gomango

Sorry, misread the op.

Will rebuild the Bilenky for summer touring, but I am putting studded tires on my Blackborow.

scarlson 

Thank you

I also forgot to mention that in my experience, having only one bike option frees you from obsessively checking the weather trying to figure out which bike will be optimal, and the accompanying remorse when the wrong decision has been made or the weather report has drastically changed through the course of a workday. Maybe I just need to get out of my head a bit more

bark_eater 

I'm in the sticks relatively, and out in the winter for fun and exercise, not the daily grind. Last year I talked my self into a 10 mile ride in the snow with a studded single speed hauling a 45 lb kid in a cart. Lots of fun, but not a commute I'd want to do every day.

BFisher

Well, hopefully you check in with that summer touring build as it happens.

Those Blackborows look really cool! I imagine they are super stable loaded up.

BFisher

Getting out of one's own head: I know the struggle. It is real.

Dirt Farmer

Winter for me equals listening to my hi-fi system, drinking red wine, snowshoeing, reading, winter hikes, and gaining several lb's.

The bikes would gather cobwebs if I didn't put a sheet over them.

iab

Riding in the south of France.
















A guy can dream.....

thinktubes 

Ride til first snow and then park until I see 40 degrees and dry roads.

Too icy and dicey to ride in Chicago during winter. The salt, grit, and moisture wreck frames and components.

mstateglfr 

Pretty much this.

Dec-March, I'll ride outside if it is a dry weekend day above 40, but those dont happen too frequently.

I'll do a few spin classes each week, refurbish and modernize a Schwinn Premis frame, and train for CIRREM which is a yearly metric century gravel race the end of February.
I skipped out of this past CIRREM because it was low-mid 30s with ice rain thru the day. Nope, not what I consider good riding. The prior 3 years it had been dry and in the 60s!

Nu2Miele

I'll gladly trade you a TR6 for a bicycle tomorrow

noglider 

@bikemig, you don't ride the Heinz 57 bike anymore? Why not? I love seeing that bike.

Last ride 76 

Oh... rats.


(Even though it wasn't going to be me, I was in on principle, for the vicarious thrill.)

deux jambes

Last winter wasn’t too challenging, and I rode through it most of it only taking the bus on the laziest of days. It helped to finally be a little better geared up clothing wise than compared to previous winters. Finally felt safe too thanks to high vis orange, and better lighting!

This year, I’ll have a different bike to ride. It’s not much a “winter bike” that I’m building, but it’s one that should handle the season ok. I just need to sock a little money away for a pair of VO hammered fenders before it’s too late.

Otherwise, I don’t anticipate much riding this winter as I’ve taken a job only three blocks from home. Kind of a drag now that I think about it since a work commute is about the only thing that can keep me on a bike that time of year. Perhaps I’ll choose to get my groceries from a little further than the neighborhood market.

merziac

As long as I don't break something else, the plan is to ride through it, of course that was the plan the last two years, hopefully I can pull it off this time.

Rain/winter/all else bike is a 09 Fuji that is so far bomb proof that should probably get some maintenance, but we'll see.

Really should build a proper C+V rain bike, plenty of stock to work with, again, we'll see.

bikemig 

Thanks! No I didn't ride it last winter. It was a hard winter (there was a day of minus 30 wind chill late January) and I gave up on bike commuting. Plus the bike was trashed from so many winters. It's hanging on a hook and I'll rebuild it this fall.

Prowler 

BFisher, as you can see, I'm down here in the other corner - SEPA. Our winters are a bit milder than yours, being a bit closer to the Atlantic. Also, being retired, I can ride whenever I like. So I have a local 14 mile course I call 'riding around the block'. For that I use Babe the Blue Oxen - a '70s Sears Free Spirit. If I cannot ride as often nor as far, I may as well ride a heavier bike. Good cardio. Shifts like a farm tractor and handles like a feed bag but is good exercise. Round these parts the Gov't uses salt brine vs rock salt on the roads. So we get salt water for snow melt and this very fine salt dust when it dries. Babe don't care. I ride around the block between 9am and 3pm when there are no cars moving in the neighborhoods. Cold does not bother me much. I'll ride in the high 20s and be comfortable.

On nice days I'll go to the paved trails for long rides. I'll use my 1974 Gitaine frankenbike for that. It gets slopped up from snow run off but don't mind. When ice and snow keeps me from getting to the street I'll be on either the stationary trainer or the rollers. Beats no riding.

nomadmax 

This winter I'm going to try and ride three days a week outdoors. None of it will be on any of my vintage bikes in foul weather and definitely not in road salt. If it isn't brutal cold I'll use a Felt VR40 disc brake road bike I got off CL; if it's too cold for a road ride I'll do a MTB trail ride for a few hours. The thing that makes this doable is I'm retired and am not locked into days/times when I can ride. I don't expect to carry a lot of fitness through winter, this will be more for my mental health

Then there's the rollers for structured intervals as the 2020 season is on the horizon and the wrenching I've been putting off this year. Last but not least and I hope there's not too much of it, CL/BF/EBAY searches and purcha$e$ for bikes and things I "have to have". If I have one wish for 2020 it's that I become more selective in what "I have to have". However, hanging around here doesn't bode well for that

BFisher

@Prowler, yeah, we get the rock salt up here. With the way it is with school cancellations, they sometimes dump loads of it at the slightest threat of snow. We have a paved levee pathway here that's about 11 miles long, so the ride to it, then down and back, makes for a decent little ride. I don't know if they keep it clear of snow, though.
@nomadmax, I know the feeling! So many killer builds here, it's all too encouraging.

The great thing, as far as riding goes, that I have going for me is that I am a stay-at-home father. When school's back in, it'll be easier to get out. Other than home improvement projects and supporting my wife's business, there's nothing keeping me from year-round riding. I'm looking forward to it. I really want to try and maintain at least 300 miles per month.

nlerner

I’ve been winter commuting in the Boston area for about 15 or so years now. Fortunately, my commute has never been longer than 7 miles RT, and if it snows enough to be treacherous, my work place will likely be closed (I’m a college teacher). For a bunch of winters, I commuted on a Specialized HardRock with studded tires, fenders, racks, Dyno hub, and lights. It did the job though I never really enjoyed pushing around that heavy beast and eventually gave it to a neighborhood friend. The last couple of years, I’ve ridden Soma Cazadera tires on a couple of different 650b bikes, and they’ve given me plenty of grip and a far more enjoyable ride than studs.

It it is definitely the case that winter salt is killer on drivetrains, hubs, and spokes. I tend to neglect them and end up having to replace parts come spring. I have tried various IG hubs for winter riding and killed one S-A 2-speed kickback. I have found I prefer the versatility of derailleur-equipped bikes for the wide variety of winter conditions.

I’ll also do road biking as conditions allow, but usually not longer than 35-ish miles, and if my water bottles freeze, I know I should have stayed home.