Adam, thanks, very interesting. Smooth 25s: why these rather than either
fatter, or knobbier, or bothier? I can see narrower than 60; say 40; but 25
and smooth? Pray, why? Me, I think of 60 mm, 18 psi, and wide, deep knobs.
Tend to agree about ss, fixed or free. On my snow rides, such as they are,
I have avoided steep and long hills, and for slop, mud or snow, I can get
by with gearing down a tooth or 2 from ordinary dry pavement cruising
gears; say 63" or 65" instead of 70" +. My erstwhile Monocog 29er had a
63" gear and it did very well. At any rate, few things more annoying than a
chain that skips in every gear thanks to a big bolus of snow on the
cassette. I do have to say that the Sun Tour Bar Cons and the DA 74nn rd
behaved impeccably despite the mess.
Agree too about non-clipless ( that means "non-non-clips and straps"). I
have a deep antipathy to non-retention, though, so Power straps or MSK Xtra
Deep clips set up for my thick-cleated-tread hiking shoes might be good.
Speaking of which: In your ("your": second person plural: all y'all's)
collectivized experience, is there a clipless system that works better than
others in sloppy mud and slushy snow? I ask because I have a pair of very
nice, lugged-sole Lake winter riding boots that are comfortable in such
conditions, but SPD just don't cut it. Might Time be best?
Back to snow packing up under fenders. I've had it happen -- to the point
where it materially slows the tire -- with 32 (~30-31 actual) mm Paselas
under 50 mm Berthouds. Is there some magic about 25s or skinny generally
that avoids such buildup?
On Fri, Jan 4, 2019 at 6:45 PM Adam in Indiana <adam.rachel.kil...@gmail.com>
wrote:
> 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?
>
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--
*------------------------------------------------------------------------------------*
*Still 'round the corner there may waitA new road or a secret gate,And
though we pass them by today,Tomorrow we may come this wayAnd take the
hidden paths that runTowards 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?*
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