Re: Aluminum Winter: Going Ridin' Tomorrow, finally
You have some great looking photos Steve.
Looking forward to some more.
You have some great looking photos Steve.
Looking forward to some more.
Aluminum Winter: Full Tilt Sunset
- Thread starter MplsCoaster
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Re: Aluminum Winter: Going Ridin' Tomorrow, finally
Copied it from fb. Nothing to exciting. Think I know why you use the bars you do, helps load weight on the front wheel.
Copied it from fb. Nothing to exciting. Think I know why you use the bars you do, helps load weight on the front wheel.
Re: Aluminum Winter: Ridin' on the Mississippi River
Thanks Skipton!
Thanks for posting your awesome snow bike Kevin!
It looks very cool and shiny! Your spot on about shifting your weight back and keeping the front tire light
I really like the way you have your bars set up, and the bars themselves
And your wrong ( :lol: ) it's totally exciting
Finally got a ride in today but first installed an aluminum 52T crankset and 22T rear gear
It was 18F with WC of 7F so reasonably nice out
Decided to do something different and instead of going along and over the bridges of the Mississippi River
Decided to go down to the river flats and check it out
Practiced on the bumpy ice in the community garden first
The new gearing worked pretty good but the torque was less smooth so took some time to sort it out
Took the river path to the Lake street bridge and headed down, first big hill, not to bad
Second big hill, a little more hairy, made it about half way down then it was a constant slide fest :shock:
Then took the path to the beach. Riding to the Beach, my favorite thing! :lol:
Rode down to the iced up river and it was about 4" thick near the edge
Decided to keep only a few feet away from shore but it was fun
Went upriver for a while and found a tree that was kinda interesting
Headed back downriver and was able to setup the bike in a ice heave
Liked seeing the sunshine of the icy sand
Headed inland and had a blast on the icy path with all the trees
Went south back toward Lake Street bridge, made it half way up the hill and couldn't sit and pedal hard enough, so walked
Shot back down towards the river and the huge building where they store the crewing boats (shelling or rowing)
There is quite a few teams and really they get bookin'
http://www.google.com/search?q=mississi ... 29#imgrc=_
http://www.mplsrowing.org/content.aspx? ... e_id=90658
Lot of water runs down by the bridge and it looks cool
Never went south along the river so thought I'd check it out
Had a great time on a new path and then rode across a shallow ice pool. This one's for Nick :lol:
Found another beach then no more paths along the river
This is what most of the "inland" paths looked like, bumpy ice
Came to the end of the path so took one more pic (that's "Missi", the frozen river monster, in the background :lol: )
No steps going up and didn't want to ride all the way back, so no way but up
Nice thing about having a light bike is putting it over your shoulder and rock climbing, Close to the top for a break
And if you were wondering :lol:
Had an awesome time exploring for about 2 hours!
Thanks for looking
Steve
Thanks Skipton!
Thanks for posting your awesome snow bike Kevin!
It looks very cool and shiny! Your spot on about shifting your weight back and keeping the front tire light
I really like the way you have your bars set up, and the bars themselves
And your wrong ( :lol: ) it's totally exciting
Finally got a ride in today but first installed an aluminum 52T crankset and 22T rear gear
It was 18F with WC of 7F so reasonably nice out
Decided to do something different and instead of going along and over the bridges of the Mississippi River
Decided to go down to the river flats and check it out
Practiced on the bumpy ice in the community garden first
The new gearing worked pretty good but the torque was less smooth so took some time to sort it out
Took the river path to the Lake street bridge and headed down, first big hill, not to bad
Second big hill, a little more hairy, made it about half way down then it was a constant slide fest :shock:
Then took the path to the beach. Riding to the Beach, my favorite thing! :lol:
Rode down to the iced up river and it was about 4" thick near the edge
Decided to keep only a few feet away from shore but it was fun
Went upriver for a while and found a tree that was kinda interesting
Headed back downriver and was able to setup the bike in a ice heave
Liked seeing the sunshine of the icy sand
Headed inland and had a blast on the icy path with all the trees
Went south back toward Lake Street bridge, made it half way up the hill and couldn't sit and pedal hard enough, so walked
Shot back down towards the river and the huge building where they store the crewing boats (shelling or rowing)
There is quite a few teams and really they get bookin'
http://www.google.com/search?q=mississi ... 29#imgrc=_
http://www.mplsrowing.org/content.aspx? ... e_id=90658
Lot of water runs down by the bridge and it looks cool
Never went south along the river so thought I'd check it out
Had a great time on a new path and then rode across a shallow ice pool. This one's for Nick :lol:
Found another beach then no more paths along the river
This is what most of the "inland" paths looked like, bumpy ice
Came to the end of the path so took one more pic (that's "Missi", the frozen river monster, in the background :lol: )
No steps going up and didn't want to ride all the way back, so no way but up
Nice thing about having a light bike is putting it over your shoulder and rock climbing, Close to the top for a break
And if you were wondering :lol:
Had an awesome time exploring for about 2 hours!
