Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Commuting
Reload this Page >

Show off your Snowy Commuting Build!

Notices
Commuting Bicycle commuting is easier than you think, before you know it, you'll be hooked. Learn the tips, hints, equipment, safety requirements for safely riding your bike to work.

Show off your Snowy Commuting Build!

Old 11-30-20, 05:33 PM
  #1  
Moisture
Drip, Drip.
Thread Starter
 
Moisture's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2020
Location: Southern Ontario
Posts: 1,575

Bikes: Trek Verve E bike, Felt Doctrine 4 XC, Opus Horizon Apex 1

Mentioned: 8 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1034 Post(s)
Liked 193 Times in 163 Posts
Show off your Snowy Commuting Build!

Kudos to those of you who commute on their bike year round - rain shine or snow.

How are you guys equipped for the snow, and commuting in general? Fenders? What sort of tires? Where and how do you usually ride?


I find that I'm getting some really good traction in light soft snow, even with regular urban/road tires. Even once the snow gets deeper, as long as the snow isn't hard packed (from car tires or foot prints) or icy, its really not much of a problem.

I want to hear more about your experiences and how you fare during a snowy commute. How far you have to go and what sort of roads you take, etc.

What sort of tires you guys using?
Moisture is offline  
Old 12-01-20, 07:39 AM
  #2  
BobbyG
Senior Member
 
BobbyG's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Colorado Springs, CO
Posts: 5,962

Bikes: 2015 Charge Plug, 2007 Dahon Boardwalk, 1997 Nishiki Blazer, 1984 Nishiki International, 2006 Felt F65, 1989 Dahon Getaway V

Mentioned: 54 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1359 Post(s)
Liked 1,658 Times in 822 Posts
1997 Nishiki Blazer MTB, now with drop bars. Full fenders (SKS?) Suomi Nokian W106 studded snow tires 26x 1.75.







BobbyG is offline  
Old 12-01-20, 08:06 AM
  #3  
sloppy12
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2020
Posts: 478
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 166 Post(s)
Liked 252 Times in 147 Posts
Right now this guy...
I am just riding on some serfras drifters and sks fenders. This is the first "real" snow of the year. for the last couple weeks I have drove to the trail head because I have had to drop off kids at school and its just to cold on the cargo bike for them. so now I am driving to trailhead after drop off and riding in that way. like 8-9 miles of to work that way..




Getting replaced by this guy. waiting on a seatpost and then I will switch over drive train.

Last edited by sloppy12; 12-01-20 at 08:17 AM.
sloppy12 is offline  
Old 12-01-20, 08:26 AM
  #4  
Gresp15C
Senior Member
 
Gresp15C's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 3,893
Mentioned: 20 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1062 Post(s)
Liked 665 Times in 421 Posts
Old 1970s Schwinn Varsity frame, home-built wheelset with Sun CR18 rims and Sturmey Archer S3C hub. The only unsatisfactory thing is the handlebar, which will be replaced by a fully swept bar when I find one.

Gresp15C is offline  
Likes For Gresp15C:
Old 12-01-20, 11:07 AM
  #5  
cyccommute 
Mad bike riding scientist
 
cyccommute's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Denver, CO
Posts: 27,274

Bikes: Some silver ones, a red one, a black and orange one, and a few titanium ones

Mentioned: 150 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6147 Post(s)
Liked 4,092 Times in 2,325 Posts
1998 Moots YBB. I find the front and rear suspension to be a real plus when it comes to control on deep snow but especially on packed snow where a rigid fork would just plow into soft spots. The suspension just glides over it.

Fenders are a SKS Shockboard up front and the rear is pieced together from various clip-on fenders that have been zip tied to the bike.

Tires are Kenda studs.



~2000 Dean. I just use knobbies on this one. It’s more for the dry snows that we get here and when I don’t want to deal with the weight of the studded tires.

Fenders are similar to the YBB.



Both bikes are completely Shimano free. Not that Shimano is bad but it’s nice to not have a monoculture.
__________________
Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!



cyccommute is online now  
Old 12-01-20, 12:00 PM
  #6  
Notso_fastLane
Senior Member
 
Notso_fastLane's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Layton, UT
Posts: 1,606

Bikes: 2011 Bent TW Elegance 2014 Carbon Strada Velomobile

Mentioned: 6 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 626 Post(s)
Liked 701 Times in 418 Posts
My snow ride:

Notso_fastLane is offline  
Likes For Notso_fastLane:
Old 12-01-20, 01:52 PM
  #7  
Moisture
Drip, Drip.
Thread Starter
 
Moisture's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2020
Location: Southern Ontario
Posts: 1,575

Bikes: Trek Verve E bike, Felt Doctrine 4 XC, Opus Horizon Apex 1

Mentioned: 8 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1034 Post(s)
Liked 193 Times in 163 Posts
Originally Posted by cyccommute




that frame... does not look like its designed for the extra ATC length of your suspension fork .
Moisture is offline  
Old 12-01-20, 02:15 PM
  #8  
cyccommute 
Mad bike riding scientist
 
cyccommute's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Denver, CO
Posts: 27,274

