Jay, Where are you? I'm in central Illinois, and our winters feature snow, ice, and lots of salt. Decades ago I lived in SW CO -- very different -- lots of snow, but no salt, just cinders in some corners and hills.
If you live in a place with lots of salt I agree with Mathias -- don't do that to a nice bike, even if, like Jonathan, you're willing to give it a good wash after every ride -- it will wreak havoc with all of the parts as well as the frame, especially if you store it inside and therefore expose it to the added condensation issues of the hot/cold cycles. In my case when the roads get salty and snowy/slushy I commute on a 1980s Schwinn MTB with Schwalbe studded tires, fenders and a 1 x 6 drivetrain --- I don't wash it until spring (I do lube the drivetrain regularly), and after years of that abuse it's slowly getting fairly corroded, but I do not really care -- it gets stored in my garden shed and gets locked outside at work -- it does not ever see the inside of a heated building, and it still works. If you live in a place that has good snow and no salt (and lots of grand off-road riding opportunities) then a case might be made for a nicer bike as an all-season bike. Regardless, winter riding in snow is a different exercise (and is pretty good for practicing smooth pedaling and braking, as not doing that tends to end up with more slides and dismounts) and is a lot of fun (although miles and speed will go way down for most). Julian Westerhout Bloomington, IL On Saturday, December 6, 2025 at 2:52:44 PM UTC-6 Jonathan Carmack wrote: > I’ve done many seasons on winter riding in DC/Virgina, a region that > infamously over salts. Never had issues with bad corrosion—with that being > said I always do a fresh water wash after. Cables, chains etc will > deteriorate but honestly it’s pretty damn humid in the summer too so > **shrug** > > On Sat, Dec 6, 2025 at 3:50 PM Ben Miller <[email protected]> wrote: > >> Oh, I meant to add that if I was building up a current Riv frame to be a >> drop-bar winter tourer, it'd hands down be an Atlantis, no question. And >> then making a Clem work with drops would be a distance second. >> >> On Saturday, December 6, 2025 at 12:25:46 PM UTC-8 Ben Miller wrote: >> >>> "I would like a bike for winter / wet weather / touring" >>> >>> Not sure exactly what you mean by "winter", but if you are talking snow >>> at all, here is my take. To me, that is the perfect use case for disc >>> brakes. Not only will they stop better with snow-n-ice-covered rims, but >>> also make your rims last longer in the wet & dirty conditions by not using >>> them as braking surfaces. >>> >>> Personally, I live in SF, so I don't experience wintery conditions. But >>> I do have a bike I take up to the snow. It's a Crust Scapegoat setup with >>> Towelrack drops and an internally geared Rolhoff and 27.5x3" tires . >>> (Attached is an older photo of it in the snow, while I was experimenting >>> with Crazy bars and 4" tires). It is super fun to ride all year round, and >>> with wider tires I don't feel I even need studded tires. A higher than >>> normal BB also helps in snowy conditions. I think the new Crust Derecho >>> would also make a great frame for a winter bike: with clearance for >>> 29x2.5", putting some 45NRTH Kahva 29x2.25" studded tires would still offer >>> great clearance for excess snow buildup and it has a high BB too. Both >>> frames can be setup as drop-bar rigid MTB's. >>> >>> But if you are keen on sticking with rim brakes, I'd definitely >>> recommend *not* going with mini-V brakes. Just not enough clearance for >>> them, especially with fenders. Get regular V-brakes and either proper >>> long-pull drop levers or just run them with short-pull. Or run cantis. I >>> have Paul Moto-lites I am using with Tektro RL340 levers and they work >>> perfectly and have plenty of clearance for a 2.25" tire. Conversely, I put >>> Paul Mini-motos on my wife's Platy and they *barely* clear 45mm slicks. >>> No way you are getting 45mm studded ties in there, let alone fenders. >>> >>> Either way, I definitely do not think a winter bike *needs* to be a >>> beater (though a vintage MTB conversion would be great too!) I fully >>> support the idea of a nice, new frame being purposefully built up as a >>> winter tourer. >>> >>> Ben in a very non-wintery SF >>> >>> [image: PXL_20210213_233037098.jpg] >>> On