Thanks for looking
Steve
Re: Aluminum Winter: Ridin' on the Mississippi River
Looks like you had an awesome time Steve!
You obviously have a lot of faith in your bike and are getting more and more confident on it!
Luke.
Looks like you had an awesome time Steve!
You obviously have a lot of faith in your bike and are getting more and more confident on it!
Luke.
Re: Aluminum Winter: Ridin' on the Mississippi River
Looks like a really fun day!
Great pics!
Looks like a really fun day!
Great pics!
Re: Aluminum Winter: Ridin' on the Mississippi River
You're right Luke, on both counts
I didn't mention before but that one hill when it got to a constant skid, I walked it down for a while :lol:
Thanks Skipton!
I think half of the fun is sharing with others
BTW: I wanted to say that I don't condone riding on risky ice
I really watch the ice thickness and be careful (other than maybe wiping out :lol: )
Kevin, I'm sorry, I totally misunderstood what you said
I think you meant that I lean more forward to give more traction to the front tire
And that's true for light snow
But it's also the position I'm more comfortable when riding hard
I meant that when the snow is heavier and maybe a light layer of ice on top
I try to lean back to keep the front tire from dropping through that ice layer and I can get more speed
You might notice that I lean forward but the stem is very short to bring me back farther
A good trick, someone showed me, was to drop the tire pressure to get better traction
In light or deep snow, I use about 25 psi, it makes a huge difference
Maybe try that next time to get better front tire traction
Here's another shot from yesterday's ride
Thanks for looking
Steve
You're right Luke, on both counts
I didn't mention before but that one hill when it got to a constant skid, I walked it down for a while :lol:
Thanks Skipton!
I think half of the fun is sharing with others
BTW: I wanted to say that I don't condone riding on risky ice
I really watch the ice thickness and be careful (other than maybe wiping out :lol: )
Kevin, I'm sorry, I totally misunderstood what you said
I think you meant that I lean more forward to give more traction to the front tire
And that's true for light snow
But it's also the position I'm more comfortable when riding hard
I meant that when the snow is heavier and maybe a light layer of ice on top
I try to lean back to keep the front tire from dropping through that ice layer and I can get more speed
You might notice that I lean forward but the stem is very short to bring me back farther
A good trick, someone showed me, was to drop the tire pressure to get better traction
In light or deep snow, I use about 25 psi, it makes a huge difference
Maybe try that next time to get better front tire traction
Here's another shot from yesterday's ride
Thanks for looking
Steve
Re: Aluminum Winter: Ridin' on the Mississippi River
Yeah I'm pretty sure I ran way touch pressure. I like those bars but for the purpose they are wrong. We were supposed to get snow today, getting flurries but its melting. And most the snow from the other day is gone.
Yeah I'm pretty sure I ran way touch pressure. I like those bars but for the purpose they are wrong. We were supposed to get snow today, getting flurries but its melting. And most the snow from the other day is gone.
Re: Aluminum Winter: Ridin' on the Mississippi River
Cool pics! I wanted to get some pics down river between Davenport,Ia. and Rock Island, Il, for you guys today. It's freezing rain out and just too nasty for action shots. I'll try again in the coming week.
Cool pics! I wanted to get some pics down river between Davenport,Ia. and Rock Island, Il, for you guys today. It's freezing rain out and just too nasty for action shots. I'll try again in the coming week.
Re: Aluminum Winter: Ridin' on the Mississippi River
Yeah Kevin, Riding in the snow is a different animal
Hopefully this next deep freeze will bring you some snow that stays
Thanks RatSphinx! That be cool to see the river there. Post when you can get 'em
Thanks Sleepy!
Yeah Kevin, Riding in the snow is a different animal
Hopefully this next deep freeze will bring you some snow that stays
Thanks RatSphinx! That be cool to see the river there. Post when you can get 'em
Thanks Sleepy!
Re: Aluminum Winter: Ridin' on the Mississippi River
Great pics and stories Steve. Looks like fun can be had riding around there in the winter yet I don't know that I'd trade it for the warm weather we've been having here You're making lemonade out of lemons.
