Advice please: Winter/wet weather commuting bike.

davbay

Hi everyone,

Winter road grit and wet conditions have hammered my road bike (Schwinn Fastback Comp) and I came off on black ice - sore hip. I'm trying to find a good winter/wet weather commuting bike that will be sturdy yet fast enough for my 12 mile commute on country roads that has thicker, grippier (is that a word?) tyres than my roadie. Also need to fit fenders on it.

Also - I'm starting to see the appeal of a single speed. I have first choice offer on a Kona Dr Dew Deluxe and went to see it today. Handlebars felt very narrow and riding position was maybe too upright.

What are your views on what I should look for?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

laughingboy

It's an intriguing question - what is the ideal bike to ride to work in the winter? - but I suspect there is no single answer. Rather, there is a series of compromises based on what you value most highly.

My thoughts, for what they are worth, on the points raised in your post:

Road grit and wet winter conditions - get a bike with hub gears and brakes, and a full chain case. The recent 7 and 8 speed hub gears seem to attract very positive notices (see this Velo vision pdf). Disc brakes might also be a good alternative to hub brakes.

Sturdiness - if you want a bike that will withstand most horrors, I would be thinking of powder-coated steel, or titanium. But again, there is no ideal answer - after all, steel rusts, titanium costs a packet, and badly-designed aluminium frames can fatigue. Oh, and carbon fibre can fail catastrophically if you are unlucky.

Black ice - I don't think that even the thickest or grippiest tyres will help much; I mean, even 4 car tyres can't cope with black ice.

I suspect that your current bike is pretty good for the job, but the real issue is that you fancy a new one.

highwaymunky

A good winter option maybe the Kona Unit 29

Big wheels for easy rolling,
Single Speed for low maintenance
Knobbles for getting through the snow and grit
Scandium tubing = very light and comfortable.

That'll be my winter bike for next year!

hondafanatic

I've been through this...I blew a gasket last week because I needed a new cassette, chain, chain rings and rear disc caliper because of the road/bridleway crap my bike goes through everyday...it was costing too much.

So i've bought a Specialized Tricross Single Speed 09. I pick it up on Saturday. I figured that it would be fast enough as i ride a MTB at the moment, sturdy enough and the tyres looked similar to the skinnies i have on my MTB. Plus the breaks that I tried on the 08 model seemed fine...

I know i couldn't do the journey on an out and out racer as my mate tried it on the same journey and needed his fillings replaced by Wednesday.

But I also think highwaymunky has given a good suggestion as well...a 29'er might be worth looking at.

Clever Pun

single speed cross bike?

the_hundredth_idiot

Wouldn't a single speed be harder to get traction on ice? I've been on the old MTB these last few days and found it much easier to drop down a chain ring at the front so I'm using lower gears. In the higher gears, the back wheel just spun as too much power was being "laid down"; I didn't have the same problem in the lower gears.

Mind you, if I'm only digging out the MTB when the weather is this bad, I really ought to invest in some proper MTB tyres rather than those semi-slicks it has at the moment! :shock:

roger_merriman

a low geared fixed might be rather good. for horrible weather, you do have to make choices town/shopping/heavy hybrids will keep the road muck off you, give you good visabilty and tend to more forgiving in low traction moments, MTB will tend to be even better at staying upright, plus some wet weather brakes.

but if its wet and windy drop bars are great for cutting though the wind rather than being a sail.... and if you want to be a fast commuter then that almost always means drops.

then pricey parts or cheap as chips? will one last any better etc.

as others have said there is no right answer.

cycleguy

I have put slicks on my Specialized Hard Rock as it is only front suspension. I can keep up with most roadies and hybrid guys as I commute 37 miles a day so must be pretty fit. I can over bumps, potholes and the tank just soaks it up. I also get more of a workout riding a heavier bike.

I will ride my Trek 1500 with Easton Orion wheels, 105 kit when the weather is nice although I don't want to shag my nice wheels!