Fifty Plus (50+) - Riding in the snow, YIPEE !!!!!

Rode home from work during a bit of a snowstorm yesterday.
I had forgotten how much fun it was, and I was pleasantly surprised to
see how wonderfully the Trek 820 handled the 4+ inches of blown and
drifted snow and the coating of ice that was under it. It had been many
years since I last rode in the winter and I had forgotten how stable the
bike really was. Much better than a car or truck in my estimation, colder
but safer. The studded tires were magnificently efficient. I was able to
circumvent traffic and felt much less vulnerable to getting slid into by
some hapless motorist. Anyone who hasn’t tried riding in the snow yet
should really give it a try. It’s fun and not as dangerous as you might think.

t. Anyone who hasn’t tried riding in the snow yet
should really give it a try. It’s fun and not as dangerous as you might think.

Softer landings aswell- but one word of warning-Don't fall in the yellow snow.


Thought of the day-

What clever dick put an "S" in the word "Lisp"?

Saturday was my first snow commute of the season. It was nice.

Sunday's conditions were a problem on the side streets. Hardpack isn't usually troublesome, but on Sunday, it was breaking up and sliding sideways under the front wheel, carrying the wheel with it. I stuck with the main streets on the way home.

Today I'm upset with The Weather Channel. They called for sustained winds over 30 with gusts over 40. It would be a crosswind going to this job, with potential to blow me right into traffic (or right off the road.) So I'm working from home--and watching the snowflakes lazily drift in the nearly still air...

Today I'm upset with The Weather Channel. They called for sustained winds over 30 with gusts over 40. It would be a crosswind going to this job, with potential to blow me right into traffic (or right off the road.) So I'm working from home--and watching the snowflakes lazily drift in the nearly still air...

Yep. Their prediction of a major snow and wind event convinced me to drive in today for
the first time in six weeks. By the time I unburied and chisled out my Daughter's car and my
Wife's car from the snow and ice they were encased in so that I could get my truck out of the
driveway, I could have been four miles into my five mile commute!!!!! Tomorrow I'm back
on the bike for sure.

I've got a pair of new tires coming also. I ordered two Schwalbe Winter Marathons from
N.H. When I put my old ones on the bike this past weekend they looked pretty bad.
I don't have a lot of faith in the sidewalls of those OLD tires.

Atlanta Ga, almost never snows.......

But I grew up in New York City and have paid my dues shoveling wet snow. These days when it snows up north, at times it's still nice enough to play golf or go out for a ride down south. :D

I would take my hat off to those who keeping riding through the snow and ice if the (fake) rabbit fur on my ears did not feel so good.

What is this snow stuff you talk about??? We haven't had any moisture since August.

Atlanta Ga, almost never snows.......



And if it does you don't want to be on the roads:eek:

I was there years ago for a training seminar and they were predicting snow flurries. Being from the northern states I couldn't understand all the fuss over a few flakes of snow:)

And if it does you don't want to be on the roads:eek:

I was there years ago for a training seminar and they were predicting snow flurries. Being from the northern states I couldn't understand all the fuss over a few flakes of snow:)

In Atlanta people drive off the road and into a ditch when it's predicted to snow. :eek: If it actually does snow it's very safe because no one leaves their house.

Had about 4" of the fluffy stuff on the ground a couple of night's ago. Went for a 10 mile night ride on streets void of any cars. Quiet, peaceful, no wind. What a joy. Since then the rain came and has washed it all away.

In Atlanta people drive off the road and into a ditch when it's predicted to snow. :eek: If it actually does snow it's very safe because no one leaves their house.
Remember, most people in Atlanta are from somewhere else--not natives.;)

Look at it this way, in upper NY state, if it snows a fews inches overnight, you are expected at work the next morning. In Atlanta, if it snow 1/4 inch, we close the city down and have a party. Which one makes more sense?:p

Unfortunately, we seldom get snow--more freezing rain and fun stuff like that.

Cranky, any chance of some pictures from your snow rides?

We got another inch or two during the day today, but the high winds never materialized.

I'm off now for our weekly Tuesday Night Urban Assault ride. They're always fun in the snow, even if about half the ride is off-road, and I ride a roadie.

Originally Posted by MulliganAl

Atlanta Ga, almost never snows.......


And if it does you don't want to be on the roads:eek:

I was there years ago for a training seminar and they were predicting snow flurries. Being from the northern states I couldn't understand all the fuss over a few flakes of snow:)

First hint of snow in Georgia and everyone forgets how to drive. And that's bad because EVERYBODY gets on the road to run to the grocery store. It's the damnedest thing you ever saw. For some unknown reason, in case of snow you must have plenty of milk and bread. Two weeks after a snow or ice storm, the landfills are bulging with spoiled milk and stale bread. :rolleyes:

If it snows here I will be sure to go ride in it.We had a cold front to come through last night and only got to 70 today.:DI did go for a short ride today but I put on my winter gear.Long pants in place of bike shorts
Wink

I'm home half day tomorrow for my physical. We are due an Alberta clipper system with a light to moderate dusting. I'm debating mounting the Nokian studded tires on my MTB for Thursday.
For the long term, I'm planning on buying a "Charger" electric assist MTB ASAP. I figure it will provide the substantial help to push a MTB through the snow/ice pack that accumulates on our unplowed MUP. The Charger adds 50%, 100%, 200% or %300 of your efforts up to a total of 1/2 horsepower - or so they claim.

