I went on my first winter trail ride today and it was a blast! It was 25F when I left the house this morning at 8 AM and probably about 35F when I finished my ride at 11 AM. The trail was snow-covered in places, but mostly it was just frozen. I was really surprised how much traction I got on the frozen trail with my non-studded tires. I have a Honda CRF450 and once the ground freezes I can't keep the rear wheel behind me without studs. I bought a pair of studded tires for my mountain bike but I'm starting to think that I'm not going to mount them until I need them. If it doesn't look like I'll need them at all I return them or sell them on Ebay. I'm really excited that the riding was so good this morning. I'm determined not to be stuck in the house all winter this year...

Here are a few pics from my ride today (I hope this works, it's my first time posting pics). We had temps in the low 40's yesterday and then a cold front came through. It was about 28 F and snowing when I left the house this morning and close to 20 F when I got home. It was slick in spots, but everything was ride-able. I thought it was funny that there was another rider on the trails out there today. I rarely see other riders there but I saw one today in this crazy weather. I ended up cutting the ride short because my shoes and pedals got so clogged up with snow and ice. Are there clipless pedals that shed mud and snow so well that you can use them in the winter, or is it best to go with platforms? Even though I had to cut the ride short, I'm still glad I got out there today. Definitely better than surfing the couch and watching TV!

Nice pics. Congrats on your first snow ride it only gets better. :D Anything is better then watching tv. Get out there and ride!

bacolmm . . . this other rider you mention . . . heck . . . was he wearing red clothes and white beard?!
:-)

Great photos . . .

Ride safely.