It gets dark so early here, and it hasn't been really nice. I have been riding but just barely. And half the time in street clothes because I don't have any really warm cycling gear. I went up city creek the other day, and it was a great ride up to the water treatment plant. After that it wasn't plowed. I nearly froze to death on the way down though, and it took two days for my face to thaw.
I have to stay active during these bleak winter months though. I'm thinking of taking up jogging and cross country skiing. That way I've got something to do when it's all blizzardy.

Okay, so what about you guys???

Riding as usual. ;)

Don't let the cold scare ya! It's not so bad. Just need a few more layers is all!

I'm too freaking busy but that is calming down.
It is more the fact that both of my bikes have skinny tires. I spent 5 too many times testing the density of the asphalt and concrete last year.
A hint of snow or ice = no riding.

That is until I either build up a decent winter commuter or give up and purchase a mountain bike.
4 sprained wrists last year has me worried.

Aloyzius:
I've been riding a bit. When it is snowy and icy, I ride the hardtail, with knobbies and fenders. I have a pair of thermal tights, poly longies top and bottom, and a thermal jersey. I wear them under a jwindbreaker and jeans, which I can shed if it gets too warm. Gloves are a must. If it is below about 40, I wear a ski mask, too. Can't hit it too hard, as the cold air hurts the lungs. :( Not nearly as much fun as when the weather is warmer, but beats the trainer! Give a holler when you want to ride, I'll go with you.

Riding.... my snowboard.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Lonely out there today. Either people have to work, or they are wimps! Ain't sayin' where I fit. :)

I might try to ride tomorrow. There I said it. Now if it s nows it's all my fault.

Wish I could ride tomorrow! I am forced to work! Wasn't it Oscar Wilde who said that work is the curse of the drinking class? I'm supposed to be retired, but I've go one customer I can't shake.:(
Don't let a little snow stop you. It won't make you melt or anything.

I'm riding but it has been rough lately. I've ridden the least in the last 3 weeks as in any other time frame in the last 5 years. Ice, snow, cold, dark and life has been tough on my riding. But I'm still riding every chance i get, this morning I got 21 miles in on ice with studs. Only averaged 11.5 mph, but hey i was riding. :)

I might try to ride tomorrow. There I said it. Now if it s nows it's all my fault.

Only if by tomorrow you mean Friday. Looks good otherwise.
I would ride but I scratched my left eye. I can barely see in sunlight and it hurts like heck.
*sigh* If it isn't one thing it is another. Maybe it will heal before Friday.

In the meantime I am hunting for a mountain bike online. I think I may try a bit of actual mountain biking next spring and start riding again in snow. Snow riding is a blast. Especially at night.

I've only been out on the roadie twice since october. I've been using my mountain bike exclusively. Wider tires, a rack, and panniers to stash extra layers in. Also some really cheesy lights. And that IS my trainer. two or three dopey little rides around town is kind of keeping me sane for now. But I desperately need to go south for a weekend of real riding as soon as I can afford to.

After Christmas, when things settle back down a little, we'll ride again, Mr. Wales. Most of my rides, right now are spontaneous jaunts that occur at obscene hours when I can't sleep.

I think it was saturday...my water bottle froze solid. It was so cold, I kept forgetting to drink it, anyway.

Oh and yes, snow rides are best at night. It's bright, there's no cars, and it's so quiet. The crunch under your tires is almost deafening. It reminds me of being a kid. I like riding in a blizzard, looking at christmas lights, and stopping for decaf somewhere. I like going to the park, downtown, and it's all abandoned, and I'm singing some crappy eighties song at the top of my lungs. The only thing I hate is the way my cheap bike glasses fog up.

Al, today was a beautiful day for a ride, and I wasted it working! I thought being retired meant I didn't have to work any more. Tied up tomorrow, hope Friday is a decent day.
If we ride together, I'll handle the singing, thanks! :)
I haven't seen many mosquitoes lately, have you?

I've only been out on the roadie twice since october.


