Despite the Nuvinci hub and porteur rack on Byron, my Soma Mixte,
the Hunqapiller is a heavier bike.
I use them both in the winter.
Byron sports the conservative Nokian A10 studs
while the Hunq rolls the more substantial W106 with 10 mm more rubber,an aggressive knobby tread and more aggressive stud pattern as well as 106 studs per tire.
I use Byron for anything up to ten miles if the snow is not too deep and rutted.
The Hunq gets all the rest of the action,ice,ruts,icey ruts with fresh wet snow,mud and generally any riding longer than 5 miles.
What has perplexed me is that the Hunq is truly faster and easier to ride in the winter than Byron. The Soma mixte frame was conceived as a light "cafe racer" model and has a much more aggressive geometry. Also the Nokian A10 tires are supposed to have less rolling resistence than any studded tire. One would think the bike would be the faster and more nimble of the two. It's just not so. The Hunq seems to float through the slop and speed along the wet pavement with ease while I really feel I am working out on the mixte. I don't think the Deore LX hubs could make that much difference over the Nuvinci and 105 hub. After all they will have to counteract 7 lbs of weight,10 mm of additional tread and all those studs. I don't get it, but I swear it is true.
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