Today, I put the other rims on the bike.
It wasn't that hard, but most of the work was getting around the fenders. Of course the nuts and bolts holding those on were corroded, and there really isn't enough clearance between them and the snow tires.
The big knobby tires are wide and thick enough that they don't fit on at the same time as the fenders, so the fenders were left off.
The rear cargo rack still seemed like an easy place to do a cheap-o fender, so I cut some coroplast to fit in there as a temporary rear fender. Road grime kicked up from the front didn't seem too bad on my first ride.
Here's the bike in it's current incarnation.
I'm also trying to have some decent outdoor clothing, without spending a fortune on it. Jackets at the outdoor store or the bike store are $150 each!
I stopped at the thrift store and found a windbreaker for $7. It's all nylon. Rainproof and windproof, with a short stiff collar, and at least a little bit of high-visibility color.
On my last ride, I had an athletic "sweat-wicking" shirt as a base layer with 2 artificial fiber sweatshirts over that. Topped off with the thrift-store windbreaker. For my head, a balaclava hood, and then my motorcycle helmet.
The bottom half was real wool socks, artificial fiber thermal long underwear, and cargo pants. Wind really wasn't nearly the problem on my legs as it was on my chest, but I would still like to get some "wind-proof" pants.
I was AMAZED at how much better these tires were on the snow than the those skinny slicks. Far better traction. I could even stand on the pedals in low gear. Since I swapped out the rear rim, I now have 7 speeds instead of 5. Without any adjustments to the rear deraileur, it can't quite go to the highest gear, but these gears are all higher than the original 5, so I'm not going to worry about it.
If I want a really nice riding setup, I think I need a different combination of rims and tires, so that I can have snow-tire traction, but still fit those stock fenders back on.
I really like the look of the bike with the big tires - sort of aggressive in a good way - ready to go tackle some snow!
I wouldn't mind taking this on the frozen lake now.