Show us your winter commuter!
#26
The Huffmeister
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: The Le Grande HQ
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Bikes: Gängl, Trek 938, Raleigh Professional, Paramount, Allez, Guerciotti, Specialized Stumpjumper, Trek 750, Miyata 1000 < Huffy
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#27
Happy banana slug
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: Arcata, California, U.S., North America, Earth, Saggitarius Arm, Milky Way
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Bikes: 1984 Araya MB 261, 1992 Specialized Rockhopper Sport, 1993 Hard Rock Ultra, 1994 Trek Multitrack 750, 1995 Trek Singletrack 930
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#28
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Kips Bay, NY
Posts: 2,243
Bikes: Ritchey Swiss Cross | Teesdale Kona Hot | Haro Extreme | Specialized Stumpjumper Comp | Cannondale F1000 | Shogun 1000 | Cannondale M500 | Norco Charger | Marin Muirwoods 29er | Shogun Kaze | Breezer Lightning
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#29
Quasi homeostatic system
Join Date: Nov 2022
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Bikes: '79 Trek 739, '81 Fuji America, '82 Team Fuji, '84 Woodrup Giro Touring, '85 Nishiki Bel Air, '97 Bob Jackson Super Tourist Custom, '98 Klein Stage Comp R
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Not CV but not this aluminum hybrid has served me well as my grocery getter, it's also the bike I rode on my first 200k brevet. Purchased in 2014 when I was driving 30,000 miles a year for work so I didn't have to get in the car on the weekends. Now it mainly waits for winter when I can take advantage of full coverage fenders and it's rust resilience or I have to haul a bunch of stuff.
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#30
Senior Member
Nowadays my commute is to the Bike Co-op and some errands.
Trek 720 Hybrid for the nicer days and a mountain bike for snow days.
Full fenders and front dynamo.
The bike is better than I am,I am only good to about 10 degrees.
Cold hands is indeed a "thing", I suffer from Raynaud's syndrome so the straight bar Moose Mitts come out.
Trek 720 Hybrid for the nicer days and a mountain bike for snow days.
Full fenders and front dynamo.
The bike is better than I am,I am only good to about 10 degrees.
Cold hands is indeed a "thing", I suffer from Raynaud's syndrome so the straight bar Moose Mitts come out.
#31
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Monte Rio CA
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I don't have to commute but this is the winter ride:
Gitane Gran Pour '84 by djk762, on Flickr
New for this year are Honjos, dyno lights, and 38mm Gravel Kings.
Gitane Gran Pour '84 by djk762, on Flickr
New for this year are Honjos, dyno lights, and 38mm Gravel Kings.
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#32
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2018
Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 602
Bikes: 1950 Sun Wasp, 1953 Armstrong Consort, 1975 Raleigh Competition, 1981 Nishiki International, 1988 Schwinn Voyageur, Mystery MTB
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Great thread nlerner these kinds of threads always tickle my fancy being from 'up here' as I am. Fantastic bikes so far, I especially like the ones with a little beausage / patina.
We see all conditions here in Ottawa, from one extreme to another in the winter. From freezing rain to endless weeks of snow and -17c or about 3-5f. Ice everywhere to heavy sticky snow on the paths - so it makes selecting one bike alone for the work / commutes / errand a challenge.
This year being mild so far, today I was out for some errands and it was -10c or about 14f and only a light dusting of snow. In the winter I'm primarily a MUP / incidental road rider, as Ottawa has a good winter cycling network of paths and separated infrastructure along roads in the city that is consistently plowed. Most of the time, after a heavy fall, the path near my place will be plowed at least once and I'm connected again to the network. Its very convenient, but depending on the level of snowfall or if we get a freeze/thaw cycle, conditions can get tough despite the good plow service provided by public works staff. This year I found an old '90s MTB, and outfitted it with racks and a basket up front, dynamo lights, and bar mitts to really up my winter cycling game. The mitts help quite a bit and my hands stay toasty. Almost too warm, in fact.
1960s Triumph three-speed, now departed. The hub is great in the winter, I just kept it fed with synthetic 0W20 and it didn't get gummy in the cold. Everything else - the steel bits, the old rims, all got the rust monster. So, not really appropriate.
