Living Car Free - Where have all the roadies gone?

Well we had a whooping 2 or so inches of snow today. I took advantage of it to add an extra 10 miles to my commute to hone my slippery riding skills. Its my normal route, it took me 40 extra minutes. I'm getting old. The thing is I didn't hear one obnoxious "On your left!!!!" from a garishly dressed rider on an expensive bike. I saw two other bike tracks on the path part of the ride and one other rider on the streets. He also had a utility bike with red ortlieb panniers. It seems to me that if you're a serious biker you'd want to take advantage of these conditions to practice, or if you think of yourself as a very skilled rider, to show up the geeks with fenders and panniers.

The serious idea here is if you're new to car-free and don't want to ride your normal errands in the snow, at least take your bike out and experience the several different surfaces the snow creates, where the cars are, where the city salts and where the city doesn't and where the paths don't get any attention and even the grass. All those surfaces are different. If you experience them, then if someday you HAVE TO ride in the snow you won't be so intimidated. You might even enjoy it.

I love riding in the snow, too, but whenever it snows my son's school is canceled and I'm at home with him. Maybe tomorrow there will still be some good stuff on the ground, though.

Moving around in the winter is a bit of a black art. You need to know what types of road conditions you can ride in and what equipment you need to get over them. Right now, we have no snow, but unfortunately the snow melts and when you travel early in the morning, roads can be either fine or a skating rink. Hence, I'm rode my studded tire bike today, but suspect I might be able to take my tourer tomorrow.

Likewise you need to pay close attention to the weather reports. I swear by this chart
http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?CityName=Des+Moines&state=IA&site=DMX&textField1=41.5767&textField2=-93.6174&e=0&FcstType=graphical It provides everything from wind direction to snow amounts. I largely ignore television weather forecasts. I would never leave the house otherwise: one inch of snow is typically a blizzard; an occasional shower is a deluge...

Lastly, you need to be able to guess the best routes. I have two routes to work. One through traffic, but shorter. Another more scenic, but prone to flooding and no snow removal. So I really need to know which one will work in any given weather condition.

Like I said, a black art....

:thumb:

Same weather chart I use. My job lives and dies by the weather and my ability to interpret the various forecasts and get a feel for the local weather. My laptop stays on and connected to several different forecasts and radars when I am in the field. I am a huge fan of the Wunderground (http://www.wunderground.com/) system. With their street level radar overlays and the Noaa charts I can usually call incoming weather within a 15 minute window.

Aaron:)

I guess I just don't see any reason to leave a perfectly good warm house to ride in the snow. I stock up when I expect the weather to get bad and I am simply not interested in learning the skills or riding on ice. If I had to go out I might consider walking but not even my MTB is ever going to have to worry about snow. My utility bike might get a light rain heading off to the store but only if I don't think the weather will improve in a day or two. There is absolutly no chance that I would enjoy riding in the snow for any reason.

i don't mind riding in the snow. it is still faster than taking the bus where i live.

I guess I just don't see any reason to leave a perfectly good warm house to ride in the snow. I stock up when I expect the weather to get bad and I am simply not interested in learning the skills or riding on ice. If I had to go out I might consider walking but not even my MTB is ever going to have to worry about snow. My utility bike might get a light rain heading off to the store but only if I don't think the weather will improve in a day or two. There is absolutly no chance that I would enjoy riding in the snow for any reason.

This from a guy that lives in Southern California:lol:

Some of have NO choice if we need to get to work, we ride in the snow. FWIW I live in the Coastal Plains of NC so snow is an occasional event. However I work in locations scattered around the country. When I was in mid-state Ohio working, snow riding became a requirement, because my dually truck was all but useless on slick roads. If I had to spend the entire winter up there I would have sprung for studded tires. Most of the time the snow around here lasts a day or three at the most then disappears. I stay off the roads for the most part.

Aaron:)

We rarely get snow here, but I almost never see other people riding in the winter, recreational or otherwise. People are afraid of chilly weather, apparently. (Yes chilly, not cold. It's usually in the 40s and 50s in the winter here.)