Sounds about like me. I got on the bathroom scale this morning and found out I am 10 lbs heavier than I was back in September when I did lotoja. Gotta make some changes. I started running last week since it's so much easier to do when the weather is bad. Gotta drop those pounds and then some before spring gets here.

There's no stopping me, but we don't really have much of a winter here in Kansas (compared to SLC, Denver, etc)

Definitely hibernating. Haven't ridden since before Thanksgiving. Would like to on Xmas if the weather cooperates.

I have only been spinning and running. My MTB has slicks and I don't want to take my road bike out in this as many of the streets around my house remain snowpacked.

I do start a new commute in January of 3 blocks. Could be time to get those slicks off the MTB and put some good knobbies on.

Rode the Jordan Parkway Trail a few miles today. Don't know how far, because the cyclocomputer sensor battery quit when it got cold. And it did get cold! 26 degrees, with a slight breeze. A hoody and leather gloves weren't enough, I needed a ski mask or balaclava and insulated gloves. Plenty of layers on the bod, so that was comfortable, if a little awkward. Saw one other bike. (Damn fool.) :)

Enough cash to be able to retire to a life of riding.

Haven't been riding. Haven't been running outside either because my running path is still ice/snow packed and if I run too much on the road my knees hate me. I've been going to the gym daily and it SUCKS! Yesterday my ipod decided to peter out on for some reason and I had to do my hour on the dreadmill and elliptical with no distraction. Kill. me. now.

Oh, the ipod started working again when I got home. Today I have a new eposide of This American Life ready to go and it better work!

I picked up a mountain bike this weekend and hit the platte yesterday.
Every quarter of a mile was a 5 foot (or so) sheet of compact snow and ice. The new bike worked wonderfully. Took it briefly off road and had a blast. Anyhow, now that I have a better tool I will be riding again. Time to stop making excuses and get off my lazy rear. Riding inside in front of the tv is driving me nuts. Now if it will snow.....

Awesome, DJ! What'd you get? I loves me some road bike, but this time of year the MTB is the equalizer: That which makes previously impassable terrain seem like a whole lot of fun.

The added bonus is that you'll probably be stronger and your roadie will feel like it's got a rocket-pack strapped to it once the roads clear up.

I seem to be addicted to specialized. To go with my langster and tarmac I picked up a hardrock comp disk. Sure it is a lower end mountain bike but I want something that I can trash in winter. That and I can try a bit of mountain biking next year and if I like it I will purchase a higher end mountain bike. At the most I will be out a small amount of cash but will have a pretty good winter bike.
Holy cow, 26X2.1 tires give you a workout.

I tried ebay. I tried craigslist. Nothing seemed to work for me. Too busy. Too expensive. Blah blah blah
Instead I went to my lbs and picked up a new bike on sale.

I hit the Platte and Cherry Creek trails last week on my Randonee. Was fun! :D

Certainly nothing too challenging.

DJ, your bike already trumps my winter beater by a good margin. You'd be surprised how much that HR will put up with. You won't likely need an upgrade unless you decide you really like downhill or freeride

My only issue is with the cheap suspension fork.
Besides that it seems ready for a thrashing. :p

I hit the Platte and Cherry Creek trails last week on my Randonee. Was fun! :D

Certainly nothing too challenging.

While I did not ride nearly as much as you last winter we were both out there. Nothing compares to the crap we had to ride in last winter.
1 foot deep ice ruts, solid sheets of ice, brighton blvd, york st, etc. One morning I had to carry my randonee for 2 miles through snow drifts.

I really wish I had this bike then. Perhaps I would have wrecked less. lol

I stuck to the roads last year. Well... I walked or rode across the Platte at the pedestrian/bike bridge at Invesco Field.... other than that I stuck to the roads.

But, yeah... nothing tops last year. :D

I did slide out a few times... but never got hurt. Worst was one morning on an old Azuki when I bent the crank arm enough that it hit the frame. I threw it on the front of the bus and got to work about a half hour late. Took the crank off and beat it with a hammer and put another couple hundred miles on that Azuki till I fixed my Raleigh.

