First snow commute thread Winter 2004-2005 [Archive]

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Zin

09-20-04, 10:05 PM

I'd love to hear about your first snow commute of this season. Post your thoughts, the conditions, or what ever you feel is of note.

Today was my first commute with snow this season. Temperature was around 33F with a brisk north wind. The snow was not sticking. It was coming down in big clumps splattering my face. The road was very wet. I'm glad I didn't wimp out. :D

coney

09-21-04, 01:30 PM

Congrats on your first 2004 winter ride. Sucks it had to be in September!

That reminds me, I have to get myself some cozy winter tights.

Gojohnnygo.

09-22-04, 03:32 PM

Yea Yea. So rub it in. :) I wish I was there. :(

wfin2004

09-22-04, 04:34 PM

I rode yesterday and thought about all you "northerners" riding in the snow.

eurotrash666

09-23-04, 10:02 AM

lucky you. i'm still in iraq... yes, it broke 100F today. i can't wait for my first winter ride... i have a shiny new christini http://www.christini.com/ waiting for me at home!

jasoncd

10-01-04, 11:48 AM

First snow ride was in mid September and first IceBike was this morning. Felt great having the crisp morning air hitting your lungs. Heat regulation was so much easier. The temp was -4C (24F). Funny things is that this will feel like summer come January!

Zippers are your best friend. I am my own heating and cooling system.

Looking forward to hearing from others as they experience their first IceBike of the year...

Zin

10-01-04, 12:09 PM

lucky you. i'm still in iraq... yes, it broke 100F today. i can't wait for my first winter ride... i have a shiny new christini http://www.christini.com/ waiting for me at home!

Hey bro! Thanks for your service! I wish all our troops were out of that place! Stay safe and know we are with all of you!

When you get back, come on out to Montana and I'll treat you to some way cool single track for that hot new MTB!

Bob

EDIT: Perhaps we can get jasoncd to come down from Edmonton to join us too.

naisme

10-01-04, 10:37 PM

Damn you beat me to it! That cold front that dumped all the snow on you hit us about 9 this morning. By 3p it was 48F and it's now 37F at 11:30p. I rode today, but I didn't wear clothes warm enough for the trip home, grabbing a ride with a friend tonight. No snow though, that'll hopefully stay away until after my birthday, 20 days from today.

eurotrash666

10-02-04, 04:02 AM

Zin

10-02-04, 08:02 AM

[QUOTE=N7CZinMT]When you get back, come on out to Montana and I'll treat you to some way cool single track for that hot new MTB!
QUOTE]

thanks, i appreciate it!
i will be in montana when i get back... i'm planning a three-month bike tour to celebrate my return to freedom. probably late july next year!

Hey cool! We are having a big cycling gathering around mid July next year. We'll be doing a large group ride over Going to the Sun & Logan Pass. Look me up when you get back.

Portis

10-02-04, 05:34 PM

No snow today, but we had a sudden hit of colder weather. I took off this morning (6:00 AM -dark) a bit confused on what to wear. It was 35 F and it has been quite awhile since I have dealt with that.

I had these new fangled glove liners that i wore under my half gel gloves. I was fine till about 1 hour into the ride. Then all of the sudden my fingers started to sting and then went numb. I had a bad combo on the hands and paid dearly.

I went the entire winter last year with no such trouble and yet on the first ride, i got stung. I needed my heavier winter gloves. (Actually could have gotten by with a cheap pair of cotton gloves but these liners suck.) About 16 miles into my ride my hands were hurting so bad, that i wanted to get off the bike and go inside somewhere.

I found a restroom at a local ball field that had a very special treat. AN AUTOMATIC HAND DRYER! Man that felt good. Well, i need to get my ducks in a row. "Winter" caught me off guard this year. I need to consult my notes and get things straight, and fast! It is sometimes hard when the coldest temp you have had for many months is 55 degrees and all of the sudden you are riding near freezing.

I'll get it right next time, you can bet.

HereNT

10-02-04, 06:36 PM

What kind of liners were you using, Ranger?

naisme

10-02-04, 11:02 PM

I did have my wool inserts under the gel gloves, man, I've learned that lesson, nothing sucks more than cold fingers stuck on a cold handle bar with a head wind stiffening them up even more. Argh the pain! No more. I do have three things I always have in the bottom of my messenger bag or panniers all year, dry socks, a pair of wool gloves (they dry quickly) and a hat. Those cover just about all the bases except when I get caught at work with poor leg protection.

bkrownd

10-02-04, 11:06 PM

Portis

10-03-04, 02:00 PM

What kind of liners were you using, Ranger?

