Europe - Scandinavian biking

Hi everyone!
Although this forum is mainly american, I have noticed that I'm not the only Scandinavian around here. So I thought... why not get some space of our own? Therefore I started this thread, hoping to gather all scandinavians here on the forum. The subject is (as the title encourages) scandinavian biking, which means that you can discuss almost anything bike-related.
Enjoy!

/Edvin

Where are you located? I'm in Stavanger... I've seen a few others in both road and the mountain forums.

I'm located in Gothenburg. What kind of biking are you up to in Stavanger? For my part, it's mostly commuting, getting to places and just pleasure rides, but I'm thinking maybe begin some serious road biking!

I'm not Scandinavian, but I play one on bikeforums. I'm an expat American roadie (with Swedish ancestry), who lives in Odense and does a bit of everything: commuting, touring club rides, organized rides, some racing.

My situation is similar to Pedaleur, American expat living in Denmark. I'm right in the Storkøbenhavn area and started road cycling mid-March, but have been commuting since I moved here two years ago. If any of you are ever in the area, drop me a PM and hopefully we could meet up for coffee or a ride

I'm from Reykjavik, Iceland. :) I was born in Sweden but didn't get to enjoy living there for long enough to remember it.

How's the weather where you guys are? Here in Denmark we're finally seeing blue skies more often than grey, but it has yet to warm up substantially and most days are in the 9 degree range

Hi, I'm Juha, I'm Scandinavian by some definitions, and I'm late to this party!

An aspiring year-round commuter in Helsinki, Finland. "Aspiring" because I have not yet managed to consistently commute by bike right through the winter. If nothing else, I've developed a prolonged cold, that one kept me off work for more than a week, and off bike for nearly a month. But one of these winters...

My cycling is of the utilitarian kind, my bike is my primary means of transportation. I've got two hybrid Nishikis, the older serves as a dedicated winter bike with studded tyres, dynohub and "upgraded" friction shifters. The newer one is my "van", it's heavy with front and rear racks, Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires and whatnot. I'm looking for a lighter bike with road type handlebars, for light touring in fair weather.

For us, it seems weather is finally warming up, forecasts up to +16C later this week. Right now it's still foggy, occasional showers and maybe +9C.

--J

I´m signing on. Swedish. Mainly a roadie. Have a little herd of different Monark. Did some riding in Denmark this summer, plans to do it again a bit more extensive.

Might as well show my face here too.
I'm a soon to be expat to Rauma, Finland. The bike will be traveling with me, though I'm not sure how much (outdoor) riding I'll be doing before March.

How´s winter riding? I´ve been hiding from this King Bore icetime... I´m hating it more each year!

Oslo is very very cold and I hope for sligthly warmer weather this weekend. Probably try my skis for the first time on sunday. I hope to keep biking through the winter and hopefully go for some longer rides on forrestroads on saturdays and sundays. My main cycling goal for 2011 is PBP so I need a lot of long rides.

Oslo is very very cold and I hope for sligthly warmer weather this weekend. Probably try my skis for the first time on sunday. I hope to keep biking through the winter and hopefully go for some longer rides on forrestroads on saturdays and sundays. My main cycling goal for 2011 is PBP so I need a lot of long rides.

Last weekend I went to Oslo and visit my daughter working there. I´ve forgot HOW different Norway is to Sweden - everything is really expensive! Anyway, it seemed a bit "warmer" in Oslo, but on my way home (sunday) there came tons of snow. Now we have to deal with that...

Commuting in and around Stockholm, doing brevets and touring when the white stuff is gone.

Where are all the Danes!?

Might as well show my face here too.
I'm a soon to be expat to Rauma, Finland. The bike will be traveling with me, though I'm not sure how much (outdoor) riding I'll be doing before March.Working at the new OL3 nuclear power plant by any chance? Welcome, and give winter riding a shot, it's fun. You might benefit from studded tyres, but Nokians are readily available here at nearly any supermarket.

--J

Where are all the Danes!?They're out there, riding. :D

They're out there, riding. :D

Well, not so much this winter (http://www.cphpost.dk/news/local/87-local/50775-snow-removal-not-up-to-snuff-councillor-admits.html)... ;-)

Got myself a trainer as christmas present. By the looks of this winter, it´ll be helpful ´til May!!!:mad:

I got a little sad now. After a couple if days with really nice weather it just started snowing here in Gothenburg again... I want real spring weather! Now!

Well, I'm a Swedish non biker for the moment. Although my goal is to make some money this summer so that I can buy myself a nice little folder. Then I will be some kind of biker.

203786the commuter2037871999 Monark2037881973 Monark203789A reminder of how it was
But NOW my fave bikes run around the rural backyards of my hometown! And the commuting has been extremely good since the snow melt. I´ve done one sportive and waiting for the Halvvättern. May summer be loooong!

