Metieval

So I typically Just ride my single speed (dawes sst AL) all winter. However... Once you go fat on tires it's hard to go back. Point is I am at a cross road. My singlespeed has been brutalized and neglected and ridden into the ground.
It's really hard to invest in a bike that only fits 25c tires. even IF it's less than $200 I am also at a N-1 to do the N+1 thing.
Several CX SS options are out there Wabi Thunder , Norco Threshold SS to replace my SS.

Or.....

anyways for the same amount of money I have been tempted with the GRX 1x bikesdirect Whipshot Al.
I have always been satisfied with the Kinesis made Dawes ss frame even on 25's. even bombing around on gravel. yes I've abused the Dawes bike. No shame in it either! I got it from bike island for $280 shipped. anyways the Whipshot AL frame is also Kinesis made.

I suppose this is a talk me out of it, or talk me into it.
https://www.bikesdirect.com/products/...oadbike-xx.htm

There is a runner up of the Giant Revolt AL sora bike. but dollar for dollar the Whipshot needs nothing in comparison to the Revolt. Well maybe a 44T wolfftooth chainring to drop on the GRX crank.

my biggest issue with winter riding, Is that I have no real good place to clean the grime/salt off, and let the bike dry. Full coverage fenders would help. but all that fits on my current SS are raceblades.

mstateglfr 

Instead of a new gravel bike earlier this fall, you bought a mountain bike. What would that new mountain bike not be able to handle that this Whipshot would handle better?
Admittedly I dont do a ton of winter riding because I dont like riding when its below freezing. When its at/just above freezing and really messy(ice ruts and slush/grime), I would think the wider tire of your new mountain bike would be more effective.

If you are going on rides where you need a ton of hand positions and drop bars help, or if you are riding so fast that you need the drops to be aero, I guess it makes sense. How many miles of gravel do you put on from mid-December to mid-March?

Metieval

It is a salt thing. I ride mixed surface. This picture was on a good day when I beat the salt trucks out!

I am not going to put a $4,500 hi mod lefty Scalpel through the abuse of Salt and winter road grime. The Scalpel purchase that also puts a damper on the N+1. which means the SS (25c limit) gets traded for a different winter beater.

shoota 

Sick bike for the money. I want the Whipshot CX853 in purple so bad.

shoota 

The Soma Fog Cutter is well under that for the steel frame, fork, and matching fenders. Then just throw on random parts to finish it off.

Metieval

Do I really want a steel frame covered in salt that sits that way for 2 months?

Edit: maybe, I mean full coverage fenders will make the biggest difference.

shoota 

I don’t think it’ll be any worse than aluminum. Aluminum hates salt. What you want is carbon.

Metieval

well pointless now I'll be off the bikes for 6 weeks to a broken collar bone.
I am still not sure what happened..... I washed out hard and went down hard. I had noticed it earlier and I blamed some crushed leaves. I have cornered way harder on wet roads. the tires actually feel like hard rubber garden hoses. And I have not been on the SS since summer. I had planned a 30 mile ride, but... didn't make it that far.
Oh well not buying a bike now puts me $1,200 closer to a Niner RLT RDO

shoota 

Holy carp you went down hard! So sorry man. Ugh. I hate this so much

Metieval

thanks, and all good man!

here is my conclusion.
there were several rides I did where I had drove to. Since they were close together I had left my bike in the back of the hatchback. Drive side up, front at the rear of the car. This was back at the end of summer then I hung that bike up until now.
Looking at the front tire now, I can clearly see a hardened strip heading towards the sidewall. It looks like it has been painted. So UV fried through the hatch window?

it also makes sense as when I leave home I make a hard right, 2 hard lefts then 1 more hard right. Both rights washed out on me. I just blamed the leaves on the first one. and I would have been going a lot slower steering more, leaning less.
I have ridden that bike on so much packed snow, and this was like riding on a sheet of ice.

Lesson learned window sun summer bad on rubber!

shoota 

Wow I would have never guessed that. Never heard of such a thing. I hope you get better soon.

Metieval

I could be wrong....

all I know is I didn't make it very far. 4 intersections with both right hand turns washing out on me. I rode these tires all winter last winter. This bike also gets hung in an outside shed. I have had more grip on snow than I did that dry chip seal. I also bomb gravel on it because I just dont care. the worse thing that happens is pinch flats. however due to the plan, I had 85 psi in on a 25c , basically I trust the geo on mix surface, and snow. and have ridden it much harder.