V73

Hello everyone! I'm new to the forum but this seemed like the best place to post this question. I have been biking to school all year so far, and hope to continue doing so, but as more snow accumulates so do questions in my mind. I ride a Mountain Track Trek 800 with 26" tires. My route is not very long (~2 miles), but I also ride for pleasure and can't do that as much now because I am not very experienced with winter riding. So here's a few specific issues I hope you can help with, and any other general advice would be appreciated. Feel free to only answer what you have time to. Thanks!

-Route: I spend the first mile of my daily ride on neighborhood roads, which are generally only partially plowed in the mornings. After that the rest is a straight stretch of mile road with a sidewalk on both sides. My school is on this road across the street from my neighborhood, but isn't at a street corner and doesn't have a convenient intersection to cross to it, so I usually cross where I exit the subdivision. My question is what I should do for this second stretch, as I have heard both riding on the sidewalk or riding in the road suggested. In the mornings if I crossed the road I would be on the right side going East, but going back West in the afternoon would put me on the left side unless I crossed the road again. As of now the sidewalks are impassable due to the half foot of snow, so I have been jogging that mile (which gets really exhausting with my bike, winter gear and full school bags).

-Tires: What kind of tires do you recommend for my short commute, keeping in mind that I would like to also be able to use them off of roads? My current pair have plenty of traction during the rest of the year but don't have the deepest of treads. Conditions range from no snow to as much as 2 feet on average winter days, but it is usually 6 inches or less. Some days the roads are slush and loosely packed wet snow covering the whole road, other days the road is covered in harder, drier snow with patches of ice. The second mile of my route is a major road and thus is plowed, but the sides are usually very slushy and with my current tires I'd slip all over the place. This ties in to my first point, in that if I were to ride in the road here I'd have to ride in the middle of the lane. I don't have a lot to spend on tires so I hope to avoid buying a brand new pair of studded tires or anything like that, but I don't really know if the tires I have will suffice or if there are any better options. If possible, I'd like a pair that can go through loose packed thin snow and slush without slipping around, but I'm hoping not to break the bank for it.

-Gadgets/Accessories: Other than lights, a lock, and a fender, which I have, any recommendations?

-Clothing: Currently I wear my Columbia 2-in-1 winter jacket, which has a shell you can zip apart from the inner jacket (I've been wearing both layers), sometimes with a sweatshirt or fleece underneath. On my legs I often wear only my jeans, but on colder or wetter days I'll throw on a pair of long johns or my rain pants. I wear thickish everyday socks with my hiking shoes (my winter/old pair). I usually have on a thinner pair of liner gloves under my ski gloves as my hands have poor circulation, but if it's above 30 degrees and not too windy I'll just wear a single pair. On my head I wear a poly balaclava, and on colder days (which is a lot of them) I'll also wear my poly/neoprene lower face mask and stretch the balaclava so that only the mask covers my nose and mouth. Does this sound right? Any tips for better functionality or general guidelines for choosing what to wear?

-Glasses: I wear eyeglasses every day and on some mornings this is a real problem on my ride. I have a nose that protrudes from my face a good distance so if I have my mask on there are triangular gaps where it stretches between my nose and cheek, letting hot steamy breath blast directly at my lenses. Needless to say a layer of frost will develop very quickly, and with much adjustment and hassle I can get it so it only completely fogs up every 500 feet or so, but only if I control my breathing well. Without my mask on it takes longer for them to fog up, but it is still a problem. Needless to say this is a major distraction while biking and is unsafe unless I frequently pull over to clean my glasses off. So what can I do? Are there goggles made for this? I know of and have tried coating the lenses with various substances but I was wondering if there is a good way of blocking my breath from hitting the lenses other than wearing a snorkel. No, I don't wear a snorkel .

-Maintenance: Because of the salt and slush being thrown into it, I know the bike requires extra care, and have been cleaning and re-greasing the chain and gears every week or so. I have noticed though that my chain oil is gelling somewhat in the cold, is there a brand I could get that is better in cold temperatures? Is there anything else I should be maintaining regularly? Just to elaborate on the systems, my bike has Shimano caliper brakes and both derailleurs are also Shimano brand. It's a 21-speed with thumb controls.

-Anything else: If there's anything you think I should know, please say so! Thanks a lot for your help. If you would like more info just let me know and I'd be happy to help you help me.

V73

107 views, no responses. Intimidated by the swarm of text? Sorry about that. Was it something I said? I'm new here, let me know. Feel free to give me whatever quick pointers you want without even reading my first post. Thanks in advance for any help. I'm eager to cycle more and I could really use any advice you have, even just references for things I should read.


