Mountain - Plains - Winter Riding in Greater KC

There seems to be a lot of discussion on the boards about winter riding. I am new and curious about how our local Kansas City trails/streets are during the winter months. Anyone have winter riding experience around KC? Are the trails maintained during the winter months? Do you ride the streets more during the winter? Do you actually ride in snow and ice? I expect to find myself out there during the winter months..I don't mind the cold as long as it's dry. Any advise or experience you would like to relate would be appreciated.
showme.

I have not cycled in the winter here. I intend to keep riding as long as the streets are clear and mostly dry.

Depends upon the weather - last year it was warm and I was riding on New Years day. This year, who knows. You can ride if you want below 40 degrees as long as you have light and clear ice/snow free streets/trails but below about 45 I just don't enjoy it that much and why do it. Cycling becomes work for me below a reasonable temperature and even if the temp is warmer than 45, the cold air slows you down and makes it harder to breath. The cold changes the way your muscles respond and for some reason the hills are steeper? I have a minimal amount of winter riding gear and I'll use when convenient to get out, other than that forget it.

jman

I love riding in the winter! It's almost never too cold for me, but a whole heap of snow or ice will make it nearly impossible to get anywhere unless you have studded tires.

Once you start riding you'll realize what clothes work for you at different temperatures, but as a general rule, it will be harder to keep your hands and toes warm when it gets really cold. So, prepare for that. Also, a balaclava (or facemask thingy of some sort) with breathing holes for the mouth will be essential.

I mostly ride streets where ice can be avoided, so if you're riding trails beware of the eternal ice in the shade. Otherwise, just use common sense and stay warm! :)

Hi...thanks for your input. 'Dry' seems to be the key word here. Hadn't thought about breathing the cold air either...another good point. I suppose, like the rest of you, I'll do what I can... when I can. Fortunately, our winters are fairly mild and I would expect to be able to ride quite a bit though the winter months.

Let's all be careful.
showme

I'm a wimp. I get too cold when its below 80. I keep thinking I would like to keep riding through this winter, but the dark is what concerns me most. Its dark when I go to work and dark when I get home, and I don't have good lights (yet).

John

As you can see, everyone is different. I ride year round here in Kansas. Last year my coldest ride was -3 F, which happened to be our low for the year. THis is my 4th winter of riding, so it certainly is very do-able.

Visit the Winter Cycling forum to learn all the tips and tricks. I hangup my road bike this time of year and seldom ride it. I prefer the mountain bikes with wider tires for riding in the dark, and cold. A road bike is less stable and also the faster speeds make it even colder.

It really isn't cold yet but this morning I rode for 2 hours, with the temp right around 40F. Wind was also brisk from the North. This morning's route took me out into rural Saline county and over about 28 miles worth of gravel roads.

I try to commute year round down here in Southern Johnson County. I am lucky @ the moment because I have construction and farmers accsess roads that I can use to shorten my route. I had good luck last year and only got cought with simi-slicks in snow once, two falls later I still could not get the smile off my face. I am building studed snow tires for this year and plan on riding as much as I can.
The roadconditions I watch carefully, but it is the drivers who do not scrape there windshilds compleatly that worry me.

Riding the mountain bike isn't a bad idea, maybe that'll get me out more once it really starts to look like winter. Is riding a mountain bike better excercise than the same mileage on a roadie?


jman

For the same miles you will probably work slightly harder on the MTB, so yes more of a work out.

I'm a bit of a noob here, I used to ride tons in high school. Almost 10 years later I bought a cheapo wal-mart bike to see if I could get back into the sport, and I loved it, so I picked up a used Diamondback Sorrento. Talk about an upgrade :)

Previous owner put slicks on it. Hardtail + High pressure tires is not what I'm used to out of an MTB, but slicks on a 24 speed is wicked fast for an MTB too.

I'm planning on buying another set of rims for knobbies. I'm not sure what I should be looking for in a winter tire. Cold doesn't bother me one bit, but laying the bike down every 1/4 mile would be a quick way to make me stop commuting. I ride about 3 miles to a bus stop, then take that downtown. In my part of Olathe, the plows are hit-or-miss at best.

Anyone have some tire suggestions? How about some used 26" wheels I could throw an 8-speed altus cassette onto?

anybody we know?

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A cyclist was recovering Thursday morning after being struck by a car in Kansas City.

It happened at 55th and Brookside just before noon on Wednesday.

Police said the driver of a car was trying to turn onto Brookside when he hit the bicyclist.

The driver said he didn't see the man and police did not issue him a ticket.

It was clear on wednesday, a nice day. What the hell?

And the police didn't issue him a ticket? How is that? The one thing I've noticed is that most of the drivers will give you a little room, but every now and then you'll get a car that just goes out of its way to either scare the heck out of you or just isn't paying any attention to what they're doing. Kansas City & Overland Park have totally missed the boat when it comes to being bike friendly.

jman