Does it need to be clipless shoes? Because for flat pedals I've honestly just been using my general winter boots and felt alright so far (for MTB/fat biking, I'm not a road rider). I've heard some people swear by putting a plastic grocery bag over their sock before going into the shoes, but I've not found a need myself to try it. Plus it sounds like it would just accumulate the foot sweat and make tons of crinkling noise the whole time. I've also heard it suggested that if you normally use aluminum pedals to switch to composites for the season as the metal can just be a heat sink for your foot (same thing for handlebars and hands, carbon bars won't suck as much heat as alu). If you do really want clipless I'm not sure you'll get around the expensive part easily. Not sure what you had before but the 45NRTH boots are supposed to be highly rated. ... View more

They typically don't officially comment on future coupons, but based on the past, the 20% coupons usually come in March, May, and November. Several big ticket items are often excluded (bikes, cargo boxes, kayaks, etc.) and you'll just have to read the fine print on the coupon when it finally comes out to be sure. That said, I did successfully use a 20% off this last March to buy a Saris SuperClamp EX hitch rack, so you may have luck on that. ... View more

Also Minnesotan, when I don't feel like putting on my full winter boots, I usually go for a pair of regular "summer" hiking boots. I think this would fit your desires well, with decent tread for traction, many waterproof options, and you can choose either a high-top style for heel support or a lower cut style to really be more sneaker-like. On days where it gets icier, you can always throw on a traction device like Kahtoola NANOspikes or EXOspikes. ... View more

I've been very happy with my Kahtoola MICROspikes, and the company stands behind their product: they sent a free replacement for one of ours where the rubber had started tearing on one foot (we haven't had issues with any of our others or the replacement). I wouldn't however recommend their MICRO ones for you, as they are very aggressively tall teeth and are best suited for more rugged terrain, they create some weird pressure points on pavement. I'd go with their lower profile NANOspikes or for slightly more traction EXOspikes. YakTrax brand are also plenty popular based on the footprints I see in my area and probably work just as well for the urban environment, but I personally prefer Kahtoola's stuff over YakTrak's coils. ... View more

I have a pair of Vasques that I've been happy with for several years now through Minnesota winters. I doubt they sell the exact model still. Regardless of what brand you end up with my biggest recommendation would be making sure of the fit: you don't want it too tight, as cutting off any circulation will make for cold toes regardless of any insulation in the boot. A little bit of wiggle room for the toes is good, but not too much. Don't forget to factor in that you may be wearing a thick sock, or layering multiple socks, so you may get a half to one size larger than your normal shoes. As for using with snowshoes, pretty much any boot will do, there's not really anything that makes one a better fit than the other into the bindings. But something you may want to look for in your selections is that some boots come with a small shelf on the back that the snowshoe strap sits on to help keep it from slipping down your heel. Ideally the tension of the strap shouldn't allow slipping anyways so this isn't a deal breaker, but it is a feature that exists. (https://www.rei.com/product/120590/oboz-bridger-10-insulated-waterproof-boots-mens is one example. Not necessarily a recommendation for/against this particular boot, just the first one I saw in a quick search that has the lip.) ... View more

An actual REI employee might have more information than I do, but just taking a quick look at the product pages for the current REV 20s, there's a single speed version and a 6-speed version. Either way, both are almost certainly freewheel systems (seems most common for 7 speed and below), and will not be compatible with cassette systems (normally see this starting at 8 speed and going up) as they attach to the wheel hub in different ways. While it is possible to change a freewheel, and Sunrace does make some uncommon 8-speed ones that go as high as 34 teeth, you wouldn't be able to use your spare 9-speed parts, so you'd be spending cash to do so, including as you've noted the shifters and rear mech to match. Depending on your goals for the gearing, you could maybe look at changing the front chainring? Wouldn't increase the range of gears, but it could shift the whole thing either easier or harder. ... View more

