Custom Winter Commuter
meanredspider
Posts: 12,337
Another thought I've been having is a custom winter weather/ice commuter. It would have
26" wheels for Ice Spiker Pros (tubeless I guess too)
Disc brakes obviously
Rigid fork
Di2 (maybe even Alfine) because it doesn't freeze or get crappy with salt.
Dunno if anything even vaguely like this exists or whether I'd need to build it from scratch...
26" wheels for Ice Spiker Pros (tubeless I guess too)
Disc brakes obviously
Rigid fork
Di2 (maybe even Alfine) because it doesn't freeze or get crappy with salt.
Dunno if anything even vaguely like this exists or whether I'd need to build it from scratch...
ROAD < Scott Foil HMX Di2, Volagi Liscio Di2, Jamis Renegade Elite Di2, Cube Reaction Race > ROUGH
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Apart from the "wonderful" name, £3,600....!!! And that's in the basic form.
I was actually thinking of a simple MTB frame, paired with rigid forks, some lightish 26" wheels, Ice Spikers, probably flat bars (when it's icy, it's rarely windy and the tyres will limit progress) and then a broad ranged Di2 gear set (Alfine and belt drive would probably be optimum) - I'd be targeting £1000 maybe £1500 tops
It's too expensive, has 650c wheels, front suspension and no Di2 (but is Di2 'ready'). But it's still pretty interesting
Cannondale Slate
http://www.cannondale.com/en/International/Bike/ProductDetail?Id=0033c523-2f63-4738-987c-5903881c7ea8
CAAD12 Disc
Condor Tempo
http://i1070.photobucket.com/albums/u500/77712/FLYXII/IMG_20151121_132850_zpsib66zsuh.jpg
Spec.
Rival 1 with 11-36 cassette
Trp mechanical disc brakes
Crosslight tubeless wheels
I'm going to change the tyres to Black Mamba's 34mm tubeless, thought I'd be able to run the Clement tubeless but they're a bit loose on the rims.
If Sram ever decide to reduce the wireless mech to a reasonable price, I'll change over to that.
For £350 (frame,forks,seatpost and headset) delivered in ten days, door to door, can't complain, the only gripe being the front fork dropouts are quite thick, means using a longer than normal skewer. I had the BSA bottom bracket version, so, together with the mudguard eyelets , it is pretty much winterproofed. Regarding tyre size, I think that you'd be able to get over 45mm to fit maybe even 50mm.
I've spent £1250 on this build and had saddle,stem and pedals in stock, and one has to add the satisfaction of building a custom bike to the list (which I hadn't done for about 25 years). I can't comment on the bike out on the road as I've had the lurgy for a couple of weeks, but reading on other forums it will be good enough for me.
Plenty of other frame options available,meaning lots to contemplate.
To be fair, it's a hand-made frame with Rohloff hub & Gates belt drive. How about ordering a pair of Alfine hubs, one Di2 and one Dynamo from Germany and getting wheels made up here - say £600, then either swapping in to a s/h bike or building up from spares/parts? Rose bikes have a flat-barred, hub-geared bike, "Black Lava" at either £1500 or £2200 (Alfine vs Rohloff) but it looks to lack the clearance for spikers/wide rubber.
I haven't yet found a good and light-ish 700c tyre. The Marathon W***ers have had me sliding on my censored before now and, at around 1kg each, that's censored . I'm an Ice Spiker Pro folding man - 695g and 361 spikes at 26" (they're close on 1kg at 29")
I'm also not yet sure how much I'm going to use an ice commuter - the Highlands was 4-5 months. I might be as well to take the car and turbo
The Suomi ones are great in 26", they do plenty for 700c. I have the W106 on my MTB, which are available in 700c.
If you can find some Vredestein tricomp are the nuts, I did my first Rapha HOTN on them and still ride the same pair today although I did just put a slash in them which I'll patch tomorrow, tread and grip is second to none. I just hope the new version is at least as good.
Rule #9 // If you are out riding in bad weather, it means you are a badass. Period.
Rule #12 // The correct number of bikes to own is n+1.
Rule #42 // A bike race shall never be preceded with a swim and/or followed by a run.
Snow is hard work, so you will probably want the low gearing that an MTB gives, and shifters that can be used wearing really thick gloves.
I can see the advantages of Di2 to avoid frozen cables, but I would go with cassette not Alfine, so that when one sprocket is clogged with compressed snow, you can change to a clear one and get a bit further before having to stop and bang the snow off.
In short, a normal MTB.
Marin Nail Trail
Cotic Solaris
MTB with fat tyres is incredibly hard work in snow and a drop bar cross bike might be a little more pleasant.
Your problem is budget because Di2 gruppo will cost a lot, even if you go for cheap chainset and brakes etc
Please let us know how you get on. Alan
Nice work!
Nokian are now Sumoi tyres for bikes:
http://www.suomityres.com/eng/tyres/?code=T200281&type=winter#specs_winter
The W106 that I run on the MTB I've found to be totally reliable (never a deflation either, but I am using Panaracer Flataways on them). They're 890g each, not light but really tough (and I've never lost a stud in two years). Studs only in the center, but you really need to be leaning into a corner quite a bit for that to matter.
You could get and update a Carrera Subway8, that is an 8 speed nexus hub gear with coaster brakes as stock!
Cotic Roadrat with hub gear perhaps?
There are many many ways of doing what you want!
That's really exactly the problem. I wish I had a start point like a frame that begins to pin me down on a solution. I think I'm just lurking now to see if a cracking deal comes up. I am also holding fire to see what winter here is like.
I am not sure. You have no chance.
I think personally I'd start with a Roadrat frame and go from there.
I don't see an issue with using properly cared for normal derailleur for gear shifting either!
The only answer I was looking for was if there's already something out there that fits the bill and it seems there isn't - so I have my answer
I can tell you've never had your derailleur freeze - I even used Gore Ride-On gear cables but the derailleur itself freezes and the spring isn't strong enough to overcome that whereas Di2 will manage that.
if it's very wet with varable temps I could see it could happen but most of the time it's below zero so no/little water to freeze or it's warm enough it's water and not freezing or if so very slowly.
some bikes do suffer more that others with derailer postions and what not. my old MTB (hardtail) picked up very little mud etc around the derailers where as the new MTB (full suspention) does pick up quite a lot, doesn't stop it working though.
Believe me, I've tried all sorts and wouldn't be looking to do something different if the previous approaches had worked.
Got to work and one of the mountain bikers in the office asked me why I hadn't just peed on it. That's the difference between roadies and mountain bikers right there.
I'd worry it would have frozen solid.
had that happen a few times in bushy park, normally go though a puddle etc and the freewheel would freeze, so you'd get no drive, never had that happen with cassettes thus far.
But it is these sorts of temps (-5 and below) that these sorts of issues occur.
what about something like this?
http://www.bikeradar.com/road/gear/category/bikes/urban/product/review-canyon-urban-7-0-16-49881/
it's not 26, but ice spikers pros come in 27.5 assuming the Canyon has the clearance, which would depend on what magic ruler Schwalbe had used in making the Ice spiker pros.