Yes it is. From January, 2012. The skier in the middle of the picture is my sweetie/tandem stoker. The peak is Mt. Washington, with its weather station lit up by the fading sun. The temperature, IIRC, is about -5F.

It's been mostly in the 40s & 50s F here lately. Pretty much perfect, but I admit, I'm still learning to dress right, for riding in it. Gore-Tex is pretty much required, as a take-along, at least, but when it's not raining hard or very cold, it gets a bit trickier. Polyester is the other "magic" material, especially for skinny folks. It's a great insulator, and very light weight, and dries quickly, if it gets wet. They have a lot of newer stuff, like Air-Loft & similar-sounding things, but it's really just a newer version of good ole polyester, I think. Jim, I'm not 100% sure, but I think there's a Mt. Washington here too. I'll have to look into that.

Great picture there.

I think guys who are sitting on their trainers are missing out.
IMO, winter riding is one of the most invigorating, challenging and pleasurable aspects of cycling. As far as I'm concerned, the colder the better.



PS- That's ice on the roadway ahead, not a river. I'm not brave/stupid enough to ride on a river.

How do the snow shoes attach to the pedals?

Aaron

Great pic, looks like St. Paul.

While I think trainers have their place, I agree that it is fun to be outside in the snow.

Yesterday we did 10k on the cross contry skis and another 24k on bikes in the new snow.

I rode my neighbor's Surly ECR with 29x3.0 Knards and that is one beast of a bike.

I was super impressed. I couldn't believe how much float you can get with that tire and how well it rolled for its mass.

Also, the bike handles much like my El Mariachi, which I happen to really like as well.

Hmmmm, I wonder how much tire I can stuff on the the El Mar?

Sunday, 29
Partly Cloudy
9 | -8 °F
Partly Cloudy
Chance of
Precipitation10%
Monday, 30
Partly Cloudy
3 | -10 °F
Partly Cloudy
Chance of
Precipitation10%
Tuesday, 31
Light Snow
6 | -8 °F
Light Snow
Chance of
Precipitation30%
Wednesday, 1
Partly Cloudy
3 | -4 °F
Partly Cloudy
Chance of
Precipitation20%
Thursday, 2
Partly Cloudy
11 | 3 °F
Partly Cloudy

Boy Oh Boy.... gonna get to wear my vintage Eddie Bauer goose down expedition facemask next week.

Back when I was young and vigorous, I decided I would try out winter riding. I had a blast.

Until I met ice. The first time I fell, I magically landed in a snow bank. To tell the truth, it was fun. Another 50 yards or so the bike slipped out again and I landed on the ice. After the next few falls on the ice I decided winter cycling was not for me. And I walked like the aged, decrepit old man that I am for the next 2 weeks. That was about 5 years ago.

^LOL!

I bought a fleece skull cap to wear under my helmet when it gets really cold here.

Up until a couple of years ago, I would have thought ski masks and such were overkill. Now, it seems that my face gets all freezing once it gets south of 20.

Whoa. I remember those in the old E. Bauer catalog.
Did you say you were going for a ride in that?

Or, going to knock over a 7-11?

I'd feel the same way were it not for studded tires. I recommend studded Nokians.
The only problem with them is that they are so sure-footed on ice that you're tempted to always go fast. I've learned "the hard way" to slow down a little in the turns.

The other big crash hazards are loamy refreeze (which is like suddenly hitting a sand dune) and piled-up snow, which (as often as not) is not going to yield to your front wheel - even when the rest of the snow is powder.
- Having front suspension helps with this - but there have been times when I have pushed it too hard and was sent flying over the bars with the bike cartwheeling over me.
Also - be aware that deeply rutted roads can catch the front wheel and cause the bike to stop. Abruptly.

It's important to have steel handlebars with bar extensions. Without them, your handlebar will twist like a pretzel and your levers/bar-mounted shifters will be smashed.

Blinking lights and Planet Bike fenders are a must also - I find them to be incredibly durable.

PS - You'll work up a thirst - fill your bottle with steaming hot water to start so it won't be a block of ice so fast.

I got in a metric century on Sunday, but it was a little too gray and wet to be truly enjoyable. I should have gone on Saturday, which was sunny and beautiful, but had other things going. Today is sunny but brutally cold. I hope it warms up in the next couple of days, I need to ride my December century still!



I'm looking forward to a thread called " show us your far bike drop bar conversions."

Just askin', SPD's on the bottom of those big shoes?

I typically hate it when it first gets cold in the Fall. Granted, I'm in the southern U.S., so "cold" is relative. But as the winter progresses, I do get some satisfaction out of riding in the 20's and 30's. Makes you realize you really want to be out there. I'm a nearly-everyday rider, mostly in the morning hours, so I get a good bit of this in the winter. Good winter riding gear is a must and so worth the investment IMO.

The last mountain bike race I did, in late November, had temps in the mid twenties. For a bunch of southerners, it was as much a battle of survival as it was a race. I did pretty well, but more than that, it was satisfying because I was one of the ones who showed up in tough (for us) conditions. We'll talk about that race for years, I'm sure. Big bonfire afterwards, too.

I got in a metric century on Sunday, but it was a little too gray and wet to be truly enjoyable. I should have gone on Saturday, which was sunny and beautiful, but had other things going. Today is sunny but brutally cold. I hope it warms up in the next couple of days, I need to ride my December century still!



I'm looking forward to a thread called " show us your fat bike drop bar conversions."

Did you see my post in the "Fat Bike" thread? I talked about having Frank the Welder build me one!

Deenke, of course! I have SPDs on all my bikes. One shoe fits all!