Build a winter bike for snow and ice need advice!

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brettmess24
Posts: 36
Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2013 9:00 pm

by brettmess24

Ok all. I live in Wisconsin and want to ride all year round in snow and the nastiest winter can dish out.

Looking for some advice or any reading material you can direct me to.

I want to build a bike for this purpose, I know I need fenders and studed tires but what else do you suggest? Should I stay away from aluminum frame and use carbon because of salt?

Good gear to have?

am I crazy?

by Weenie


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xnavalav8r
Posts: 2594
Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2008 12:09 pm

by xnavalav8r

I am really pleased with my Specialized AWOL.

http://weightweenies.starbike.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=116490&hilit=awol

Best advice I can offer is use the fattest tires you can fit in your chosen frame/fork, invest in full-coverage fenders, and spend the money on good lights to both see and be seen.

mattr
Posts: 4671
Joined: Fri May 25, 2007 6:43 pm
Location: The Grim North.

by mattr

One of the current generation of disc braked "crossers", making sure it has clearance for 35mm tyres and guards.
Then get some studded tyres for it. And long (ground hugging) mud flaps.

You just need to keep it (relatively) clean then, clean the drive train regularly, rinse the frame and forks down (then it won't matter about the salt)

Lights and top quality winter kit will be critical, getting cold is no fun.

Get some sealant in the tyres too. Standing around for 20 minutes trying to replace a tube when it's 15 below zero and you can't take your gloves off is really no fun.

RussellS
Posts: 916
Joined: Wed Feb 03, 2010 1:31 am

by RussellS

You mention winter bike, but don't actually define what that means. I will describe a functional winter bike. 1970s steel frame. Single speed with a freewheel. Medium gearing. Front brake, maybe rear brake too. Fenders not needed. Snow does not spray and splatter like rain. Starbike sells 35 and 38mm carbide studded tires.

mattr
Posts: 4671
Joined: Fri May 25, 2007 6:43 pm
Location: The Grim North.

by mattr

The nastiest the winter can dish out is generally about -6, melted salty snow mixed with grit and road sludge being sprayed at everything.

Mud guards please.

djwalker
Posts: 165
Joined: Sat Oct 31, 2009 7:35 pm

by djwalker

If it is icy then studded tires are highly recommended. I use Schwalbe Marathon Winter tires. They have 240 carbide studs per tire. They weigh a ton (because of the studs) but give decent traction on slippery roads. You'll still want to steer and brake more carefully than you do on good roads but the grip is decent enough to ride safely on ice.

Briscoelab
Posts: 1513
Joined: Thu Jan 26, 2006 6:01 pm

by Briscoelab

As other's have said, you'll want studded tires in Madison. A CX frame is your best bet, canti or mini-v work just fine if you don't want to drop the money on a disc setup. SS is a great idea.

If you're going to be riding in slush, then full coverage fenders are nice. If you are going to be mostly riding on roads/paths after plowing and snow, then I don't like them. They often will pack up with snow/ice and clog. In those instances I run a seat post mounted rear fender.

My commuter bike has full coverage fenders and studs in the winter. The bikes I ride in winter for planned rides do not have full fenders.

brettmess24
Posts: 36
Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2013 9:00 pm

by brettmess24

Thank you everyone for the info!!!! :mrgreen:

I was originally going to pick up a cheap carbon frame and build with SRAM force but now I am really leaning toward buying the 2015 Ridley X-bow 10 disc, throw on some lights, fenders and studded tires and call it good.

I like to build.....hmmmm tough choice..... :noidea:

I have my gear figured out thanks for the recommendations.

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kbbpll
Posts: 494
Joined: Wed Oct 20, 2010 5:56 am

by kbbpll

All these tips, plus skill. And thick clothing, because when you hit some ice you're going down.

dogg
Posts: 291
Joined: Fri Jan 03, 2014 7:37 am

by dogg

I've ridden recreationally thru a few new england winters doing 200kms or so a week, maybe more

IMO studded tires are not needed. they only work on ice (obviously) and they are very heavy, very slow, and on pavement they corner horribly and loose studs often. pay attention to the road and you can avoid most ice. I've fallen a handful of times in the past few winters and it was always on greasy slush near intersections, only once on an ice patch that was concealed by fresh snow, and i doubt studded tires woulve done me any good then.

i like narrower 25-28mm tires at relatively lower pressures because they cut thru the slush and snow down to the pavement. i borrowed a cx bike with 35mm tires and found it to be nearly unridable on snowy roads. it just packed the snow down underneath the tires and going around corners was terrifying. i really didn't like it. i suspect it might be better with heavily treaded tires but then you're just going to go slow on pavement. much like snow tires on your car a larger footprint isn't really better. you want them to dig down to where there is traction.

fenders are nice .... until they get clogged with snow/slush/ice and it feels like your brakes are dragging like something fierce, helps to run them with a lot of clearance ... like 1"+ between the tire and fender. looks total shit and reduces the wet weather coverage but they won't clog up as easily.

aluminum, steel, carbon - it will probably all be fine. my old winter bike was an ancient carbon/alloy lugged trek ... now its a alu. cannondale. not sure i would trust a full carbon frame to be ridden on wet, sloppy, salty roads and put away wet/frozen. an aluminum frame won't corrode from a winters use on the road, or two winters, or three winters. it does not corrode that easily. most people i know ride steel frames in the winter and they aren't rusting to bits either.

use a cheap groupset and keep an eye on chain wear, clean it whenever you can coz it will wear out fast if you don't.

oh, and get yourself some insulated bottles or a thermos. below freezing it only takes an hour or so for your bottle to freeze solid.