There's obviously going to be some preference here for brand (i.e. Shimano vs. SRAM) and how much you're looking to spend. Personally, I'd think this is a great opportunity to go up to 12 speeds and ditch the front gearing to go to a 1x system, freeing up the other side of the bars for a dropper post lever 😏 . Going SRAM Eagle NX like https://www.rei.com/product/144025/sram-nx-eagle-dub-boost-groupset is a great bang for your buck I think and includes the whole package of shifters/cogs/cranks/derailleur, although you'd have to confirm if you'd need the "boost" version which is linked, or "non-boost", which is basically the width of the frame's rear dropouts where the wheel axle bolts in. @REI-JohnJ could maybe get the REI elves working to find that out for you, I can't find a product page for the DRT 1.1 maybe because it's not in stock atm. Part of what I like about the Eagle system is you can mix and match all their tiers for the most part, so you could run a GX derailleur but an NX cassette with a fancier X01 or XX1 shifter and a GX chain, which makes it super easy to maybe start with the cheaper ones and upgrade over time. Crucially, you'd want NX for the cassette since it would work with your Shimano HG freehub body: GX and above requires SRAM's XD freehub to be able to fit the smallest 10 tooth cog, while NX stops at 11 teeth to be compatible with the old standard. The hierarchy from low to high is SX, NX, GX, X01, XX1, but SX isn't really available to buy as parts, it's mostly for manufacturers. In fact I myself just recently bought a fat bike with SX components stock (because SX is what came with the color I really wanted...) and am working on upgrading it to GX and X01 parts.  The cranks can throw a bit of a wrench in the works so to speak. The Shimano Tourney that's stock you could maybe leave on if you wanted to buy the individual components instead of the whole groupset package, but the chainrings may be riveted on and nonremovable leaving you without the narrow-wide tooth profile that helps with chain retention on 1x systems, and two unused chainrings which are dead weight (though I suppose the big one could function as a bash guard...). The chainring(s) will wear out eventually so I would probably recommend including new cranks as part of the groupset to have that ability to replace worn chainrings, but regardless of if you go SRAM Eagle or another brand, your current bottom bracket is almost surely a cartridge square taper design, so you'll probably need a new BB to go with the groupset (The SRAM Eagle system uses their DUB standard, which isn't bad at $38). All that said, I've also heard good things about Box Component's drivetrains as a new competitor against the Big Two (Shimano/SRAM), which come in 9 and 11 speed variants, but I don't have any personal experience with them. Hope that helps and good riding! ... View more

@jloparco  Nothing will replace taking an in person class and gaining the first-hand experience as other have said, and a few resources given already for further reading. But I want to add my personal favorite, and a budget friendly option at the low price of free, is spend a lot of time watching the entire archive of Park Tool's YouTube. High quality visuals to go along with Calvin Jone's soothing voice. I took some classes as my kick in the pants to get started, but it's been Park Tool really accelerating my learning to the point where I've confidently stripped my bike to it's bare frame for total overhaul. If nothing else, the more options the better, as everyone learns differently, and maybe one tutorial will click better with your brain than another. It's pretty obviously part of their marketing to get you to use their brand of tools, but for the wealth of knowledge I've gotten I'll happily oblige them. And many of the tools are sold at REI too so don't forget to get that dividend! ... View more

@REI-JohnJ wrote: To begin, the best advice I ever received regarding my sleeping bag was a reminder that a sleeping bag doesn't produce warmth, it simply insulates whatever temperature is inside the bag.   All the tips about warming up before getting in are great, I just want to add don't stop moving once you're in the bag! Wiggle around a bit, kick your feet, pretend you're a worm, whatever. Not only are you making the muscles do work, but the friction from rubbing against the bag is also additional heat you can capitalize on. ... View more

You've got an answer that it's 31.8mm already, I just want to help demystify a little. The only size that matters here, and which is what you're seeing on listings, is the diameter of the bars where the stem clamps them. Easy enough to confirm the measure at home with calipers, or wrapping a string around the circumference and dividing that length by π to find diameter. The size of the steerer tube doesn't really come into play because they are very standardized on newer bikes at 1-1/8 inch at the top where the stem goes on. Straight vs. tapered steerers differ on the bottom end, not the top. It might come into play on vintage bikes using threaded steerers and quill stems, but 2015 isn't even coming close to that. You could also consider getting a new bar with greater rise instead, as adjustable stems rotate the angle of the stem, not only going higher but bringing the bars closer to you as well. ... View more