Another Quick Question: I have a pair of 24" wheels with tires and tubes. I could put studs on the tires and swap the wheels for my 26s, but would this be a good idea? It would save me from having to shell out for a second set of 26" tires until later in the year when I have more money. Also, could someone point me in the direction of a solid tutorial on swapping wheels out?

tclune

I do a short commute to work. My route is about half street and half MUP. The town plows the MUP in winter, but it gets a solid buildup of packed snow/ice by the end of the winter. I would say that studded snow tires are essential. You want nobby tires with carbide-tipped studs (if not carbide-tipped, the studs rust away in the first year.) The snow tires should last for years, so they're worth the expenditure. If you are planning on riding off-road trails or heavily-rutted ice, you need more studs. If you stick to pretty clean roads that may only have packed snow and black ice, the kind of studs that go down the middle of the tread are ideal. I use Nokian 106's, but YMMV. This link has a lot of good info: Studded Bicycle Tires FWIW

V73

Thanks for the reply! I figured studs were a good idea but wanted to make sure. I think the 106s you have or perhaps the 160s would be a good choice for me. Unfortunately I don't have a lot of cash right now ($150-ish) to spend on tires so it would take longer to get the money... where would be the best place to buy them? The closest bike store isn't very big and is kind of far away, so I'd probably have to order them. The guy you linked to has a good selection but could they be found more cheaply elsewhere? I'll check eBay and Amazon of course. Thanks again for your help.
-Val

tclune

I've only bought one set of snows, and I bought them from Peter. So I really don't have any suggestions on alternative shops. But I expect that you can get them somewhat cheaper if you do a Google search. While the Nokians are good tires, I expect that just about any nobby tire with carbide-tipped studs would be fine. Peter's blog I linked to above provides enough info that you ought to be able to select an appropriate tire with reasonable confidence. Good luck.

auldgeunquers

Too bad you don't have a close and active shop. I scored a good set of studded tires cheap ($20 each) at one of my LBSs that were (barely) used take-offs from a trade-in. The new bike had 700c tires so the 26" studded tires were orphaned to my benefit. If there are LBSs near by, let them know you are looking and on a student budget, so if anything used comes in ...

Sounds like you have a good handle on clothing.

As for route planning - in winter I lean towards the find what works approach. I generally abhor riding on the sidewalk, but I find myself doing so in the winter because the riding conditions are often better than on the road, and the city does not plow the bike lanes in the winter. The city does maintain the sidewalks here in winter. If using the sidewalk reduce speed and assume you are invisible, because people really are not expecting you to be there.

I am also a believer in High Vis clothing in Winter. People don't expect bike when there is snow and ice. Anything to help them see me I like.

auldgeunquers

re. Glasses fogging.

This is where I really miss contact lenses. I can't ride with my nose covered very well - and if I have to cover my nose, I have to concentrate on mouth breathing.

They do make neoprene masks that may work better for you - I have seen them for sale aimed at skiers and motorcyclists ( I think I saw some at Wal Mart with the Motorcycle stuff). These fit better over the nose and have a cut out for breathing under the nose. I have never used one on a bicycle, but have used this type with success on both skis and motorcycles. Worth a try maybe - they can be had cheap.

scoatw

This is a good tutorial for anyone new to riding in traffic. Bicycling Street Smarts - Table of Contents. Sorry, but you can't fit a 24" tire to a 26" frame. You have a little problem with the brakes not lining up properly.
If you've got knobby tires on your bike, you may get away with installing self tapping hex screws to the outer knobs on the tire. When driving them into the outer row of knobs, Aim away from the casing so you don't penetrate it. I did like every third knob or so. But it works good on ice. The tire below is a 2.5 and it will go thru anything.
Depending on the temperature, try pulling the balaclava down to uncover your mouth. That should fix your fogging goggle problem. I have the same problem, but if its above 15f/-9c then I usually have my mouth uncovered.
Read as much info as you can on winter cycling. Particularly here at the Winter Forum, lots of good advice and tips. good luck

V73

*SLAP* I was tired when I thought of that, wasn't I. Now my forehead hurts.

That would probably work fine for me, but I only have the one pair of 26" tires. It would make more sense just to buy some new ones, and I found a good-ish deal on Nokian's for only about 50$ a piece including shipping to the US at Starbike, a company in Germany. Here: Nokian Hakkapeliitta W106

Thanks for the link. I've been reading what I can but I appreciate having the collective experience of the Winter Forum posts to draw from, I've learned quite a lot.

