Hypno Toad

I normally feel the need to take a pee after I get on all my layers

xyz

Depends bike shorts are the new thing, surprised the racer dudes don't have those already.

Hypno Toad

^^^

Brett A

Yes. A lot of us have fat bikes with 5" studded tires around here. The trails get packed by other riders and/or there are always snowmobile trails.
I've also been doing a century a month for the last 13 months (Thread HERE if you're interested. It's not too late to do a full 2021 worth) which I will usually do on my Surly Disc Trucker, but sometimes on my Specialized Roubaix. From November to April) I might have to choose my route carefully as the dirt roads I prefer can just be sheets of lightly sanded ice.

Noonievut

I sold a gravel bike in late 2019 and didn’t ride outside once over last winter. I only had a road bike with 25mm tires and stuck to Zwift, plus I hike a lot in the winter.

Several factors led to me buying a gravel bike recently, and since Jan 1st I’ve been out 9 times. Pretty good weather though.

This morning I was up early and planned to Zwift. Outside was -5C plus windchill, but roads looked dry. So I went outside and loved it. Used my headlight, some toe warmers and an extra layer up top. Wasn’t cold until last 15 of 100 minute ride when my toes were getting cold. A few roads had drifts of light snow and ice so I took it slow. 40mm Touareg tires did well. Now I will only ride Zwift when -10C or worse, icy or very windy.

JW in AK

Okay, so you guys, combined with a relatively mild winter (hasn't dropped below -30F yet) and a need to get outside more than ever, have convinced me to do some winter riding. We haven't had any new snow since November so all the trails are pretty well packed by fat bikers, skiiers, snowmachines, and dog teams. That means that the 2" studded tires I've got work just fine and I can put off the expense of a fat bike for a bit. The coldest I've ridden in this winter was about 10-15 below and my fingers started to hurt after a couple hours but it wasn't bad enough to cause any damage or keep me from doing it again. Turns out I really like this winter riding and have been doing quite a bit of it lately. Thanks to this forum for getting me out there in the "off" season.

xyz

Wimp, when I was a kid we rode when it was -100F, and we liked it!

billnuke1 

Bike-ini...Sorry, kind of of a stretch...

noglider 

@Badbird2000 in a sense you get what you pay for but you can also be frugal. A sweater from a church rummage sale is good as a mid-layer. And the cheap Polish tights on Amazon are getting great reviews here on BF.

Also, wool base layers are worth every penny.

JW in AK

I'm guessing that's because you kept warm by riding up hill both ways. If it dips to -100, I'll give it a shot but I can't guarantee I won't turn around before I'm out of my driveway.

xyz

And we didn't have these thin latex condoms that allowed you to feel sexual pleasure, we wrapped it up in a rabbit skin and tied it off with a bungee cord, and we liked it!

chaadster

I be out cruisin’, just doin’ whatever.

xyz

You don't use bar ends? I wouldn't have a bike without them. Those pedals are HUGE!

Oh, one of those ann arbor weirdos, I see. You should try moving to a real city like east lansing.

billnuke1 

Just got back from the Canal...28* + 25-30mph “breeze”...in my face all the way out...at my back, a gentle nudge, all the way home! Almost could not stay up turning around! Sharp turn, up hill, soft sand...30mph gusts!

Love this ol’ RockHopper comp...rescued from a neglected summer residence shower! Owner said, “Take it!”. Lubed it...I ride it like I stole it! I have never had to readjust anything! I haven’t even changed all of the cables! Even has some of the original air in the tires! I don’t even miss suspension...I run the 26x1.95 Cheng Shin tires at 60lbs...gives me a nice buzzzzz at 30mph!

chaadster

I’d love bar ends, esp. Paul ChimChims in hot pink, but the bars have too much sweep and would angle them outwards, as in wall-eyed. That ain’t cool. If I ever get the focus to change the bar, it’ll be for bar ends, though I would consider some of those inboard mounted thingamajigs...

Yes, big Crank Bros pedals. Inexpensive, metal pins, and blue, so works for a townie pedal. I use Shimano A600s for distance rides. I would
prefer slightly less large though, too.

Noonievut

50k+ in -5 to -10c weather this morning. Roads were dry with traces of salt and sand. A gas station let me 1/2 fill my bottle with hot water from the coffee machine to thaw my frozen bottle. Had a blast but my throat is feeling rough hours later, maybe from the crap on the road. Snow coming Tuesday so I’m going to ride in town tomorrow night (no traffic during our semi lockdown, so very peaceful out there).

stay safe y’all

xyz

Don't freeze dry your throat!

justrhines

Great pics! Motivates me to get back outside in the Indiana snow once it hits.

xyz

Finally getting some in lower michigan today.

Riveting

This is also true in the Denver area, technically a high plains desert, with humidity often in the single digits, so there's less moisture to moderate the air temperature. I recorded a 50 F degree delta during a single ride, 25 F at the start at 7am and 75 F at the end at 1pm. It's so hard to dress for that.

chaadster

A wee bit; I was still big ringin’ it...




EDIT: I should add that the Kenda Kwik K879 tires the bike is wearing here, which have been my winter tire of choice for so many winters, have been disco’d, and I’m so bummed. The 30c width, the tread pattern, and it’s square-shouldered profile combined to make these excellent urban winter tires for this bike, able to slice through slushy, icy ridges and find some traction on even hard packed snowy roads. There are a few still around if anyone needs a narrow 700c winter rubber selection; I just saw them at BikeTiresDirect for $28 or so apiece.

Noonievut

We got 10+cm of snow two days ago but dry and cold so since then. Roads in the area look good. Eagerly awaiting noon tomorrow when temps rise from -20C overnight to -7C so I can get out and ride.

Noonievut

Well, that didn’t go as planned!

Roads for first 45 min were nice and dry. Then all of a sudden snow and slush; I thought it would get better just up ahead but it slowly got worse and turning back meant being on the side of the road that was even worse.

Oh well, 40mm Touareg tires were good and thankfully I didn’t slip. Bike was a mess so a visit to a wash your car bay solved that.

Wouldn't trade that for an indoor ride though!

xyz

Major winter storm coming! I might get 1-2 inches of snow to ride on with my fancy ice spiker pros! Then it's going to hit 39 degrees thursday and it's back to dry pavement.

PGHNeil

The skies were clear but the weather was cold when I went for a maintenance ride yesterday. I didn't break any records; maxed out at 10mph and only did about 10 miles. The new 2.3" Maxxis Ardent tires aren't thick enough in slush and snow but they worked out well enough on ice.