Last winter, I bought a $200 heavy duty mountain bike for riding through snow and slush. It was a K2 Zed, with a hefty frame and thick treaded tires. It worked out great; the bike brought me safely through cold and piles of snow on the road. However all that safety equated to a ton of weight. It would have been ok if I hadn’t had to carry it to and from my apartment’s front door through the living room and onto the balcony twice a day. I didn’t have the best carrying form, and as a result ended up minorly spraining my wrist from the strain.
This winter I decided to spring for a new winter bike. I knew that I didn’t want one quite as heavy duty, but other than that I wasn’t sure exactly what I wanted. While doing some research on winter biking, I read about some people choosing to ride a single speed mountain bike with disc brakes. Apparently the single gear is good for snowy icy weather. It eliminates extra gears and derailleur, resulting in fewer metal parts that need to be maintained. The disc brakes help in wet weather because of their stopping power. I was intrigued.
The downside of this bicycle setup is that I wouldn’t be able to zip around like I can on my racing bike. However since it’s a winter bike, I’m more about safety and stability than speed. I decided to look into it. I quickly found that a single speed bike with disc brakes is actually not very common. After finding some somewhat expensive options I did find some online bikes that seemed like possibilities on a site called Chain Reaction Cycles. The reviews were by and large very positive (4 stars and up) so I decided to risk it on a 29 inch bike called the Vitus Dee 29.
I didn’t realize this until the order was placed, but Chain Reaction Cycles is based in Ireland, and has been around for quite a while-- since 1984. Even though ordering from them would be an international shipment, their prices were incredibly competitive. WIth shipping and international tax, the bike ended up being around $450 all told.
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| new bike euphoria |
When the bike arrived (and I stopped jumping up and down like Christmas morning), I ripped open the box and saw that it came 90% assembled. Sweet! It only needed the front fork, handlebars, and front wheel put on. After putting it together, I brought it to the local bicycle shop to get it checked over, and found out that I had actually put the fork on backwards. Whoops. Oh well, live and learn. The bike shop guys at Landry’s were very nice and not at all snobby or snarky. They were quite curious about where the bike was from, since it has a very cool unique look.
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| The clean lines of single-gear |
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| Sexy disc brakes |
After the bicycle was all tuned up and ready to ride, I took it out a few times to see how it did on my 5 mile commute. I felt pretty awesome riding it, and imagined I was riding a motorbike as I pedaled down the streets. However it did take some time getting used to a heavier single speed after riding my much lighter road bike with a large front gear. I felt so-o-o slow the first few times, but after that I’ve gotten used to it. This bike isn’t made for speed, although it isn’t horribly slow. I admit I’ve gotten hooked to riding it and simply enjoying the feel of the road. I’m also very impressed overall with the build quality of Chain Reaction. While many reviewers said they replaced parts like the pedals which weren’t top notch, for my commuting needs it is really solid and doesn’t feel cheap. Yet another reason to visit Ireland!
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| 8-bit accent art |
Update 1: It’s been about a month and half, and I’m still riding and loving this bike! It seems solid as ever, and the factory lube on the chain hasn’t worn off yet. I feel really stable and safe when it’s wet and windy out, and I think it’ll be a ton of fun once the snow hits and there’s slush everywhere.
Update 2: I've now been riding it in cold and snowy weather for a few weeks. For the most part it's holding up great. There are two things I've noticed-- the Kenda tires aren't great. I've had two rear flats from metal objects popping the tube through the tire. I'm thinking of either getting better quality tires. It would be nice if Chain Reaction could include better kit tires, but really this bike is such a deal. The second thing I've noticed is the rear wheel keeps shifting forward in the bike frame, eventually causing the chain to slip off while I'm riding. I've tried tightening the wheel in a couple times but it does slowly come back. Not sure if this is an equipment issue or me just not tightening it enough. Overall though this bike is great, and a good deal for winter biking!
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