I posted back in Dec about the idea for a bike project using a Surly 1×1 frame.  Something along the lines of an uber commuter/errand/touring bike.  Well I got in a medium [18"] 1×1 frame this week from Bow Cycle.  My goal is to use existing parts and hopefully not have to buy anything other than the frame.  So far I’m doing pretty well scavenging in my parts bin and stealing from other bike that aren’t getting used too much.

I’ve got the 1×1 clamped in my bike work stand waiting to be built up and rolled out onto the streets.  I’ve got some pretty cool bike frames and you might ask why go with a plain jane Surly 1×1 when I could have selected something exotic and uber cool?  Good question!

Why the Surly 1×1?

• so far every Surly frame I’ve bought and built up has turned into a bike I love to ride.
• the cost of a 1×1 frame is low enough that I can indulge my desire to build up a new bike at a very reasonable price using existing bike parts.
• versatility - a 1×1 can be a mountain bike, a commuter bike, a touring bike or a hip urban cruiser depending what parts you hang on it.
• Fatties Fit Fine - one of the main reasons this frame is so versatile is the massive clearance it has for 26″ tires up to 2.7″ wide with room left over for fenders and/or mud!
• the massive tire clearance means you can mount 700c/29er wheels with narrower tires as long as you use disc brakes…[I haven't confirmed this, but it makes sense]
• speaking of brakes you can run discs or v-brakes
• horizontal dropouts - I’m a big fan of internally geared hubs and clean chainlines.  With these dropouts I can do away with pesky chain tensioners and have a bombproof drivetrain that doesn’t pay attention to mud or the weather.
• steel is real - great ride, low cost, gets the job done.
• besides these reasons the 1×1 just looks and feels “right” in my hands.  Nothing I can explain really.

Want to ride your Surly Pugsley on ice - then you need studs!  Here is a great blog post explaining how you stud an Endomorph. Great winter biking photos also…be careful you might find yourself building up a Pugsley!

I’ve slowly been moving away from SPD type pedals on my bikes in favour of BMX platforms and street shoes.  This has worked well for most of the riding I do which is generally urban transport, utility/cargo cycling and touring.  I wasn’t 100% sure I’d be happy with this setup for mountain biking as it’s a much more aggressive style of riding. I also harbored a fear of flying off the pedals at an inopportune moment.

When packing for Moab/Sedona last year I included some SPD type pedals and shoes just in case I couldn’t stand platform pedals off road.  Kurt only brought SPDs and so I started to worry I was making a bad choice.  However, I had the platforms on my Santa Cruz Nomad and was too lazy to swap them out so the experiment was set in motion!

After a couple rides in Moab it was pretty clear that platforms were an excellent choice.  So much so that Kurt ditched his SPD pedals/shoes and bought some BMX pedals.  He also bought some 5.10 bike shoes.  With climbing rubber and a flat sole these shoes stuck to his pedals like glue.  I was a bit dissatisfied with my trail runners on BMX pedals as the sole did not grip the shoes as well as I would have liked – not their fault – trail runners are not designed for bike riding.

I pulled the trigger on some 5.10 Impact 2 low shoes [Kurt got the Impact 2 mid version with a slightly higher ankle   section].  The difference was impressive…climbing rubber is understandably sticky and a flat sole engages all the pins on my NRG BMX pedals.  The result is loads of control and the ability to put a foot down instantly.  I felt much more comfortable tackling technical sections since I could take a foot off the pedals easily or jump right off the bike if needed.  I also never had any issues with coming off the pedals on fast downhill sections or jumps.  In fact it pretty much feels like your feet are glued to the pedals until you want them off.

Interestingly of the local riders we’ve seen in Moab and Sedona the ratio of platforms to SPD pedals is about 4:1.  These 5.10 bike shoes have been one of the most popular choices of footwear for the platform pedal crowd.  I’m not surprised since they are well made and quite comfortable as day to day shoes off the bike.

Of course there is a downside to not being clipped in to your bike.  You can’t pull up on the pedals to generate extra power or bunny hop an obstacle.  I haven’t noticed the lack of power as a problem and with 6″ of travel at the back as long as I get my front wheel over the obstacle I’m home free.  I’ve also watch loads of riders with BMX pedals bunny hopping so it’s doable I just have to learn some new skills.

I find this change back to normal footwear a bit funny as I used to think cycling without SPD pedals was crazy talk…=-)

I’ve ridden throughout the winter in BC, Ontario and Calgary.  Each spot has it’s challenges.  BC is super wet.  Kingston Ontario sees huge snowfalls due to its position on the edge of Lake Ontario.  Calgary’s challenge is the wild swings in temperatures.  It can be winter, summer and spring all in the same week.  That means you have to be able to deal with snow, ice and bare pavement with little warning.  I can setup a bike for any one of the three conditions no problem, but it’s hard to be ready for all three.  The easiest solution is to have 3 bikes and use whichever makes the most sense at the time - effective, but expensive!. The next best is to have multiple wheel sets and just swap out wheels/tires when conditions change - nearly as effective and not as expensive, but we are still talking enough $$$ that it might not be possible.  You could just use one wheel set and swap out tires - that would work, but if you are a regular winter bike commuter adding 20-30 mins to your day isn’t going to make you happy.  Especially since sometimes you really don’t know what conditions are like until you are part way to work.

Is there one tire you can run all winter and have your bases covered?

