My intent! :lol:

We have a great 2 week stretch of 30deg temps and no snow accumulations in sight. Well, we shall see but the weather has been great the past few days.

Yesterday was a sunny 45deg with most of the snow melting away. Talk about temptation to get the Criterium Series out for a speed run. Except for the salt on the roads. Oh well, dream on and grind the hills and be happy to get out there. Target weight within reach, BP took a nice drop and the Antelope (1989) rides on!

"Snow Ride" wasn't that a Foghat song?
Take it easy!

I see what you did there. :lol:

I am used to riding year round, but I'm contemplating a move from northern California to Wisconsin;s northwoods. On a house scouting trip last October I did some great rides in comfortable temperatures. Returned in early December at the high one day was 4 degrees and snow was everywhere. What is the configuration of a bike for winter riding? I am hoping for an alternative to Wautopia etc....

kinda depends on the surface conditions. but usually means studded tires.

Yes, but I just air the mtb tires down a tad. When the fresh snow is 2-3” deep there is a typically decent base where traction is decent. I went down about 2 weeks ago. With the extra clothes and riding slower winter mtb speeds I just hopped up and went on my way.

well studs are no guarantee of staying upright! hehe don't ask me how I know :innocent:

in this case I broke thru about 2" of ice during a blizzard, due to my speed & snow collecting in the treads, the studs were rendered useless & bike became unstable, so I dumped it & hopped off
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...285a1e8f00.jpg

is this case it was just ice, but my wheels followed a rut taking control of the wheels away from me, it became unstable so I dumped the bike & hopped off
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...c837a12f25.jpg

and more recently I was riding this stuff the other night. 2-3" of varying firmness crusty snow. I would get up some speed on some firm stuff then hit some other stuff that was less stable w/ surprise ice bumps hidden below. at one point the bike just became unstable so I dumped it & did a snowball roll & sprung to my feet. was kinda fun (but not desirable) (I took a pic of the downed bike but deleted it)

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...476e9af4bc.jpg

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...a991410700.jpg

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...5fbdbde20b.jpg

Dude! It’s awesome meeting another snowrider and even one who rides the storms out!

it's what I live for. I save the warm couch for afterwards. my nightmare is being stuck in the house, only to look out the window & watch the news reporters. need to keep an eye on my decision making tho. don't know how long my luck will run

been holding off swapping the studded tires on my 29er MTB cuz I mounted them too early last year. took it out yesterday feeling confident the snow & ice melted away. I was wrong, but I was lucky cuz it was all granular & I had good traction with my 2.25" WTB Riddkers, 25 psi rear, 21 psi front

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...d72ccb8e1b.jpg

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...87faee5174.jpg

After getting slammed with a foot of wet, heavy snow it was rough riding out there tonite. It would be much easier if I could safely ride with the traffic as light as it is but ohhhhh no, I had to ride the sidewalk/path dodging ice rocks trying to jump out in front of me. Talk about a wrestling match.

that stinks, the road is so much easier. reminds me of this ride

https://www.bikeforums.net/winter-cy...oly-grail.html

"For the ride home, in the dark, I would air up and take the roads. I took back my rightful place as a vehicle (on the road)."

What a ride! It’s miserable riding at night with dampness the penetrates clothing and footwear. My rides top out just under an hour. Being it’s only for off season conditioning, that is quite enough. Thanx for sharing your adventure one more time. Those rides are unforgettable.

I can feel that ride this morning. Riding a heavy MTB, wrestling said bike through snow, seemingly gives a different meaning to a 5 mile ride. It’s humbling if you look through the lens of road biking in the summer.

yup, slow going indeed

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...31b649d48f.jpg

Last night at 7pm I go out the door for a few laps around town to keep my fitness and conditioning in check. Good thing I had the yellow lenses on. We were hit with a lake effect snow squall in the first 20 minutes and then again the last 20 minutes of the hour long 10mi ride. Sure beats rain.

Not much snow and nice riding temps at the 30-35deg range the past 2 weeks. What a treat. Tonight I mashed out another hour ride. Perfect winter conditions. There appears to be no change in this pattern into mid-Feb, which typically yields heaviest snows and bitter cold. We are loving this up here.

yeah slim pickin's here too. good winter if you like ice tho. had the pleasure of riding this old dirt road along a river, which when packed with snow, is quite nice. but this weekend it featured ice ruts, or should I say ice rails? why is it that despite knowing I should avoid these, my front wheel finds them anyway. did not go down, but stopped to take a pic of the hazard. cuz even w/ studs, these bad boys don't wanna play nice

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...fefd1bcf70.jpg

Yeah I can feel that. :D

We had 7” last night and will have a bit more on Wednesday. The past 2wks it’s been very little fresh but similar to you, we had 4” of crust. I’ll ride tonight.

Sunday was the big day to end the snowriding. Sunny, breezy, 60deg and out came the Criterium series. Today? Maybe 30something. Maybe a glimpse of sun. Definately spitting snow. Still wearing winter clothes for now. Maybe.

Aye, aye aye .. not for me, thanks. Snow is for skiing/boarding on.

I dunno what worries me more ... myself sliding out of control and crashing, or autos sliding out of control and crashing into me.

definitely maybe ... wasn't that a romcom movie?

Our town has good routes through 25mph zones. I deliberately ride at night so drivers see my lights. If I do my part, they do theirs. Riding up to intersections the drivers are incredibly courteous. We live in a bike friendly town of 4,000.