BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

You will want fenders here in Pittsburgh.

You mighyt look at Free Ride. They ahve "Earn a bike"

Mick

You will probably get at least halfway through December without snow and ice on the road. You will have cold and wet weather though.

Fenders are a must because if it's not snowing it will be raining. One thing that I have never really understood or been clear on is the debate between knobby tires and skinny slicks for navigating the ice/snow. Some say the skinny slicks "cut through" the ice better, and some say the knobbies give you more traction and allow you to go over snow better. Thoughts on this?

I've used slicks on my mountain bike during the heavy snows, and had no problems. The days after the snows, however, I would have preferred studs for the dense snow and ice. Though I would probably not buy studded tires, because they're useful for only a few commutes out of the entire year.

Best purchase I made last winter was studs. If you're only commuting, and it's not terribly long, they aren't too much of a hindrance if there isn't ice on the ground, and when there's snow and ice, they make riding much more predictable. A good set of studs will last several winters, even if you're mostly riding on pavement.

If the snow isn't really deep, skinny is better than fat, because it cuts through the cruft (check out a rally car kitted for a snow race--really skinny tires with studs). We really don't see the amount of snow that makes big fat tires worthwhile.

Oh, and fenders, with long mudflaps, are indispensable.

I ran with full fenders and cyclocross (knobby) tires last year and that worked out really well. I think I am going to use an all weather tire with an inverse tred on my single speed this year.

Personally I'm a fan of studs too. They're expensive, but worth it... or you can make your own with sheet metal screws and old tires.

Wool clothing from thrift stores is a good score.

Here's some advice we at Dirt Rag compiled last winter, in a 7-part series applying to both road and trail riding. (That link is the last of the seven, with links to the others at the bottom.)

Remember lights. That's going to be a goodly chunk of your $100. As for the bike itself, check out church rummage sales, garage/yard/street sales, etc. Often you can pick up a serviceable bike for $5/$10/$20, and talk with the current owner. Cobwebs are a good omen.