Winter Commuting

[tulip]

Studded tires are a must in places like Buffalo. You can either get a beater winter bike and put studs on it, or just put studs on your current bike and take them off come spring.

[lph]

YES! You need studded tires. If you're fishtailing, you're out of control and could land under a car or in a ditch very fast. Don't ride without.

Studs make the going a bit heavier, and you need to keep your bike a little more upright, minimal leaning over in corners. But once you have the hang of it, you can ride up hills so icy people can't walk up them. Studded tires rock. And they last a long time if you just break them in carefully (no hard braking the first 50 km or so). And you don't have to deflate your tires to very low pressures either.

You also need a good bright light in front and a red blinky in back. I'm a big fan of the Magicshine lights, great value for money.

[dinbuffalo]

Looks like I have confirmation - I think I already knew that I would have to get the studded tires, but I was trying to avoid buying them before the holidays. I have friends who are commuting on cyclocross bikes with regular tires and saying it's fine, but then I find out that these are people who are not riding through the city (where the very slippery salt crap is). I wish Buffalo would not use salt and just let the snow pack with sand, but that's not going to happen, so out comes the credit card. I'm getting the Schwalbe Marathon Winter studded tires, by the way, for anyone who's interested. I use front and rear lights all year round, rear light on always, even during the day. Thank you for the replies!

[tulip]

With all that salt, be sure to clean your bike regularly. Even if it's not steel, salt and sand corrode metal.

[dinbuffalo]

It's funny you mention that - I just read recently where someone puts his bike in the shower after riding (can't wash it off outside or it will freeze). We have a shower we don't use and I tried it - worked great!

[lph]

Well, not to point out the obvious, but you can wash it off outside, you just have to take it in to dry
(assuming you have an outdoor water supply that works below freezing, we don't)

I hose my bike down at work, then take it into the warmest part of the underground parking to dry, sometimes bring it into the building too. Getting the salt off really will help. I know people like disc brakes for their braking power, but I'm not a fan. I find the maintenance much harder to keep up with in winter, while old-style v-brakes I can completely disassemble, clean, lube and put together again easily.

Other tips - lube often, and expect shifting etc to be a bit slow. There are lots of tips here on TE about clothing for cold-weather riding too.

[Melalvai]

I love my schwalbe winter marathons.

They are great on ice or packed snow. Deep snow is for those new fat tires. Slushy snow, or a thin enough layer that it's bare to the road right there but ground up gray snow right there, that's just a pain.