jimmuller 

You are such the optimist! I just got back from 2 days x-c skiing. It was 4deg and very windy when we got off the trail. It was awesome. But it wasn't biking.

mtalinm

a tease indeed.

I'm wondering - is it time to ditch the studded tires? ever since I switched from a front-only Nokian A10 to Marathon Winters front and back, I've become much slower on the bare pavement ... and it's mostly bare pavement now, even on the MUPs.

I see a little bit of snow in the forecast but temps in the 30s, so maybe we are done with ice? can't wait to get back on the regular Marathons...

(I know, I know, I should buy an extra wheelset and pair of tubes and just swap as needed...)

Jim from Boston

Hi matalinm,

I’m sorry to read that you don’t like the Marathon Winters, especially since I have touted them highly. I don’t perceive any significant increase in rolling resistance, if any at all. My only reason to ditch them is to preserve the studs, but I’ll keep them on the beater bike until probably April. Changing wheels is too much of a hassle and not necessary for me.

As I recall you have 20 inch wheels on your folder, but it’s hard to imagine that’s the reason. Do you keep the tires fully inflated? Some riders recommend lower pressure when the conditions are bad, but I always keep my tires pumped up to my usual 65 psi.

I think we are over the winter hump though, but I do recall one ride around March before I got studded tires, and I rode about 4 mph due the total black-ice cover until the sun rose and warmed the pavement.

cod.peace

Has anyone been on the Minuteman path from Lexington->Bedford recently? How's the snow melting off it?

mtalinm

i think what's wrong is I'm chubby and that's causing more tire drop in the back and putting all of the studs in contact with the road instead of just the inner ones as with most people. (and yes, they're already fully inflated.)

fortuitously, I woke up to a rear flat tire, which meant replacing the tube on my daily driver. after removing the rear tire, it struck me that I could replace the studded Marathon Winter on the back with a regular Marathon. with the very little ice left these days, a studded tire in front should be more than enough.

now I should have higher psi in back, less tire drop, and less rolling resistance. and I can keep the front tire fully inflated (and then some) to minimize rolling resistance but still be there for a patch of ice if needed.

but if I don't see any ice this week - that front studded tire will be history!

sherbornpeddler

Snow banks are down but ice still intimidating my "I don't bounce the way I used to" bones. I guess today's 20F weather will inspire me to tour a virtual Provence on my trainer.

Things are warming up though.

I tend to be more of a (baggy, worn) spandex, suburban rider but do occasionally commute and enjoy recreational rides in Boston proper. It is good to see Mayor Menino is as determined as ever to make Boston a bike friendly city.

From yesterday's city schedule, "...5:30.....Mayor Menino will join the Boston Housing Authority to celebrate the donation of 100 bikes and helmets to the BHA. Children age 2-7 at the Orchard Gardens and Whittier Street BHA developments will receive bikes, helmets, and a bike safety lesson. The donation is through International Bike, Inc. and the Roll it Forward initiative, a Boston Bikes program that encourages people to donate their unused bicycles and seeks to make cycling more accessible for low-income communities.....Orchard Gardens Community Center, 2 Dearborn Street, Roxbury...."

Also resolute to the cause Nicole Freeman and Bill Watson were interviewed earlier this year. https://www.wgbh.org/programs/-855/episodes/-11926

cmolway

lately it seems that if I get two days in a row of decent, ridable weather, I am rewarded with snow and sub-freezing temps. Woke up this morning to snow on my driveway and temps hitting -5F. Needless to say, the bike was left in the basement this morning and I will be visiting the trainer after work tonight instead.

Harutz

Woo-hoo! Whole week of great temperatures coming up!
Time to celebrate by packing a bag and getting out on that road.

mtalinm

I got a little ahead of myself and removed one studded tire in the back. thought I'd be OK with one up front, but I went down hard on a big patch of ice yesterday when the rear wheel slipped out from under me. big goose egg on my right knee, ouch

sherbornpeddler

Mtalinm,
Your good message saved the day.
I hope youare recovered and your goose egg has left the building.

Over, down and around a hill I cruised then braked to a hault with better than ABS technique up to the last 5 mph, unclipped one shoe and slid 20 feet on a triangulation of tires and cleat. Causeway St. invited your ice patch to cover a 60 foot, curb to curb section of an otherwise dry Medway street. I came to a stop, traingulated, breathed, accounted, pondered and paused. Inched tires-cleat-tires-cleat to and made it to my Plymouth Rock, the snow bank. Uncleated and dismounted, I stomped very happily in crunchy snowbank to dry road and slowly, gratefully built back up to cruising speed and bid adieu to the goose eggless ice patch.

20 miles later I crossed maybe 10 other water washed sections on a beautiful, clear day. Rode up Pegan Hill in Dover to make sure Wachusett was still there. All is well, 24 miles, nice to get out and thank you so much for your message.

mtalinm

youch, SP! very sorry to hear that.

cmolway

Heal up Mtalinm!

I haven't seen any snow at all this week on my rides. I do, however, have to pay careful attention to the tiger-pit like potholes that are growing everywhere on my commute. Hard ride in this morning and another 1hr doing a sufferfest video on a spin bike at the gym has left my legs feeling like two bags of cement.

ride home will be interesting....