This from a guy that lives in Southern California:lol:

Some of have NO choice if we need to get to work, we ride in the snow. FWIW I live in the Coastal Plains of NC so snow is an occasional event. However I work in locations scattered around the country. When I was in mid-state Ohio working, snow riding became a requirement, because my dually truck was all but useless on slick roads. If I had to spend the entire winter up there I would have sprung for studded tires. Most of the time the snow around here lasts a day or three at the most then disappears. I stay off the roads for the most part.

Aaron:)

Well there is a reason I live here. :lol: But until last year I did live at the 5000 foot level in The San Bernardino Mountains. Freezing rain, black ice, and snow are not unknown to me. They are not things that tempt me to get on my bike and test my bad weather riding skills. :rolleyes: More than likelyif I lived where it snowed again I would never get to be car free. I would have a 4X4 with a good heater and snow tires. :o

My main comment was simply responding to try it I might like it. A snow man in death valley in the summer would have a better chance of liking it. But I do know we all do what we have to do to survive.

death valley in the summer

Been there, done that, in August 1995. 125 degrees in the shade!! It cured me of going on hot holidays - since then I have not even left Britain. I holiday mostly in Scotland or the Lake District, beautiful places with plenty of rain all year round, and snow in winter. Why would anyone want to live in a desert?! :D

Ok, ok, I won't criticise you for avoiding rain, if you let me stay out of the sun. It takes all sorts.

Likewise. Road bikes CAN NOT handle this even if it is only 2 inches.
http://alphabluetech.com/kjhanlon/offsites/SnowRide1.jpg

Been there, done that, in August 1995. 125 degrees in the shade!! It cured me of going on hot holidays - since then I have not even left Britain. I holiday mostly in Scotland or the Lake District, beautiful places with plenty of rain all year round, and snow in winter. Why would anyone want to live in a desert?! :D

Ok, ok, I won't criticise you for avoiding rain, if you let me stay out of the sun. It takes all sorts.

Fair enough. But I don't ride my bike in death valley either. My sister in law has been trying to get us to go out there for years and now it looks like I'll have to cave in and take her in April. Shouldn't be as hot then anyway. But I do live where it gets pretty hot so I know it can be every bit as uncomfortable as the cold. But no black ice and no snow. ;)

Been to London but I have yet to make it to Scotland. Just that I rather prefer Britain in June. But the question remains do you enjoy riding a bike in the snow? But I would never insist anyone enjoy the Sun. :lol: If the question is, where have all the roadies gone after the snow hits the ground? I would say, waiting for better weather.;) And better weather doesn't ususlly include snow on the road. :rolleyes: I can't even picture a 700 x 23 on ice or snow.

Snow is ok to ride on, hard work, but really not that slippery. Traction is more of a problem than grip - like riding on sand. I coped fine on my mountain bike with 2.1" mud tyres. Ice is another matter, however - one of the most painful, but in retrospect funniest crashes I ever had was on ice. This was when I still lived in the south of England, where it is on average warmer than Scotland, and snow and ice is a big deal. http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23382800-details/Beaten+by+an+inch+of+snow/article.do My usual mountain bike route had been churned up by 4x4s and the ruts had frozen solid, making it very difficult to ride on, so we gave up and had a ride on the road. The guy at the front braked, and immediately skidded and crashed. Seeing this, I panic-braked, skidded, and crashed. The guy behind did the same thing. Pesky black ice!

Here in Scotland, ice and snow happens frequently, it's expected, so it's no big deal, and the roads in my area are cleared and gritted regularly - so I haven't actually ridden on ice or snow in Scotland! I have ridden on slush and mud and water, in temperatures below freezing, and been quite comfortable with the right clothing. With mudguards (fenders) I don't even get that dirty, although the bike does.

Likewise. Road bikes CAN NOT handle this even if it is only 2 inches.
http://alphabluetech.com/kjhanlon/offsites/SnowRide1.jpg
I must disagree. I've ridden my specialized epic in that stuff and deeper. One of the avid bikers around here thinks the skinny tires work better in snow. It seems to me that when the ice is spotty the wider tires would be better at finding an ice free spot to grip. Today, with just patchy ice, still no roadies. I had the multi use path almost all to myself, just one other utility biker in an hour of riding. The worst parts were where the path is adjacent to the road so the snow plows push the snow onto the path.

