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Winter is coming
If my Strava data over the past couple years is any indicator the biking season here (or at least my tolerance for it) looks to be coming to an end in the next few weeks. Next week is supposed to be somewhat warm and dry and I went for a ride yesterday so I've shelved some of the wrenching time in lieu of riding time until the big white blanket arrives to cover the land.
It has been an interesting season with COVID. I've avoided the popular trails this year except for during a few very early mornings and spent most of my riding in less travelled areas close to me. The routes have become a bit stale but maybe next year will bring some change. A lot of my time earlier this year was spent flipping projects. Prices were good, demand was high and time at home was plenty. I have a few projects to keep me busy over the winter. Both the 1963 paramount and 1972 mercier 300 are nearly complete but stalled for no good reasons. The 1975 international and 1972 px10 will undergo a few minor adjustments and maintenance but they too shouldnt take too long. The 1972 raleigh pro has been steady since it's most recent overhaul and I have no complaints or issues with it. I rode it yesterday and matched a personal best up the local steep climb. Other projects include 1973 competition frame build up, 1976 super course mk ii, a tech mtb with LX parts, a little modern fuji road bike and a 1985/6 miele nuova corsa that is nearing completion. The 1969 Raleigh Superbe has been plodding along just fine as a neighbourhood cruiser but it too may get a bit of stand time to tidy a couple things up. I'm not really sure where this post was going...maybe just a bit of a recap of the year as I shift out of riding season and onto the winter trainer. Hope you guys have had a good season...except you guys that are about to tell me that it is finally cool enough in Nevada or some other blazingly hot place to ride. Anyways, as someone that always skips to the photos here are some photos from this year: https://i.imgur.com/mPXGsdQ.jpg https://i.imgur.com/1rrn4aj.jpg https://i.imgur.com/GVDFll7.jpg https://i.imgur.com/QAxMEu9.jpg https://i.imgur.com/676RBkZ.jpg https://i.imgur.com/aW8e17q.jpg https://i.imgur.com/Bkz8Dtv.jpg ok this one is from a few years ago https://i.imgur.com/HdZ6WCZ.jpg https://i.imgur.com/BEOkN8h.jpg https://i.imgur.com/gYeL5KQ.jpg |
Thanks for the memories. Some guesses, Thommy Thompson, Don Valley path, maybe Sunnybrook, Guildwood or Centre Island?
What's your local climb? Rosedale Valley Road, Don Mills Rd, that small creek trail to Vic Park or High Park? I miss those rides. :thumb: |
Winter (Feb 3 - 2020)
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...f6e739d9_k.jpg Spring (May 24 - 2020) https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...8010d564_h.jpg Summer (July 26 - 2020) https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...b87e9b34_h.jpg Fall (Oct 31 - 2020) https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...3d6f47c8_k.jpg 2020 has been decent for cycling, everything else not so much. Started to ride in early Feb and the year was hot and dry. Covid made hydration and bathrooms a problem. The bulk of my rides were in the 45-55 mile range. WFH allowed me to get out earlier for after work rides because the commute was gone. Was doing 50 miles after work during the summer months. Was also able to ride after work through October for the same reason. Really missed riding the Harmon Hundred this year, since I was in good form. I'm already 100 miles past my total for 2020, with 2 months left. At this point all it takes is one big snow to end the season, so I'll keep going as long as the wx holds out. Need to figure out a way to stay active, since the gym is out of the question. Have plenty of wrenching to do over the winter, along with a couple of wheel builds. |
Originally Posted by clubman
(Post 21770390)
Thanks for the memories. Some guesses, Thommy Thompson, Don Valley path, maybe Sunnybrook, Guildwood or Centre Island?
