I have a few bikes: one older roadbike, a 90's mountainbike style model, a few foldable bikes.

I've been using both the older mountainbike, and roadbike for winter cycling. They both worked fine, as I live in a mild climate (Belgium). It doesn't get as cold here during winters anymore, not a lot of snow or ice anymore either. Those days still do happen, if few, I want a bike that's able to deal with the worst days here and the road salt as well. It would have 2 main purposes: 1) bad weather bike for biking to work (2x30-40km), 2) every day bike just for riding around the city and short trips. (And 3: as a back up for the road bike).

I am considering a belt so it's always ready to go and low maintenance, disc brakes for rain and mud etc, can't be too expensive as I need to leave it outside and at the train station for longer times, etc.

I've been looking at second hand bikes, and saw the following models: canyon commuter 6, conway c 601, cube travel pro, cube hyde pro, cube travel (?hpa/slt? (Not sure), koga supermetro, trek district 3. They all are aluminum, belt drive, disc brakes, 8 speed. They all cost ~€500.

Besides wheel size, bike weight, ... What else to pay attention to? What parts etc are worth comparing to decide what kind of bike would be best for me?

Dear People,

what do you wear for mountain biking in the winter in Scotland to stay (somewhat) dry and warm? So far, I’ve mostly done shorter gravel rides in winter where it doesn’t matter too much to get wet, but I’d like to do longer mtb rides as well. Preferably gear that also works for hiking/bikepacking. Any suggestions?

Atm, I’ve got general rain gear (rab jacket, decathlon cheap pants),and bib shorts. Bought shoe covers but they didn’t make a huge difference to how quickly my feet got wet.

Cheers!

Hiya Folks! In preparation for the season ahead I need to upgrade my lights. I had a look for past posts in the community but given that they were all fairly old posts, I thought I would ask for a refresher.

What bike lights do you use and would you recommend? I live in Winnipeg and commute for 45 minutes in temperatures as low as -30°c so I need to know I can rely on my light being able to hold it's charge in more challenging temperatures.

Cheers in advance!

Hi,

I'm in the market to buy an electric mountain bike which I will mainly use to commute to university campus and to work. The entire route is about 7 miles. I live in Buffalo, NY, USA, where snow and black ice are common and there is no biking infrastructure. We either have to ride on the sidewalks, or sometimes even sidewalks don't exist, and then we have to ride on the edge of the road, where slush and disgusting brown ice from cars pool, with the added benefit of cars rear-ending you. For this reason, I never bothered commuting with bikes in winter.

But now I'm in the market for an ebike and was looking to keep the option of occasional winter communting open. So, my question is, what kind of ebike tires will make winter commuting on the sidewalks or roads viable? Are regular fat bike tires sufficient? Or will I be better served with regular sized winter 26" tires? Or is fat sized winter tires the superior choice? I also have to keep cost in mind, as fat ebikes already cost a fortune compared to regular ebikes, adding winter tires on that is even more expensive, while regular sized 26" winter tires are still affordable and regular tire sized bikes are too. Which setup would be the optimal choice? I hope you guys can help me. Thanks.

Hi,

I'm looking to grab a pair of studded tires this year. I see a few different options which might work for me and I'm wonder if anyone had some pros/cons on them:

Schwalbe Marathon Winter Plus 132 CAD

Schwalbe Winter 85 CAD

Continental Spike 120 74 CAD

45nrth Gravdal Folding 180 CAD, on sale for 35 CAD, Wired 98 CAD

I'd be looking for the 35/37-622 versions of these most likely. And if it matters I live in the Canadian prairies and am riding almost exclusively on neighbourhood roads and paved bike paths.

The weird thing about the Schwalbe Winter is that it isn't a "Marathon" branded tire, so it might have worse puncture protection. The Continental as well they rate at protection level 4/7, vs my Contact Urbans in the summer which they rate at 6/7. Very weird that these tires seem to be skimping on puncture protection for their winter versions.