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wheelsONfire
Posts: 6280
Joined: Mon Jul 07, 2014 8:15 am
Location: NorthEU

by wheelsONfire

Titanium or steel frame if you crash.
Bikes:

Ax Lightness Vial EVO Race (2019.01.03)
Open *UP* (2016.04.14)
Paduano Racing Fidia (kind of shelved)


Ex bike; Vial EVO D, Vial EVO Ultra, Scott Foil, Paduano ti bike.

c50jim
Posts: 1015
Joined: Tue Feb 14, 2006 4:42 am
Location: Calgary

by c50jim

I commuted for years on a cross bike. I had two sets of wheels - one with cheap semi-slicks for summer that I put studs on for winter and a second with regular cross treaded tires. I found that I could ride safely without the studs most of the time but used them for several weeks each winter when there was ice on some of the side streets that I used for my commute.

I didn't find fenders necessary but did use one of those fender substitutes that attach to the seatpost and sometimes a similar unit that bolted to the fork. It didn't keep my completely dry but neither did fenders when I tried them.

Be prepared to ride more slowly than you do in better weather. You need to be even more cautious than usual around cars because you'll probably fall occasionally. The lousy winter roads just aren't very forgiving to two wheeled machines.

I also set some rules about when I'd take the bus or car. So, I set a minimum temperature (lower with no snow than with) and I tended not to ride while it was snowing if I could avoid it. I found this kept me off the bike for 10-15 days (not continuous) over the course of the winter but I always felt that I was reducing my risk by setting and sticking to the rules.

alanmclean
Posts: 297
Joined: Fri Dec 23, 2005 5:10 pm
Location: Inverclyde, Scotland

by alanmclean

Hi, what a great project.

Your best setup will depend on what your winter is like. I am in Scotland where winter is rain but a lot of icy mornings and a few days of really cold fresh snow. I use my fully winterised cross bike for a few weeks annually.

I have found out the hard way that rubber does not grip to ice, regardless of how low your pressure is. So if there is likely to be ice then you need studs. Hard pack snow has some traction so low pressure tyres might be ok but I think low-stud count tyres are better, I'll bet a Scandi reader can give guidance on this.

For sheet ice or new powder snow I have found high stud count tyres like Nokian Haakepelitas (sorry to Finnish readers for spelling) are fantastic. I can climb 10% snowand ice and with these and descend at 70% full speed and have gone to work on fresh snow (20k) when no-one else can drive, our country is paralysed by 10cm of snow. But they are very hard work and in the evenings, once the snow has thawed and refrozen, then there are big ruts which I think only a fat bike (not ww) would handle.

Fenders are probably not necessary if you have a really cold winter with no slush but I found that super cold dry snow can still end up jamming cross cantis and FDs and once it is sprayed on you it melts!

I would not recommend cycling in heavy traffic in winter weather, I am lucky to have 15k of cycle track

A nice luxury is two sets of wheels, one with standard tyres and one with studs, ready to go.

With regard to material I have used the same alloy frame for about eight winters and wash it almost every day in winter to remove salt, it is fine. even if you use a carbon frame you will still have lots of alloy components (unless you are full ww Ti)

Here is a link to a Flickr page with a winterised bike and I hope you can also see a nice pic of a stranded SUV who could not cope, while I was perfectly comfortable on fresh snow.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/24303373@ ... 120143257/

alanmclean
Posts: 297
Joined: Fri Dec 23, 2005 5:10 pm
Location: Inverclyde, Scotland

by alanmclean

Also, riding gentle downhill quiet country roads on fresh powder snow with studded tyres is almost like skiing! Beautiful and peaceful because all the cars are stuck! Highly recommended. Very good workout and 100 times more fun than winter turbo! Does Wisconsin have hills?:-)

by Weenie


Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

www.starbike.com



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showdown
Posts: 230
Joined: Fri Sep 17, 2010 4:48 pm

by showdown

Having spent the better part of a decade commuting and training through Chicago's winters including last year's Polar Vortex I can say that the single best thing I ever did was scrap the steel, aluminum and carbon for Ti.

Water rusts steel, salt corrodes aluminum and the extreme cold wreaks havoc on carbon glue bonds.

Studded tires, full-wrap fenders, the brightest lights you can find and a modest drivetrain. You'll be tempted to go disc and get a nice grouppo but unless you clean it off routinely (read: after EVERY ride) you're going to be replacing a lot of parts and if those parts are expensive you'll quickly hate the bike. SRAM rival with cantilevered brakes will be just fine. Good enough but still cheap enough to replace when (read: not IF, but WHEN) you fall and break something or the salt and water destroy a part.

Otherwise good luck!

Oh also- get some mountaineering gloves as cycling gloves don't cut it. Also- ski goggles are your best friend as well as good booties and even some rain pants to go over your thermal clothing.

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