matimeo

In my college days, I made due with whatever bike I had. Since I became serious about longer distance, year-round commuting, I've been on the search for the perfect/ideal winter commuter. I know opinions on this will differ as will needs, but what do you think the perfect commuter looks like?

Here's what I think (I live in the Pacific Northwest):
-Cyclocross frame for fun geometry and riding style, fender clearance and tire choices.
-Titanium frame, since it's corrosion proof and durable
-Full fenders
-Kevlar tires in the ballpark of size 32 with a puncture resistant strip inside (flats stink in the dark/cold/rain)
-Some people will say singlespeed, but definitely going with geared with a set of trusty STI's (if I lived somewhere flat, SS might fly)
-Rear rack with panniers
-Bright light
-Disc brakes

bikemig 

Mine isn't titanium( in fact it's straight gauge chromoly) but I built it up out of my parts bin and a frame I picked up for $30; this is my ultimate commuter:

alan s 

Depends on where you live, your weather, how long your commute is and a whole host of other factors. One size does not fit all.

noglider 

I've seen your bike before, and I love it every time.

grolby

These threads are basically excuses to build dream bikes rather than being of great practical use. Not that there's anything wrong with fancy bikes, I've come to their defense many times in this forum. But unless your commute requires you to cross the Arctic Circle, the bike you ride all summer should do just fine. In the name of safety and reliability you may need some additional accessories, or some different tires. That's just good sense. But a titanium frame? I hate to imagine people reading this and actually believing that a steel bike is going to melt under winter conditions. If you take even the most basic care of your bike, it will be fine, and neglected titanium bike would be just as bad as a neglected steel bike.

By all means, if you want a fancy winter bike, have fun with it. But a titanium cyclocross bike with disc brakes is going to be a pretty damn "ultimate" commuter all summer, too. That's sort of the point I'm trying to make.

catonec 

bikemig 

Thanks! I'm getting ready to put some studded tires on it and a cheaper crank, . We'll see if it gets me through an IA winter.

LateSleeper

Budget for a "commuter" would typically not support a Ti frame, and steel would not be the best choice on wet and salty roads. Carbon fiber would be ok, but the price premium would be better spent on other things (see below). That leaves aluminum as the obvious choice. Other key aspects would be disc brakes (preferably cable actuated), fenders, and clearance for aggressive tires. Wheels should be sturdy and not too expensive so you can own two sets. That way you can quickly swap between studded and non-studded tires depending on road conditions. Some thought should be given to a low-maintenance drivetrain. An internally-geared hub with belt drive is probably ideal, but also pricey. At the least, invest in a stainless steel chain. Finally, don't skimp on lighting. Motorists are not looking for cyclists during winter months (if they ever are), but they'll pay attention if you're lit up like a snow plow.

jwarner

Perfect winter commuter.

I'll bite. Assuming price is no option, and this is primary means of transportation for everything save very large items (bag of dog food), and you have no large snow events.

Ti frame and fork with braze ons for front and rear racks -- as you said corrosion resistant. I would go with Hilite's trekking frame. The Swiss know how to make stuff, and it works with the rest of my build.

Rohloff hub with gates carbon fiber belt.

Salsa Woodchipper bars with double-wrap bar tape of choice. Extra credit if you can double wrap a Bavarian braid (blue and white two color result).

Gilles Berthoud Rohloff Shifter

Hydraulic disks switched over to DOT 5 fluid (silicon-based, thus hydrophobic).

Jannd Extreme racks front and rear with Ortlieb Classic Panniers and handlebar bag in yellow or dayglo (adjust for commute length/needs).

Schmidt SON disk dynamo front hub

Busch & Müller Topline Brake Plus dynamo powered twilight with standlight capacitor for stops (or similar, I haven't run one of these since I lived in Germany -- they are awesome, but technology has likely gotten better).

Schmidt Edelux II Dynamo Headlight (crown mount), cheapie USB flasher for handlebar.

Fly6 tailight/camera -- bonus points if you can set up a charger from the dynamo for the Fly6 as well as the flasher on the handlebars, and run clean wiring using arctic-grade cable and platinum connectors.

Brooks Cambrium Saddle.

Giles Berthoud stainless steel fenders with leather mud flaps. Mount with VO's Spring Thing (or just make your own).

Pitlocks on axles, seatpost, and threadless stem topcap nut.

Abus wheel lock (to supplement your other locking solutions).

Continental Contact Winter II premium tires (700c X 42) on wheelset one. 45 North Gravdal tires (700c X 38) on wheelset II (will need an extra Rohloff... Your money is much easier to spend than mine ). Give Peter White a call and have him spin you up some Velocity OC or similar wheels -- tell him what you want to do, and let him go crazy.

All stainless Braze-on or mounting bolts

Phil Wood or SKF sealed cartridge bottom bracket. Gates crank arms.

Edit to add 45 North Heiruspecs pedals. I love these things.

I think this makes a good start on the ultimate commuter. Might add lots of reflective stuff. I'm partial to the cheap bell ugly yellow reflective tape. Best deal in cycling parts. Make sure you run some reflective red on the back fender too -- better than a cheep plastic reflector, and likely the law.

tarwheel 

The OP more or less acknowledges it, but the "perfect" winter commuter bike depends on where you live, the weather in a particular year, the length of your commute. That is, there is no "one size fits all." Given that, for me the ideal winter commuter would have the following features:

- Fenders
- Tires at least 28 mm wide, with reflective sidewalls
- A great light system, front and rear. Could be rechargeable LEDs or dynamo, but LED lights with long run times work work best for me.
- Seat bag or rack top bag with plenty of room for clothes
- Drop bars, because it's windy here in winter
- Compact double or triple drivetrain
- Canti brakes with Kool Stop salmon pads

Frame material is unimportant, but for me steel provides the most bang for the buck. Clearance for fenders and larger tires is essential, but that can be achieved with a touring, sport touring or cyclocross frame.

