If my bike gets particularly crusty with ice/snow after a ride I'm lucky to have a basement where I can let the stuff melt off and then I do a quick wd-40 douse of the appropriate bits. A full clean might follow if it looks like the streets will be clear but otherwise I just stick to the basics because I'm too lazy to spend a half hour cleaning my bike every day.
Tony, I think either of those bikes ought to be good although I'm not sure how big the clearances are on the X0-3 for running bigger tires and a fender. Footprint is pretty key for me in Reno. Addison Wilhite, M.A. Academy of Arts, Careers and Technology<http://www.washoecountyschools.org/aact/> *“Blazing the Trail to College and Career Success”* Educator: Professional Portfolio <http://addisonwilhite.blogspot.com/> Blogger: Reno Rambler <http://reno-rambler.blogspot.com/> Bicycle Advocate: Regional Transportation Commission, Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee<http://www.rtcwashoe.com/public-transportation-22-124.html> On Wed, Dec 11, 2013 at 6:56 AM, Shoji Takahashi <shoji.takaha...@gmail.com>wrote: > Hi Tony, > I've been winter bike commuting for a few years now in the Boston area. I > use Nokian A10(?) studded tires (700X32) on my crosscheck. I meant to set > it up as a single speed for the winter season, but was caught this past > week without having done the conversion. Instead, I swapped tires from JB > Greens to the studded ones when I realized the rain mix was going to change > to snow/ice. > > My biggest concern for winter commuting is ice. The roads for my ride are > plowed, and even in heavy snow fall, the snow's not too deep to ride (maybe > a few inches). I've found the Nokians to cut through the snow and slush to > the road, and that works for my commute. I don't think a fat bike's > flotation would offer an advantage. > > I prefer a dedicated snow/ice bike, as the salt+dirt really wears on the > drive train. I'm also not very good at wiping it down after a ride, as, > well... it's cold and I'm lazy. > > When the snow clears, there's usually stretches of days or even weeks when > the roads are free of salt, and I can then take out the nice bike (w/o > being as concerned of corrosion). > > If I had your stable of bikes, I would outfit the MB-5 or XO-3 with > Schwalbe Marathon winters. (Maybe set up as a single speed or fixed, if > possible.) > > Another option is getting a separate wheelset to swap out the wheels from > studded to regular tires (which I'm considering for my own bike). > > Ride safely, > shoji > > > On Tuesday, December 10, 2013 11:44:43 PM UTC-5, Tony DeFilippo wrote: > >> As I get ready for bed tonight realizing I probably don't have a safe set >> of this to ride in tomorrow's icy conditions in DC I'm shopping for winter >> tires... >> >> I'm curious about those who live in an area that does not have consistent >> snow or ice conditions but gets it enough to want the capability to ride in >> them. Do you set up a'snow bike' dedicated to the winter tires, put the >> tires on your primary commuter and leave them all season, swap them out as >> each storm or threat of storm comes through...? Some other solution... >> >> My personal decision is whether to get 700c tires to outfit the Atlantis, >> or to go 26" for either the MB-5 or XO-3. In leaning towards the XO-3 and >> making it the dedicated snow and ice bike through the winter. >> >> As always I'm curious what the group thinks... >> >> Tony >> >> -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "RBW Owners Bunch" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. > Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
