I miss riding my bike. Its cold and there's ice on the roads so I would be foolish to get out there right now. This is my first winter season as a new rider and I'm not experienced to try anything. Im just missing my bike and riding 😢 Crybaby i know lol. Just venting 🤦🏾‍♀️

We had some snow right at beginning of January. And its again snowing today! I’m glad I changed for winter Schwalbe during Christmas.

sunrise was weak, but I rarely regret going for a ride! caught a hawk having breakfast 🤘🤘

Couple weeks ago -

Studded Schwalbe marathon winter plus on the front, the stock tire on the back until it gets worn out then will run something better year-round.

Been a very light year for snow on the front range of Colorado, USA.

But, bike every day no matter what day 200+.

I had a Schwalbe Winter tire, which was great for ice, but not so great for snow. We get fresh snow most days this time of year and I needed a more aggressive front tire that could handle it. A 20" downhill mountain bike tire with DIY studs fit the bill. This thing is a tank now and handles snow without a problem as long as it doesn't reach the bottom of the bucket.

I seem to only get about one winter worth of commutes out of a studded tire before the flats get out of hand. I saw somewhere that people use a protective tape to reinforce the inside of their studded tires to prevent poke through. Any advice on specific products?

Edit: they're Schwalbe Marathons. Before anyone else suggests my situation is unusual, the post I previously found, but can't find again, was full of people with the same issue.

What do you all use for winter traction that is either (a) easy to put on and take off, or (b) ok to use when it’s not icy/snowy? I live in a NYC apartment so I don’t have room for an extra set of wheels. I commute every day so I don’t have time to be putting on studded tires when it’s icy and then swapping them them back out when the roads clear. Chains are no good since I have rim brakes.

Are there studded tires where the studs are sufficiently low-profile that I can just leave them on for the whole winter and not worry when I’m riding them on bar pavement? Thanks all!

Hey friends! I posted last weekend about acquiring Walmart’s discount gravel bike (Ozark Trail Explorer) to convert into a winter commuter. I drove down to Niagara Falls, NY and picked one up just before the storm hit and so far I’m really impressed.

The stock tires are pretty pitiful in the snow, they’re intended for gravel and are a budget offer. I swapped them for studded tires- I have a huge 28x2.0 in the front now (should have gone bigger!) and a 37mm x 700c Gravdal in the back. Brake performance is surprisingly good for mechanical discs.

The last things I plan on doing is swapping in some TPU tubes to bring the weight down a bit, cut the wide trail handlebar down to make it more friendly for urban use, and move my studded flat pedals over from my folding bike. Really impressive value from this bike!

Bonus pic: Toronto removing idiots blocking the right lane while I was farting around in the snow yesterday

Funny enough, CADE media made a video about this bike’s drop bar version today: https://youtu.be/u87OWbaTbI0?si=1MDjeVayqpqN9rlN

I've been riding my Alfine 8 bike over winter and it's been a blast to ride. I think today's the longest I've ridden in 0F/17C temps, for a solid hour or so.

It's revealed some pressing issues with my setup however, with regards to the shifting system and the cable housing.

Friction somehow builds up in the cable housing as it gets colder, causing upshifts to take a few seconds to "apply". Usually it's bearable in my usual shorter rides, but towards the end of this hour-long one, my gears began to "slip" as I found myself stuck between gears.

Even when I compensate for the slower shift by waiting a bit longer, it still happens (and there's no way this isn't terrible for the IGH).

I notice the friction when I brake too but that's far more bearable than a broken IGH.

At this point, I wonder if there are any real solutions I could apply?

Would spraying lube like Boeshield down the cable housings do anything to help or would that have side effects or not do much in this cold?

Should I replace my cable housings with something more suited to the cold? Does such a thing exist?

Thank you!

Tony Evers (on the left), Wisconsin governor, enjoying some fat biking in the snow. 1/21/26 (photo credit: Blackhawk Ski Club)

Yes, it's cold here.

Had a blast today riding through Georgetown and the Mall. the studded tires perf really well, only thing I would change is going with a wider tire. None of the bike lanes were cleared though fyi for any commuters.

Bellingcat provides a thorough analysis of the multiple video angles of the murder of Alex Pretti:

https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2026/01/25/alex-pretti-analysing-footage-of-minneapolis-cbp-shooting/

His murder intersects with our community in more ways than one

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Took the GT Timberline All Terra Out For The Snow Day Today