Bikes: Some silver ones, a red one, a black and orange one, and a few titanium ones

Mentioned: 150 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6147 Post(s)
Liked 4,092 Times in 2,325 Posts
Originally Posted by Moisture
that frame... does not look like its designed for the extra ATC length of your suspension fork .
It works. Both ride just fine.
__________________
Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!



cyccommute is online now  
Old 12-01-20, 04:27 PM
  #9  
PaulH
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Washington, DC
Posts: 3,710
Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 118 Post(s)
Liked 88 Times in 61 Posts

Kettler Silverstar with B67 and hub dynamo lights.
PaulH is offline  
Likes For PaulH:
Old 12-01-20, 06:45 PM
  #10  
AlmostTrick
Tortoise Wins by a Hare!
 
AlmostTrick's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Looney Tunes, IL
Posts: 7,398

Bikes: Wabi Special FG, Raleigh Roper, Nashbar AL-1, Miyata One Hundred, '70 Schwinn Lemonator and More!!

Mentioned: 22 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1549 Post(s)
Liked 941 Times in 504 Posts
70's Schwinn Suburban with upgraded 700c wheels, 3 piece crank conversion and 1x6 MegaRange cassette freewheel drive system. Schwalbe Marathon studded tires.




Last edited by AlmostTrick; 12-18-20 at 01:42 PM. Reason: Freewheel, not cassette!
AlmostTrick is offline  
Likes For AlmostTrick:
Old 12-01-20, 07:27 PM
  #11  
Moisture
Drip, Drip.
Thread Starter
 
Moisture's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2020
Location: Southern Ontario
Posts: 1,575

Bikes: Trek Verve E bike, Felt Doctrine 4 XC, Opus Horizon Apex 1

Mentioned: 8 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1034 Post(s)
Liked 193 Times in 163 Posts
Originally Posted by cyccommute
It works. Both ride just fine.
You'd be amazing at how different the bike would feel with a 395mm rigid fork.
Moisture is offline  
Likes For Moisture:
Old 12-01-20, 07:48 PM
  #12  
cyccommute 
Mad bike riding scientist
 
cyccommute's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Denver, CO
Posts: 27,274

Bikes: Some silver ones, a red one, a black and orange one, and a few titanium ones

Mentioned: 150 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6147 Post(s)
Liked 4,092 Times in 2,325 Posts
Originally Posted by Moisture
You'd be amazing at how different the bike would feel with a 395mm rigid fork.
No, I wouldn’t. I rode rigid off-road for many years in the early days of mountain biking. When I switched I didn’t look back. I already addressed that in my post. I’ve got more than 40 years of winter riding under my belt. I know what works and what doesn’t.

Rigid isn’t always better.
__________________
Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!



cyccommute is online now  
Likes For cyccommute:
Old 12-01-20, 09:43 PM
  #13  
sweeks
Senior Member
 
sweeks's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Chicago area
Posts: 2,541

Bikes: Airborne "Carpe Diem", Motobecane "Mirage", Trek 6000, Strida 2, Dahon "Helios XL", Dahon "Mu XL", Tern "Verge S11i"

Mentioned: 22 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 978 Post(s)
Liked 574 Times in 395 Posts
Here's my modified and thoroughly thrashed* Dahon Mu XL.
Most important mods: studded tires, rear roller brake, front & rear lights, titanium brake and chainring hardware.
This bike has over 12,000 miles on it, many acquired in normal commuting before it became my dedicated "winter" bike.
*check out the top of the seat tube and added "stays".

Waiting for the train after the ride from home.



Thawing out in the men's room at work.
sweeks is offline  
Likes For sweeks:
Old 12-02-20, 12:11 AM
  #14  
Darth Lefty 
Disco Infiltrator
 
Darth Lefty's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Folsom CA
Posts: 13,775

Bikes: Stormchaser, Paramount, Tilt, Samba tandem

Mentioned: 72 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3126 Post(s)
Liked 2,102 Times in 1,366 Posts
Originally Posted by Moisture
You'd be amazing at how different the bike would feel with a 395mm rigid fork.
__________________
Genesis 49:16-17
Darth Lefty is offline  
Likes For Darth Lefty:
Old 12-02-20, 10:50 AM
  #15  
Moisture
Drip, Drip.
Thread Starter
 
Moisture's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2020
Location: Southern Ontario
Posts: 1,575

Bikes: Trek Verve E bike, Felt Doctrine 4 XC, Opus Horizon Apex 1

Mentioned: 8 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1034 Post(s)
Liked 193 Times in 163 Posts
Originally Posted by Darth Lefty

This still makes me laugh to this day. I will never hear the end of it.

