chefisaac

Well, it snowed yesterday and last night so, after watching the news forecast, I decided to put on one studded tire up front for traction just in case. They were calling for more snow later in the night and I didnt want to get up any earlier to switch tires.

This morning came and most of the snow melted but I rode on. A strong headwind of 15-20 mph along with studded tires and the rolling resistance they give, it was a tough ride in. Average speed..... 10.5 mph. Every time I was getting some speed, wind would slap me around like a little boy.

I now know why people have dedicated winter bikes or at least different rims and tires to switch out for snow.

It was still fun though!

ckaspar

What is this "snow" you speak of??

Sixty Fiver

Ours looked like this early yesterday and when it was all done we had 10 inches of it and are still digging ourselves out.



I don't have any issue with riding in any winter conditions as I have multiple weapons... the dedicated winter bike wears studded tyres year round, the extra cycle gets around really well even without studs, and for heavy snow I have the Puginator.

Saw a woman riding this morning when I took the girls to school (treated them to a ride in the car) and she was having the worst time on roads that were not bad as they had been plowed and sanded but could see she has no skills and was taking the lane at 5 mph which was not a good thing.

erig007

Light studded tires are usually enough on roads most of the time. I use kenda klondike tires all winter long even in thick snow and have no problems with it. I would use heavier studded tires only on one foot or more deep snowy backcountry areas

chefisaac

Is this in Portland?

chefisaac

Its a he11 of a workout! I thought i was gonna die, especially with the headwind.

hubcap

Just think how bad it is going to be when you put the rear studded tire on!

Sixty Fiver

This would be a national emergency in Portland... they shut down when there is an inch of snow and we got 10 inches of the white stuff here in Edmonton yesterday.

chefisaac

i really though i was going to die.

Do you come out in spring like a monster once you put reg. tires on?

chefisaac

lol, yes.... that is true. heck even a flurry gets everyone in a panic.

Sixty Fiver

Just took this picture of my housemate's trike which is an excellent winter bike... will be digging this one out later and swap in the studded front wheel and have a trike-port in the works.



It is an immensely stable bike and am also thinking of mounting studded tyres on the rear to improve traction on ice as he uses it year round and is safer on three wheels than he is on two feet.

Sixty Fiver

Our neighbouring city shut down it's public transit service yesterday because of the freezing rain that was topped off with the aforementioned snow... you know it's bad when this happens.

Our city buses kept running although the delays reached over 30 minutes and have seen storms where the buses were delayed over an hour which made it look like they were running back on time.

A bicycle is one of the best vehicles in this kind of weather as you are usually more secure and stable on two studded tyres than you are on foot and have a much better time of than the motorists.

hubcap

You will indeed be pleasantly surprised how smooth and quick your slicks roll after a season on studs. And no doubt it makes you a stronger rider.

ckaspar

Wowee. So pretty. It is images like this that make me sad I live in Sunny So. Cal. but then being a 32 year So. Cal. resident I am pretty sure I would freeze to death the second I walked outside if I were in your photo.

I do love the difference between how cities deal with mother nature.

A light drizzle nearly shuts down LA.
An inch of snow shuts down Portland
10 inches of snow and you guys are still out doing what you need to do

If it snowed even a 1/4" here in LA I am certain there would be a state of emergency and National Guard would be called in to keep the peace.

Sixty Fiver

Seeing the world covered with snow here is rather beautiful and the temperature tends to go up when it snows and goes down when the skies are clear, this happens as it gets too cold for condensation to happen and no clouds can form.

This kind of weather calls for a fatbike (which I have) and my dedicated winter / ice bike can also handle this weather extremely well and when the roads get slick and polished.

ckaspar

Ya well....My "cold ride" today consisted of 61* temps. My family already thinks I am nuts for riding in that kind of weather. Sub zero and I would freeze to death or they would lock me up in the funny farm. Gotta hand it to you true Winter cyclists. It is a true dedication.

Sixty Fiver

I will tell you a little secret.

Shhhhhh...

It is not as hard as it looks.

adventurepdx

Aah, Sixty Fiver, don't get ​too smug, or we'll make you spend the entire rainy season, er, winter, here in Portland. ;-)

Yes, an inch of snow can shut down the city, but then again, it barely snows here so the city isn't set up to deal with it. But we can get large snows every great once in awhile, as we did during the three week snow/ice/cold event known as "Snowpocalypse 2008". We got a couple feet then (cumulative).



(And yep, I did bike during Snowpocalypse.)

Sixty Fiver

I think I rode through the blizzard of 2009 in Portland... recall that I was riding my Raleigh Twenty past miles of cars from the south side to the north to pick up my wife... after going out for dinner we went riding on streets that were bereft of cars save for those who were driving their Subarus with wanton abandon.

Portland winters are wet and cold and dismal compared to ours which are at least, bright and sunny.

I should be back for Christmas.

redeyedtreefr0g

This. I found this to be true even on my unstudded slick hybrid tires. There was a slight improvement in walking traction when I got snow boots, but my bike was still better.