In order to answer that question my friend Anna and I have been using a set of Schwalbe Snow Stud [26 x 1.9"] tires for 3 winters.  Anna commuted with them 2-3 times a week the first winter.  I’ve used them for utility biking and transportation riding the other two winters.

First off why this tire?

• enough carbide studs to grip on ice
• enough tread to ride in snow
• not super slow on dry paved roads
• hard wearing studs and rubber
• reflective sidewall stripe
• good puncture protection

Other options?

• you can run a standard knobby mountain bike tire [okay in snow, slippery on ice and slow on dry asphalt]
• you can ride a Surly Pugsley wth 4″ tires [Need to buy a new bike and not ideal for ice or dry pavement]
• you can run a super aggressive studded knobby tire like the Schwalbe Ice Spiker Pro [great for ice, good in snow, but super slow on dry pavement]

The Schalbe Snow Stud has proven to be a really good choice for a one tire winter solution. The limited number of studs keeps weight down and speed up when you are not on ice while still giving you enough control to handle icy days.  The tread rolls quickly on dry pavement, but can provide traction when there is snow on the ground.  I was surprised how easily it rolled on dry pavement and there has not been any significant wear on the tread or the studs so far.  We’ve also had zero flats.

Having said all that good stuff I don’t want to leave you with an unrealistic opinion of this tire.  The limited number of studs means you do have to be careful on ice.  You can’t just turn uber sharp or hammer the pedals like it was summer.  The same is true on snow since the tread is designed to roll fast not provide the maximum grip. You won’t win any bikes races with these tires either - they are fast for a winter tire, but not the same as running high performance rubber.

The other thing to consider is that a 1.9″ wide tires can’t work in really deep soft snow.  However, this tire will keep you rolling until nobody is riding, but the fat tire Surly Pugsley crowd.

So to answer the original question - is there one tire that can handle anything a Calgary winter can throw at it? - I think the Schwalbe Snow Stud is a great choice for the winter bike commuter who doesn’t want to think about their bike, but needs to know they’ll be able to make it work without drama.

I should also point out that Schwalbe offers a Marathon Winter tire which is similar to the Snow Stud, but offers more studs.  If you deal with a significant amount of ice this may be a better choice that will still roll fine on dry pavement.

David posted his Arrowhead 135 winter ultra marathon cycling race report on the Surly Bikes Blog.  If you have a Pugsley or lust for one it’s well worth a read.  I’m too lazy to ever ride a winter ultra cycling race, but I love hearing the stories of these amazing adventures.

If you like a good touring story the Riding South site has  a great blog and some nice photos of an intrepid Surly Long Haul Trucker that rode from Seattle to the tip of South America.

Here is a sample:

“I graced the valley walls, finally finding a smooth section of hard packed dirt.  The valley dropped down ~500 meters (1600ft) sharply to my left.  A pothole approached ahead as I flew at what my speedometer would later tell me was 48 kph.  In crossing over to the right side of the road toward the other track, in that split second I noted the steepness of the crown, and in that fraction of a second when my eyes widened, I noted in zen like detail the grittiness of the sand on the side of that crown as my front wheel began to slide and I realized what was happening.  Those nanoseconds multiplied into minutes watching my front tire slide sideways, lubricated by speed, wet sand, and enjoyment of fear.  Somehow instinct kicked in and as always I clipped out of my pedals.  It’s not a choice I make; it’s a reaction that seems to come directly from the muscles in my feet.  In an instant I was flying, free of the trucker and gliding towards new adventure.  The feeling of impact brought back that smell.  That indescribable smell of  trauma that I know does not exist and is gone in an instant, but if experienced enough will be remembered along with all the previous adventures where it was found.  The feeling of rocks scraping over my front teeth was unmistakable and went on for much longer than possible.  Finally, I skidded to a stop, dazed but aware of what had occurred, and opened my eyes.  My vision was partially obscured by a roll of skin that had been peeled from the top of my nose and neatly bunched at the end like .  My knee was shredded and that usual intermediate period where no pain is felt didn’t arrive.  My handlebar bag had opened, a yard sale now blocking this narrow, remote mountain route.  Several times I attempted to get up and walk the seven or so feet I had launched from the bike to the bike to take a photo.  Each time I was met with excruciating pain from my knee that dropped me back to the dirt.  Ten minutes later a truck arrived, picked up my bloody broken body and gear and dropped me at the health center in the next pueblita.”

Shimano has a new 11 speed Alfine internal geared hub in the works.  I’m super stoked!…=-)  The 8 speed Alfine has proven reliable and excellent in even the harsh conditions I ride my Pugsley in.  The 11 speed version is the same weight, but adds gear range and most of the gears are at 13% jumps similar to the Rohloff IGH.

I can’t wait until this hits the streets…now I just need to break/wear out my 8 speed Alfine so I have an excuse to get one of these.

More info ad specs here.

I’d rather be riding on a beach in Mexico, but if that’s not possible an epic day of mountain biking in Fish Creek Park is a pretty darn good second choice!…=-) Snow conditions at the moment are nearly perfect for a fat tire bike like the Surly Pugsley. The base is firm so you can ride pretty much everywhere you want and the new snow on top is dry and has lots of structure so you get great traction for turning and climbing. The -12 deg C air temp wasn’t bad at all once we were ripping around in the trees.

I’m really not sure what’s better a great day of snow biking or a great day of mountain biking????   I’m glad I don’t have to choose!