# Cargo bikes, the ultimate winter bike.



## Saddle Up (Jan 30, 2008)

?? Notice I said winter bike, not snow bike, I'm making a distiction between the two. I've been car free for over 10 years, ride all year long, live in the core of a city of a million people that is spread out and covers a huge land mass. I'm in Canada and can experience nasty winters. Out of my most recent winter bikes I think I enjoyed my LHT with the long wheelbase and Kenda Nevegals the most. 

I'm thinking a BD with 2.5 Nevegals or Schwalbe Ice Spicker Pros would be just the ticket, the ultimate winter bike. Anyone care to talk to be about riding their cargo bikes in the middle of winter? Pics?


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## Tobias/Frost (Sep 27, 2004)

I ride a Ute with Nokian studded tires during winter here in Sweden, I ride year round and has done so for over 20 years and so far the Ute is the best bike for winter. It works a-some due to its weight and lenght and even if it is clear ice under snow the studded tires make it just as easy as if there where a dry summer road.


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## Plum (Sep 14, 2004)

I've ridden my dummy for two winter seasons so far, without snow tires. Just regular schwalbes or mountain tires. The long wheelbase helps on slippery surfaces, along with discrete use of the front brake. 

Murder on drivetrains though, I always plan on replacing the drivetrain after the spring actually arrives. It's also around 3-4k miles too, so it works out well.

Plum


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## véloneige (Nov 26, 2012)

*Winter Cargo Bike, Rohloff, Chaincase, Fat-Studs*

All: Some good observations here.

I too run on Studded Nokians, at 60N 135W in Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada, where there is essentially no snow removal.

My 1993 Bridgestone bike with a Sachs 7 Spd Torpedo hub is now impossible to get parts for, so I have been pondering going to a Fat Tired Yuba Boda Boda, with a Rohloff hub, full Dutch chain case, likely the studded 45Nrth fat tires, extra set of kevlar-belted skinny gravel capable wheels for the summer.

Climate change has meant that we now have 2 months of the year with snow that does not compact=brown sugar slush, hence the move to fat tires.

Internally geared hub and a full chain case is the way to go for winter!

All I do is pump up the tires, dot Tri Flo on the chain links when I change wheels every April and September. The Dutch even make metal chain case frames that you cover with fabric, I am guessing that these would adapt very well to long-tail or mid-tail bikes.

vélorution!


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## véloneige (Nov 26, 2012)

*Rohloff, 14'' Pugsley racks fenders studs?*

Interesting ideas.

Sadly, the Yuba Boda Boda can only take 2.3 inch wide tyres due to back frame, and no back disk brake, though a Surly front fork would make a studded fat tire possible, the back would have to stay skinny.

Since I use my dying Sachs Torpedo 7 hub bike as a cargo bike on unplowed roads---chinook today so suddenly +5C=15cm of packed snow turns to slush(!), I do think it is worth having fat tires here....

I have chatted with the Yuba people, they say they will have a Nuvinci hub Boda Boda this coming spring---for cold weather use it is fine until -25C, after that it freezes, so good for most, Sachs or Rohloff are the gold standard as both work fine at -40C/-40F.

So, for me, on to the search for a 14'' or 16'' Pugsley Frame, then racks and fenders the latter likely to be locally made out of eavestroughly aluminum!

vélorution!


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## coldbike (Feb 24, 2011)




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## Lone Desert Walker (Sep 15, 2011)

*Winter riding*

Last week it was super cold here with temps dipping down into the thirtys at night. Cargo bikes are great in the winter because you can carry lots of exta layers of clothing and thermi full of hot soup. This picture shows my bike durring an extreme winter ride a couple days ago when the high for the day way only like 75 degrees F !


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## véloneige (Nov 26, 2012)

All: I have received studded fat Dillinger tyres in the mail, a great deal from Joe here on MTBR.com! A boxed, used, Small Pugsley is in my living room, and I stumbled on a used Rohloff in my town, so that is sitting in the living room too! Jones bars are in the post, as is a Monkey Bone and small Rohloff spares and oil from Cycle Monkey, so it is starting to come together. Racks front and rear I am still open to suggestions on, fenders I think may come from a local metal shop. We are in a Chinook, -3C, so snow has softened into brown sugar slush, so fat studded tires will change my attitude towards chinooks!


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## Happycoop (Feb 10, 2013)

Love the hand warmers! I used to have a set of those when I lived in Germany; absolutely perfect for the cold weather riding.


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