Youre probably short.
Moisture is offline  
Old 12-17-20, 06:52 AM
  #16  
Daffos
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2020
Posts: 5
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
great!
Daffos is offline  
Old 12-24-20, 09:09 AM
  #17  
TomPalmer
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 85
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 9 Post(s)
Liked 3 Times in 2 Posts
Hello Cyccommute,
How is your suspension set up for this- "I find the front and rear suspension to be a real plus when it comes to control on deep snow but especially on packed snow where a rigid fork would just plow into soft spots. The suspension just glides over it."
Just wondering is suspension firm or soft? I ride snowmobile trails in winter (usually hard packed snow) and run into this plowing into the soft spots, Looks like another project.
Thanks for the insight.
Tom Palmer
Twin Lake, MI
TomPalmer is offline  
Old 12-24-20, 03:55 PM
  #18  
cyccommute 
Mad bike riding scientist
 
cyccommute's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Denver, CO
Posts: 27,274

Bikes: Some silver ones, a red one, a black and orange one, and a few titanium ones

Mentioned: 150 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6147 Post(s)
Liked 4,092 Times in 2,325 Posts
Originally Posted by TomPalmer
Hello Cyccommute,
How is your suspension set up for this- "I find the front and rear suspension to be a real plus when it comes to control on deep snow but especially on packed snow where a rigid fork would just plow into soft spots. The suspension just glides over it."
Just wondering is suspension firm or soft? I ride snowmobile trails in winter (usually hard packed snow) and run into this plowing into the soft spots, Looks like another project.
Thanks for the insight.
Tom Palmer
Twin Lake, MI
Mine is an air fork for the front. It’s set up appropriately for my weight for off-road use. The rear suspension on my Moots is a firm spring (red). If I use my specialized epic, it’s set up similarly to the fork.

To be clear, the snow I’m talking about is snow on pavement. Snow on snow is a different kind of animal.
__________________
Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!



cyccommute is online now  
Likes For cyccommute:
Old 01-03-21, 07:04 AM
  #19  
stoogehand
Junior Member
 
stoogehand's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Indiana
Posts: 15

Bikes: Giant OCR1, Kilo WT, Trek 2200 Carbon, Supergo Access Comp SL

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Liked 4 Times in 2 Posts
I can't post pictures, but count me in the Suomi W106 crowd. I settled on 700x35. They are on my most frequently used bike, a fixed gear Kilo WT. For a long time I made do with regular tires, but I had one too many encounters with black ice. I've stayed on two wheels ever since. Other mods include PDW Full Metal Fenders and a rear rack.

The roads are marginally maintained county roads. If I am feeling frisky, I might hop over to a nearby MUP to add a couple extra miles and see if its conditions are less treacherous than the roads
stoogehand is offline  
Old 01-03-21, 03:57 PM
  #20  
Pugs2xLove
Full Member
 
Join Date: May 2020
Posts: 314
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 92 Post(s)
Liked 89 Times in 66 Posts


Here's my Winter ride. Got her yesterday - Jamis Commuter 1. Other than V-brakes and that 'stache handlebar, the bike's great for Winter. That's the first bike I've ever owned with fenders and I'm learning that having them on my bike does keep my wardrobe dry. For riders with V-brakes, what are your secrets for keeping the front brake from squeaking? I have to gently brake or else the dogs will be barking.
Pugs2xLove is offline  
Likes For Pugs2xLove:
Old 01-05-21, 09:53 AM
  #21  
Tundra_Man 
The Fat Guy In The Back
 
Tundra_Man's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Sioux Falls, SD
Posts: 2,527

Bikes: '81 Panasonic Sport, '02 Giant Boulder SE, '08 Felt S32, '10 Diamondback Insight RS, '10 Windsor Clockwork, '15 Kestrel Evoke 3.0, '19 Salsa Mukluk

Mentioned: 91 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 319 Post(s)
Liked 165 Times in 110 Posts
I have two winter bikes.

The first is a 2002 Giant Boulder that I converted to a full-time winter bike in 2009. It has fenders, studded tires and bar mitts, along with rust on every non-aluminum part as the result of more than a decade of riding on salted roads. It was my only winter commuter until two winters ago. Now it only sees use on really icy days when I need the studded tires, and on crazy cold days (less than -10°F) where I do a split commute and ride to the bus stop, catch the bus for a few miles, then complete the ride to work.




The other winter bike is a 2019 Salsa Mukluk. My old winter bike is really showing its age, so I decided to give a fat bike a try. I added a rear fender, front splash guard and bar mitts. Since I got it I've wound up riding this bike about 95% of the time during the winter. No studded tires, but it does pretty good on the icy spots if I drop the tire pressure and ride with some common sense. It really handles the ruts in the snow made by cars well, which is something my other winter bike didn't do.
__________________
Visit me at the Tundra Man Workshop
Tundra_Man is offline  
Likes For Tundra_Man:

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.