Winter biking in Sweden. What bike?

I’m more than likely to be moving over to Stockholm in the next month. Just in time for a long dark winter. So in order to cheer me up a new purchase is just the thing I have decided. What bike would any of you snow MTB’ers recommend? I’ve been looking at the Pugsley but whilst being very very cool it’s a bit too niche for me. I’m thinking of something like a Karate Monkey with the fattest tyres that I can fit on there. Anyone know of anything that I could be doing better?

The CX scene is quite big and friendly in Stockholm.

If you’re moving over next month then I’d wait a bit as the snow is not yet upon us. Most people I know just use spiked tires and get on with it.

from experince (my dad has lived in sweden for almost 30 years) most of the trails that remain accesible will be compact down for skiing etc. the ones that aren’t will more than likely be too deep in snow to even consider.
I reckon studded tyres would be the best option – I’ve used 2.3 home made studded tyres and they were ok.

To be honest I’d be more concerned about the temperature and staying warm than what tyres – its f##king freezing !!!! you wont want/be able to be out for much over an hour

CX, hmm there’s an option. Always wanted to give that a go. It would more than likely be mid to late November that I would be going there. Sorting out a room to rent somewhere for a couple of months (till I get a feel for the place and can find something else) is proving to be a bit more difficult than I had envisioned 🙁

To be honest I’d be more concerned about the temperature and staying warm than what tyres – its f##king freezing !!!! you wont want/be able to be out for much over an hour

Your joking right? Cold is only a problem beyond -20c and that’s not so common. Even beyond that you can ride, but you risk problems with seals (especially air forks).

For riding trails that dog owners use are great. Rocky and rooty trails turn into smooth singletrack as the snow packs them evenly.

If it’s snowy you don’t need to use studded tires, but if you might have ice then they can definitely be handy.

Pugsly

I just bought an On-One Scandal 29er with some rigid Pace RC31’s up front. Should do the trick. Apparently you can get some pretty huge tyres into that frame and fork.

Pugsley and a Km!..both great fun even in Britain 😮
you could go for a Km which will take 2.5 tyres on 50mm rims for snow and also buy some Nokian spikes for ice…
Alaskan riders ride down to -40C for hours on end…so dont worry about bikes not working etc…just takes some different prep..check out the Alaska and fatbike forums on the US MTBR forum for cold weather bike prep,
i rode a 6 hour day here in scotland last winter at temps of -16 to -20 and was warm,dry and ok…
…having ridden my pugsley on snowpack (ungritted) roads here last winter i can say that despite it being around 35 lbs the pugsley rolled on snowpack faster with little drag than my Km does on tarmac with Ardent tyres..dont ask me how but it did! weird but true… 😮

Like a few have said, you’ll find that you want to spend 100% of your time on trails that have alreadt been compacted in some way (though I’d advise against ski trails as skiers don’t take kindly to it). I’ve found that if you wait about 24-48hrs after heavy snowfall (anything over 20cm)then you can be pretty sure that the trails will have been walked enough to ride on. Compacted trails are also great for getting over any fear you may have of going over the bars, or crashing in general. 6 inches to the left or right of your front tyre could be several feet of cold but soft snow. I think my record last year was 9 OTBs in one 2hr ride.

I did all of last winter on Trailrakers and they were great. I guess anything with a tall grip would do, I know a few who prefer Maxxis Wet Screams, to be able to bite into the frozen top layer of snow. The problem with some areas, particularly round Stockholm, is that the weather tends to freeze and thaw then freeze again a few times in winter. Then you’ll be wishing you had spiked tyres. They’re expensive (if you go for the popular 300+ spiked models) but also relatively light weight, long-lasting (usually up to 4-5 winters) and with none of the puncture problems associated with home-mades. You’ll find that after a couple of winters (if you’re here that long) you’ll probably not bother fitting them at all.

EDIT: sorry, to get back to the original question: I’d say the KM. Puglsey just seems unnecessary, unless it’s what you really want and you plan to do it justice.

