First Ride to Work!

[s_beaudry]

Respect....

My best was back in '03 up in NJ in January when it was blizzard conditions and about -10 with the wind.....

Had to get to the store and the car was plowed in, that was one bone rattling ride in those temps!

 

[happycheapskate]

re: get around that. I wouldn't ever put (traction) chains on a bicycle!

But I would buy studded snow tires if I lived somewhere like Montana or Canada and just had to MB to work or doctors visit.

Bike Nashbar (nashbar.com) has studded tires. They are heavy and expensive, but will save your butt if you cross some ice.

I like to home build and jury rig stuff, but I wouldn't play with tires, I just buy them and leave them alone.

You know, I considered making tire chains. Would've been easy enough.

But then I realized that that would make my brakes totally inoperative.

How'd you get around that?

 

[happycheapskate]

I agree about road bikes in winter. for some reason it works. The narrow tires bite in I guess. The tall wheel has some gyroscopic effect too. I used to ride a beater with some file tread 700c tires, and a fixed hub wheel. I would never ride a MB with a fixed hub, but a coaster hub should work for feeling out your traction level and making easy adjustments. Don't undergear too much either or you could spin out.

They make studded bike tires. They're not typically for road use though. I used to bike every day of the year, regardless of the weather (which can vary greatly in Chicago.) In the winter, the trick was to just keep the speed low, never power through turns, brake early and always be prepared to put a foot down. And I used to ride a road bike with skinny tires. Only fell once on an unsalted street. It was in a "historic" district, so they couldn't use salt on it. It was literally an ice rink.

 

[happycheapskate]

What winter gear would you suggest? Since you don't have to pedal very much like a regular bike (unless your motor freezes! YIkes), what kind of gear do you go with?