Can you ride your bike in the snow?

Answer 1

Sure you can. If it has external gears they may become clogged with snow during certain temperatures. If you've got SPD pedals they too can become clogged. If you're using rim brakes, expect braking ability to be poor. If it's really cold the freewheel mechanism may refuse to engage leaving you with no drive. If you've lubed your brake/shifter cables, or maybe gotten water in them they too can become stuck in severe cold. If you've got a suspension fork/seat post/frame, expect it to become a lot stiffer in cold conditions. Don't worry though, all these problems will clear when tha bike gets warm again.

One issue is tire pattern, for snow you want a fairly open pattern with big studs. What works in mud usually performs OK in snow as well.

Depending on how firm the snow is you might get better traction and control by letting out as much air as possible out ot tie tires w/o bottoming out. This widens your footprint and might be enough to keep you on the snow as opposed to sinking through and bogging down.

Don't forget to dress sensibly. Bring an extra sweater so you won't get cold if the ride takes longer than expected.

Answer 2

Depends a bit on what winter means to you. If you get snow, ice and seriously low temperatures, you do need good gear to go out on the road. But if you have the stuff, go ahead.