Let It Snow...

This is a follow up to the previous post where I commented that the weather predictions were, as they often are, hype...well I stand corrected. After a few lightening bolts and thunder crashes I looked out the window and saw snow (and yes, I went out in the street in lounge pants and slippers to snap this photo). Buffalo has always been known for it's winters ever since the Blizzard of '77 (click here to read about the October storm of 2006, click here to see a list of some others)...but we still recieve far less snow than many other American cities (but we still always seem to get the press). Click here to see what other cities get in regards to snow and cold (we don't even make the list). None-the-less, it is part of our city's heritage and I think everyone gets a little excited when the first snows come (after we get over the minor depression and denial that our beautiful summer and fall is gone for a couple seasons). If you're from this area you are so used to the snow that a few inches are nothing to worry about...driving in it is simply a nuisance and biking in it offers "special challenges" (wished I would have purchased my studded tires), but I find it beautiful to walk and bike in (it does get a bit tiresome come March and April)  At any rate, looks like I'll be riding my winter bike to work in the morning...and the dogs aren't going anywhere...they love the heat from the wood stove.

Comments

the_big_smile said…
Hi Joe!

We got more than 10 cm snow only this night! Now we have 15 cm snow here.
And yesterday -13 ° C an strong wind. (80 km/h peaks) Fortunatly the wind is not that strong here downtown... But it was really hard to ride.

And this only the beginning of the season. :-(

The studded tires you are thinking of are great in the snow. But if you might want to or have to ride them on clear roads, they will be very tricky to ride. The spike give almost NO traction on paved ground. Not funny!

I would allway prefer a tire which has spikes only on the edge like Spike Claw 120. Or at least the Spike Claw 240 where the spike sit in a large surface rubber, so you will have rubber contacting the road. http://tinyurl.com/26qqyz4

And if you buy only one studded tire, you should mount it at the front wheel, for the front wheel needs more traction for steering and braking.
If you mount studded tire only on the rear wheel, you will have good traction on the rear wheel but no control from the front wheel.
Joe said…
Stefan,
Thanks for the good advice...it's interesting that you mentioned if having just one snow tire have it on the front of the bike. When I bike in the snow and hit a deep patch of snow or ice I always put my weight on the handlebars to weigh down the front tire for better steering ability.