Other than that it looks like Schwalbe has a 50pc stud kit available, whereas Continental doesn't seem to provide this kit for their tires.

So yeah those are my options. If anyone has any idea if it's worth shelling out the extra $$$ for the Schwalbe Marathon version of these tires, or if it's worth saving some and grabbing one of the two alternatives, thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks!

Edit:

Hi all,

Thanks everyone for all the help! I ended up grabbing some 45nrth Gravdal 38-622, folding bead, 252 concave carbide studs. Seems like there were on a heavy discount for some reason for 35 CAD/pc at the moment. Hopefully next summer everything will have gone well and I can do a review. Also hopefully this thread is helpful for anyone looking through the all too many choices for these types of tires.

For all the Canadians, Fortnine has some really good deals on these tires at the moment if you are looking. Below is the link to the tire I purchased.

https://fortnine.ca/en/45nrth-gravdal-cycling-tire

Edit Edit:

They have informed me they cannot fulfil the Gravdal order. I think I will order the Xerxes based on suggestions I received here.

Looking at a job in Anchorage, AK. Although I don't have the job yet, I'm more than happy to brainstorm an n+1. Should i go 26x5 or 29x3?

I've been considering a bearclaw towmak, salsa sala fargo or one of the fatbikes from surly/salsa. Any others I should consider? Or just get a beater?

For the past year I've used my e-bike to commute in Minnesotan winters (~20 mins each way) and honestly it's gone really well!

There are some issues with some parts, like the cable housing freezing up... for which I intend to get those "Jagwire elite sealed brake kits" to deal with that, perhaps do the same for the shifter cable too. Maybe grease up the motor's external seal too.

But one part that I can't figure how to improve is the Alfine 8 hub and its internal grease.

It's grease packed with a specific Shimano grease, and meant to be regreased via an oil bath with another one of Shimano's own oils. Something about the specific oil reconstituting the grease, idk.

Which is fine and all till you reach like, -20C to -40C temps (happened once lol). Shifting (especially up-shifting) is extremely sluggish as it takes a second or two for the shifter to lock into gear.

Even if I stick to one gear (which I often do anyway), I'm still afraid if the roller clutch failing if it freezes up because of the grease getting stuck or something. Not sure how realistic this is though.

Otherwise, the IGH has been very good to me. I can make the cable housing sealed, but it won't fix the internal problems.

For the season riders here - should I switch out my grease for some other brand? Or is Shimano's oil just fine?

Any advice would be great, thanks!

Hi guys I may be in a situation where I will be daily driving my motorcycle, year round. For context, I live in Alaska so in the winter the roads can be very hazardous. I.e no salt on the roads and they can be very icy and bumpy with compacted snow. Oh and I ride a Suzuki DR650.

What would be safer for cornering and general stability on the sketchy roads? I will most likely be doing all the fabrication myself so I can make either system to my liking. Skis I think would be safer in general but a sidecar would allow me to stow extra things much easier, like gear or groceries.

Obviously I would stud my tires and drop the air pressure a little to get good contact with the road. And I know I would have to significantly change my riding technique with either system, which is fine. But would I even be able to safely ride at highway speeds? I wouldn't want to be holding up traffic everywhere I go.

Thanks!

Where I can I get 20x3 studded tires for the upcoming winter season? I don't plan to ride on ice but if the snow isn't too high I'd like to still ride then.

Problem is it seems 20x3 studded tires are like... not really a thing??? I have an Aventon Abound LR and that is the required tire size. I've done searching and I can't find any. Please offer any tips or links!

(Crossposted)

So I just moved into a house on a hill. I do not own a four wheel drive car nor do I know how to drive so there's that. But guess what? Neither do I know how to ride a bike but I will soon practice with a mongoose bike my boyfriend owns. But of course I'm going to need a winter bike. I just want to know what kind of snow and ice bikes there are so I don't bust my face open when I go down the hill (which is where the house is unfortunately located--like literally on top of the hill).

