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winter= love/hate

Old 01-09-09, 05:11 PM
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winter= love/hate

i want to hit the trails so bad... but on the other hand... the area i live in barely takes care of the roads.

my winter commute becomes a mountain biking epic. all the roads become off road. its a challenge and really fun to commute to work. i have to hop over ruts made by cars, all along the way its very similar to riding on loose dirt or gravel and i feel like im learning alot of good techniques. on some surfaces my bike handles like a snowboard and its really fun after the i got over being scared.

riding on smooth hardpacked snow and transitioning to greasy soft sticky snow, combined with the constant hilliness from prehistoric glacial activity, makes the town i live in a gnarly length of track.
a short boring commute is now a mentally and physically challenging test of skill and concentration.

it all makes life alot less boring, especially in a town of 2 winter commuters. every time i set off in a snow storm its an unexperienced challenge

i was afraid i would get rusty and lose it, but now i think i will return to the single track more experienced than last season.

share your experiences
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Old 01-09-09, 07:58 PM
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I hate the winter.
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Old 01-09-09, 08:11 PM
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I don't like to ride in an absolute downpour (and we get those in Seattle every now and then) but I don't mind winter riding. I actually like a bit of mud on the trail, much more so than a bone dry, dusty trail. I've got good gear so the weather doesn't bother me much. Now, if I had to ride in crappy, snowy, rainy, icy weather my opinion might change.

Mike
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Old 01-09-09, 08:25 PM
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What we have right now sucks. No snow or ice on the road, but on dirt, there is no grip at all. Its wet icy snow on top of slick mud. Going down is ok, but going up sucks because you have no grip. So you walk up all hills, getting your cleats filled with mud and ice (I'm going to get some platforms).
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Old 01-10-09, 08:18 AM
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Originally Posted by Dannihilator
I hate the winter.
I hear ya. The big problem we have is the freeze/thaw cycle and the nasty conditions that come with it. I switch to a lot of running/hiking/backpacking/camping type things in the winter. Winter camping is great here.
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Old 01-10-09, 08:23 AM
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I like having four seasons. Each has it's pros and cons. I don't think I could live somewhere without a snowy winter.
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Old 01-10-09, 08:42 AM
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I just decided that I really hate the winter. We were supposed to get like 3-4 inches of snow. We did 10 miles north, but here we got rain. Which destroyed all of our snow that was on the ground already. Oh, well, I guess we'll have a second try tonight (but thats what the weatherman said, so it'll prolly be rain again.
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Old 01-10-09, 10:42 AM
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luv.
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Old 01-10-09, 07:41 PM
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The trails are either unrideable (mud) or snowy. Can't wait for spring. I'm picking up some skis to get back into it, but riding is better.
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Old 01-10-09, 08:08 PM
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Lebowski, try some snowmobile trails.
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Old 01-10-09, 11:13 PM
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i think i'd be killed. they fly around at excess of 40 mph
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Old 01-10-09, 11:22 PM
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I love riding in winter, if we ever get any snow! Last year we had nothing to speak of, but we are getting hammered this year. I can't wait until the laakes freeze!
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Old 01-10-09, 11:42 PM
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Winter sucks.
Running sucks.
Rain sucks.
Mud sucks.

But I still ride when I can and make the most of it.
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Old 01-11-09, 09:11 AM
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i only hate the snow, because i just cleaned my whole apartment yesterday. mopped the floors, used orange glow on all the hard wood, the whole apartment except for the kitchen and the bathroom (and it's a big ass apartment). then i came home with my bike and it was all wet and dirty and my apartment looks worse than it did before i cleaned everything. other than that, riding in the snow is fun. i just wish i had a better bike to ride.
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Old 01-11-09, 08:58 PM
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Love it because its not too hot and the cool breeze is nice if riding along the bay.

Sucks because the parks close at 5:30 .
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Old 01-11-09, 10:33 PM
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I love the winter, but I hate how a lot of the really cool rides I want to go on (Ouachita, Syllamo's Revenge) take place RIGHT after the freezing weather goes away. Makes it harder to train
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