The First Heavy Snow of the Season (Comments: 9)

9 comments to “The First Heavy Snow of the Season”

Julie, December 2nd, 2007 at 2:33 pm:

• Beautiful picture!

  Ice cream at 5 am in the snow? Insanity, indeed…

derek, December 2nd, 2007 at 3:26 pm:

• ha! I did the same exact thing last night(minus the ice cream) we didn’t get as much snow but it was still fun. Cool pic!

Keith, December 2nd, 2007 at 9:36 pm:

• If the snow sticks around and you like riding in it, Come on out to the TNUA ride on Tuesday. Scott can never stay out of the snow if the ground is firm underneath.

Julie, December 3rd, 2007 at 9:19 pm:

• Hey, it would be great if one of you snow-riding veterans could post some tips for the rest of us…like do you need special tires or any other special gear? For me, the less I have to do to my bike, the better…

Keith, December 4th, 2007 at 3:21 pm:

• Big, knobby tires help keep you floating above the snow and not sinking into it – but they aren’t essential. Google a Surly Pugsley to see a purpose built snow bike.
  For riding, you have to go where the bike takes you, and keep spinning away at the cranks, usually a lower gear with a high cadence helps. Keep a loose grip on the bars and let the bike steer itself to some degree. If you try to fight it, the bike will win! It’s debatable whether or not to use your front brake. I don’t use it much in the snow, as the front wheel will lock up pretty easily and slide out. It’s usually not hard to slow down if the snow is deep enough.
  I have studded tires on my bike, and they help for ice and packed snow, but they don’t do much for deep snow – that’s where wide tires help. Tonight’s TNUA ride ought to be a good one for learning to ride in the snow.

Keith, December 4th, 2007 at 3:54 pm:

• Also, less air in the tires helps a bunch. I run at or below the minimum PSI rating on the tire.

RocBike.com | The RocBike Review » A Snowy Nighttime Bike Ride, December 4th, 2007 at 11:36 pm:

• [...] tires for now – they did OK yesterday, and I believe they worked even better today after I followed Keith’s advice in the comments to take some air out of the [...]

Jack, December 5th, 2007 at 12:44 pm:

• I like a compromise tire – 1.5 or 1.75 inch width, fairly aggressive tread for snow but not so aggressive that it can’t run smoothly on pavement. I’ve already voted for high-quality studded tires, but there’s also something to be said for having more than one bike in service. Most days through the Rochester winter, the pavement is dry (or just damp), so studs are, ah, too much icing on the cake. Carbide studs wear well on bare pavement; steel studs, particularly on the back wheel, wear down fast. But any studded tire will last longer if you give it a break by switching to another bike when conditions permit. For me that other bike is my trusty Miyata touring machine (ca. 1988), with solid commuter tires (32 mm) and good handling characteristics. My Miyata is priceless to me, but I assume you can pick up a used machine like this pretty cheap – though it’s no bargain if it’s truly a “beater” that is half broken down and then breaks down in winter, a season that can be tough on any machine or component. BTW, it’s necessary to have a good maintenance routine (ritual?). I think road salt is the worst thing about winter cycling; I end up washing off the bike almost daily and re-lubing at least the chain, which takes a real hit and is prone to rust. You should use a light oil and wipe off any excess, to avoid getting the bike all gummed up. In the warm weather I use a paraffin-based “dry” chain lube, which doesn’t work very well when the mercury dips. Nor does it offer much rust protection. If there are any superior products out there, I’d appreciate hearing about them.

Adam, December 5th, 2007 at 2:07 pm:

• Jack – could you describe your daily winter “washing off the bike” process? I fear that I don’t do enough.

  My paraffin-lubricated chain started rusting after just two days in the snow and salt! So I bought some nice light oil at Towner’s yesterday and my chain responded well to it after a thorough cleaning.