The nearest LBS is a few miles south, but they are very small and don't really stock much of anything in the winter. I checked them earlier and they only had one pair of 26" MTB tires, and they were pretty much what I already had. They did have a VERY old heavy duty steel u-bar lock, but it was half price so I picked it up for $20. The next nearest store other than a few general sporting goods stores which don't have anything non-walmart style is rather far away, but they have a larger inventory. The problem is, I can't bike there, so I'd have to wait until an opportunity arose to drive. The real question is if that would happen any faster than shipping from Germany.

I live in a part of Michigan where the nearest bike lane is... uh... somewhere? The only one I can think of having seen anywhere near here was... 40? miles away. It's a suburban city with no bike lanes and unplowed sidewalks. If I'm on the sidewalk, I'm jogging, until I get a third of a mile or so from the school where people's feet have compacted the snow relatively flat. It seems my best option after reviewing the roads, as there is very little clearance in the outside lanes and the cars would be dousing me in slush.

As far as high vis clothing, I think I've got that covered.I have a Columbia Interchange winter coat that is literally completely traffic cone orange with light blue and reflective highlights. My backpack has neon yellow stripes and reflective highlights, and I just attached a rear bike light to it today. My bike has a bright rear light, but the front light is kind of dim, and I've been looking to replace it with one that's REALLY bright, any suggestions? Right now I have a Bell Radian headlight, but shortly after changing the batteries and also in the cold it dims considerably. I'm also probably going to add one of my many extra tail lights to my bike so that I have two.

Thanks for the help!

Hezz

Generally, If you don't run into ice and really hard packed snow you can get by with good mountain bike knobbies. But I think up in your neck of the woods you are going to see some pretty bad ice conditions at times up in the great lake areas. However, when it is really cold. Like around 10 degrees F or lower, the snow and ice is more dry and grippy and you can often get by without studded tires.

For a 2 mile ride you may be able to get by without studded tires by being really careful, but the studs give piece of mind. Make sure you get carbide ones if you get them.

For 2 mile commutes what you are wearing should be OK. But you may be more comfortable if you wore some lycra cycling shorts under your jeans. Both for padding and for warmth and for a wicking layer between your skin and the jeans. Long cycling tights under the jeans would be really nice on the coldest days.

auldgeunquers

Yep.

Another thought - I have found that Corduroy is a much warmer choice than denim in winter. Better insulation and more resistant to icing.

I was out for a ride today at about 9F/-13C and wore a wicking layer under cords and a windproof layer on top. I found that combination worked very well for the day - short ride and a relaxed pace (ie. stopped for tea from my thermos a couple of times) and found I was cool enough pedaling easy and warm enough to not need shelter when stopped.

I have also stumbled upon a pair of gloves I really like - I bought them from a welding shop and they are great unless the weather gets REALLY cold. They have a high gauntlet so the sleeves of my jacket tuck in nicely and seal out the cold well. They are better insulated than I thought at first - but the ability to handle screaming hot metal requires good insulation too, eh? The drawbacks are that they are not as flexible as some others, and the back is suede so they are not a good choice in wet. The leather is very sturdy though, and they fit loose enough to trap a good bit of warm air inside, and I could likely wear a thin pair of wool liners in them without making them too tight to be warm, but I have not felt the need.

V73

I like Corduroy pants for winter as well, but I don't have many. I have oddly sized legs (thin waist long length) so finding any that fit is hard, especially as I get most of my clothes secondhand and most of the cords in a salvation army store are of the short very very fat variety. I also like to have large pockets, and cargo pockets when possible, and that's something cords usually don't have. I do have a pair of old military surplus canvas pants that I like to wear on colder days, because they are a great wind-breaking outer shell and have nice big cargo pockets. When it is colder I wear polypro long johns, but I don't have enough pairs to do that more than twice a week or so. So I'll probably just get myself some more of those or some cycling tights and be good for the season.

Also, I want to get full coverage fenders, but I have very little clearance in front (~1 inch) between the tire and the fork. I'm going to be getting new studded tires soon so the exact amount may change, but would I need to get a new fork to get full fenders? Are there ways to get fenders adjusted to the exact dimensions you need other than welding your own?

V73

Changed my mind and bought a pair of these Schwalbes. They weren't very much more expensive than the nokians at starbike, and shipping was 2 days instead of 12. I couldn't find much information about them online but what reviews I did see were all positive. For those who can't or won't click the link, they are Schwalbe Snow Stud HS 264 Studded tires. Good thing I got them too, as sidewalks and roads all over town have been covered in uneven, bumpy, slick ice from last week's snow melting and refreezing.