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winter cycling plans

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Old 11-09-15 | 10:55 AM
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winter cycling plans

With the temps dropping I'm riding less outside. So I joined the local gym and added all the spin classes to my calendar. This summer I rode 5 times a week and hope to still workout the same mixing outside and inside. Soon the road bike will be put away and the MTB will then outside bike.

What's your plans?

And the guys in the south should not rub it in.
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Old 11-09-15 | 11:09 AM
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I hope to be able to ride once or twice a week through the winter, if the weather allows.

I re-joined a gym last week to add to my fitness through the winter. I tried the spin bikes for an hour a couple of times (not a spin class, but spin bikes with videos), but it soon came back to me how mind-numbingly boring indoor cycling is and I doubt that I'll be determined enough stick with it.
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Old 11-09-15 | 11:43 AM
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Winter in this part of Florida is the rainy season so my winter plans are to avoid the rain. No ride today because of the rain preceding the cold front that's coming.

And no, I don't have a rain bike. See my bikes below.
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Old 11-09-15 | 11:44 AM
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I'm comfortable cycling down to about 28f, but only if it's a dry, sunny day and the winds are calm. Winter here is normally windy and overcast, so it needs to be dry and 35f for me to ride on most days.

I expect to ride about 250 miles a month during November, December and March. January and February are more like 150 miles per month. However, that helps avoid a total loss of fitness and activity.
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Old 11-09-15 | 11:48 AM
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Originally Posted by oldnslow2
With the temps dropping I'm riding less outside. …What's your plans?

And the guys in the south should not rub it in.
Year round commuter of 14 miles. I plan to ride as much as possible, but pretty much only 14 miles at a time, as the busy job allows, hopefully at least about four times a week. The studded tires go on in mid December until early April, and the pristine CF Road Bike into storage likely in January though maybe March.

I started a new training strategy this summer based more on speed than mileage, so I’m hoping that compensates for the reduced miles. I always think about weight training and/or yoga for flexibility, but unlikely. No indoor riding.
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Old 11-09-15 | 11:59 AM
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I bought a roller trainer to go with my Kurt Kinetic. I plan to alternate using them. The roller is a beast to ride; it's taking a lot of time to learn to do it safely. I have a power meter on my Fuji so I can come pretty close to outside rides as far as energy expenditure goes. Fortunately I also have a home theater so I watch streaming races or surf as I ride.

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Old 11-09-15 | 12:06 PM
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I'm currently non-driving, away from the bus route.

I don't expect a lot of snow, but there will be a few rain days in my future.

I don't have any interest to ride 15 miles each way to ride an exercise bike.
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Old 11-09-15 | 04:13 PM
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Winter plans here are 90 days on the equator in sunny Sri Lanka and it wont be long...
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Old 11-09-15 | 05:50 PM
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Um, yeah, winter ... Midwesterner here, from the land of abundant snow and cold - not quite as bad as my relatives who live right on the shores of the Great Lakes in the Lake Effect belt, I'm inland enough that the worst of the Lake Effect snows usually spare my area --- usually.

Fat bike, wide studded tires on my hybrid, a lot of great cold weather gear, a good thermos and knowledge of all of the best 24/7/365 coffee places in the Metro area - I'm good to go, bring it!
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Old 11-09-15 | 07:37 PM
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I'm far enough south that winter is pretty mild, but here on the plains we do get bouts of pretty cold weather. I ride 4 or 5 times a week in the summer, and try to ride 3 times a week in winter. Sometimes that means on the trainer, but if at all possible I'll be outdoors.
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Old 11-09-15 | 07:53 PM
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I reimagined my home office.... removed the desk and made the room more cave-like. I may end-up joining a gym anyway. But for now I am hoping a little weights and some jogging (outside and inside) could be enough.

I have the fluid trainer setup with a bike near the TV. And the TV is connected to cable as well as Roku. I also have a PC connected to the TV via a VGA connector. So it's easy to watch YouTube cycling videos while I cycle.

