Lets see your winter bike.

[mornview]

I lived in San Antonio and New Orleans for awhile in the 60s. You get more use to the heat down there so when it get to 45 F you really feel it. I remember feeling the bite of the wind at 45 F and realizing I was as cold as I ever got up here in the north. I felt like I was loosing it, I felt like I was turning wimpy, but it was that I was not acclimated to the cold but to the heat. Weird

Yeah, I know other people who have made the same transition and went through the same thing. I just always figured they were weak too .

Out of curiousity, do the high temperatures down there in the summer seem excessively high to you as a native northerner? (I know their temperatures get hotter than ours, but I guess they probably don't deal with all of the humidity we do, which is the real killer in my opinion).

 

[mornview]

We are having bad weather, 36F, raining and foggy. Rain is predicted through Monday night, then some snow, then sunny and around 30F midweek and the weekend. I could ride my road bike if it weren't for the residual salt. It will probably turn to ice again later in the week. At this rate I will need 4 winter bikes. My studded tire cruiser for short distances and shopping, the old studded tire rigid frame mountain bike for 10 mile +, then I would have to get 2 more: a regular tire old rigid frame MB for when the weather is like it is today and a fat bike for snow bike trail riding.

Yep, same here. I could not believe the fog last night. I live five minutes from the Mississippi river, so my wife & I walked along it last night and it was amazing; like nothing I've ever witnessed before. I was literally standing at the edge of the Mississippi and couldn't even see it right in front of me.

In any case, yeah, I know these amazing temperatures we're having right now are going to come back to bite us. The resulting ice later this week is probably going to be pretty bad.

And yeah, I totally understand the need for multiple bikes . I've felt pretty silly these past few weeks riding around my balloon tire winter bike with the roads completely clear of snow or ice. I've really been wanting to switch back over to my lightweight cruiser so I can go faster, but there's still salt on the roads from almost a month ago.

 

[us56456712]

Yeah, I know other people who have made the same transition and went through the same thing. I just always figured they were weak too .

Out of curiousity, do the high temperatures down there in the summer seem excessively high to you as a native northerner? (I know their temperatures get hotter than ours, but I guess they probably don't deal with all of the humidity we do, which is the real killer in my opinion).

I found them excessive in San Antonio. 105 - 110 F in August every day. After work I could't even eat, no air conditioning. I went to bed for a siesta after work. New Orleans had humidity and was hot but it was tolerable. Agin no air conditioning in my apartment. In the summer the sun is so much brighter than here, had to wear sun glassed all the time outside. What I didn't like was how fast it got dark. Here in the summer the sun sort of grazes the horizon and there is twilight until almost 11 PM in summer. Down south the sun sets straight down and it is like throwing a switch.

 

[patman73]

i hate when your bike is outside , you go to get on it & ride it has ice frozen to everything !

 

[us56456712]

Wah! What weather, its freezing drizzle out and so slippery you have a hard time walking. They are predicting 10 inches of snow today with a high of 33F. It is going to be greasy. Can you imagine the traffic snarl as everyone tries shopping. They shut nothing down so it is going to be fun driving. No biking until they plow. Got my bicycle ice tires rebuilt with a old inner tube liner and heavy duty Slime tubes from Walmart. My rear wheel on my cruiser winter bike is tacoed so much it rubs on the frame in 2 places. The spokes are frozen with salt rust so I need a new one. My next rear wheel is going to be alloy with stainless spokes. The rear steel wheel I have now has 12 gauge spokes but still only lasted 3 winters. The next wheel will have 14 gauge spokes and will probably last as long. I am glad I didn't buy a fat bike as the trails have been too soft and mushy to ride about half the time because of the warm winter. It isn't going to get cold for the next week (20-30F) so the snow bike trails will have to be groomed and allowed to set up before anyone can ride on them. I am considering ordering a Gravity Quigley full suspension fat bike for winter trails and some of the steep rock gardens I have not been able to navigate yet.

 

[us56456712]

I just went 6 miles in 2-3 inches of snow. That is the most that I can run on with 2.3 inch tires. I wanted to go before we got too much snow and I waited for night so it would be colder. My new studded tires really worked well. I used my headlight and red blinker. It is blowing 18 mph directly out of the north right over Lake Superior. This is not a bad wind as it doesn't freeze you or making it hard to ride in the snow. 25 mph is when it gets hard to pedal in the snow. It felt good to finally exert myself a little. The only other exertion I have done since fall riding is the drunk pushup contest I some how got involved in at deer camp. I have gained 7 pounds from slacking off and eating. Got to do something to get riding more.

 

[sensor]

Summer,Fall,Winter,Spring, and dog runner. All the same.
He needs to burn off energy fast when we have a lot of rain, so, 3-4 miles on this fits the bill!

If it's raining, I just toss a plastic bag over the saddle.

 

[us56456712]

Summer,Fall,Winter,Spring, and dog runner. All the same.
He needs to burn off energy fast when we have a lot of rain, so, 3-4 miles on this fits the bill!

If it's raining, I just toss a plastic bag over the saddle.