As someone already said, I’d put my effort more into what to wear rather than what to ride. Any bike will do if you stick to compacted trails. Watch out for north facing slopes on milder days – when all else is melting they stay frozen. Once saw eight people come off in quick succession in that circumstance – if I had it on video Jeremy Beadle would have made me a rich man. Probably.

Lots of good clothing and any old CX ir MTB in my experience. The clothes will make more difference than the bike.

As Chefen says, there is a fairly healthy cx scene in Stockholm (and around about). Hope you’re not too dissappointed, but it doesn’t actually snow that much either, but with the damp cold off the baltic it can feel pretty chilly and get quite icy. It seems like most people just keep riding on ‘normal’ bikes as usual (albeit possibly with some tyre changes). No need for a new bike then 😉 Having said that, if it does end up being cold and properly snowy, you’ll be able to justify a set of skis (and probably skates, and maybe even a bike too).

Hope you’re not too dissappointed, but it doesn’t actually snow that much either, but with the damp cold off the baltic it can feel pretty chilly and get quite icy.

Yeah, living in Helsinki which is pretty much the same I have to say I wish for more snow every winter (last winter was ok). The only thing worse then ~0 – +1C temps is that it becomes warm for just long enough that snow melts, and then freezes so you are left with ice. 😀

studded tires are a must IMHO.

single speed is also a good choice. i was getting mighty p1ss3d off last winter with my gears constantly freezing up 🙁

single speed is also a good choice. i was getting mighty p1ss3d off last winter with my gears constantly freezing up

I was thinking about that myself since it’s fairly flat in and around the Stockholm area (I’m used to the Peak District rollercoaster type terrain) so gears might be a bit unnecessary. I could just bring along a couple of cog / chainring changes and swap in and out for different seasons.

Well, I ended up getting a slot dropout 29er On-One Scandal frame and a Pace RC31 440mm fork. Both of which have pretty good clearance so I’m hoping to get some fairly fat tyres with good knobblies in there. Maybe something like the Panaracer Rampage?

You will have more fun getting a pair of cross country skis. Three months and no biking last year. The problem is that the trails that are for the cross country skiers are smooth so not that interesting. I did bike to work and school everyday with the kids though in the snow. It was skid tastic.

Cold is only a problem beyond -20c

Are you a Polar Bear?? 😯

Any cold below freezing is a ‘problem’, I’d say. Dunno about Sweden, but I’ve visited Norway in the winter, and it is proper, proper cold. -20 wasn’t that uncommon where I was staying, and that was only about the same longitude as Oslo. -10 was a common daytime temp.

The local MTBers preferred XC ski-ing in winter, and din’t think mountain biking was that great an idea on snow and ice. Thing is, at such low temps, mechanical failure becomes far more of an issue; a bike can get you a lot further from help than simply walking. You may have difficulty getting a mobile signal, and then your battery will die quickly in the cold. You’ll need plenty of extra layers and space blankets in case of such an eventuality, and unless you’re used to the cold, you can feel very tired very quickly. So, staying close to civilisation is a good idea. Which means you’ll be limited to popular walking/xc ski-ing trails. Going across frozen lakes is exciting; halfway across, you start to hear strange ominous creaking and cracking noises. You would be dead inside a couple of minutes, if you fell through the ice, although it’s usually very thick and safe. But it won’t be until halfway across, that your remember the scene from the Omen 2….

If you do venture out, remember that there are wolves in Scandinavia so carry a handgun. No, not for the wolves; you’ll be lucky to get a couple of shots off before the pack are on you. No, save the gun for yourself; a bullet to the head has to be preferable to enduring several minutes of unimaginable agony, as you are ripped to pieces by the hungry animals, which will tear out your throat and intestines. Something like a Snow Crow will probbly come and peck out your eyes as you lie there screaming. Well, I say screaming; probbly drowning in your own blood having had your windpipe torn out.

And your last sight will probbly be of some four-year old child, expertly ski-ing past you whilst giving you a look of utter contempt…

Ice skating tours on lakes is cool to. You get special boots that you can clip ice skates to so you can walk and skate.