What's your local climb? Rosedale Valley Road, Don Mills Rd, that small creek trail to Vic Park or High Park? I miss those rides. :thumb: Tommy Thompson, Don Valley eastern arm, Guildwood/Hill Cres path, the lake next to the wastewater plant in east Scarborough, unnamed path near Chine Dr. and some local neighbourhood Birch Cliff parks. The local climb is up and down Brimley to Bluffer's park. And one from BC in Central Park, Burnaby. |
Don't let the snow shut you down, Narhay...join us in https://www.bikeforums.net/winter-cycling/
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My spouse and I moved to our weekend house in March when we learned that COVID life would be different and work would be remote. It was a big adjustment, and now that winter is coming, it will be yet another. Doing shopping by bike is harder here, as the roads are quite hilly. I've only ridden here at night a few times and am not sure I'll feel safe. Given all these challenges, it might be hard to stay on the bike in the cold. I rode all through the winter last year, as I was living in NYC and we had no snow or ice that winter. Since I have no work commute now, my rides have been for pleasure and exercise which was also an adjustment. I have to schedule my rides. I should probably schedule them for early mornings now, but it's not very inviting to go out in the coldest hour of the day.
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I find I’m more exhausted riding in cold weather.
Not sure why, perhaps underdressed and using calories to stay warm? |
Hey those views all look familiar! glad to see a neighbour. I'm still riding, though not as often and not as far since the cold weather. I find now rides are shorter, plan my routes within neighbourhoods so the wind gets blocked and pick a comfy bike for slower rides. I don't have all the winter spandex so I just wear insulated active wear.
When that all comes to an end I go Zwift on indoor trainer 100% and hoping to do a lot more cross country skiing seeing as hockey is out this year. |
Perhaps this is the year I will master the rollers. Perhaps this year I will actually set up the trainer. I know that so far this autumn, I have been getting up and riding c. 5:15-6:00 a.m. on weekday mornings in tights and wool arm warmers and gloves, and I will be adding more layers as long as I can stand to do those rides. It's just a nearly-closed 1 mile loop, over and over again, but maybe I will toughen up. Or so I tell myself.
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Originally Posted by rustystrings61
(Post 21772433)
Perhaps this is the year I will master the rollers. Perhaps this year I will actually set up the trainer. I know that so far this autumn, I have been getting up and riding c. 5:15-6:00 a.m. on weekday mornings in tights and wool arm warmers and gloves, and I will be adding more layers as long as I can stand to do those rides. It's just a nearly-closed 1 mile loop, over and over again, but maybe I will toughen up. Or so I tell myself.
The Inside Ride E-Motion rollers are slick and easy to use, and expenseive. You can convert older rollers to a similar setup without much fuss or mess. |
I'll ride as much as the weather allows this winter. Not going to push my bikes through the salty sludge that lays around. Cold does have a way of sapping energy. Too much clothing you overheat; remove it and you freeze. Some people love the cold, though.
We have a spin bike here that we bought used when my wife's spin classes got shuttered months ago. I plan on using that when the cold/snow/ice is too much to venture out. Never spun before, so it should be interesting. |
Originally Posted by noglider
(Post 21771173)
My spouse and I moved to our weekend house in March when we learned that COVID life would be different and work would be remote. It was a big adjustment, and now that winter is coming, it will be yet another. Doing shopping by bike is harder here, as the roads are quite hilly. I've only ridden here at night a few times and am not sure I'll feel safe. Given all these challenges, it might be hard to stay on the bike in the cold. I rode all through the winter last year, as I was living in NYC and we had no snow or ice that winter. Since I have no work commute now, my rides have been for pleasure and exercise which was also an adjustment. I have to schedule my rides. I should probably schedule them for early mornings now, but it's not very inviting to go out in the coldest hour of the day.
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[MENTION=465722]robertorolfo[/MENTION], where are you now? I'm in High Falls, near New Paltz.
The drivers here are excellent. Most of the roads have no shoulders whatsoever, and that sounds crazy, but it's not. It's clear enough that cyclists are supposed to be in the lane. If it's not clear enough, there are also signs with a picture of a bike and the words "IN LANE". I watch in my rearview mirror and ride in the middle of the lane much of the time. When a vehicle is close and it is safe, I move to the edge. I don't get a lot of expressions of annoyance, but I'm already a good communicator which explains my good interactions. The roads here are extremely quiet. But as you say, nothing is close. The food store I usually use is a little over two miles away but it involves 170 ft of vertical climbing with a lot of up and down. There is something that makes a lonely ride seem longer, too, at least for this city boy. |
I live in Palm Springs, winter is the good riding season around here. It's 95 today, but by the weekend it's supposed to drop to a frigid 70 for a daytime high. :) It does get pretty windy here in the winter, so fighting a headwind happens a lot. I was a bike messenger in Seattle for 10 years, it didn't really snow very often, but the 36 degree rain with the wind whipping in off the Puget Sound made for some rough days.
