solveg

So who's going to be riding around on their old rigid MTBs this winter?

This will be the place for our ride reports, to show how tough we are, and how pretty out bikes are.

plodderslusk

Very pleased with this years "new " 96 GT Bravado with new Freddie Revenz tires. Crossposted it all over the place. It is tough to ride on icy roads at night, my nightvision is not what it was. I could use a stronger headlamp than my Silva LX too.

solveg

I like the stays on GTs. I think the lines are gorgeous.

That is a beautiful, beautiful photo! That looks just like Norway does in my imagination. Do you know I play the hardanger fiddle?

plodderslusk

Thank you for nice words . I hope I am allowed by the mods to congratulate you on a great choice of new president. I hope this will renew and invigorate the good relationship between Norway and the US. Electing Obama is showing the rest of us where the future lies; in a world where color really is only skin deep. Great to hear that you play the "Hardingfele" !

solveg

I'd love to get a lundehund, too....

Thank you for the congratulations! We just have to work on getting him to inflate his tires....

stapfam

Winter is time for getting muddy so the Bianchi will be out this winter. But it won't be rigid. The forks are only 80 mm travel and they are set up very hard. But it will not matter what forks you use on our terrain in the winter-As long as it gets through MUD.

And if it does get out- The Tandem will not be getting rigid forks. The downhills hurt on that one.

But I do have plans on getting a Cyclocross- specifically for our hills.

cranky old dude

I'll be "Winterizing" The Beast this weekend as they are calling for snow to start.
I don't know about my being tough and The Beast is anything but "Pretty", though a
truthfull description of it would rhyme. I'll post a fresh picture by and by.

cranky old dude

Might be best to leave the tires be as his job requires all the strength a person
can muster.

TromboneAl

I don't want to scare you, PloddersLusk, but there are two heavyset ghosts checking out your bike.

Wildwood 

My rigid MTB is ready, but here in Seattle you mostly just need fenders on the old roadie and excellent rain gear. Plus a little HTFU for motivation.

Red Rider

Beautiful shot. Beautiful bike. I've never ridden a bike in such conditions. Is it as beautiful and transcendent as it looks?

plodderslusk

The moon was nearly full and the sky clear, so yes it can be really beautiful riding after work in the backwoods of Oslo.

Sixty Fiver

Sometimes I think that there is nothing like winter riding... it can be so very wonderful at times.

Sixty Fiver

And the winter moon... it looks much like this tonight.

solveg

Sixty Fiver, are those photos from this season??? You have snow like that already? That looks like late December in Minnesota.

I'm looking forward to snow. I hope there's some on the ground when I get home next week.

Oh! And I saw a Kansas vineyard today and stopped by out of curiousity. They make elderberry wine. I've only heard about that in songs....so tonight I'll be sipping that.

NOS88

Not meant to be offensive, but what planet are you from? The only wonderful thing about winter is when it's over. I'll ride all winter long, but there is no way I could ever describe it as wonderful. If I want to see pretty snow covered scenery, I'll buy postcards!

solveg

I don't find it any different than other winter sports... it's no colder than cross country skiing or snowshoeing. A lot warmer than ice fishing.

NOS88

Perhaps this is so. However, given the choice I prefer to do my suffering in warmer weather with longer daylight hours. BTW, the few times I went ice fishing we sat in a heated shed, drank beer, ate sandwiches and listened to football on the radio...entertaining, but not in the same league as skiing or snowshoeing, and difficult for me to call a sport.

cranky old dude

Key words in this statement...AT TIMES. Sport riding is grand as we get
to pick and choose what winter conditions we go out in, generally I imagine
sunny, calm, peaceful weather days. Commuting provides a whole different set
of parrameters. Commuters get to enjoy wind driven snow, ice pellets or
rain, very low wind chills standing still, slush, traffic, ruts consisting of anything
from heavy salt laden snow to solid ice, and the list goes on and on. While
I find winter commuting to be challanging and sometimes very gratifying for my
ego I seldom can come close to conjuring up many pleasant memories experienced
during winter rides. Of course on the Southern Shore of Lake Ontario the sun
seldom shines during November, December, January, February or March and the
typical grey sky doesn't add much picturesque or poetic beauty to the area's
winterscape.

Having gotten that off my chest you can rest assured that if I happen to be
home from work during one of those precious sunny winter days that I'll be
out in the snow on "The Beast" with my trusty camera taking pictures to add
to this thread. Like Sixty Fiver said, Sometimes Winter riding can be wonderful!!

Sixty Fiver

Those are from winter '07... '08 was pretty a pretty severe winter and so far we have only had a dusting of snow here.

I ride pretty much every day no matter what and although we do get those days that suck (can you say -40?), some winter days really are simply incredible.

cranky old dude

Second Frigid Rigid Ride this season. Yesterday's commute was on thin
frozen icy snow. After seeing all the bent fenders, upside down cars and cars in
ponds on the news last night....I think I was safer on the bike than I
would have been in the car. This morning's commute (at just before 4 am.) was
peaceful. The residential streets had ice under about and inch of powder and
the main roads were bare blacktop with a touch of slush. I only saw two
cars this morning but I'm sure this evening's ride home will be quite hectic.

Anybody else hitting the snow yet?

Happy Trails

2manybikes

With the righ clothing there's nothing cold about riding off road in the cold weather. Riding over frozen lakes and frozen ground or swamps is great.

RonH

I don't have a mtn bike and I'm not sure I want one. Since I'm basically done with work for the winter (things are really slow these days at the bike shop), I've changed my commuter bike back to what it was before the *operation* -- a cyclocross bike. (I'm also bidding on a few cross bikes on ebay and considering getting a frame from Fort. Don't tell my wife. )
I took off the 700x28 Panaracer Pasela Tourguards and put on some cheap 700x35 cross tires. Took off the rack, bottle cages, frame pump, lights, and seat pack. I'll be hitting a few of the cyclocross practice courses and easy mtn bike trails. If I get cold, the car is less than a mile away. If I take the rode bike out and get cold, home is 10-15 miles away.

knzn

Summer shot, but will take some winter shots later. Hasn't been too bad here yet.

borgagain

I've been riding my Antelope to work and PT sessions three time a week, to get my back worked on.

Not much snow here yet, so I've still got road tires on it but it's been below freezing the past couple of days.

The patients and staff in the PT office look at me like I'm crazy.