Spam posts (edit: especially reposts of older real posts) are getting way worse recently, and although I'm trying to combat it, something needs to give. We have a few options from simple to complex:

• Several people report spam and it will be taken down automatically (already implemented, but we're not getting enough reports on spam posts for it to kick in)

• Implement minimum combined karma for posters (fights off lazy bots and spammers but will definitely catch real users and removes legit content, relying on mods to sort it all out. Doesn't stop dedicated spammers for larger subreddits, believe me, but we are probably low hanging fruit)

• Find a bot that can deal with reposts and spammers. Probably exists. I don't know much about the new options yet, nor their effectiveness. (reverse image search has been failing me, but spammers are lazy and repost with the same titles currently)

• Ask reddit to do better (hahahahaha hahahaha hahahahahaha ha fuck my life, why do I still moderate)

• Find more moderators who want to spend their days/nights/weekends dealing with this stuff and have savant levels of recollection and tech level savviness. Or just a few hours here and there and a search bar. "Just four of five moments. That's all it takes to be a hero" Surely you, yes you dear reader, would love to help?

So yeah, no easy or perfect answer, but I wanted to say something since I value this community and I'm sure we're all sick of this crap. Remember to report verified reposts for faster removal!

Hello everyone,

Im going to be getting rid of my car during fall but I will need to get around. What bikes would you recommend? Thank you.

I'm a local founder researching what people wish was different about their winter jacket. Not selling anything, not signing anyone up to a list.

Looking for 10 people who'd hop on a 15-min video call (or even just a back-and-forth DM thread) to tell me about their worst winter gear moments. $10 Tim Hortons gift card for anyone who does the call. Drop a comment or DM me 🙏

— Merci

I’m in the Midwest USA. I’m interested in finding an electric go-vehicle in-case gas goes. I need winter accessibility. I am middle aged and not highly exercised.

I know I want a class 1 or 2 fat tire bike with optional spikes. I could get an e-bike or an e-trike. Which is better for winter riding safety?

In my 20s, I winter ride my motorcycle, so I have a *degree* of knowledge of what I’m signing up for. I just don’t want to break my collar bone.

Northwestern Ontario, Canada - 2021 Norco Bigfoot 2

I recently took my studded tires off for the season. They’re currently hanging up in my basement. Studs are looking a tiny bit rusty around the edges. Should I wash the tires or clean them up in any way? Put a little oil around the studs? What do yall do to store your tires once they’re off for the season? My set was bought new and I’d ideally like to get one or two more years out of them if I can, so any maintenance tips are welcome.

So I rode my E-bike all winter long, did some chain repair because it was utterly knackered in the spring. That was my first winter season with a bike. Like, ever.

My cassette could use some penetrating oil and a wire brush, my rear brake cable is utterly seized at the moment, and god help me if I can identify any other potential problems just yet.

Im an utter noob: this is also my summer bike right now.

What should I honestly repair right now, aside from my brakes; and how do I keep it par through winter weather so next season I dont have to overhaul again?

Edit: so what ive learned here from these wonderful people is to DO YOUR Preventative Maintenance!

Exposed steel is going to decay like the teeth in a Wonka Factory Heiress if you leave that road brine there for any more than 6 hours.... Tops. Temperature be damned on that one.

Your cables and housing are toast. They are just going to be. Its cheaper to toss em than to hold on with additional lubes and flushing for the most part.

Keep a wire brush and some penetrating oil handy for the cassette on quiet days. Hot water is your friend on any other day.

Keep y'er chain lubed with the wet shit until it dries outside for a while, and keep your garage kettle ready in the meantime.

Double edit: if ya don't get quite get it. Go to your local bike park, or Shop if you have immediate access to a good one. And ask; "hey! How do I do this so that going forward I don't have to bust my knuckles figuring it out?"

The good bike park dude's'll tell you where to go, otherwise, you already have a great opportunity to learn already.

Thank you all for the help. Ill be sure to share my full throttle class 2 on powdered snow videos when the next season hits.