Lots of unplowed snow meant 30km took 2 hours at around -10*C. That’s too long for a commute, so I took the train the next day and felt bad.
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Riding in the snow is fun when you don’t have to be anywhere. School was closed today, but I was ready to leave the house when the notice came through. Decided to venture out and enjoy a slow ride through the neighborhoods. Stopped in at work to say hi to our admin and custodian.
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Finally some proper bullshit headed our way:
I’m a bit worried I’ve gone soft with so many 20-30F commutes. I’m definitely fine with the scant precip though. Riding though snow always sucks and I hate spikes. Though I’m going to mount the conti studless winter tires this weekend anyways.
(That Tuesday might be the first sunny day of 2024 too. Last full sunny day was early December I think)
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What makes your studless tires winter specific?
I think they’re like studless winter tires for cars: softer tire compound that stays supple in cold temps + sipe pattern that offers better grip. I dunno though. I just sort of impulse bought them. Can’t be worse than the horizons which are utterly terrible in cold conditions.
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Horizons are just kinda terrible in general.
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Are they those Continental TopContacts? If so, I can vouch those are pretty damn good. You’re right about how they work. They’re still sketchier on the smoothest glare ice compared to studded tires, but everything else is much nicer.
That’s them!
Do they come in 26x1.9 and 20x1.9? Probably not, right?
There’s some sort of chance of winter weather here on Monday so I’m thinking about re-doing my fatbike wheels lol. They were set-up tubeless with latex strips which is kinda stupid if you never ride them, so I’m going to switch back to tubes (do I really have time for this??)
26" x 50mm?
All I’m seeing is 26x2.2 which, ridiculously, won’t fit between the chainstays of my bakfiets.
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There are 26 x 2.0" available at Universal. I’ve not seen anything studless in 20", but really haven’t looked much. I’m running a Schwalbe marathon winter plus studded on the front and a Conti top contact winter on the rear of the Lorry. Seems to be a fine combination for the little bit I’ve ridden it so far this year.
Dang, for that price I’ll stick with my $23 spesh nimbus.
Definitely cheaper from Euro land but probably not enough to make up for shipping. I bought the 26 x 2.2" Conti from Universal when it was on sale for $55.
OK, I rode my “winter bike” in a winter storm for the first time. Got buffeted by strong wind gusts and soaked by an enormous wave off the lake from like 50 feet away. That was pretty exciting but most of my BOMB CYCLONE ride looked like this:
Thanks Chicago Park District.
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14f with 20mph wind. wow it’s cold. My Deore thumb shifter broke, the tabs that keep it in place on the base just sheared off. Maybe not the cold but a pretty big coincidence if not. Just gonna ride it as a no-friction shifter (holding it in place) until it warms up lol. I have replacements but not gonna risk breaking them too
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First negative double digits commute in several years.
The cold I remember but the aerobic challenge is a real kicker.
Is this the choice? I hop on transit if I can’t make cycle commute work on a given day.