Hi, I'm Juha, I'm Scandinavian by some definitions, and I'm late to this party!

An aspiring year-round commuter in Helsinki, Finland. "Aspiring" because I have not yet managed to consistently commute by bike right through the winter. If nothing else, I've developed a prolonged cold, that one kept me off work for more than a week, and off bike for nearly a month. But one of these winters...

My cycling is of the utilitarian kind, my bike is my primary means of transportation.
Ditto here. All of it except the name (which isn't Juha).

They're out there, riding. :D

I just spent two weeks in Finland, Sweden, and Denmark.. That's the truth.. The bike paths of Stockholm were amazing. As popular as was cycling in Scandinavia , I still have the impression Holland is the capital of cycling in terms of bike participation per capita.

Where are all the Danes!?
Here! On paper I'm a Dane, though I still call myself Icelandic.

I don't own a bike at the moment. :( I gave my old city bike away last month to a friend that needed to borrow a bike temporarily for a couchsurfer. I told him to keep it or trash it after his couchsurfer had used it as it's most likely a safety hazard now.... looking for a new bike to buy for when I get back from my semester in Finland this fall, and have my eyes set on a Yosemite Panorama that I hope will serve me well both for commuting and touring.

I live in Copenhagen and ride a recumbent trike with glass-fiber nose fairing - essentially a velomobile. I'm enjoying riding all year around *so* much, I started a small impromptu touring service where I take people around the city for short recumbent trike tours, or guide a few people on longer (30-100 km per day) tours in the region. Hoping to 'expand' into Sweden and Germany this year!

People really enjoy recumbent touring - you are more comfortable, can enjoy the scenery better, and don't have to worry too much abou 'cycle butt' or aching wrists/elbows/shoulders. Stick a fairing on the trikes and we can enjoy cycling in any weather!

Greetings!!!

My gf moved to Trondheim to work
and I am thinking to move there as well.

Are there any people from that place?

And a couple of questions to all Scandinavians:
Do you ride with snow?
What do you do during the winter
and how optimist can a Greek be about riding on snow??

And a couple of questions to all Scandinavians:
Do you ride with snow?
What do you do during the winter
and how optimist can a Greek be about riding on snow??

I ride in all weather, including the rare snow storm in Denmark. Since I ride a recumbent trike, I have no real worries of falling over from sliding in the ice or snow - in fact it makes the daily commute that much more adventurous!

Since you are a bit farther north than I am, I would recommend a trike, perhaps something like a Steintrike Mad Max (full suspension) with an extra set of studded tires for the winter. Will become a great commuter in all weather, and a lot of fun in the surrounding region of Trondheim.

Thanks for the reply, Digitalmouse
I an considering recumbent. I am fan of the vintage Italian road bicycles
using for commuting and "training"/long rides.
I am just wondering how hard it is to ride on snow (I am not worrying about cold weather that much)

Cheers ghandee, welcome to Forums.

Studded tyres are good on slippery surface, i.e. ice and/or hard packed snow. Deep loose snow in itself is not slippery, unless there's ice or hard packed snow on the bottom, where tyre's contact is. I believe Trondheim's winters are cold enough to have both deep snow and slippery road conditions. I would definitely NOT suggest a trike in deep snowy conditions. You would be plowing 3 separate tracks in snow, one for each tyre. It's hard enough to plow the 1-2 tracks for an upright two-wheeled bike.

I prefer a dedicated winter bike with studded tyres permanently on. If that sounds like an overkill, consider a studded wheelset for your bike, both wheels. It's easier to swap wheels than change studded and non studded tyres back and forth. If you just choose to buy studded tyres, put them on early (first freeze-thaw cycles) and don't change back until it's spring. If your have quality carbide studs, they will not mind being ridden on a bare pavement occasionally.

My winter tyres are Nokian W106s, there are other good options too. Take a look in our Winter Cycling subforum for more info.

--J

Thanks for the answer Juha.
In terms of tires, I did my search and I will come beck with more questions as soon as I decide to buy a pair.
But in terms of the bicycle?
Do you have some recommendations as to what type is good to use?
I saw a short film about fixed-gear in Finland, but I don't like the idea :)
I was thinking something like touring or hybrid/fitness with studded tires

A lot of the "what bike, which components, what kind of gear" topics are covered in Winter Cycling (http://www.bikeforums.net/forumdisplay.php/53-Winter-Cycling).

I am just wondering how hard it is to ride on snow (I am not worrying about cold weather that much)

Aside from the extra weight and extra wheel, a trike is very easy to ride *on* hard packed snow and ice (not through snow, unless you have an all-wheel-drive trike - yes there is such a thing), and especially if you use studded tires as Juha suggested. But yeah, pushing through soft snow isn't too fun unless it's downhill - on most any kind of cycle.