Great pics and stories Steve. Looks like fun can be had riding around there in the winter yet I don't know that I'd trade it for the warm weather we've been having here
You're making lemonade out of lemons.
Re: Aluminum Winter: Night Rider
Thanks Randy! I always enjoy your continuing stories and great photography
Glad you see there is some opportunity to have fun in the frozen north
And totally understand that it's not for everybody
We have to deal with the polar opposite (pun intended) up here
It like living more southern and not being able to ride because it's too hot out
I can't imagine that :shock:
People up here say at least you can put more clothes on to stay warm in the winter
They say that you can only take so much clothes off (with out being arrested :lol: ) to keep cool
To these people I say that I can always ride to the beach and hang out in the water
That is if you're lucky enough have a lake near by
Now for the current weather conditions 32F and 15 mph winds
It supposed to get subzero the next few days so did my 8 miler along the river
This one is for Randy We got 3" of wet snow Sunday after my Saturday ride,
and sticky enough to stand the bike up without a prop or kickstand
Since it was supposed to be for exercise, I tried not to stop too much but saw this one
It might have turned out better if I could just hold still...
There was just about every type of surface (puddles, deep slush, ice)
and they all happened within feet of each other, kept me on my toes...
Thinking about switching out the crank set for something more normal size
The 52T on is too big and hit some logs when I tried to ride over them
Thinking about a Origin8 46T Classic Sport Single (and okay on price)
http://www.origin-8.com/?page_id=91&sho ... S+%26+SETS
Like the harder gearing a lot and will swap out the rear gear too with the orgin8 to keep it
Kept up with a commuter today for about 3 miles so I can finally keep a more reasonable pace
And keep the tires at 25psi
Thanks for looking
Steve
Thanks Randy!
I always enjoy your continuing stories and great photographyGlad you see there is some opportunity to have fun in the frozen north
And totally understand that it's not for everybody
We have to deal with the polar opposite (pun intended) up here
It like living more southern and not being able to ride because it's too hot out
I can't imagine that :shock:
People up here say at least you can put more clothes on to stay warm in the winter
They say that you can only take so much clothes off (with out being arrested :lol: ) to keep cool
To these people I say that I can always ride to the beach and hang out in the water
That is if you're lucky enough have a lake near by
Now for the current weather conditions 32F and 15 mph winds
It supposed to get subzero the next few days so did my 8 miler along the river
This one is for Randy
We got 3" of wet snow Sunday after my Saturday ride, and sticky enough to stand the bike up without a prop or kickstand
Since it was supposed to be for exercise, I tried not to stop too much but saw this one
It might have turned out better if I could just hold still...
There was just about every type of surface (puddles, deep slush, ice)
and they all happened within feet of each other, kept me on my toes...
Thinking about switching out the crank set for something more normal size
The 52T on is too big and hit some logs when I tried to ride over them
Thinking about a Origin8 46T Classic Sport Single (and okay on price)
http://www.origin-8.com/?page_id=91&sho ... S+%26+SETS
Like the harder gearing a lot and will swap out the rear gear too with the orgin8 to keep it
Kept up with a commuter today for about 3 miles so I can finally keep a more reasonable pace
And keep the tires at 25psi
Thanks for looking
Steve
Re: Aluminum Winter: Behind the Frozen Falls
Had to get outside for a ride even if it was still cold (3F+slight wind today, yesterday -30F wind chill :shock: )
We got 2" of fluffy snow last night so it kinda made the ice underneath slipperier
The street started getting packed but I wobbled a few times around the icy corners (action shot)
Went over to Minnehaha Falls again to see what the frozen creek was like in the other direction
The stairs getting down to it were really slippery but carrying the light bike was helpful
Saw people over by the Falls so thought I'd get a close shot too
The ice formation was really cool
Heard a few people behind the ice so I crawled up there (without the bike)
I've seen and heard other people do this but I never had
It was one of the coolest things I've ever seen!!!
