Papa Tom

All you people who called me a sissy for putting my bike away for the winter...have you been out riding lately?

qmsdc15

I have a broken arm and doc says no riding but I'm going crazy from bike withdrawal.

I envy your ability to function independent of the bike.

Riding in snow is a lot of fun. Don't knock it 'til you've tried it.

longbeachgary

Why would anyone call you a sissy? Many people put their bikes up in the winter.

Papa Tom

>>>I envy your ability to function independent of the bike.<<<<

Trust me...it's driving me out of my mind. Fortunately, for the winter, I've got my ukulele!

v70cat

You could of gotten some rides in during November and December, January has been a total loss. The snow just won't end and the few days above freezing yields wet road with slippery ice/snow in the shoulders. I have been using the trainer and spent some time cleaning my bike. Tom do you have a trainer?

Papa Tom

>>>>>Tom do you have a trainer?<<<<<

No. I once adopted an exercise bike I found on the sidewalk, but I got bored after about thirty revolutions and put it right back on the sidewalk. I'm glad I did that before investing in a trainer.

I usually walk in the winter to keep in shape, but the snow has been so thick where I live that it's just too treacherous.

TrekDen

I'm with ya Tom! Every year I tell myself I'm going to ride outside thru the winter, and every year I nix it. I hate putting on all the layers more than anything!!

dendawg

My last ride was on 1/16. Too much snow right now. I've been either on the bike on the trainer or out xc-skiing. Too lazy to make the drive for downhill skiing. Weather might be in the 40's next week so if it dries up a bit I'll be out on the bike. Gotta see if this fender I bought works or if I still wind up with a black stripe on the back of my jacket.

jyossarian

I rode Monday and Tuesday and I'm eyeing a ride tonight. Don't be afraid of a little precipitation.

Papa Tom

>>>Gotta see if this fender I bought works or if I still wind up with a black stripe on the back of my jacket.<<<<

I have a funny story about fenders and snow. Years ago, during my most gung-ho bicycling period, I had a business appointment with a doctor in Manhattan sometime in the late winter. There had been snow over the weekend, but the streets out here on Long Island were plowed down to the pavement. I figured the city streets would be in even better condition, so something possessed me to take the train into Penn Station and ride my Tomos folder, with its freshly-installed fender, to my brand new client's office, somewhere in the 70 streets.

This was a sales call, so I put on a nice business suit and threw my long, nylon winter coat over it, figuring I'd just pull it off when I arrived at my destination and I'd be dry and properly primped.

The temps in Manhattan are usually a few degrees warmer than out here on the Island, so as it transpired, the city streets, unlike the dry, pristine streets in my town, were like raging rivers as the snow melted. And on the shoulders of each street were endless blobs of muddy slush kicked aside by buses and cabs. Oh, and ALSO on the shoulders was me on my little folder with my suit and tie and my high-gloss dress shoes.

Needless to say, when I arrived at my client's building, the back of my outer jacket, as well as the back of my suit jacket and slacks (how the hell did THAT happen?) were completely striped with dripping brown muck. My hair and face were totally splattered, and the soaking wet socks inside my shoes were making that gushing fart sound every time I took a step.

Now I had a big decision to make. I had called the client from Penn Station, saying I'd be over shortly, so it would have been kind of awkward to cancel and say that something had come up. But, at this point, I wondered if walking into a doctor's office splattered with mud from head to toe was going to help me sell him $1,000 worth of telecommunications products.

Ah, to be young and ballsy. I decided to call him from the lobby and warn him that I looked like I had just crawled out of a lagoon, offering him the option to cancel. I guess I presented it in a way that stirred his curiosity, so he told me to come up and leave my shoes and coat at the door. Upstairs I went.

For the next hour and a half, the doc and I laughed so hard as I pulled sales literature and contracts out of a briefcase soaking wet, then lifted my arms off his expensive leather chair to reveal two puddles of mud. As it turned out, he, too, was a cyclist and could relate to my situation. In the end, I made the sale, put my folder in a cab, and headed back to Penn Station. This may have been the last time I rode during the winter, but it sure was a cool way to end THAT period of my riding days!

v70cat

I will ride tonight in the basement on the trainer.