Two-wheel recumbent snow riding is possible, but depends on the weight distribution - too far forward and you get poor traction on the rear wheel, and too much braking weight on the front. Too far back (like in a P38 or other Long Wheel Base recumbent), and you might get soft steering - not enough weight up front unless you use front panniers loaded with something.

If you plan to do a lot of snow riding (trail riding for example), a good old fashioned full suspension mountain bike with studded tires would probably be the way to go.

Hi! I'm from Oslo, and I enjoy road and mountain-rides on bicycle. I use my bicycle in thw winter aswell. Btw, whycan't we talk Scandinavian in the Scandinavia forum?

Us Mods will not be able to issue infractions, if you misbehave in Scandinavian. Mitt skandinaviska suger. :)

Vanligtvis i nordiska seminar byter man till engelska rätt så snabbt. Finska deltagare förstår inte vad de andra snackar om, och ingen vet vad den danske delegaten sade. :D

Velkommen til BF, Villas!

--J

Hi! I'm from Oslo, and I enjoy road and mountain-rides on bicycle. I use my bicycle in thw winter aswell. Btw, whycan't we talk Scandinavian in the Scandinavia forum?

Det var forklaret i turingforumet

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php/844106-how-it-goes-when-you-need-to-buy-a-tube-in-Denmark

:D

And Juha would start writing words like hääloouodäänääää.

(Why Finland doesn't ship some of its extra vowels to Serbia or some other place that needs them, I'll never know.)

Men, virkelig kan jeg godt lide at skrive på dansk, selv om jeg ikke er så godt til det...

Nah, the hääyöaie kind of words are reserved for the Fenno-Ugrian subforum, should we ever get one. "We" meaning the grand total of maybe 5 BF members who come from Finland/Estonia/Carelia/Hungary etc.

MVH,

--J

Nah, the hääyöaie kind of words are reserved for the Fenno-Ugrian subforum, should we ever get one. "We" meaning the grand total of maybe 5 BF members who come from Finland/Estonia/Carelia/Hungary etc.

MVH,

--J

I came close to taking a job in Estonia once.

Because Danish is just too popular, you know.

Nah, the hääyöaie kind of words are reserved for the Fenno-Ugrian subforum, should we ever get one. "We" meaning the grand total of maybe 5 BF members who come from Finland/Estonia/Carelia/Hungary etc.

MVH,

--J

Add thos who understand :)
5 years in Budapest, I picked up the language hehe

Well, another looong (not so hot) summer passed and I´m back on the forums as the riding/outdoor time is restricted by the weather and loss of daylight. You guys got any wild winter plans? join a spinning group? Refurbish that old beater bike? Take trips to places where you actually can enjoy bikeriding? Get some anti-depressive drugs?

You guys got any wild winter plans?

As soon as my Steintrike Nomad Sport gets some modifications finished to the Wildcat fairing, I'll be back to daily training for http://eurotour2013.com which starts in July 2013 for 3 weeks.

And when not doing that, I'll be driving my cycle taxi (Anthrotech trike converted into a 4-wheel cycle taxi) through out central Copenhagen. Good spin training over the canal bridges when loaded with 150-180 kg of drunk passengers. :)

Are you working as a bicycle-cab chauffeur as a living?

(sorry for the late reply) No I don't do it as a living. I teach how to make websites at a local college part time, and drive the cycle-taxi part time- 3 months teaching, 3 months taxi, 3 months teaching, 3 months taxi. Keeps me reasonably fit and not stuck in front of the computer all winter. :)

I don't think you can do it as a living at this point in the world's economy. People don't always have the money (it's typically 2-3 times more expensive than the same distance by public trasport) and we get too many drivers up from Poland, Hungary, etc., during the summer tourist season who bring their own bikes cabs or rent from one of the rickshaw companies. During the summer months there are easily 30-40 bike cabs running around Copenhagen, and they tend to over-charge which scares away customers and tourists.

They sometimes get upset at me when they just sit in one location all day waiting for a big paying tour while they watch me riding back-n-forth doing small runs or offering cheaper fares. Silly 20-somethings being too lazy to understand that a lower fare means more paying customers. But that's their problem. I do it more for the exercise and social aspects than the money.

Here is a photo album of the cycle taxi project, where I took my old German Anthrotech recumbent trike and welded it to the back end of a cycle-taxi: https://picasaweb.google.com/103124336912395863201/2012CycleTaxi

Crossposting from the Winter subforum, hello from Oslo.
Had a great but very challenging ride today, around freezing and quite difficult road conditions. I am amazed at how well my new to me FS bike whith Schwalbe Ice spiker Pro handled this.
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b337/plodderslusk/ESP_9708_zpsdb9678d1.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b337/plodderslusk/ESP_9711_zpsa7c1668d.jpg

Great pics, plodderslusk (http://www.bikeforums.net/member.php/20568-plodderslusk)!

Would love to try that road with studded tires on my trike!