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Cold, ice, wind, flurries. Today was a ride day but the elements dictated otherwise. Nordic skiing usually takes the place of riding here, but until then it's hiking around with a weighted pack. Sold the rollers years ago, but I loved them. I had a series of videos that took you to places like Big Sur coast, Italy, Swiss mountains as if you were cycling there; each one lasting an hour. I hear you can find something like that on Youtube while you pedal indoors. Anyone do that?
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Originally Posted by noglider
(Post 21772505)
[MENTION=465722]robertorolfo[/MENTION], where are you now? I'm in High Falls, near New Paltz.
The drivers here are excellent. Most of the roads have no shoulders whatsoever, and that sounds crazy, but it's not. It's clear enough that cyclists are supposed to be in the lane. If it's not clear enough, there are also signs with a picture of a bike and the words "IN LANE". I watch in my rearview mirror and ride in the middle of the lane much of the time. When a vehicle is close and it is safe, I move to the edge. I don't get a lot of expressions of annoyance, but I'm already a good communicator which explains my good interactions. The roads here are extremely quiet. But as you say, nothing is close. The food store I usually use is a little over two miles away but it involves 170 ft of vertical climbing with a lot of up and down. There is something that makes a lonely ride seem longer, too, at least for this city boy. I'm actually on Long Island (no judgement please), in Nassau. Drivers here are a mixed bag, and it's still pretty crowded here compared to upstate. Luckily I have a supermarket and a couple of drug stores within a half mile of neighborhood streets, so running errands is quite pleasant. Maybe that's why I'm constantly asking my wife if we need milk, since it's so much easier to just pop out of the garage with the bike than carry it down a few flights of stairs or wedge it into a crowded elevator.
Originally Posted by spruce1
(Post 21772603)
Sold the rollers years ago, but I loved them. I had a series of videos that took you to places like Big Sur coast, Italy, Swiss mountains as if you were cycling there; each one lasting an hour. I hear you can find something like that on Youtube while you pedal indoors. Anyone do that?
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Last week it hit 65 here. I went back inside and waited till the afternoon when it warmed up to a nice 70. If this keeps up I'll need a long sleeve jersey or something.
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I’m excited for my first winter of fat tire snow biking, just bought a sweet Surly Moonlander and it rolls over everything!
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This was one week ago in the Boston area:
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...19629fa8c.jpeg Today the high is supposed to be 70. I’m heading out shortly for a long ride. |
Winter is when I plan to get strong enough to ride with the hard men ... and maybe this year I will get past the planning stage. I recently let some "keepers" go and turned them into a stash of tires and the first pieces of a brazing kit to hopefully roll my own race bike as fast as this one.
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...0fdfb6a825.jpg |
I haven't been riding enough. I just resolved to ride more than I have been in recent months. I hope it's not too hard now that the weather changed and is getting colder (except for this week).
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edit: The order of pics and text got screwed, apologies.
Winter is kinda mild at sea level in PNW, but damp and dreary. Minimal great riding opportunities. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...7bbd1f0a0.jpeg This one may have been late in 2019. But,....WTH! https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...cdacedbdd.jpeg https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...b4287dff2.jpeg https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...2286f2f8b.jpeg https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...d03d89356.jpeg https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...bba0e47ba.jpeg I did like this pic https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...0a6fecce5.jpeg These signs are a reminder of our times. https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...abd3af578.jpeg I'm accumulating/sorting parts for a Winter project build and the usual maintenance. My cable and housing inventory is good, might need a new tube of grease. The 2020 memories will linger, as will the desire for continued lesser traffic on my routes. |
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