Would like to on Xmas if the weather cooperates.

So much for the weather cooperating. 9-10" of snow in Littleton. Guess my exercise will be done at the gym (and shovelling).

I took a 10 mile ride yesterday in the midst of it all. It only took 90 min. :p
That being said, it was one of the best rides I have had as of late and unbelievably exhausting. Pedaling through snow drifts that cover your BB is quite tiring.
Thank goodness for trails. The motorists were being idiots in my suburb.

Ugh...I'm really hoping that I don't have to join a gym. December is almost done. Just two more months of hellish whiteness to go. And now with the Christmas stuff out of the way, maybe I'll have the time and funds for cross country skis. Ten or fifteen miles a week doesn't cut it. I'm bored.

UPDATE on my answer to "Who is still riding and who is hibernating"


zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Here in St.Louis it hasn't be bitterly cold but, it's been sloppy on the weekends. So, no outdoor riding in about a month. If I hadn't had to work for a living, I would have gotten in a dozen days or so during that time. Thank goodness for spinning.

I don't suppose anyone here knows what the widest tire you can use on a bus bicycle rack is?
Seems silly to start a new thread.
I am running 26X2.1 tires on the new mtb.

havent skipped a commute day yet.

30 miles round trip. today was the hardest, slowest day so far. 2 degrees and thick snopack on all the shoulders/bike lanes in town.

havent skipped a commute day yet.

30 miles round trip. today was the hardest, slowest day so far. 2 degrees and thick snopack on all the shoulders/bike lanes in town.

Yikes, that can't be fun. It was freaking cold this morning.

Highs in the mid twenties in Salt Lake, shoulders snowpacked. Maybe I'll ride next year. :(

I don't suppose anyone here knows what the widest tire you can use on a bus bicycle rack is?
Seems silly to start a new thread.
I am running 26X2.1 tires on the new mtb.

Those will fit... not sure what the widest is, but my MTB last winter had over 2" tires on it.

Excellent.
I am returning to the land of the non wussie Wed. :p

I've taken the MTB on some interesting rides lately. Commuting should be a breeze.
Winter snow riding is something else.... fun that is. :)

Now watch it melt and doesn't snow till Feb.

Promise?

Heck no.

I've been riding when I can and I deem it safe. At 68yo, I really don't want to have any potential of breaking anything. We've got enough physical problems going on right now between my wife and myson that one more person to take care of is exactly what we do not need. They do plow our trails about as soon as they do the roads, but there are still patches of ice.

Otherwise I have been doing a lot of walking and lap swimming. I really enjoy the lap swimming, and it has been really good for my overall fitness.

BTW, HAPPY NEW YEAR! :beer:

Was a sunny but cold day here in Salt Lake today. Mid to upper 20's. Too cold for me to ride and still quite a few icy spots but my wife and I had a nice 3.5 mile run. A good way to start the new year. Supposed to get up in the 30's this weekend which is about the point I'll go out and ride but looks like there may also be some storms coming in. We'll see.

Skate ski lesson today -- that's some exercise!

I got out for an hour today on the S. Cherry Creek Trail. I love riding the plowed trail with the snow-covered banks`

I reset my bike computers on New Year's. So far the odos are all still at zero. The weather sucks. I suck. It's mutual, this week.

Hey Al, buddy! Buck up! If you don't mind a little 65 mph breeze, today was great! Near 50 degrees! I was stuck at Kearns/St. Ann again, or I would have at least ridden a few miles. I'll be at the school again tomorrow and Sunday, so stop by and say hi. I'll be the guy with the worried look on his face, watching the other people work on the wells in the parking lot. :)

I reset my bike computers on New Year's. So far the odos are all still at zero. The weather sucks. I suck. It's mutual, this week.


Ditto.

Hibernating. Working on the bike, on and off. I am wanting to ride and I could stop working on the bike and I might not resent the ice and snow so much. I could also stop complaining... :rolleyes: