#1
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Winter Riding
Howdy.
I'm seeking advice on riding in winter (with snow, ice, etc). I'm planning on heading back to school in the fall (18 years after getting my BCSc) and, money being tight, the daily commute will be bus or bike. I've yet to ascertain whether there is a bike lockup at the relevant campus. Winnipeg does a good job of snow removal on major roads, which would suffice for 95% of the commute. But there is always some snow, sand, and salt, left on the road. Has anyone tried commuting under such conditions? If so, have you any words of advice? My primary bike is a road bike (Giant OCR3). If a mountain bike is more appropriate, I could probably pick up an el-cheapo at a local sporting goods store. Might do that anyways as my road bike doesn't really (and shouldn't) support panniers. TIA. |
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#2
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Winter Riding
"Jeff" wrote in message
... Howdy. I'm seeking advice on riding in winter (with snow, ice, etc). I'm planning on heading back to school in the fall (18 years after getting my BCSc) and, money being tight, the daily commute will be bus or bike. I've yet to ascertain whether there is a bike lockup at the relevant campus. Winnipeg does a good job of snow removal on major roads, which would suffice for 95% of the commute. But there is always some snow, sand, and salt, left on the road. Has anyone tried commuting under such conditions? If so, have you any words of advice? My primary bike is a road bike (Giant OCR3). If a mountain bike is more appropriate, I could probably pick up an el-cheapo at a local sporting goods store. Might do that anyways as my road bike doesn't really (and shouldn't) support panniers. TIA. You're going to commute in Winterpeg?!?! Portage and Main, 15 below!?! Good for you! My first word of advice is, don't use any bike you care about! Salt will destroy its appearance very quickly. I'd pick up a clunker..a used mountain bike or a cheapie at Sportchek or something. Maybe consider some studded MTB tires for those days when you get 4" of snow unexpectedly..maybe mixed with some ice pellets or freezing rain. Get some real fenders too..they are a real help. They are quite underrated IMHO..they keep a lot of gunk off your bike and off of you. And they're cheap and pretty lightweight. Make sure you do all the right lube things on your bike..grease the seatpost and stem, oil all the bolts while assembling etc. Salt is really very bad on a bike..I've seen some bikes here in Toronto...blecchh. Good Luck, Scott.. |
#3
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Winter Riding
Here's a webpage in case you haven't seen it yet.
http://users.rcn.com/icebike/ Last winter was my first winter riding and it was in Washington, DC, where I'm sure the winters aren't as bad although this past winter was unusually snowy, so I don't have a lot of experience at it. I road my Giant Cypress, a cheap hybrid. I did change to tires that were a little more knobby for part of the winter but part of my commute is on a path that isn't cleared so when snow didn't melt completely and was able to freeze hard I couldn't ride. I'll be looking into getting some studded tires before next winter. "Jeff" wrote in message ... Howdy. I'm seeking advice on riding in winter (with snow, ice, etc). I'm planning on heading back to school in the fall (18 years after getting my BCSc) and, money being tight, the daily commute will be bus or bike. I've yet to ascertain whether there is a bike lockup at the relevant campus. Winnipeg does a good job of snow removal on major roads, which would suffice for 95% of the commute. But there is always some snow, sand, and salt, left on the road. Has anyone tried commuting under such conditions? If so, have you any words of advice? My primary bike is a road bike (Giant OCR3). If a mountain bike is more appropriate, I could probably pick up an el-cheapo at a local sporting goods store. Might do that anyways as my road bike doesn't really (and shouldn't) support panniers. TIA. |
#4
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Winter Riding
Wed, 9 Jul 2003 21:02:02 -0500, ,
"Jeff" wrote about Winnipeg winter: Has anyone tried commuting under such conditions? If so, have you any words of advice? Get a patch of sheepskin and stuff it in your shorts. The Edmonton Bicycle Commuters have some good tips. http://edmontonbicyclecommuters.ca/c...?action=winter -- zk |
#5
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Winter Riding
Brrr...
