First ride of the snow season

[us56456712]

It snowed Friday afternoon and Saturday. Six inches in some spots. It's melting now. I rode the mountain bike trails on one of my klunkers because the 9 speed cassette on my MB is blown and I haven't replaced it yet. The roots were very slippery. This is late as we usually have our first non-sticking snow the first week of October. This is the first year over the last 10 that it hasn't snowed the first week of October. Years ago we used to get an occasional heavy snow the 15 of September, opening day of bird season.

Bike path behind my house leading to the MB trails. Our house is right on the trails.

 

[mornview]

Oh man, I'm hoping we're nowhere near our first snowfall yet. I'm running into all sorts of issues (sellers sending wrong spoke lengths, stem compatibility, etc.) in building up the winter bikes for my wife and I; I probably won't have them ready for a couple more weeks. I'm excited to finally get to that point, though, because I think these are the winter rigs we'll be using for quite some time.

And as usual, I am NOT looking forward to winter at all ... but I'll probably enjoy it once it gets going . I go through this every year .

 

[ifitsfreeitsforme]

It snowed a bit in the Berkshires Sunday. Not enough to stick. But it was coming down hard during the mountain bike race I was in. Fun!

 

[LukeTheJoker]

Beautiful pic!

Luke.

 

[ZygoteLittle]

Years ago I broke my little finger and have suffer numerous bumps and bruises downhill mountain biking in the snow; every time, after yet another face plant, I tell myself, "I hate this, I'm not doing it again !" - I find myself doing it again...

 

[kingfish254]

This is such a bizarre topic for us guys in the South. Savannah sees snow about once every 30 years.

 

[LukeTheJoker]

This is such a bizarre topic for us guys in the South. Savannah sees snow about once every 30 years.

I have never seen snow... I only have to travel an hour from here to see it in the season... Probably should make the effort next year...

Luke.

 

[kingfish254]

I have never seen snow... I only have to travel an hour from here to see it in the season... Probably should make the effort next year...

Luke.

Don't forget to put the snow chains on Pedro

 

[LukeTheJoker]

Don't forget to put the snow chains on Pedro

 

[us56456712]

Oh man, I'm hoping we're nowhere near our first snowfall yet. I'm running into all sorts of issues (sellers sending wrong spoke lengths, stem compatibility, etc.) in building up the winter bikes for my wife and I; I probably won't have them ready for a couple more weeks. I'm excited to finally get to that point, though, because I think these are the winter rigs we'll be using for quite some time.

And as usual, I am NOT looking forward to winter at all ... but I'll probably enjoy it once it gets going . I go through this every year .

No more snow for now but it has been cold, windy and raining on and off. Hard to work on bikes in my unheated shop as the fingers seize up.

 

[us56456712]

I have never seen snow... I only have to travel an hour from here to see it in the season... Probably should make the effort next year...

Luke.

Don't forget to bring a bike to ride in the snow.

 

[us56456712]

My wife and I went riding last night in the freezing rain. There were 4 other guys there at our meeting place but they went on the single track. We went 5 miles on a Rails to Trails and quit, went to the bar to warm up. My glasses were all full of rain and fog so I could barely see the path. I was soaked, but my wife was smarter and wore a rain suit. It felt good though to move your body through space. I have not been riding since in the rain last weekend and it has rained almost every day since. I felt like I forgot how to ride. Today we are splitting and stacking the last cord of wood for the winter. The logs are frozen so they slip when you pick them up and our fingers feel frozen. I am warming up by the wood stove. I am going to try using my insulated leather dress gloves and chemical hand warmers and see it that helps. It is 34F now and they are predicting 40s so that will help, but the pile will still be frozen. Argh!

The Salvation Army gets a flood of bikes every fall and they can't sell them. They store them but I go and talk to the volunteer and he gives me a deal on any I want, saves him from storing them. I got this Giant for $25, which is still more than I like to pay, but it has been hardly used and the wheels are super straight. I plan to play musical bike parts and use the quick release wheels on an early 1980s mountain bike that has potato chips for wheels. I figured for that price I can't go wrong as I only use this bike in the spring when we are doing a combo of road and trail riding. It's a 17 incher, which I can never find, the frames are always too big for me. I might make something out of it for camp trails.

 

[horsefarmer]

You may want to consider trying that giant out before you part it. I have 2 giant built schwinns and they are really great bikes.
It's been pretty messy outside here (cross the up border by Menominee,MI)
And I'm working on some old dead trees for firewood too! Oh well, at least no bugs - LOL!

 

[us56456712]

You may want to consider trying that giant out before you part it. I have 2 giant built schwinns and they are really great bikes.
It's been pretty messy outside here (cross the up border by Menominee,MI)
And I'm working on some old dead trees for firewood too! Oh well, at least no bugs - LOL!

I have 2 more of these. One has studded tires for the winter and the other is a trail bike at camp. They ride great. The winter and camp bikes are a little too small for me. I'll have to give it some thought.

 

[us56456712]

11 of us went riding last night from 6PM to 8:45PM using lights as it was dark the whole time. Ages 13 to 70, both guys and gals. At the start there were a few snow flakes dancing around in the air but that changed to mist for most of the ride. It was upper thirties and myself and a few others wore shorts. Cold if you stop but just right with strenuous riding. Those with pants and jackets said they were over dressed. This might be the last non-snow ride of the season, time to put er away.
That's me in black.

The area with trees and around the lake in the distance was where the trails are that we rode. We went through an old abandoned mining town, rode down old concrete stairs, went on X-C ski trails, rode a short distance on the Lucy Hill Luge run and around many abandoned iron mines, both shafts and pits. They look spooky at night. It was an easy ride, not technical.
This trail area reference picture was taken looking down the starting gates on Suicide Hill; notice the plywood wind screen. It is usually much windier at the start than at the take-off.

 

[us56456712]

Looks like it's time to get out the winter bikes. Just snapped this photo out my back door. It has been warm and the ground is warm so this will probably melt. It is a warning to get your winter stuff in order. I have also got to get the snowblowers out, put away the lawn mower, get the shovels out and stock up on ice melt. last year I waited too long to get the snowblowers out of my shed down by the creek and had to blow my way up the hill to my house. That snowstorm dumped enough snow overnight that the blower tube was almost under the snow. I have two sets of spokes, hubs and rims in the basement by the warm fire. I will build these inside where it is warm.

 

[us56456712]

How is the snow for the rest of the upper midwest members? Here in the U.P. of Michigan it is all gone except in the highest shaded elevations and along the Wisconsin border that is away from the warming effects of Lake Michigan and Superior. I went riding last night with studded tires but they were not necessary. Almost all the ice is gone from the trails and it is going to be above freezing for the next week. The trails are muddy so I will start using the fatty again. The weather has been more like early November here. Here we are trying to ride the "Ruins Trail" in the non snow in Old Town (Ghost mining town).

 

[horsefarmer]

I know, really weird weather here by Marinette/Menominee. Not only no snow and above freezing but we have much standing water - in places that are usually always dry except in the spring snow melt. Hope its not like last year, ground so saturated that septic tanks filled with ground water because leach fields back flowed into them! Many corn fields with standing water which makes harvesting impossible.

 

[A.S.BOLTNUT]

My daughter just sent me these pic's of her front yard on the west shore of Beautiful Lake Tahoe ..

 

[LukeTheJoker]

Been a cold start to summer down here where we are in Australia, wonder if that has anything to do with your warm winter start?

Luke.