Well, here's my experience from commuting year-round in Indiana... I've since changed jobs (self-employed home-service oriented) so don't have a commute anymore. But here we go:
I rode 25mm wide smooth tires under fenders, and never had a snow-pack issue. I don't remember my clearance, but it was somewhere around a 1/2" (13mm). Snow did pack up a little bit, but never enough to be an issue. In really bad stuff I rode my cheap fatbike. (Mongoose Dolomite, yeah!) My fenders were some cheap Planet Bike models, and not full coverage, so they only protected me from the worst of the weather. Still, they were 10mm wider than the tires, so I didn't get too much spray, they just didn't extend downward or forward as much as I would have liked. My work boots were waterproof and I commuted in my technician's uniform with oil and diesel stains and I was going to get sweaty and dirty soon enough at work, so I didn't really care. My commuter described above was a single speed, so I never had any drivetrain issues either. Went through a chain every 500 miles, but other than that... I always rode platform pedals, too. I had numerous times when my bike would go out from under me (only riding 25's, remember), but I always landed on my feet. I'm quite confident that would not have been the case with clipless... I never tried studded tires; too expensive, and the ice never stayed around long enough here. As long as I could find some snow to put between my tires and the ice, things were good. ...Alrighty, thats all i can think of for now... On Friday, January 4, 2019 at 5:41:08 PM UTC-5, Patrick Moore wrote: > My part of the city got only 1 1/2 to 2" of snow earlier this week, though > cold temps have left much of it on the dirt roads, where it is not quite > slush -- wettish, slippery, but not yet melting. The stuff on the small roads > OTOH is slushy and messy. I did a brief 15 mile ride, outbound on dirt but > things were so messy that I took pavement back. > > > I have not ridden in snow since 2015 or 6, and that was dryer snow with no > fenders; the last time I rode a bike with fenders in snow was 2006, commute > to work, and the snow packed up under the rear fender (Honjos) and I had to > stop several times to get rid of it. But at least that ride, too, was in > temps cold enough to keep the snow frozen > > > So, some questions -- and I'm talking to you in particular, Deacon. > > > First, I have ridden finders, short, long, flapped, not flapped, short flaps, > long flaps, narrow and wide, metal and plastic of all makes and models, and I > have never had a setup -- even with full Berthouds, excessively wide for > tires, full coverage, with massive, entirely excessive flap -- that kept crap > off my feet and chainstays when riding through water or slush puddles > > > Again, the snow today was wettish and, on pavement, slushy. > > > 1. Keeping feet and shins and stays and bb area dry and clean: what do you > all do? Photos? > > > I've found a new use for those LegShields (tm), as spats. > > > 2. Buildup under fenders that rubs tire (Big Ones; the tread is nominal > only); snow did not jam or severely retard tire, but it did rub. Granted > there is only a cm or so between top of tire and bottom of fender, but I > wonder if some fenders and setups work better than others. > > > 3. The slush built up on the cassette, causing the chain to skip -- had at > one point to put chain on 27 (big) that stands proud of next smaller. Ideas? > Patrick, I expect that fixed or ss free is best in such conditions -- right? > > > 4. Disc brakes: the pads either swell with wet or, more likely, when wet pick > up grit; no jamming, but certainly light rubbing. > > > 5. SPD mech clogs: can't get feet in, and when you do, can't release. > > > 6. How well do hub gears, the ordinary ones, don't mean Rohloff, do in > freezing temps and wet snow? > > > Oh, and Big Ones are very scary in icy patches! Perhaps should build 2nd > wheelset with narrower, knobby tires -- knobs and much more fender clearance. > > > But good news, Molten Speed Wax kept chain quiet despite wet and dirt. Washed > bike with pails of warm water when I got home. > > > In other news, daydreaming: ideal snow bike would be either something like > the Cleland, with fenders well above narrowish knobbies, but with drum brakes > and either hub gear or, again, ss -- or, really, this is one situation where > 2 rings and a single cog make sense -- rings less likely to pack with slush. > > > So, I may look for a beater mtb with room for 40s to 50s and 2 cm of air > under fenders, ss or fixed, with big fat toke lips (MKS extra deeps in XXLL). > > > > > -- > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ > Still 'round the corner there may wait > A new road or a secret gate, > And though we pass them by today, > Tomorrow we may come this way > And take the hidden paths that run > Towards the Moon or to the Sun. > --- J.R.R. Tolkien > > ----------------------------------------------------------------------- > Resumes, LinkedIn profiles, bios, and letters that get interviews > > By-the-hour resume and LinkedIn coaching > Other professional writing services > > Expensive! But good. > http://www.resumespecialties.com/ > Patrick Moore > Alburquerque, Nuevo Mexico, Etats Unis d'Amerique > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > Auditis an me ludit amabilis insania? -- 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 [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
