what do you think is the best winter bike?

[bicycletricycle]

it is getting cool here in rhode island and soon it will be cold and then it will snow. I have been here for 4 years now and i still have not built a super winter bike, just made due with my sycip single speed monster cross. I commute every day and i have been able to get around on 700 x 37 top contact conti's but when there is a lot of snow and ice build up i do have to walk some parts and the ride can be a little rough.

I have been thinking of something with big tires, something around 2 inches wide, maybe something studded, fenders, upright-ish position, cheap-ish.

I am not sure about gearing but i was thinking of just 9 on the back but maybe an internal.

anyone use an alfine in the winter?

i dont really use disc brakes but they do work very well so maybe discs.

So far i have been looking at-

Rawland rsogn or drakkar
Salsa fargo
used kogswell from bigflax925

anyone have any suggestions? experiences? winter anecdotes? used bikes to sell me?

[CNY rider]

I am going to save you a ton of dough.
Forget the new bike.
Just get some studded Nokians. Your bike has plenty of room for them. I get them from Peter White.
Some gearing would be nice too but that's your call.

[jr59]

I think that Surly is making a long haul trucker with discs.

For the $$$ it would seem hard to beat!

For me, it never gets much below 40 here so I don't worry about such.

[nighthawk]

I've always had good luck with narrower tires in the winter.. They tend to cut through the snow pretty good. The black ice is what always get's me.. Landed on my shoulders a few times, braking or taking corners too quick..

I prefer a simpler ride in the winter.. mostly out of convenience for maintenance..

..I'm curious what people say about tires so thanks for posting this.

[Dave B]

Lazy Boy makes a great winter model!

[nighthawk]

and then there's this:

http://surlybikes.com/bikes/pugsley

[AngryScientist]

for providence?

fixed gear, rigid fork 29'er, studded tires when necessary.

[bicycletricycle]

i have the sycip set up as a fixed now, it is pretty nice, i think i would like to try some gears this winter, i have been dealing with a knee injury and i think it would be better.

[Pegoready]

I went a little crazy and bought a GT Steel Peace 9'r 29'er frame, size large, color Yeti-Turquoise. It's disc, sing-speed via an EBB. I don't see why it wouldn't work with Nexus using zip tie guides.

I'd pass on the same stupid-cheap Nashbar price if you want it.

[fiamme red]

An old rigid MTB with fenders.

[tiretrax]

Originally Posted by nighthawk

and then there's this:

http://surlybikes.com/bikes/pugsley

i thought of the pugsley. it's also great in the sand.

[William]

The best Winter bikes are here! .......

http://www.winterbicycles.com/




William

[keevon]

Careful with the 29er winter frankenbike idea...

I took my SS 29er and installed drop bars and 240-studded Nokians. Thought it would be the ideal winter setup, but it was just so damn heavy and sluggish that I didn't want to ride it.

This year I plan to sell the Nokian 240's and get some Nokian A10's... the ones with 72 studs per tire. The 240's were just overkill for my city commute. Slap the A10's on my Steamroller, maybe gear down a little bit, and call it a day.

[cp43]

I've been using an alu nashbar cross frame with discs and studded tires for the last 3 or so years.

A 1x9 setup would work well. I ran mine as a 1x10 for a winter when by FD cable broke and I was too lazy to replace it. With studded tires and panniers I was happy with a 34 chain ring and a 12-27 cassette. You may not want to go that low, but if you'll be running studs, go for a smaller than usual chain ring. They add noticeable rolling resistance, but IMHO, they're worth it for the not crashing factor.

I've been happy with my set of Nokian W107's. This will be their 3rd or 4th winter, and they aren't showing much wear.

Get some good lights too, you'll be riding in the dark much more often in the winter.

On the Alfine, a co-worker of mine tried one out last winter. Before the end of the winter the internal gears had chewed themselves up, and the hub was dead. He's a pretty good wrench, so I'd be surprised if it was setup wrong, but there is that possibility. Also, it's been my experience that a derailleur setup really isn't much trouble in the winter.


Hope this helps,

Chris

[saab2000]

This one. Fendered, single-speed bike with lots of clearance for larger tires. It's actually not really made for fenders so it's not great.

As for gears? I love the near-zero maintenance aspect of the single-speed road bike, especially as winter miles are rarely 'pound 'em out' miles but rather base and 'just get out and ride' miles.

You'd be amazed at how little you actually miss having a lot of gears. I run a 42x16.