Introductions - Hello from Alaska...

Hi, new to this forum. New to biking in general. My wife and friends are into riding and I decided that I would start commuting to work on a bike. Bought an inexpensive Novara bike from REI, started riding a couple of weeks ago, to and from work. Now, all I want to do is ride. I've decided I want to get into touring. I'm already athletic, so the physical part is not such a big deal. Just looking for information about bikes, how to's, advice, wisdom and such, and my search for these things brought me here. Seems like a good resource, so I registered and here I begin.

That's it in a nutshell.

:)

Welcome! Have you taken up winter biking yet?

Welcome! Have you taken up winter biking yet?

Not yet. I've only just gotten into riding. But as I'm really loving commuting to and from work, I'm already starting to look into it. That'll be a real test, especially up here.

ETA, just noticed you're from Spenard area. In that case, you know about the weather first hand. I'm guessing you commute during the winter?

Yeah for two winters now I've been living totally car free. The roads can be a challenge when the snow piles up on the sides, but the ice rides like concrete if you have good studs. I use Nokian Freddie's. Thankfully my commute is all downtown, where the Muni does a good job of plowing. In south Anchorage I've been mired in drifts so deep I felt like Scott of the Antarctic on his infamous return trip. Also thanks to the Nordic club every park trail is groomed for ski and consequently not ideal for bike riding. A fat bike will work on those trails, but they don't do so well on the hard pack and ice of the main roads. The new Bike Plan should start to rationalize the bike system and move it away from its prior focus on summertime only recreational cycling towards the commuters.

Welcome to bike forums...