PXL_20230112_131500857
PXL_20221215_132153036
This year, an MTB I found for a low price with studded 2.15" Schwalbes, fenders, racks, basket, and dynamo lights. Its rather heavy, but it does the job. As Neil pointed out, the salt is a killer of components, so I don't want to subject a nicer bicycle to these conditions. The bike has first-gen Shimano SIS indexing, 7 speed, with a triple up front I got off of my old '90 Schwinn Voyageur. I'm thinking of running an IGH on this bike next year - I have an Sturmey S5 36h five-speed hub in the rebuild queue that could be a good candidate. Not sure about how to fix the spacing though, its a 120mm hub and the MTBs are 135mm I think.
PXL_20231222_185821431
PXL_20231222_174845059
We see all conditions here in Ottawa, from one extreme to another in the winter. From freezing rain to endless weeks of snow and -17c or about 3-5f. Ice everywhere to heavy sticky snow on the paths - so it makes selecting one bike alone for the work / commutes / errand a challenge.
This year being mild so far, today I was out for some errands and it was -10c or about 14f and only a light dusting of snow. In the winter I'm primarily a MUP / incidental road rider, as Ottawa has a good winter cycling network of paths and separated infrastructure along roads in the city that is consistently plowed. Most of the time, after a heavy fall, the path near my place will be plowed at least once and I'm connected again to the network. Its very convenient, but depending on the level of snowfall or if we get a freeze/thaw cycle, conditions can get tough despite the good plow service provided by public works staff. This year I found an old '90s MTB, and outfitted it with racks and a basket up front, dynamo lights, and bar mitts to really up my winter cycling game. The mitts help quite a bit and my hands stay toasty. Almost too warm, in fact.
1960s Triumph three-speed, now departed. The hub is great in the winter, I just kept it fed with synthetic 0W20 and it didn't get gummy in the cold. Everything else - the steel bits, the old rims, all got the rust monster. So, not really appropriate.
PXL_20230112_131500857
PXL_20221215_132153036
This year, an MTB I found for a low price with studded 2.15" Schwalbes, fenders, racks, basket, and dynamo lights. Its rather heavy, but it does the job. As Neil pointed out, the salt is a killer of components, so I don't want to subject a nicer bicycle to these conditions. The bike has first-gen Shimano SIS indexing, 7 speed, with a triple up front I got off of my old '90 Schwinn Voyageur. I'm thinking of running an IGH on this bike next year - I have an Sturmey S5 36h five-speed hub in the rebuild queue that could be a good candidate. Not sure about how to fix the spacing though, its a 120mm hub and the MTBs are 135mm I think.
PXL_20231222_185821431
PXL_20231222_174845059
#33
Senior Member
Thread Starter
We’re supposed to get our first snowfall of the winter here on Sunday, so Monday’s commute will be the first true winter one! I actually ordered a relatively cheap new steel frame that takes disc brakes for the purposes of a dedicated winter commuter. Supposed to arrive on Saturday, so we’ll see if I can get it built up by Monday morning!
#34
Senior Member
It's been a few years since I've retired, but commuting was an enjoyable part of my work days. In fact, I was a bit sad to stop commuting, and made a point of taking a photo of the last time I locked the bike up to the rack outside of work....
a view of the bike in a more idyllic setting...
and in a more winter-ish setting...
amazingly, there was no snow on the ground when I started that ride! I think I was out for less than an hour, and turned home early due to how fast the snow was accumulating!
Steve in Peoria
a view of the bike in a more idyllic setting...
and in a more winter-ish setting...
amazingly, there was no snow on the ground when I started that ride! I think I was out for less than an hour, and turned home early due to how fast the snow was accumulating!
Steve in Peoria
#35
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2018
Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 602
Bikes: 1950 Sun Wasp, 1953 Armstrong Consort, 1975 Raleigh Competition, 1981 Nishiki International, 1988 Schwinn Voyageur, Mystery MTB
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steelbikeguy
Have you got a thread posted here on this bike? Is it a custom? I remember your nifty lighting set up with the plug connectors.