:thumb:

Same weather chart I use. My job lives and dies by the weather and my ability to interpret the various forecasts and get a feel for the local weather. My laptop stays on and connected to several different forecasts and radars when I am in the field. I am a huge fan of the Wunderground (http://www.wunderground.com/) system. With their street level radar overlays and the Noaa charts I can usually call incoming weather within a 15 minute window.

Aaron:)

I use Wunderground radar to plan around summer storms also. I get out of work at 11:30 PM, which is when a lot of thunderstorms seem to hit around here. I look at Wunderground around 11:00, and I can usually tell whether it would be better to leave a little early, or stick around a little longer. I can even predist where on my short commute I'll run into the worst wids and hail.

As for snow, that usually lasts for hours and Wunderground is little help. You just go when you go, and you know you'll get to your destination eventually. It's only your brain that will stop you--not the weather.

It always amuses me that so many people say they can't or won't ride in snow, but hardly any of theaysayers have actually tried it. Most people who have ridden in snow more than a few times either enjoy it or at least tolerate it. It really isn't that bad!

I love riding in the snow, too, but whenever it snows my son's school is canceled and I'm at home with him. Maybe tomorrow there will still be some good stuff on the ground, though.

It won't be long before your son is a competent cyclist in his own right. I bet snow days will be the funnest days of the year then, since you'll be riding around town together. :)

It always amuses me that so many people say they can't or won't ride in snow, but hardly any of theaysayers have actually tried it. Most people who have ridden in snow more than a few times either enjoy it or at least tolerate it. It really isn't that bad!
Snow:
1. Depends on the depth. One inch of snow=okay.
2. More than 2 inches of snow and I start to wonder what it is covering. Normally you can see pothole depressions in the snow, but above 2 inches it is tricky.
3. You almost need two winter bikes: a fat tire mountain bike for snow and a studded tire bike for ice. I have 40mm studded tires on my winter bike (I call it my ice bike...) but it isn't that great in snow. Tends to fishtail a bunch.

However I really enjoy riding my ice bike on ice. It's like walking on water. Luckily, it seems that we have more ice days than snow days.

Snow:
1. Depends on the depth. One inch of snow=okay.
2. More than 2 inches of snow and I start to wonder what it is covering. Normally you can see pothole depressions in the snow, but above 2 inches it is tricky.
3. You almost need two winter bikes: a fat tire mountain bike for snow and a studded tire bike for ice. I have 40mm studded tires on my winter bike (I call it my ice bike...) but it isn't that great in snow. Tends to fishtail a bunch.

However I really enjoy riding my ice bike on ice. It's like walking on water. Luckily, it seems that we have more ice days than snow days.

In winter I ride a MTB with 2 inch knobby studded tires. This is adequate in all conditions, although I wouldn't want to ride a dry-pavement century on these tires.

Riding in snow is tons of fun. It's not so fun after the cars have been through it and compressed it into the gray, 'popcorn' slippery stuff.

I ride a road bike everywhere in every condition that central Pennsylvania has thrown at me this year. I gave up on saying "on your left," because the OP would rather be surprised than have a little warning. I was happy we didn't get any snow here from the most recent storm, but the bitter cold made up for it.

Well we had a whooping 2 or so inches of snow today. I took advantage of it to add an extra 10 miles to my commute to hone my slippery riding skills. Its my normal route, it took me 40 extra minutes. I'm getting old. The thing is I didn't hear one obnoxious "On your left!!!!" from a garishly dressed rider on an expensive bike. I saw two other bike tracks on the path part of the ride and one other rider on the streets. He also had a utility bike with red ortlieb panniers. It seems to me that if you're a serious biker you'd want to take advantage of these conditions to practice, or if you think of yourself as a very skilled rider, to show up the geeks with fenders and panniers.

The serious idea here is if you're new to car-free and don't want to ride your normal errands in the snow, at least take your bike out and experience the several different surfaces the snow creates, where the cars are, where the city salts and where the city doesn't and where the paths don't get any attention and even the grass. All those surfaces are different. If you experience them, then if someday you HAVE TO ride in the snow you won't be so intimidated. You might even enjoy it.

Or the roadies could be serious racers that don't want to risk a serious injury from snow and ice. The entire season could be wiped out from a small patch of ice.