Saturday, December 6, 2025 at 8:33:55 AM UTC-8 Patrick Moore wrote: >>> >>>> Someone please start a thread about Rivendell-esque winter beaters, >>>> with lots of photos. >>>> >>>> It has been 10 years since I owned a real beater, since I work at home >>>> and have good relations with the local grocery stores I use that let me >>>> wheel my custom errand bike inside for shopping, but I have fond memories >>>> of many — from severely demoted 1992 XO-1 to an even more severely demoted >>>> and fix-ified 1995 Riv Road custom, thru paleolithic long-stayed, flexy >>>> (Cadillac!) Raleigh Technium fixed gear to various early ‘90s drop-bar >>>> conversion mountain bikes to a Dahon Hon Solo folding fixed gear, not >>>> including many other 3 speeds and mixtes and Collegiates that didn’t stay >>>> long. >>>> >>>> +1 IMO for fixed or single speed, or IGH. We don’t get much rideable >>>> snow here in ABQ, NM, but recall riding in ~4” of wet snow on my Matthews >>>> “road bike for dirt” and having snow so pack up the cassette that the >>>> chain >>>> wouldn’t track properly on the cogs. >>>> >>>> On Fri, Dec 5, 2025 at 8:41 PM Ian A <[email protected]> wrote: >>>> >>>>> I'm going to throw in a vote for an 80's mtb. I ride my with 2.15" >>>>> studded 26" tires under fenders and single speed. Currently with flat >>>>> bars, >>>>> but ride it for years with drops. I kind of like of like it with the flat >>>>> bars for winter riding and it actually does service as a lock up around >>>>> town bike in the summer running Big Apple tires (2"). >>>>> >>>>> Pros are cheap, fun to ride, love the single speed winter maintenance >>>>> and perfect for grocery runs. My bike is a late 80's Rock Mountain "fully >>>>> rigid" that has gone quality in its bones. >>>>> >>>>> IanA Kitimat BC >>>>> On Friday, December 5, 2025 at 6:58:47 PM UTC-8 Jay wrote: >>>>> >>>>>> I like my Roadini a lot. I would like a bike for winter / wet >>>>>> weather / touring that is as close to the Roadini from a fit >>>>>> perspective, >>>>>> with drop bars, but with a bit more clearance so I can run fenders >>>>>> nearly >>>>>> full time, with perhaps a 38-45 studded tire in winter, and something in >>>>>> that range the rest of the year. The new Hillborne looks good. Not >>>>>> sure >>>>>> what works best with fenders in terms of mini-v (for drop bars), canti's >>>>>> or >>>>>> maybe something else. Goals with the brakes would be: short pull for >>>>>> use >>>>>> with levers like Tektro RRL Ergo, clearance for fenders and as big of a >>>>>> tire as I can fit, and ease of adjustment. I wouldn't be removing the >>>>>> wheels often, mainly when switching tires for winter vs. rest of the >>>>>> year, >>>>>> and seldomly rest of the year. >>>>>> >>>>>> Any other bike options? Has to be for drop bars (for example, >>>>>> Appaloosa too long of a top tube to use with drop bars; for me at least, >>>>>> as >>>>>> I don't like a long reach). >>>>>> >>>>>> Thanks! >>>>>> >>>>> -- >>>>> 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 view this discussion visit >>>>> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/3f1a0c5f-37f7-4de2-86a6-0e8d201367edn%40googlegroups.com >>>>> >>>>> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/3f1a0c5f-37f7-4de2-86a6-0e8d201367edn%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >>>>> . >>>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> -- >>>> >>>> Patrick Moore >>>> Alburquerque, Nuevo Mexico, Etats Unis d'Amerique, Orbis Terrarum >>>> >>>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>>> >>>> Executive resumes, LinkedIn profiles, bios, letters, and other writing >>>> services >>>> >>>> >>>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>>> >>>> *When thou didst not, savage, k**now thine own meaning,* >>>> >>>> *But wouldst gabble like a** thing most brutish,* >>>> >>>> *I endowed thy purposes w**ith words that made them known.* >>>> >>> -- >> 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 view this discussion visit >> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/24c98012-5762-4599-a6ff-d0e513915bfen%40googlegroups.com >> >> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/24c98012-5762-4599-a6ff-d0e513915bfen%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >> . >> > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. 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