Jim from Boston

Back in November or so I rode over a seemingly innocuous puddle hiding a deep pothole, and I went down, putting a hole on my nice new pair of cycling tights and a new jacket. The abrasions on the knee looked ugly for a while, and my calf swelled up a bit, but all subsided over a couple weeks, i.e. no cellulitis.

If I can't see the bottom of a puddle I avoid it. But wouldn't ya know, puddles also obey Jim's Law of the Road, "No matter how well-paved and lightly-traveled the road, you are likely to encounter an obstacle on the right as a vehicle passes you on the left."

My sympathies also to mtalinm as I have read of his various trials this winter. Yesterday and today I drove my commute because of work-related activities and this morning I'm feeling the achiness and malaise of a viral syndrome.

cmolway

yeah puddles, no matter how innocuous, are to be avoid at all costs this time of year. There was a small 5" puddle on my street that appeared as the road glaciers receded. I rode by it yesterday and noticed the water had evaporated betraying a nice broken water utility cover that was lying in wait for its first victim. It will easily flatten a car tire, not to mention a tiny 23mm roadie one.

sherbornpeddler

This poor fellow preceeded me on the same stretch of ice covered road. I rode several hours later and there still were no cones or warnings. https://www.milforddailynews.com/news...#axzz1GMK5PEHR


I hope by now the warm weather has done in the ice.

JandersUF

I took the ice-tires off the bike this week, though I did find one road with significant ice-- the access road up the big blue hill down near Milton... I had to turn back halfway up (and i didn't shed a tear about that).

Also, last week, the far end of the minutetrail still had significant ice/snow blocking it, but just at the very end, in a pattern easy to get around.

jimmuller 

Yes I did get out today. Rode about 1/2 a mile. Okay, so it wasn't very far after all. Hey, it was getting dark!

I spent most of the day wrenching on the tandem which is almost done (the last parts arrived this afternoon). Then I re-fit the alloy wheels to the UO8, the same wheels with which I upgraded it long ago, then switched to the Gran Sport, then upgraded to 6-speed, then today retro'ed back to 5-speed for the Peugeot. Yeah, it meant re-installing a 120mm axle then re-dishing. Then I gave it a new rear brake cable. But the 1/2 mile spin afterward was nice.

Come on, spring!

Jim from Boston

That's a perennial March question on Bikeforums, when to take the ice tires off. My beater bike has them on all winter. There's a current thread on the subject on the Commuting Forum, "Studs off?

https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...0#post12352570

My post is #20, including this comment:

Namenda

He did not hit any cars, Lesbirel said.

Oh, well thank goodness he didn't damage anyone's car.

I think that could've been worded a bit differently. Like "He fell on an icy road, and fortunately, wasn't struck by any cars while down on the street".

ZIPP2001

The Final Countdown ! 92 days since I last put my leg over my top tube to ride my bike. So how was my winter you ask. This was the first winter in 6 years that I didn't go over the 200 lbs. mark, and every other winter I rode throughout. Last year I tapped out at 217 lbs before my cycling season started in full, this year it starts out at 194 lbs. I just finished putting my other Zipp2001 together, and will be doing a shake down 20 -25 mile ride tomorrow after work. I have been a bear the last few weeks as I have been getting the itch to ride again. I will be doing most of my riding in the Leominster / Sterling area because my area still has a lot of snow still to melt (still have over a foot covering my whole yard). I did enjoy reading up on my fellow BF riders on the road this winter and hope those who did have some mishaps are recovering just fine. I also hope that we can get together as a group in early spring to ride together. So Monday let the fun begin !

godshammgod

Fun and hilly 25 miles around Princeton/Sterling area. That included a nice little jaunt up Wachusett Mountain road as the snow fell. I think some of the skiers were puzzled when they saw two guys riding bikes up the mountain. My first ride in the area and I loved it. I'll be back to do the full Wachusett Mountain climb when summer comes.

cmolway

first ride of the year that wasn't a commute. Spent the past few months working on getting my average cadence up around 95-100 and lots and lots of intervals (thanks sufferfest--I think). Noticed a very big improvement on my spring form over last year. Did a very windy 30 mile ride and finished it in about 1.5 hours. Saw two other roadies out enjoying the day but, of course, they were going the opposite direction.

jimmuller 

Yesterday I got out briefly and then we got out briefly. The vehicle of choice was this:



A report can be read here:
https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...28pic-heavy%29

cmolway

Rode the "sweet ride" into work today with the brilliant idea of sneaking in a 40 miler after work since the days are longer and the forecast this morning called for a dry day in the low 40s. Wore minimal clothing since I was riding sans panniers.

Just looked out the window of my office and noticed that it is snowing. F-in snowing! Should make for an interesting ride. Debating the extra miles (wife not a fan of snow rides on a road bike).

Spring, you are a fickle mistress...

ZIPP2001

Got the first ride in today, 25 very fun miles. I wanted to remind my legs who the boss was so I kept it in the large ring and attacked each climb. Man is it Great to be back on the bike, almost felt like I was off for a couple weeks instead of 93 days.