Sorry to pick on Atlanta. I get there a lot and have lots of friends there. To a northerner it just seems very weird to cancel all schools at the mere prediction of snow. And lets not even start on Florida. They wear heavy winter parkas when it gets below 60.

Maybe it's the Viking blood in me, but I get the strangest urge to **** and pillage whenever it snows. (But I mostly resist)

(totally kidding)

Cranky Old Dude, You are not alone.

Cranky, any chance of some pictures from your snow rides?

Working 60+ hours this week, kids coming in from college soon, probably won't
have an opportunity to play in the snow 'till after the Holidays. I'll do pics then
for sure.

Snow?
I was 20 years old when I first saw some...
I was 40 when I saw the next lot
I'm now 62 so must be due to see some more

The winter cyclig season has officially started in the Washington, DC area. I made First Tracks Wednesday night -- always a thrill. Thursday was a pretty good white worlld, considering that we only got a few inches. Conditions were great for cycling; less so, I gather, for motoring.

I'd forgotten how great snowflakes swirling in the headlight beam looks, how wonderful the swoosh of tires in snow sounds, how much the flakes tickle one's face. It was a wonderful couple of days, but the temperature is now above freezing and rain is falling, so the white stuff will all go away, possibly before my trip home.

Paul

The winter cyclig season has officially started in the Washington, DC area. I made First Tracks Wednesday night -- always a thrill. Thursday was a pretty good white worlld, considering that we only got a few inches. Conditions were great for cycling; less so, I gather, for motoring.

I'd forgotten how great snowflakes swirling in the headlight beam looks, how wonderful the swoosh of tires in snow sounds, how much the flakes tickle one's face. It was a wonderful couple of days, but the temperature is now above freezing and rain is falling, so the white stuff will all go away, possibly before my trip home.

Paul


Come ride in the brown granular stuff on our residential streets! Yech :eek: It's
a nasty mix of snow and road salt and I find it takes a lot of the fun out of my ride.
It's almost like riding on ice with piles and/or ridges of slippery sand scattered about.
It's almost always on top of rutted ice and gets pushed around a lot by car tires.
I'm still trying to figure out how to ride on it...messed my knee up yesterday on the
ride home (I didn't go down, but I sure wiggled aroud a lot). Drove in to work tonight
to give the knee a rest, then back onto the bike again next week.

Happy trails

It was 75 F when I rode my MTB this afternoon. I don't think I'll see snow anytime soon. :)

I had a great ride in the snow three weeks from now. I was riding through my neighborhood, on my Trek 730. The bike was upgraded with 35mm Panaracer tires and fenders, and with MKS touring pedals & Power Grips. It was a perfect ride through fresh snow on the sidewalk, with plenty of low gearing to plow through.

Okay, I haven't taken my Trek home from my LBS yet ... and there's only frozen rain on the sidewalk at the moment. But by golly ... three weeks from now ... there had better be snow in the neighborhood.

http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u308/bigjohn53/w_20071202092423258600cross2.jpg
http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u308/bigjohn53/w_20071128044805796800snowroad.jpg

Hubby's from Ohio. He remembers delivering newspapers on his bike in the snow. Just the other day he talked about the squeaking sound the tires made as they rolled (?? or slid?) across the snow. Now, he's happy to see it stay on the mountains behind us.

Rode home from work during a bit of a snowstorm yesterday.
I had forgotten how much fun it was, and I was pleasantly surprised to
see how wonderfully the Trek 820 handled the 4+ inches of blown and
drifted snow and the coating of ice that was under it. It had been many
years since I last rode in the winter and I had forgotten how stable the
bike really was. Much better than a car or truck in my estimation, colder
but safer. The studded tires were magnificently efficient. I was able to
circumvent traffic and felt much less vulnerable to getting slid into by
some hapless motorist. Anyone who hasn’t tried riding in the snow yet
should really give it a try. It’s fun and not as dangerous as you might think.

I've never ridden in the snow, and as long as I live in this part of Cali, chances are good that I never will.

Props to you for your effort and fun ride. I guess if I was faced with those elements I'd give the mtb a go.

Meanwhile, I find 45* cold. Only because I've lived in California's balmy clime for 21+ years.

Your description makes me miss snow, kind of. I hope you continue to enjoy the season's delights.

Old Dude...

What Studded tires are you running right now? I've been thinking of putting some on the "CLYDE" bike
and running that this winter. I like to hit some of the Greenway Train out South of Scottsville in the Winter. It's been 5 years since my last ride in the snow and I'm itching to do it.