Have you got a thread posted here on this bike? Is it a custom? I remember your nifty lighting set up with the plug connectors.
#36
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Middle Earth (aka IA)
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Bikes: A bunch of old bikes and a few new ones
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#37
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Middle Earth (aka IA)
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Not much snow to speak of yet in central Iowa but there may be some next week. I've been riding my late 80s Specialized Stumpjumper; that's my go to commuter. I also have a drop bar early 90s stumpy that I like to ride when the weather gets bad. I like fat tires and platform pedals in the winter.
#38
Senior Member
steelbikeguy
Have you got a thread posted here on this bike? Is it a custom? I remember your nifty lighting set up with the plug connectors.
Have you got a thread posted here on this bike? Is it a custom? I remember your nifty lighting set up with the plug connectors.
The bike has seen nearly 60,000 miles over 23 years, and seems ready to do another 60,000!
Steve in Peoria
#39
Polymultiplié
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: South Holland, NL
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Bikes: Yes, please.
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Not sure how much action it will see, but if I need it, I got it.
Finished today: the conversion of my lockdown parts bin winter special from a few years back to 650B:
Finished today: the conversion of my lockdown parts bin winter special from a few years back to 650B:
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#40
Full Member
This was my year-round commuter in the city of Chicago. The commute is gone (WFH now), but its still my go-to bike for errand running and city-wide wandering in Portland. (Had to check old email correspondence - can't believe it's been over 7 years since gugie got this frame going for me. It's a keeper for sure.)
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#41
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Ottawa, Canada
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Well, I didn't want to post a pic until there was a least a little snow to show my GT Karakoram in its proper environment. Finally, some snow!
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#42
Junior Member
Trek 970 restored to as stock as possible save the rims and wheels. Those are waiting for summer to come and I’ll use these cheaper ones for snow.
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#45
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2018
Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 602
Bikes: 1950 Sun Wasp, 1953 Armstrong Consort, 1975 Raleigh Competition, 1981 Nishiki International, 1988 Schwinn Voyageur, Mystery MTB
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Great machines in this thread. I really like getting out on the bike in the winter. It is a different sort of riding certainly but since winter lasts such a long time here in the nation's frozen capital I wouldn't be much of a cycling enthusiast if I didn't at least try and make a go of it. Expecting about a foot or so of snow, it started this afternoon while I was out getting groceries. I was delighted to spot an old all-rounder parked at the grocery bike lock up.
A three-speed, no less! I've seen this three-speed before, I figure its owned by a store employee, I'm not sure of its origin as the decals are gone, but I think its low-end. In any case I know I'm not the only one who likes to see a three-speed out doing its thing. The front wheel on the three-speed is a 26" wearing a studded tyre, while the back is 26 x 1 3/8 with the AW hub. Next door is my MTB, wearing 26" Schwalbe studded.
PXL_20240109_181522745
Loaded down with groceries in the panniers and basket, the bike is stable.
PXL_20240109_185515506
A three-speed, no less! I've seen this three-speed before, I figure its owned by a store employee, I'm not sure of its origin as the decals are gone, but I think its low-end. In any case I know I'm not the only one who likes to see a three-speed out doing its thing. The front wheel on the three-speed is a 26" wearing a studded tyre, while the back is 26 x 1 3/8 with the AW hub. Next door is my MTB, wearing 26" Schwalbe studded.
PXL_20240109_181522745
Loaded down with groceries in the panniers and basket, the bike is stable.
PXL_20240109_185515506
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#46
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Ottawa, Canada
Posts: 797
Bikes: Raleigh Classic 15, 84; Miyata 912, 85; Miyata Ridge Runner SE, 85; Miyata 610, 86; Miyata 100M, 86; Miyata Valley Runner, 88; Miyata Triple Cross, 89; GT Karakoram, 90; Miyata Elevation 300, 91; Marinoni Touring, 95; Long Haul Trucker, 2013
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Lucky you weren't out any later. It got a bit rough.
How do you like the pogies? Cold hands are an issue for me.
Shopping at Farm Boy?
How do you like the pogies? Cold hands are an issue for me.
Shopping at Farm Boy?
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