E-bike or E-trike for winter commuting?

Agreed. Going 40 mph on ice/packed snow in a car generally isn't a great idea. You will be surprised (hopefully not fatally) at how long stopping will take from that speed with compromised traction. Doing it on a bike/trike with zero protection is really not something I think you should aim for. Distance over time/stopping distances are substantially more than halved at 25mph.
 
Alright, how fast would you recommend?
I'm considering using 203mm disc brakes for overkill. Wise or no?
Also considering wide tires for better traction, I want to try not to die in the warmer months as well :p
Although I want to minimize losses to speed and range so maybe not.

I'd like to use a 29' rear wheel but I don't think it will fit on the kmx kit so I'll probably be using a 26' wheel.
i'm going to load that sucker up with as many batteries as will possibly fit under the seat, on the rack, and in the panniers.
/
 
What is your goal? Your brakes, in snow and ice, aren't going to be worth much. Your tires will be everything there. Your worse case scenario for brake load will be with clean sticky tires on pristine pavement after they have gotten hot. This isn't what you will be seeing in snow and ice.

Snow, ice and wet, is more about balance and modulation of the brakes with tires that set up for the surface. Raw braking power isn't as important in those conditions.

It will be interesting to see what you come up with.

As far as riding speed, you will figure that out very VERY quickly on your first trip.
 
FlightService said:
What is your goal?
I guess the end goal is to have a year-round rock solid reliable car replacement that can get me where I'm going reasonably fast without having to pay for gas and insurance.
 
MadRhino said:
You want weight on the front to ride slippery conditions. That is because yo can control the loss of traction much better on the rear than front. Racing on ice, we are on the handlebar for the entire race. In the snow we are playing a lot with fr and rr balance, but turns are always on the front.
Yup, the added weighted on my front DD and studded tire is my go to ice bike. Townie style flat foot frame and the seat even lowered a bit more is my favored winter bike.
 
What do you do on a mtb just after a snowfall when the roads have the compacted snow from all the vehicle tires, and your front tire just goes everywhere?

I have a studded tire on front.
 
markz said:
What do you do on a mtb just after a snowfall when the roads have the compacted snow from all the vehicle tires, and your front tire just goes everywhere?

I have a studded tire on front.
Well, you have to dance the twist on your bike and trust your tire to regain traction once in a while. :wink:

High knobs mud tires are better, with spikes even better than studs, but those very difficult conditions that we have now are challenging any rider’s skills and confidence. Faster is making it better, if you have the balls.

10.-tyres_ewc-2017-rnd-1_0004.jpg
 
Yeah I power fast and play the throttle game.

air pressure down doesnt help?

Im looking for a fat fork, should help lots with a fat tire up front dont you think?


MadRhino said:
markz said:
What do you do on a mtb just after a snowfall when the roads have the compacted snow from all the vehicle tires, and your front tire just goes everywhere?

I have a studded tire on front.
Well, you have to dance the twist on your bike and trust your tire to regain traction once in a while. :wink:

High knobs mud tires are better, with spikes even better than studs, but those very difficult conditions that we have now are challenging any rider’s skills and confidence. Faster is making it better, if you have the balls.

10.-tyres_ewc-2017-rnd-1_0004.jpg
 
Fat tires are floating, they are good on few conditions.

Chains are slow, and can make a costly mess of your bike when they rub or break.

We have to deal with the average. Unless one can have 2 or 3 bikes prepared for various conditions, best is to tune it for the most common state of the streets. I usually use two bikes, keeping my commuter for the most common wet/slushy salted pavement, and my dirt bike tuned for snow/ice.
 
markz said:
What do you do on a mtb just after a snowfall when the roads have the compacted snow from all the vehicle tires, and your front tire just goes everywhere?

I have a studded tire on front.
I ride my front wheel, heavy MXUS DD, with studs on a flat foot frame. My feet are out runners.
 
I am keeping an eye for a fat fork that can fit my Townie, pretty sure I am gunna have to buy new.

It will be good in 2 ways.
The first, I can use the fat fork to install a rear dd motor with 2.1 tire in the front.
Second, use fat tire in winter where needed, like 10 days out of the year, though today with the big melt slide on the compact but crumbly stuff.
 
