pakaderm

I may have the time to tour up to New York State near the end of this year. Leaving Texas and thought of heading along the eastern coast. Has anyone tour during thids time of the year? Say, late spring or early winter. The cold and possible snow is my main concern. Then the camping. I would like to hear any suggestions on doing a south to north to New York in the winter time.

njkayaker

Where exactly are you ending up in NY state? NY state (north of Route 84) could have significant snow from December through March. Keep in mind that rain might be nearly as bad as snow if it is cold.

There won't be a lot of campgrounds open then either.

When it's dry, it's fairly easy to stay warm when the temperatures are >45 degrees. The big problem is keeping your feet warm. You might consider getting some chemical foot warmers, just in case. (I haven't tried these for riding.)

https://www.snowshack.com/brand/grabber

Of course, the longer you ride for, the more issue the temperature is going to be. Note that the hours of daylight are going to be much less than you are used to.

If you are talking about riding along the coast, things will be much more moderate even through most of NJ (but it can get cold in late December through February.)

Thulsadoom

That's friggin funny...

erbfarm

I too would like to know what tourers do for "off season" touring. I'd like to do a short tour near the end of October here in New England when we usually have fairly nice days and nights in the low 40's. No open campgrounds at that time of year, so where do you camp?

Bekologist

touring in the winter can be done but it's no picnic. I suggest it only as a journey of suffering and pilgrimage.

but hey, if you're an experienced winter camper with quality gear and a bit of the knowhow you can do it. you simply camp in the closed campgrounds or choose a stealth spot. one thing to keep in mind about winter camping, the days are hella short so you get a LOT of tent time.

i'd be much more into the hotels and hostels for winter touring in developed areas but like to rough it still. i think an 'average' tourer could conservatively plan for 40-50 miles a day in the winter, staying in hotels every other night (or every night!!) to keep things fresh would be a good way to do it.

if youre going to do it like you're touring siberia, well, that's been done. extended winter camping is a type of enforced sufferfest no matter what. bring mukluks and a pair of thin chore gloves. extra foam pads.

Here's a slide show from a winter tour I did.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ORO_...e=channel_page

BigBlueToe

I went for a winter weekend tour here in California. The temperatures were fine in the daytime, but in the morning when I got up for coffee it was freezing! The other thing was that the longer hours of darkness meant going to bed earlier, and it took forever for the sun to come up in the morning and start warming my freezing bones!

Bekologist

to erbfarm, late october touring would probably be a blast! just watch out for slick leaves. plan on crisp mornings like bike blue toe mentions. invert your water bottles for an ice-free top.

midwinter, if it were consistently frozen and with a long enough cold spell a dedicated rider could tour the snomobile trails with a mountain bike or better yet a pugsly. just be ready to deal with a lot of drunk snomobilers. id rather ski tour in winter myself.

october touring is right near perfect if the weather forecast is good. try a full moon weekend. i suggest people rally and head out for a short tour from home during the october full moon. get out!

alhanson

I've only done the winter thing once. though I do commute year round. It was a weekend trip near Jamestown NY.

Gear used was mostly my Alaska back country stuff. I don't think I would have bothered if I didn't have the experience or the gear for it.

If you are coming up from Texas, though I am sure you are hardy enough for the weather, you won't be aclimated so it is going to be a little more of a pain in the comfort area.

I suggest you use exactly what you would if you were cross country or back country.

Cyclebum

Go for it. Most of your days will be sunny and cool/cold. Good riding conditions. Nights will be long and cold.

The problem is how to stay warm and dry on riding days when it's raining and cold. Layers, wool socks, wool knit skull cap, and good gloves will take care of the warm part.

The dry part is a bit iffy. I'd carry a pair of neoprene booties, 1 size larger than your shoe size, and two sets of Frogg Toggs. Why Froggs and why two? Froggs because they are cheap, durable, breathable, and reasonably effective. Two because since they are 'breathable' they will seep some moisture in prolonged exposure to rain. Since staying dry is so important in cold weather, I'd add the second layer to try and prevent leakage. Yeah, I know you'll now have sweat to deal with, but that's unavoidable. At least you'll be warm.

Camping should be no problem as long as you're willing and knowledgeable in wild camping. With ingenuity and spunk, you can safely pitch a tent overnight just about anywhere. But I would budget at least 10 motel stays for such a trip considering it's length, direction, and time of year.

I'd also consider going somewhere else, like St Augustine or San Diego.

Bekologist

the best way to stay warm and dry on freezing cold, wet touring days is sitting in a cafe next to where you've got a cheap but nice motel room. you don't get much mileage in though.

for riding winter freezing and camping out you need to have a rock solid separate set of camp clothes for these circumstances. I believe i have packed two raincoats for off season tours. and a windshell.

i also cannot endorse strongly enough the use of a separate large silnylon tarp for off season touring to create a large covered hanging out/cooking bike parking area. even choicer would be an extended vestibule Hilleberg tent but i would still bring a siltarp....

here's some You tube video of a rainy october bike tour, i think i wore two coats at least once that trip. you can see the water pooling up on top of my handlebar bag.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTJmX...e=channel_page

Fishy

"Late spring" and "early winter" are two very different seasons here. I'm guessing you meant to say early spring and late winter - say late February through early April?

Aside from the obvious cold weather, that does tend to be the stormiest time of year there - that's nor'easter season when the storms can be either heavy snow or heavy rain events. Rain events on the coast and cities can be snow events just 10-20 miles inland. Hard to predict or plan for the weather here.

I'm not about to take on a bike tour during that season, but with the right gear and a willingness to a) suffer and/or b) bail to a hotel to wait out a storm if need be, it can be done.

gomadtroll

Check this out :-)

https://www.alaskaultrasport.com/alas...home_page.html

Enthusiast

This thread has gone a few days stale but I'm hoping the topic is still palatable. I'm in Burlington VT right now, about to continue my bike tour through the Northeast and am having difficulty deciding just how extensive I should make the tour before I start my Southerly migration for the winter. I've been doing some peak bagging and backpacking during my tours and I'd been hoping to hike Mt. Washington in NH and Mt. Katahdin in Maine. I'm just worried about being in Maine in late September. I'll be heading down the coast after I've summited Mt. Katahdin but I don't want to feel like I'm racing Winter as I tour. I'd prefer to keep most of my night time lows above freezing if possible.

Anyone done tours in the Northeast this late in the season?

arctos

The margin for error in winter touring in small. Experience and knowing how to use good equipment as mentioned above is vital. Mistakes are punished severely by nature.

When I taught winter survival training in Western Montana the equipment provided was a wool blanket, an army poncho, a knife and a coffee can. Students learned to move with care and to think far ahead about their physical condition, energy and hydration levels to avoid frostbite. They learned how small mistakes could cost them dearly.

Biking on frozen ground requires the right tires-spiked as needed for traction if snow depth is low or ice covered. Crossing bridges can be hazardous due to black ice that you will not see. Crashing on bare frozen ground is very painful yet you might not notice an injury due to cold numbing your arm and legs.

As demonstrated by IditaBike Racers winter touring is quite doable . It just requires experience to avoid becoming a statistic or casualty.

njkayaker

Nights in Maine could be close to freezing (especially inland) but the days should be reasonable. October should be fine for riding down the coast if it doesn't rain much. I'd say if you can reach south Jersey by October, you might do alright. The nights might be a bit cold. At that time of season. rain will radically alter your comfort (you won't really have to worry about snow).