clear so I don't do anything special with pressure. if I'm riding the road bike regularly I don't check pressure before every ride. I guess that applies to any of my 3 bikes. if it's been a while I will check & top off whatever bike/tires I'm using. if it's the MTB I'll give them a hand squeeze & maybe a spin in my parking lot. mostly I decide about pressure based on the terrain I'll be riding

re: hunters, yeah, gets tricky this rime of year. I like my orange sweatshirt which fits over lots of stuff. I have a bright yellow helmet but I haven't been using it due to a new camera setup on a black helmet. black camera/black helmet makes me look less dorky. so I guess my most useful item is a lime green vest which fits over whatever I have. I have a large "bear bell" meant for hikers, I keep meaning to try ... ;-)

Bikewolf

Seems like a nice bike to roll. — I like your panniers :-)

Usually I go with one pannier. But this year, I might choose to add the other one, to have an extra lightweight insulated jacket for emergencies on the road (or at my work space).
In the early years I commuted with a backpack. But from the moment I had to cycle a longer distance, I preferred to have my back free.
I do carry a very small backpack in my pannier though. Contains my lunch and some small things.