To be honest, the ideal winter bike is close to the best all-year bike around here because winters are relatively mild in NC. The only changes I make in warmer months are narrower (and lighter) tires and fewer lights.

loky1179

I remember your bike as well - wish I had a Dura-ace crank in MY parts bin!

bikemig 

Thank you! Yeah an old racing buddy of mine gave me the crank because he liked 175s and I use 170s. I'm actually thinking of retiring it from winter duty and putting on an inexpensive FSA square taper crankset I picked up with steel rings. It's ugly and I figure the winter salt can't make it look any worse, . It's almost time to put on the studded tires.

The bike rides great. I know Grant Peterson gets his share of love and hate on this site but one thing you have to give him is that his Bridgestone bikes were intelligently designed. This bike rides great and takes really fat tires.

noglider 

He may be a character, but I like his stuff.

TransitBiker

With me on it.

- Andy

wphamilton

Since we don't have snow, and our ice is easy to deal with, the ultimate winter commuter bike is the summer road bike. With lights and fenders.

acidfast7

cars are too slow to be good for commuting ...

Hypno Toad

My most often used winter-commuter is the Marin Nail Trail:

Single-speed, disc brakes, depending on the conditions, either studded tires or Top Contact (non-studded winter tires). This bike is bomb-proof for harsh winter conditions. (excited for next months upgrades including new Surly Troll fork and full coverage fenders).

I have used the Kona Dew Drop:

Nothing wrong with this set-up, except I have no winter tires for it ...and pay the price from time-to-time (read as falling down). I've been thinking about a set of 700 studded tires for it to give me more options than just the Marin.

My ULTIMATE winter commuter would be a Pugsey with studded Dillinger tires. Some float for the fresh snow, some studs for the ice, and generally bad a $$ bike. Sadly, the CFO has not freed up the capital for bike #6 in my collection. In Minneapolis area, we have our first winter storm today, forecast for up to 12 inches of snow (looking unlikely now)... with that amount of snow, I leave the bikes at home, none of my bikes are worth a damn in that much snow.

Omiak

90s Rigid MTB, converted to SS, fixed or 3 speed hub. Extra front wheel to swap studs on and off as the weather dictates. Fenders.

alan s 

Bike are even slower than cars, and they are fine for commuting.

MichaelW

If price is not an issue, what kind of a job are you commuting too?
For me any frame material is fine but Al has most bang per buck and works OK. I have used chromoly steel in damp coastal zones and it doesn't turn into a pile of rust.
If opting for disk brakes, you need a rear mount on the chainstay.
Sliding vertical dropouts give you all transmission options, as do Eccentric BB.

I like drop bars but there are real issues getting them to integrate with hub gears and hydraulic brakes. Butterfly/trekking bars are more versatile for non-derailleur builds.

My own winter bike is my all-year ride, a Dahon Cadenza Alfine 8 with dynamo lights.
It would be nice to have a wheel swap for those intermittant studded-tyres days but a spare Alfine/XT grade dynohub set is excessive.

HardyWeinberg

If I were fantasizing and required gears I would want an internal gearhub. Here in slush-central derailers are a real pain so SS/FG is better, hills or no (and if you ride SS/FG much you do know that hills can be easier that way than with a range of gears, especially if you don't know when the slush will cancel out your shifting ability).

acidfast7

Bike goes on the train. Nothing like a 500mi RT multimodal

I-Like-To-Bike

Probably true if "commuting" from Innsbruck to Frankfurt.

Is that your audio? Cars travelling 250km/hr on the autobahn? Where and how often does that occur? I never saw it in 10 years of driving in Germany. Fastest section I ever encountered was the straight stretch between Darmstadt and Frankfurt and I doubt if any car in the far left lane maintained that speed, at least when I was driving nearby. Maybe back in the prewar days of Bernd Rosemeyer and the AutoUnion.

RatMudd

I would probably say a full suspension titanium 29er mountain bike with 1.5"-2.4" studded tires, with backup wheels w/ non studded tires stored in the house for when studded isn't needed. Frozen over plowed roads can get bumpy, and a large rock or frozen raccoon may be hidden under a spot of snow, hence the full suspension.

Front and rear racks would be wanted, although limited for this bike. Perhaps a frame bag to keep center of gravity inside of bike. Small backpack. Handlebar bag on straight bars for head and hand wear. Large seat pack to store wind proof and warmer clothing. All the survival essentials to fix the bike on the road and even to make a fire.

Maybe some aero bars to fight a windy day. Hmm, lots more

Ritchey adjustable stem would be wanted...

Or, a tadpole trike, depending on path.

Sixty Fiver

Beavertron riders can get away with STI shifters and if it does not get too cold suspensions work fairly well but when the snow hits the plow... an IGH, studded tyres, fenders, and good lights will take you a long ways. I find that most STI shifters don't like cold and don't like getting dirty, friction systems don't have this problem.

I ride a fg mountain bike (rigid), Extrabike with derailleur and friction shifting, and a Raleigh with a 3 speed internal hub through the winter here... my wife rides her Breezer Uptown 8 which is the women's version of transitbiker's rig.

When I was spending winters in Portland I liked the Raleigh 3 speed as it is a bicycle built for wet weather... the rim brakes were fine but drums would have been nicer.