road bike in December
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road bike in December
Hi all, I haven't been here in a while.....to briefly recap, I'm a lifelong cyclist who is going on his fourth winter as an ice biker. I feel seasoned at this point.
So you can imagine my surprise as I shove off to work every morning at 7 on my 29er....I'm finally rocking a set of studded tires (and wonder how I made it this far without them). EVERY DAMN DAY a guy passes me going the opposite direction on a road bike....seriously, this godlike man is rolling the dice in ways the rest of us will never accomplish. I mean, this is Michigan....there's plenty of snow on the ground and he's just truckin' along.
I wonder if I'm seeing things?
So you can imagine my surprise as I shove off to work every morning at 7 on my 29er....I'm finally rocking a set of studded tires (and wonder how I made it this far without them). EVERY DAMN DAY a guy passes me going the opposite direction on a road bike....seriously, this godlike man is rolling the dice in ways the rest of us will never accomplish. I mean, this is Michigan....there's plenty of snow on the ground and he's just truckin' along.
I wonder if I'm seeing things?
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I rode my road bike last a couple of weeks ago - if I know the roads are clear and it's above freezing.
Snow isn't really a problem, you can deal with that with minimal tread and by going very carefully (I wouldn't, but I think it's possible). Ice is a different matter - I've ridden with studs on roads that I couldn't walk on - my only concern being that the people in cars really should have stayed home, those things shouldn't be driving on surfaces like that and they might spin out next to me.
Snow isn't really a problem, you can deal with that with minimal tread and by going very carefully (I wouldn't, but I think it's possible). Ice is a different matter - I've ridden with studs on roads that I couldn't walk on - my only concern being that the people in cars really should have stayed home, those things shouldn't be driving on surfaces like that and they might spin out next to me.
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my only concern being that the people in cars really should have stayed home, those things shouldn't be driving on surfaces like that and they might spin out next to me.
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The road biker could very well have studded tires on too. They make some for 700c if that's what he was riding and the frame is wide enough to fit them. I use my 27in road bike when the roads are completely dry and no chance of any ice. Other than that, a studded MTB.
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This happens to me all the time. Granted, this is only my second winter bike commuting; I was defeated last year by my fear of ice. This year, I thought, I would be totally set and would be queen of the frozen bike paths. I did a drop bar conversion on an old Rockhopper, built up some wheels around drum brake hubs (dynamo in front) and slapped on some Nokian Extremes. I still get passed, every damn day, by some hotshot on a road bike.
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Debit, while we're on the subject...what are the pros of using drop bars on a commuter bike? Is it personal preference? My Crosscheck obviously has them but I can't imagine them on my 29er.
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trafficdancer, it's a personal preference. I have a couple bikes with straight bars and just can't stand them for rides longer than, say, ten miles. My commute is twelve, so it's doable, but they just kill my hands and arms. I would say that it's because a drop offers more hand positions, but to be honest, I spend 90 percent of my ride on the hoods unless there's a headwind.
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trafficdancer, it's a personal preference. I have a couple bikes with straight bars and just can't stand them for rides longer than, say, ten miles. My commute is twelve, so it's doable, but they just kill my hands and arms. I would say that it's because a drop offers more hand positions, but to be honest, I spend 90 percent of my ride on the hoods unless there's a headwind.
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I've been commuting on my Fuji Track Pro. 5 inches of snow today. 32mm Nokian hakkapeliittas fit so I ride 'em. I'm an idiot.