It has come to my attention that some a few folks actually read this thing and I was chastised for letting it die. Unfortunately my old posts were lost after letting my old account expire, but I have a plan to restore them, at least the text bits.
Anyway, I cobbled together a winter bike with homemade studded tires, full fenders, single speed, and even foam grips for added warmth and it's been a pretty good commuter. Actually the geometry of the frame is really uncomfortable, the front end has a shocking and dangerous amount of flex, the chain falls off fairly regularly, the rims are dented, and the rolling resistance of the tires is so bad that I rarely need to touch the brakes. All the hate for the machine washes away when I get to ride in the conditions it accommodates, so it's all good.
The normal 45 minute max ride to work takes a minimum hour on this frankenbike as compared to my sunny day road bike. The extra time wouldn't be so bad were it not for the cold weather, around the 45 minute mark I'm usually thinking "well, if i were getting to work now I wouldn't lose the feeling in my toes at all". The cold is manageable, but sloppy roads and sliding cars scare me back to the caged warmth of a car. The forecast for tomorrow is -20F for the morning commute, but the roads will be clear...
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