The blue in the ice was incredible
Took a pic for some other people and they shot me too You can see my bike way below
Cautiously slid down a steep icy path to get back down and was ready to ride
Decided to try the trail first, it was challenging but fun
Got to a raised wooden path and hoped it wasn't all ice under the snow
No wipe out but intense concentration :lol:
The south trail went high and narrow so I switched to the frozen creek (only about 3" deep)
Lots of Surly Pugley tracks, saw at least 5 when I was leaving
Stopped to get a glamor shot, snow was to light too support the bike though
This is where Minnehaha Creek dumps into the Mississippi river
Headed back on the wide path. Had to stop a few times to catch me breath (or have a heart attack :lol: )
It was tough going but could stand up to get enough torque on the smaller hills
Only got so far up the steep path then had to walk, Oh well, I'd rather have a light single speed
It was a lot of fun but my knees were kinda sore and my feet were getting cold so I had to stop playing
Did one last stop on the way home at a statue of Col. John Stevens, the first settler in Mpls
Had a great ride and saw/did something really cool things for the first time
Thanks for looking
Steve
Had to get outside for a ride even if it was still cold (3F+slight wind today, yesterday -30F wind chill :shock: )
We got 2" of fluffy snow last night so it kinda made the ice underneath slipperier
The street started getting packed but I wobbled a few times around the icy corners (action shot)
Went over to Minnehaha Falls again to see what the frozen creek was like in the other direction
The stairs getting down to it were really slippery but carrying the light bike was helpful
Saw people over by the Falls so thought I'd get a close shot too
The ice formation was really cool
Heard a few people behind the ice so I crawled up there (without the bike)
I've seen and heard other people do this but I never had
It was one of the coolest things I've ever seen!!!
The blue in the ice was incredible
Took a pic for some other people and they shot me too
You can see my bike way below
Cautiously slid down a steep icy path to get back down and was ready to ride
Decided to try the trail first, it was challenging but fun
Got to a raised wooden path and hoped it wasn't all ice under the snow
No wipe out but intense concentration :lol:
The south trail went high and narrow so I switched to the frozen creek (only about 3" deep)
Lots of Surly Pugley tracks, saw at least 5 when I was leaving
Stopped to get a glamor shot, snow was to light too support the bike though
This is where Minnehaha Creek dumps into the Mississippi river
Headed back on the wide path. Had to stop a few times to catch me breath (or have a heart attack :lol: )
It was tough going but could stand up to get enough torque on the smaller hills
Only got so far up the steep path then had to walk, Oh well, I'd rather have a light single speed
It was a lot of fun but my knees were kinda sore and my feet were getting cold so I had to stop playing
Did one last stop on the way home at a statue of Col. John Stevens, the first settler in Mpls
Had a great ride and saw/did something really cool things for the first time
Thanks for looking
Steve
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Re: Aluminum Winter: Behind the Frozen Falls
Lovin these pics MplsCoaster as I said before hot downunder this summer,
nice to see a cool place I can almost feel the cold when I look at your pics!
Lovin these pics MplsCoaster as I said before hot downunder this summer,
nice to see a cool place I can almost feel the cold when I look at your pics!
Re: Aluminum Winter: Behind the Frozen Falls
Cool stuff as always! :wink:
Pretty awesome behind the falls!
Luke.
Cool stuff as always! :wink:
Pretty awesome behind the falls!
Luke.
Re: Aluminum Winter: Behind the Frozen Falls
Great stuff!
More great photos and frozen falls are so cool.
Looks like a great day!
Great stuff!
More great photos and frozen falls are so cool.
Looks like a great day!
Re: Aluminum Winter: Behind the Frozen Falls
Neat sequence and I like the Metropolis bars. Have a set in my stash for the next BO #8.
Neat sequence and I like the Metropolis bars. Have a set in my stash for the next BO #8.
Re: Aluminum Winter: Behind the Frozen Falls
This set of photos just blows me away!!!!
Like another planet where bikes rule the frozen tundra following the yellow trail of the huskies warning people to beware of where they go!!!!
This set of photos just blows me away!!!!
Like another planet where bikes rule the frozen tundra following the yellow trail of the huskies warning people to beware of where they go!!!!
Re: Aluminum Winter: Behind the Frozen Falls
That looked like one cool water/ice fall.
That looked like one cool water/ice fall.
Re: Aluminum Winter: Behind the Frozen Falls
So you were the goon I seen riding around the other day! We were down in te citties to get furniture. I happened to look out the window while we were going over a bridge, and I seen someone on a bike cruising along the shore.
My dad made the comment "there's the kid in twenty years, riding his bike on the ice" and then he laughed at me and shot a straw wrapper at me from the passenger seat
So you were the goon I seen riding around the other day! We were down in te citties to get furniture. I happened to look out the window while we were going over a bridge, and I seen someone on a bike cruising along the shore.
My dad made the comment "there's the kid in twenty years, riding his bike on the ice" and then he laughed at me and shot a straw wrapper at me from the passenger seat