When I was in school, I rode my bike in the winter. First two years I had a road bike with cyclo-cross tires and then a mountain bike for the last two. Mostly the roads were plowed so the road bike was ok but it was more fun on the mtn bike since I could take the unplowed paths and have some fun in the snow. I still rode on the coldest days (maybe -25 + windchill) because it was colder but faster than walking. Not sure how long your commute will be but make sure to wear lots of layers (which you probably already know, being in Winnipeg but it is colder once you get on a bike and start moving). Also, I would imagine that any school would have lots of bike racks but I hear that lots of bikes get stolen from them too. -- -------------------------- Posted via cyclingforums.com http://www.cyclingforums.com |
#6
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Winter Riding
In article ,
Jeff wrote: Howdy. I'm seeking advice on riding in winter (with snow, ice, etc). I'm planning on heading back to school in the fall (18 years after getting my BCSc) and, money being tight, the daily commute will be bus or bike. I've yet to ascertain whether there is a bike lockup at the relevant campus. Winnipeg does a good job of snow removal on major roads, which would suffice for 95% of the commute. But there is always some snow, sand, and salt, left on the road. Has anyone tried commuting under such conditions? If so, have you any words of advice? My primary bike is a road bike (Giant OCR3). If a mountain bike is more appropriate, I could probably pick up an el-cheapo at a local sporting goods store. Might do that anyways as my road bike doesn't really (and shouldn't) support panniers. Get the el-cheapo (I suggest finding a used one rather than a department store POS) because regular commuting in salt will use up the bike. Make sure the brakes work well - careful adjustment, new cables, pads. Fat tires are a good idea. I don't know what it's like in Winnipeg, but on many college campuses even an OCR3 is too nice a bike to lock up on campus on due to theft risk. I usually picked up $10 3-speed from a garage sale for the purpose. --Paul |
#7
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Winter Riding
Two more suggestion . Remove your (seat / post) while on campus and
learn how to properly secure your bike . I've seen to many bike locked that would allow me to steal their wheels. |
#8
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Winter Riding
"Jeff" spake thusly on or about Thu, 10
Jul 2003 02:02:02 UTC - I'm seeking advice on riding in winter (with snow, ice, etc). I'm planning - on heading back to school in the fall (18 years after getting my BCSc) and, - money being tight, the daily commute will be bus or bike. I've yet to - ascertain whether there is a bike lockup at the relevant campus. - well I have ridden the past two winters just west of you in Saskatoon. if you live in this country you know how to stay warm trick is staying dry while being warm. I am considering studed tyres this winter but my superheat tyres handle everything but glare ice pretty well. I had one fellow whip past me on a touring bike this past winter but I prefer a mountain bike. the ice bike and edmonton links have been offered up and they do cover most of what you need. I rode down to -38 this past winter with no ill effects other than having a 12 month season and no issues getting reaquanted to the saddle in the spring. -- I hurt before the ride so fibro gives me a head start on the rest of the pack. silver lining? |
#9
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Winter Riding
"mark" wrote in message news:Z5kPa.40423
1. A mountain bike does seem to work better for commuting, although a tourer works well, too. I agree with this. The bike that sees the most commuting miles under my butt these days is my rain/beater bike. It's an older rigid mountain bike with slicks, full fenders, rear rack with a "trunk," and plenty of lighting. But I am also known for riding a full-suspension mountain bike with slicks as my primary commuting steed. The beater just can't match the comfort, but it is a moot point on the roads I find myself riding these days. 2. Messenger bags are nice- easier to ride a bike with than a backpack, but unlike panniers you can still take eveything with you when you lock up the bike on campus, at work, etc. While I agree about the panniers, I have had less than stellar experiences with messenger bags. If heat were a concern for you like it is for me in Texas, I would recommend a cycling pack from Vaude (www.vaude.com). Otherwise, you just can't match the carrying capacity or security of a good backpack with a messenger bag. I'm sure they are fine for carrying papers and whatnot, but when you throw in a bunch of books or a laptop computer, the messenger bag just becomes to unwieldy for bicycle use. Messengers really like messenger bags because the compartment is easily accessible without removing the bag. 3. Lights are crucial- the new LED blinkie lights are best. Get at least one taillight on the bike, and clip a few more on your seat bag, messenger bag, or wherever else is convenient. The more powerful LED headlights are adequate for commuting (Cateye EL-300). I don't know what's available in Canada, but here in the US Wal-Mart sells lithium AA batteries, which work well in LED lights and last much longer in severe cold than alkaline batteries. They cost more than alkaline batteries, but the extra life span more than offsets the higher cost, and not having to change batteries all the time is nice. I wholeheartedly agree. Lights are a must-have item. As for dealing with the cold, It hasn't been a problem for me this far south. I wish you the best of luck on that one..... -Buck |
#10
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Winter Riding
Thanks for all the suggestions.
As I mentioned in my prior post, I'm probably going back to school in September. The "campus" is an adjunct (basically one building) right down town (9 miles from home), so a good lock-up area is questionable. Basically I have three concerns: 1. Good lockup. 2. The safety of riding in down town rush hour traffic (having returned to Winnipeg after a decade absence, I find the local driving ability to be pitiful). 3. The safety of riding in poor road conditions in down town rush hour traffic. I have ridden in snow, albeit years ago, but that was in minimal traffic. So, we'll see what happens. Personally, I don't find the winters here to be too cold. I've run outdoors here for the past two winters. I only found it cold below -25C (-13F). I'd like to ride, but the bus may turn out to be simpler. |
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