Chris

Rode home from work during a bit of a snowstorm yesterday.
I had forgotten how much fun it was.


Darned! And after a few days of nearly freezing temperatures, we had to go and spoil it yesterday by spiking up to 77 degrees. ;)

Old Dude...

What Studded tires are you running right now? I've been thinking of putting some on the "CLYDE" bike
and running that this winter. I like to hit some of the Greenway Train out South of Scottsville in the Winter. It's been 5 years since my last ride in the snow and I'm itching to do it.

Chris

Until today I was running:

Front.......Continental Baja, 26 X 1.9, with a solid insert (comparable to 60psi) and sheet metal screws.

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r152/crankyolddude/IMG_0624.jpg

and on the rear an IRC Blizzard, 26 X 1.9, 30 - 50 psi

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r152/crankyolddude/IMG_0627.jpg

This set-up worked fine for all conditions except the lose granular brown salt
ladden snow we end up with on the side streete. That stuff tended to throw
the front wheel to the side a lot.
Both tires are close to 20 yrs. old, been a while since I rode snow, so I chose to switch to
some new technology front and rear....Schwalbe Marathon Winter, 26 X 1.75, 35 - 70 psi.
I just mounted them today...it'll take a while to determine if there's any difference between
old and new technology.

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r152/crankyolddude/IMG_0630.jpg

If nothing else, they look nice !!!!:)

Lenny,

I like those tires! Might be fun when the River freezes over! LOL!

Chris

What is this snow stuff you talk about??? We haven't had any moisture since August.

We did have a heavy dew this morning. It was 79 during my afternoon ride today with the rest of the week looking about the same. Still no rain in the forecast though. We are down to about 90 days of water in our reservoir before we have to start sucking mud. Normally there is about 300 days of water available.

been a while since I rode snow, so I chose to switch to
some new technology front and rear....Schwalbe Marathon Winter, 26 X 1.75, 35 - 70 psi.
I just mounted them today...it'll take a while to determine if there's any difference between
old and new technology.



Two round trips to work so far, much less rolling resistance than my old set-up.
I find I can ride in my higher gear range on bare pavement. They grab the ice
and make it seem like bare pavement. I'm still having problems with the thick
granular snow....tends to throw my front wheel off to the side a lot....probably
more my lack of good technique than anything else. Have not had the opportunity
to ride fresh snow yet but I don't expect any problems...heck, we used to take
our old Coaster Brake rigs out in the snow as kids with no problems, and our
tires were bald!

So far, I think these were worth the money.

EDIT
12/13/2007 Dashing thru the snow, slip. Oops, these aren't quite as stable
in the snow as my old tires were, but that's the only drawback. I'll settle for
the increased speed on dry surfaces and the better grip on the ice and
hardpack. If it gets too snowy, I can always put my Blizzard back on the
rear. I still feel the investment in the new tires was worth it.

COD--Brown sugar snow does that to almost every wheeled vehicle. It's not limited just to bikes, although the consequences are greater for us.

As for technique, I had less trouble with it last year on my hybrid than I do this year with the Portland. (Using the very same set of tires on both bikes.) It seems sensitive to the front/rear weight distribution. I have more problems with the road bike in brown sugar snow because more weight is on the front. If I shift back, it's better. Full panniers and it's better still.

Hang a few bricks off your rack and see if that helps. :)

Oh, reduced tire pressure helps too. I've run my 700x35 Nokian W106 down as low as 25psi in the front.

COD--Brown sugar snow does that to almost every wheeled vehicle. It's not limited just to bikes, although the consequences are greater for us.

As for technique, I had less trouble with it last year on my hybrid than I do this year with the Portland. (Using the very same set of tires on both bikes.) It seems sensitive to the front/rear weight distribution. I have more problems with the road bike in brown sugar snow because more weight is on the front. If I shift back, it's better. Full panniers and it's better still.

Hang a few bricks off your rack and see if that helps. :)

Oh, reduced tire pressure helps too. I've run my 700x35 Nokian W106 down as low as 25psi in the front.


YOU THE MAN !!!!!
You,ve just given me the perfect reason to keep my eyes peeled for a
used Recumbent!!! :)

Singing....Happy days are here again...

YOU THE MAN !!!!!
You,ve just given me the perfect reason to keep my eyes peeled for a
used Recumbent!!! :)

Saw one on Craigslist the other day. <looking...> Ah. Here it is (http://rochester.craigslist.org/bik/503139105.html). In Pittsford and it has a fairing.

I would liken riding in snow the to riding in mud. That is unless you hit ice underneath it. For mud riding I use a 1.8 Mud specific tyre. It is a Panaracer Mud Pro and it has several qualities I like. First of all it does not skate across the top- it bites through the Mud/snow and gets grip on the firm ground below. Secondly- it does not pick up the snow/mud and sheds it pretty quick-hence not building up around the forks and stays to act as a brake. and thirdly the tread pattern grips. I have used these in 6" of snow on a very cold morning with Ice underneath the snow and in ruts and they work.