Comments on: On Winter Bike Commuting in Calgary

By: Jeff Perrin

Jeff Perrin — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 18:42:13 +0000

@BikeBike – re: icing… That’s funny, the guy’s at Ridley’s (where I bought the bike) were talking about a guy who was using it as a messenger bike. No reference to the problems of course We’ll see how it goes and I’ll report back.

@D’Arcy – The snow studs were definitely better than no-studs, but I just had no-where near the traction I saw other cyclists had. We’ll see if the extra studs make a difference.

My commute is all over the map… Pathways, side roads, downtown streets. The only really bad parts are 8th street downtown & 19th street down by Southland leisure center. When the snow is really piled up I just ride the sidewalk if there’s nobody on it. I posted my route in another blog post last year… http://jeffperrin.com/2008/11/08/my-cycling-commute/

In the winter I ride from the Leisure Center instead of from home (cuts the ride from 20km to about 12km)

By: D'Arcy Norman

D'Arcy Norman — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 17:06:59 +0000

I picked up a pair of Snow Studs – they work great, although traction on ice isn’t perfect. Still, way better than the near-slicks I ride in the summer.

Is much of your ride on roads? I commute from Tuscany to the U of C, and about 2/3 of my ride is on roads – the pathways don’t go where I need to go – and with the deep snow we’ve had, the roads are just plain scary to ride on. The shoulders are covered with deep piles of snow, and the narrow lane that remains has to be shared with traffic. And they have a serious hate-on for anything on two wheels.

Any tips for road riding in winter? Avoid it as much as possible? Move to sidewalks? Take the lane and wave as the monster trucks buzz by?

By: Matt

Matt — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 17:06:11 +0000

Glad you are able to ride in the winter. Nice gear list, I’d love to get some merino wool stuff. The only thing I can add is MEC cycling shoe covers. Technically for rain, these things keep the wind off your feet which goes a long way to keeping them warm.

By: BikeBike

BikeBike — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 16:44:01 +0000

Hey Jeff

Good article on the realities of winter riding. I dont have much to add to your piece – with the exception of your choice between chain and belt.

A messenger buddy of mine has this same bike, with belt drive, and his thoughts were the same as yours – he thought the belt drive would be bulletproof and work well in winter. However, he has been having huge problems with ice getting packed into the rear “cog” which then forces the belt off the cog. He says the problem doesnt happen on the front chainring (due to the big cutouts).

When I first saw the Gates Belt I thought it would be perfect for all-season riding but I think it may not be ready for our knarly winters quite yet. This is a bummer for me because I was hoping that belt drive would be the next “big thing” for everyday cycling. From what I can tell, all that needs to happen is for the rear cog to have those same cutouts and the problem might be solved.

Just thought I’d let you know. All the best!