The Bike

There are a wide range of available winter bikes.  I've been looking at the Surly Pugsley http://surlybikes.com/bikes/pugsley, the Dutch Workcycles commuter bikes http://www.workcycles.com and a few others.  These bikes are really expensive ranging from $1,000 to $2,000.  The good news is the high price bikes aren't necessary.  I currently use an old commuter bike that was just hanging in the rafters.

A couple of notes. First, I do not have, nor would I recommend, fenders.  My panniers (saddle bags) keep snow from kicking up on me from the rear tire. I believe fenders would be a big place for snow buildup to cause issues.  Second, the only thing I do to take care of the chain and gears is spray them with WD-40.  Perhaps the biggest lesson I learned was to always leave the bike outside.  If left in the cold, rust does not happen on the bike.  If you bring it in to a heated space, rust will be everywhere in just one day.

Here is my winter bike:

I do have studded tires and will address them in a future entry.