THey are made of Thermax. Supposed to be good but I am not sure what it is good for. They are very thin and basically a lot like wearing nothing. I usually wear just a pair of cotton jersey gloves under my winter gloves and have never had any trouble. I would have been fine if i hadn't tried these liners alone.

I also went to Walmart and picked up a pair of Wells Lamont Mech Pro, Thinsulate lined gloves. They are very cool looking and cheap. I wore them this morning and they worked great in the 40's. I plan to wear these downn to freezing and then i will wear the cotton liners with thinsulate, mitten/gloves. (these are mittens that you can flip the top back on and have full use of your fingers.

jasoncd

10-03-04, 10:02 PM

N7CZinMT,

Thanks for the invite. I'll keep that in mind. Maybe we can get a group of people together including our friends in southern alberta!

Zin

10-03-04, 10:10 PM

N7CZinMT,

Thanks for the invite. I'll keep that in mind. Maybe we can get a group of people together including our friends in southern alberta!

Hey Jason, What is your schedule like over the next couple of weeks? I'll be taking delivery of my new roadie pretty soon. If the weather holds, I may be meeting "bartman" to pick it up and ride with him over Going to the Sun! I know its a long way from Edmonton, but would be cool to ride with you.

oaxacarider

10-15-04, 07:43 PM

N7CZinMT, what happened to your signature?? i need to know about your centuries and all the bikes you ride!!

Zin

10-15-04, 07:47 PM

N7CZinMT, what happened to your signature?? i need to know about your centuries and all the bikes you ride!!

What?

Steele-Bike

10-16-04, 01:27 PM

To date, not even a frost.

The studded tires are still in the shed, but I do have the cold frame over the garden. 40 and windy today, so I know winter is just around the corner.

Wulfheir

10-18-04, 09:10 AM

Here's a shot from a webcam in Calgary this morning. It was my first winter commute ever and it was great. I had a couple of finicky gear shifts, probably due to cold cables. The temperature was -7c. There was about 1 inch of the white stuff.
http://www.wulfheir.com/cam1.jpg

westman2003

10-18-04, 09:17 AM

Sorry I was so excited I started another thread on my first ride but I'll post it here.

Commuted 13 km to work. Temp was -7c/21f. Conditions were icy in places but the ride was great. I'm hooked!

Zin

10-18-04, 10:22 AM

Yep. Snowing here today too. Calgary & Great Falls must have simular weather.

westman2003

10-18-04, 11:30 AM

Both Calgary and Great falls are close to the Rockies so we probably see similar weather.

I havn't been to Great Falls for a couple of years. After Dar Heatherington "disappeared" on her bike there I'm no sure it's safe (just kidding!).

Zin

10-18-04, 11:35 AM

Both Calgary and Great falls are close to the Rockies so we probably see similar weather.

I haven't been to Great Falls for a couple of years. After Dar Heatherington "disappeared" on her bike there I'm no sure it's safe (just kidding!).

:roflmao: :p :roflmao: :p :eek:

Funny thing is that I have some cycling friends in Cardston that said the same thing last summer when hey toured through on their way to Salt Lake. ! 10:00 P.M. curfew! Oh brother!~

Baz

10-18-04, 01:54 PM

As previously mentioned, today was the first serious snow commute of the year in Calgary. About 1 inch on top of a very slippery base, and it's still coming down, (the ride home will be great!). I rode the fixie and had a blast sliding around corners and fishtailing down the roads. Whee!

The streets downtown got pretty mucky, though, and I ended up covered with a bit more mud than is really appropriate for work.

Man I love my fixie, and I love the winter.

westman2003

10-18-04, 02:42 PM

Baz

How far is your commute and where is it?

Ronocerous

10-24-04, 12:12 AM

My first snow commute this year was Monday. We had a good storm on Sunday, more snow on Monday, so I rode on ice, some hardpack and some loose snow. My thoughts?

At first I was scared! I guess I was getting "soft" riding through the summer. But that only lasted a few minutes once I was out there. Negotiating hardpack is fun; ruts are not. And loose snow is brutal and I nearly crashed a couple of times on the first ride. I'd forgotten how much it can pull your wheels. Overall, though, it was great to be out in the snow again...had a couple of rides this week in a gentle snowfall. You know, the kind with the big snowflakes. Beautiful and calm at night, snowflakes lit up by my headlight. Well..you folks know...