It is not much fun but 45 mins on the trainer helps keep you in shape. I set-up a box fan to keep me cool.
I watch Podcast during the training to reduce boredom.

zacster

I ended my season for 2010 in the Columbia/Presbyterian ER and I haven't been on a bike since, indoors or outdoors. I'm waiting for spring, but yea, I'm getting the itch. I'm also really out of shape and at 56 it isn't so easy getting back into shape, but I'm going to do my best to get back there.

Papa Tom

>>>>It is not much fun but 45 mins on the trainer helps keep you in shape.<<<<<

For me, a diet of Chipotle bean burritos and Dunkin' Donuts is doing just fine at helping me maintain my weight gain.

But seriously, having survived a big financial crash (like everyone else) in 2008, I have somehow ended up working at a very physical job at age 48. While I've put on a few "stress pounds" since the fall, I think I can pedal them off come spring. What? You older dudes are telling me it doesn't work that way anymore????

FrankieV

I would normally get in an occasional ride during the winter but the weather has not cooperated.
The wife bought me this for Christmas and it helps with the boredom of indoor training.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIeSEDL-CXE&feature=related

DSchlichting

Rode on Jan 1 and Jan 9 for total of 72 miles.
Actually L.I.E. service road around here is nearly dry, but so much snow here in Great Neck . . . good luck to even get to the service road for a ride.

dendawg

I find at 60 that it goes on easier than it comes off. 1 1/2 hours on the trainer will rid your bod of those burritos

M.Alex

I don't have the tires for snow but I did bike when the snow was half melted and floor decently dry.
Got a bit wet from the back wheel though. Also found a rock in my hair at work.

Still, I feel like a sissy when I see delivery men ride their bikes at night when it's snowing; following the snow plows i might add.

FattyArbuckle

Yup... Last ride was on Dec 25th, before the blizzard. Since then, I've continued eating Chipotle burritos at the same rate. Not the best idea, lol

Papa Tom

>>>>Since then, I've continued eating Chipotle burritos at the same rate.<<<<<

I'm a total addict. Being a vegetarian, a rice/bean/guacamole burrito is pretty much the perfect meal for me. I'd say from the time Chipotle opened on Long Island around two years ago, I've eaten at one of them 4 to 5 times every week. I live and dream Chipotle. What the heck is in that stuff**********

Anyway, we should get back on topic...

TrekDen

The dang things are just good!! I don't eat them like an addict, but I do crave the dang things once in a while. Oh, and I order mine sans the burrito wrap when I'm on a weight loss kick.

zacster

Chipotle is the devil. If they didn't taste so damn good you'd never even consider eating one. At least in the city they are required to post the calorie count. They are a double century's worth of calories.

Papa Tom

>>>>They are a double century's worth of calories.<<<<

The way I have mine prepared, it's fewer than 500 calories. If I break down and add a bag of those ridiculously tasty lime-infused chips, it's 1090.

How many calories does a century burn? Truthfully, even in my most vigorous biking days, I don't think I ever lost a single pound riding.

dendawg

Theoretically you burn around 600 calories an hour cycling, so thats about 1.5 hours on the bike with the chips

Harutz

January has not been good for biking. I did manage to get out for a while yesterday, though. There's so much snow on the roads here there's no chance of getting your own lane, which means a lot of stop and go in traffic. The slush is actually a little fun, just because you get so happy when you find a piece of dry-ish pavement. It's like a game. Side streets with a thin layer of snow are a pain, though. I didn't even consider trying to leave the city, who knows what roads are like out there.
I might get another ride or two in this weekend before the temperature drops again. Hopefully next month will be better...

Papa Tom

>>>>Theoretically you burn around 600 calories an hour cycling, so thats about 1.5 hours on the bike with the chip<<<<

You mean, to get the full caloric benefit, I have to eat the burrito and the chips WHILE I'm on the bike for an hour and a half? I guess I'll need to start working on some kind of clamp that will hold the silver tray with the little red basket inside. This is gonna be one messy cycling season.