I'm doing some serious Winter riding just because I still need exercise and fresh air when it's 35F outside. My heart isn't very forgiving of the sedentary life. My plan was (and still is) to put together a NOS EZIP Trailz with grippy tires and a windshield, but in the meantime I've put said windshield on my too-fast-for-Winter Magnum Metro. I used a medium sized universal mount motorcycle shield, and if it hadn't been for the usual Chinese hardware issues (like bolts too short by 1mm) it would have been an easy mount. Anyway, I'll be taking a real test ride today in upper thirties weather, bundled up and with heated gloves and insoles, OTG goggles, and two to three layers of clothing. When I started Winter riding in 2013 I remember my water bottle freezing. Now my goal is just to be comfortable down to freezing, at 10MPH.
 
I find if I'm mildly pedaling (being careful not to overdo it and sweat inside my wind shell, my core stays pretty comfortable down to 10 or 15 below freezing. It's just the extremities that need the extra love, socks and gloves are the ticket. I've made some up with nichrome wire and a PWM controller, powered by a 4S 18650 pack. Just waiting for it to get cold enough to actually need them.

As for the bike, it seems to hold up to winter reasonably well. I think the worst part is the chain eating a bunch of salty road crud, I switch to a dry wax type lube in winter which seems to help but it's still needing reapplication every couple of weeks.

The motor (BBS02 with external controller) seems fine, this will be it's fourth winter and it's getting close to 40,000km but the seals seem to keep all the yuck out of the motor itself.

If you stick to 10mph you shouldn't have much to worry about, just practice panic stopping from that speed in slippery conditions. Avoid using the front brake while cornering, but do use it while not cornering because it will be much more effective than the rear due to weight transfer.
 
I've actually done Winter riding for the last 5 years - just not below freezing since 2013-2014. My circulation is very poor, so my 35F is your 10F. ;) Here is a photo from last evening's ride:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/nzeQMt3jYkiWD61L9

The last bit of extra protection I needed (after heated gloves and insoles, and one chemical hand warmer in the toe of my left shoe, which is itself wrapped with bubble wrap and inside a rubber, along with the right one) was a light scarf over the portion of my nose that sticks out from my thick balaclava. With that I get goggle fogging when stopped, but my face is nice and warm, and my nose isn't running...
 
miro13car said:
[youtube][/youtube]I have a lot of experience riding in harsh Alberta Canada winter
Studied tires are THE MUST
WHEN the roads are packed snow and ice. Lately, MN winters are relatively mild as far as snow and ice. I don't commute or ride on ice except in winters where there are ice and snow packed streets for a month. Studded tires SUCK and get expensive on dry pavement.
 
I also don't ride when roads are slippery, and Upstate NY is also seeing a lot less persistent snow covering than in the past. The EZIP, when/if I get it done, will have cruiser tires with aggressive tread and kevlar, and I'll run them at a lower pressure in Winter. The Metro has balloon tires with kevlar, and they can be run as low as 24psi. If it snows, though, I'll leave the Metro home until the roads are clear again - usually two days.
 
Studied tires saved me from falling many, many times.
No way I could get through ice patches and packed snow on regular knobby tires.
Of course studs get worn out on bare asphalt and concrete, no way I would ride on them in warm months.
I use Schwalbe Winter tires.
 
There's riding in untracked snow, and then there's riding on a snowcovered, tracked up and icy road. The first is pretty reliable in how it will interact with the bike. The second is wildly unpredictable. I've been doing both the last few days, fat bike, very low pressure, no studs. It's pretty amazing how fast things can get sideways after just a tiny rut or bump on an icy surface throws your heretofore straight tracking off :shock: I ride down a dirt road 1.5 miles to get my mail, somedays. Fresh powder is a piece of cake. After it gets packed down irregularly, it's a bitch.
 
I just ride around the occasional snowy and icy patches, and don't ride when conditions support the formation of black ice. That isn't difficult here unless it's an unusually snowy Winter.
 
You sure have me beaten for snow! And probably for low temps, too, although it was below freezing for most of my ride yesterday evening. I now have my outfit perfected to the point where I can ride in breezy 30F weather. The windshield does help with headwinds.
 
Back
Top