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Old 11-09-15 | 07:56 PM
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Road bike going into winter storage pretty soon. Mtb will stay active longer. Lifecycle stationary recumbent in basement gym will see me through the rest of winter.
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Old 11-09-15 | 08:03 PM
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I will continue to ride twice a week on my ice bike. Plenty of hours, and plenty of exercise, but a lot less miles.
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Old 11-09-15 | 08:31 PM
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Went to my first spin class of the season... I hate riding inside.
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Old 11-10-15 | 02:08 AM
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Can't stand spin class - tried it a few times, at my gym they seem to think music has only one volume, deafening - and it's boring. With the right gear it's rideable most winters most of the time.
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Old 11-10-15 | 01:02 PM
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None of my bikes go into storage for winter, but the mix of how much I ride each one tends to shift. The road bike will see fewer rides as the open roads get colder and windy and the mild dirt roads it can ride easily in dry conditions get wetter and muddier. The AWOL will be the bike of choice for the dirt and gravel roads. The MTB will be ridden more often than in summer, but still not an awful lot. Though I may sell the current one and get a new one which will cause me to ride MTB a bit more often.
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Old 11-10-15 | 04:01 PM
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Originally Posted by TriDanny47
Can't stand spin class - tried it a few times, at my gym they seem to think music has only one volume, deafening - and it's boring. With the right gear it's rideable most winters most of the time.
+1! As I have for the past 3 or 4 years, I hope to continue riding throughout the winter, the one caveat being, of course, that there is no snow or ice on the ground. Here in central New Jersey it doesn't get exceedingly cold, i.e. in the teens or lower, and I found that I can ride at temperatures as low as 19 or 20F.

If it is colder than that, or there is snow/ice on the streets/roads, I can go inside at our community gym and use the exercise machines. I vary between the indoor, recumbent bike, and a treadmill. For example I'll do 20 minutes on the bike, 15 minutes on the treadmill, and another 10-15 on the bike. As others above have noted, indoor exercise machine use becomes dull very quickly!

Stay warm, and safe, and best regards!
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Old 11-10-15 | 04:24 PM
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I am fortunate to live in the lower mainland area of British Columbia. We rarely see snow here at the sea level, and if we do, it only stays for a week or so. It does however rain for 4-6 months with the odd clear day here and there.

I buy new rain gear pretty much every year.
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Old 11-10-15 | 07:30 PM
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I'm tapering off now. 100 miles/week this month, 75 next. My miles drop to about 50 a week in January and February. But it's enough to keep me in fairly good shape for spring.

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Old 11-10-15 | 10:27 PM
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My winter plan is to prep for next summer. In general, build strength and endurance and not gain weight while doing it. My resistance rollers will see a lot of miles, as usual. People at the gym will say Hi again.
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Old 11-11-15 | 08:40 AM
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Very cold (45 Deg.F.) when I took off on my commute to work this morning!

My winter plans are to bundle up and keep riding though it looks like the snow level this year may prevent some of my high altitude rides. Dead of Winter Double Century is my last double on the schedule for 2015 (Dec. 5th) and the next double (Camino Real) isn't until Feb.

Registration | Los Angeles Wheelmen

So my plan is to keep riding, try to keep climbing, survive the DOWD and be in decent shape for Camino Real. My wife is riding DMD too, so that should be fun .

Rick / OCRR
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Old 11-11-15 | 10:57 AM
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Originally Posted by Rick@OCRR
Very cold (45 Deg.F.) when I took off on my commute to work this morning!

My winter plans are to bundle up and keep riding though it looks like the snow level this year may prevent some of my high altitude rides. Dead of Winter Double Century is my last double on the schedule for 2015 (Dec. 5th) and the next double (Camino Real) isn't until Feb.

Registration | Los Angeles Wheelmen

So my plan is to keep riding, try to keep climbing, survive the DOWD and be in decent shape for Camino Real. My wife is riding DMD too, so that should be fun .

Rick / OCRR
That's my plan too! We've had some pretty mild winters, and been able to ride in the San Gabriels all year. With any luck, we'll have to ride in the Santa Monicas this winter. It's a tough job, but someone's gotta do it.
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Old 11-11-15 | 11:15 AM
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Originally Posted by oldnslow2
What's your plans?
Fatbike, my favorite season!

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Old 11-11-15 | 01:21 PM
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LOL, here anytime it hits 45 between Thanksgiving and Easter people ditch the winter coats and walk around in shorts and t-shirt weather.h The
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Old 11-11-15 | 04:12 PM
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Originally Posted by Hypno Toad
Fatbike, my favorite season!

Maybe a Fat bike is easier than a MTB.
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