Year-round Bicycle Commuting in Northern Climates

Here are my thoughts on year-round bicycle commuting in Northern Climates:

I sold my car fourteen years ago and began year-round bicycle commuting and have never looked back. And every year the number of winter bicycle commuters in Anchorage grows.

• After a lot of experimentation, I firmly believe that less is more when it comes to winter commuting--and it's the tires, not the bike that are key. The number of deep, fresh, snow days in most places is pretty small and in general the snow gets compacted pretty quickly after it falls. A setup that will get you through super deep stuff will be too heavy for the conditions you will encounter 95% of the time in the winter--and frankly even the fattest tires can struggle on new snow.
• The real focus for a winter commuter should be getting through ice, not snow. Ice lasts longer and can be much more dangerous than snow.
• So you need studded tires. A nice fat studded tire like the Dillinger 5 from 45North will be great for most commuting conditions--it's reasonably light and has relatively low rolling resistance. But if you don't have a bike that can fit a fat tire, then something like the studded Schwalbe Marathon Winter tire will work just fine--they don't really help on soft snow, but they are much better for the conditions you will encounter most of the time and on the longer commutes the light weight can be really nice.
• A helmet can be another $50-75--a nice snowboard helmet is a nice option, they're not aerodynamic, but they are warm and comfortable (although they are too warm for expeditions or hard rides). .
• So that leaves the bike. In my view any style bike will do--but rigid frames are more durable and less likely to cause problems. Lift up the wheels and spin them. With a soft spin you should easily get 5 or more full rotations before the wheel stops. If the wheels don't spin freely in the fall, they will be even worse when it's -5F outside.