Come on. We're all cyclists.

Like I said before, living in a mountain resort town I have been in plenty of snow and ice. I can remember the number of times it was all I could do to walk down the street with shoe chains. :cry: The only fun part is getting back inside by a warm fire and hot chocolate. And yes I have or had the cloths. But looking like a down filled tick with Heavy over mittens, balaclave, and goggles plus Sorells isn't my idea of real comfort.:lol: Reasonably warm yes, except when I had a mustache and it would freeze.

But I am not without sympathy for my cold weather brother and sister cyclists. But when I think of the birth place of civilization I don't see snow and ice.:D

Still if I had to go out in it and I had to ride I would never take my road bike. Maybe my Revive because I wouldn't have as far to fall.:o But so far no one has pointed a gun at me to make me go out in it.;)

Like I said before, living in a mountain resort town I have been in plenty of snow and ice. I can remember the number of times it was all I could do to walk down the street with shoe chains. :cry: The only fun part is getting back inside by a warm fire and hot chocolate. And yes I have or had the cloths. But looking like a down filled tick with Heavy over mittens, balaclave, and goggles plus Sorells isn't my idea of real comfort.:lol: Reasonably warm yes, except when I had a mustache and it would freeze.

But I am not without sympathy for my cold weather brother and sister cyclists. But when I think of the birth place of civilization I don't see snow and ice.:D

Still if I had to go out in it and I had to ride I would never take my road bike. Maybe my Revive because I wouldn't have as far to fall.:o But so far no one has pointed a gun at me to make me go out in it.;)

To each his/her own. I have no problem with people who don' like cold weather. The only time my patience is tried is when people say that moving about in cold weather is "impossible" --even though they have never tried it, or have tried it with inadequate clothing, equipment or intelligence.

But keep in mind that the hotter parts of the country were considered almost uninhabitable before air conditioning came about. 100 years ago, almost the entire population chose to live in the northern areas. There were no large cities of Miami, Phoenix or even Los Angeles and Orange County. San Fransisco, with it's cool climate, was the largest city in California until AC became available.

To each his/her own. I have no problem with people who don' like cold weather. The only time my patience is tried is when people say that moving about in cold weather is "impossible" --even though they have never tried it, or have tried it with inadequate clothing, equipment or intelligence.

But keep in mind that the hotter parts of the country were considered almost uninhabitable before air conditioning came about. 100 years ago, almost the entire population chose to live in the northern areas. There were no large cities of Miami, Phoenix or even Los Angeles and Orange County. San Fransisco, with it's cool climate, was the largest city in California until AC became available.


You could be right. However my Anthropology Professor was pretty sure mankind started far closer to the Equator. :lol: And at least I got an A in that class. Or was it a B?

In winter I ride a MTB with 2 inch knobby studded tires. This is adequate in all conditions, although I wouldn't want to ride a dry-pavement century on these tires.

Works for me...I normally don't have studded tires, one advantage to living in the Deep South (we just wait a half day for the "SNOW EVENT" to melt:roflmao2:) But having been assigned to work in some snowy climes I bought a set a while back and use them when needed.

Aaron:)

You could be right. However my Anthropology Professor was pretty sure mankind started far closer to the Equator. :lol: And at least I got an A in that class. Or was it a B?

I asked my son; who is a History/Anthropology (double major:thumb:) and he agrees, the thought being that the ice was still receding from the previous ice age and mankind was following it northwards. Roody is also correct in recent history.

Aaron:)

You could be right. However my Anthropology Professor was pretty sure mankind started far closer to the Equator. :lol: And at least I got an A in that class. Or was it a B?

I guess Anthropology teaches us one thing and US History teaches the opposite. At any rate, humans are adaptable, especially when we use our technology.

I asked my son; who is a History/Anthropology (double major:thumb:) and he agrees, the thought being that the ice was still receding from the previous ice age and mankind was following it northwards. Roody is also correct in recent history.

Aaron:)

Maybe the early adoption of fire made cold climates more desirable, and the much later development of air conditioning encouraged people to move to hot climates. Global warming is going to make us all want to move a couple hundred miles north. I'm plannng to retire in Michigan's upper peninsula.