Ya get some ski’s more fun than biking in winter over there. You will need studded tyres, body armour, big bollocks and the locals will all think your insane. Well they do in Norway and finland anyway, not been to sweden in winter.

Stockholm will be about -10 on a good day, its not like the cold over here though. Its hard to explain but add wind chill and then the speed you going at and you’ll soon freeze your nuts off.

and that was only about the same longitude as Oslo.

I meant ‘latitude’ of course. Monday Morning brain fade… 🙄

but you risk problems with seals

It’s the bloody great bears and elk that would worry me…

*hides*

@GEDA: Might give those a go. I’m guessing they will clip onto anything that can have a crampon on it? I’ve done a fair bit of ice / roller skating in the past and there seems like some pretty cool videos on youtube of it.

@Elfinsafety: Right then, that will be me sticking near to civilisation. Might give the XC Skis a go though I prefer the more downhill / carving variety. I don’t think I could go a whole winter without some kind of biking adventure. I might cycle into work one day – sounds like that will be adventure enough!

It’s the bloody great bears and elk that would worry me…

I din’t mention them, as I din’t want to frighten the OP… 😯

Spindi; I’m far from being knowledgeable on such things, but one thing I did appreciate when i visited Norway, was to listen to those who know what they’re talking about. Wintertime in Scandinavia is very, very cold. All the rules that may apply in most parts of the UK change once you get over there. Here,it’s about being sensible. There, it’s about staying alive. I’d seriously not recommend doing any outdoor stuff alone. Can you imagine, getting injured and there’s no-one to go for help? While the wolves circle ever closer…

My limited experience of biking in snow tells me that it’s a lot of bloody hard work for not a great deal of reward. If it were that good, all the locals would be doing it. XC ski-ing, on the other hand, is immense fun, and once you’ve mastered it, actually very easy to do. Took me two days, from absolute novice never been on skis before, to being reasonably competent. Still got embarrassed by four-year-olds though. 😆

Hehe, I have skated for quite a long time (though haven’t recently) and ski’ed the entire mountain my first trip (It’s far easier than skating on London / Paris streets!) so XC should be pretty easy to pick up. Maybe I’ll rent for a day or two and see if I like it. Buying some kit if so. Just had a look at some XC Ski videos on youtube and I like the skating style. The parallel classic style would seem a bit odd for me.

I can understand what you’re saying about surviving over there. Breaking anything could be fatal. I’ll have a go around one of the trails with a friend over in Stockholm and then maybe join a club or something. I guess the fringe benefit to this also will be (hopefully) some social integration into a new city.

Most of the Swedes and ex pats i know go Spinning

We used to ride a bit but as has been said already dont under estimate the cold a puncture or broken chain is a big issue

We did have one occasion where a guy tried to get his dog to attack us while on a xc ski trail as the bike tyres ruin the piste in his opinion

To be fair xc ski for a winter you’ll be a super fit trail god by summer

Not many if any wolves and bears round Stockholm. Look on Blocket.se for cheap second hand ski stuff.

You probaly, got sweeden best, biggest, mtb forum here, they know what they are talking about:

http://happymtb.org/forum/list.php/1

-i would probaly, go xc-skiing, and running, when it turned white.
-where are you going to ?

Not many if any wolves and bears round Stockholm

WHAAT?? 😯

Don’t listen to him. There’s loads. Every year, thousands of people are killed by wolves, in the Stockholm area alone. Some are dragged screaming from their beds in the night. In fact, the problem of urban wolves in Scandinavian towns has got so bad, there are armed patrols and curfews to try to reduce the number of horrific deaths.

I myself was almost eaten by wolves, whilst visiting Norway.

Fortunately I was on the train at the time, and they couldn’t keep up.

Wolves no. Vampires now that what you have to what out for.

-where are you going to ?

I going to be in Stockholm.

Vampires? No don’t be silly now you’re just being ridiculous. 🙄

Don’t listen to GEDA, Spindi. He’s just talking nonsense. 🙁

Damn, it was the vampires that I was going for 🙁

Anyone know of another way to be immortal?