Really nice bike. By the dog's expression I think he knows a secret

 

[mornview]

I found them excessive in San Antonio. 105 - 110 F in August every day. After work I could't even eat, no air conditioning. I went to bed for a siesta after work. New Orleans had humidity and was hot but it was tolerable. Agin no air conditioning in my apartment. In the summer the sun is so much brighter than here, had to wear sun glassed all the time outside. What I didn't like was how fast it got dark. Here in the summer the sun sort of grazes the horizon and there is twilight until almost 11 PM in summer. Down south the sun sets straight down and it is like throwing a switch.

Man, that sounds rough. I'll keep that in mind; maybe biking through -20 won't be so rough next time .

 

[mornview]

Wah! What weather, its freezing drizzle out and so slippery you have a hard time walking. They are predicting 10 inches of snow today with a high of 33F. It is going to be greasy. Can you imagine the traffic snarl as everyone tries shopping. They shut nothing down so it is going to be fun driving. No biking until they plow. Got my bicycle ice tires rebuilt with a old inner tube liner and heavy duty Slime tubes from Walmart. My rear wheel on my cruiser winter bike is tacoed so much it rubs on the frame in 2 places. The spokes are frozen with salt rust so I need a new one. My next rear wheel is going to be alloy with stainless spokes. The rear steel wheel I have now has 12 gauge spokes but still only lasted 3 winters. The next wheel will have 14 gauge spokes and will probably last as long. I am glad I didn't buy a fat bike as the trails have been too soft and mushy to ride about half the time because of the warm winter. It isn't going to get cold for the next week (20-30F) so the snow bike trails will have to be groomed and allowed to set up before anyone can ride on them. I am considering ordering a Gravity Quigley full suspension fat bike for winter trails and some of the steep rock gardens I have not been able to navigate yet.

I built my winter wheels with Wheelsmith spokes, which I believe are stainless. Whatever they are they still look great. I'm trying out aluminum rims as well. Really excited to see what kind of shape the wheels are in by winter's end.

 

[sensor]

Really nice bike. By the dog's expression I think he knows a secret

Thanks and Yeah he knows all my secrets. Shop dog. They know everything.
Good thing though is, he isn't named Jake so he won't spill the beans!

 

[us56456712]

Anybody have a seat that works for the winter. I Like road bike style seats. The vinyl cracked in the cold. I patched it but is is cracking everywhere now. I have another seat on my other winter bike that is gel and covered with a material that absorbs water so that is no good as my winter bikes are stored outside. Riding has been good at night as there is less traffic and the loose mush gets firmer. There is a pretty good base of ice for about 75% of the road, which is what I prefer to ride on with studs. Went about 10 miles this morning and Christmas traffic was not that bad.

 

[patman73]

may be you need a goretex cove for your seat ?

 

[us56456712]

may be you need a goretex cove for your seat ?

I really need a racing style seat that won't crack in the cold. Don't like my gel one as it gets wet and my butt gets soaked. The racing one is good, except for the cracks

 

[MplsCoaster]

I could be wrong on the 25mph; I've never had a spedometer on my bikes, but I know that I average 10-15mph on flat land, and going down some of these big hills feels at least a good 5-10mph faster. The studs honestly barely make an impact on my speed. Yet they are extremely helpful when they need to be. Couldn't be happier with those tires.

As far as pics go, I'll definetely be posting some as the time comes. After a brutal November, this December has just been amazing - temperatures constantly flirting around the freezing point and almost no snow. Riding in the snow and the cold can be a blast, but about 99% of my commuting is done on bicycle, and it can take a while to get all that gear on and off that you need to ride in -20F. As far as I'm concerned, keep the beautiful weather coming .

By the way, that Roadmaster is pretty sweet. Do you have a coaster brake on it?

Thanks!
I'm glad the studs don't slow you down. Looking forward to pics.
You are a brave soul riding at -20F. I only can ride when the windchill is above 0F.

Yeah coaster brake, my favorite hub! Here's a closer shot.

Ride On!
Steve

 

[us56456712]

Thanks!
I'm glad the studs don't slow you down. Looking forward to pics.
You are a brave soul riding at -20F. I only can ride when the windchill is above 0F.

Yeah coaster brake, my favorite hub! Here's a closer shot.

Ride On!
Steve

I only rode in -25 last year and then only about 5 times. It was either that or not ride as it was -20s a lot. I still didn't ride all that much last winter because of the cold. So far I have been riding a fair amount as we are having a warm winter. Last week the bike path was dry and now it is ice. I didn't ride last week because the ride is so rough on dry pavement with my homemade ice tires. I like the ice with my studs. Bare pavement makes for a rough ride with homemade studs. I am going to make a winter beater bike without studs as I have a feeling that this is going to be a warm winter with a lot of bare pavement riding. I have a frame in mind, I just have to dig it out from the snow and throw a bunch of junk parts on it. Today I went for a 9 mile ride on the city's paved bike path. A 1 mile stretch of the path is closed as Lake Superior washed out the shoreline breakwall this fall. The Lake made the path and all the boulders and trees ice covered. I noticed that fat bikes have been riding on it so instead of taking my normal detour, I went on the iced up closed path. What fun with studs. I did try and invent a new sport (I think it may be new?). Bicycle ice trials. I saw all the ice covered large breakwall boulders and decided to see if I could climb up on them with my studs. I failed miserably. The snow drift at the base of the boulders was covered in ice and I went down before I even got to the rocks. I broke through the ice and the soft snow underneath cushioned my fall. It was so slippery I had a hard time climbing out of the ditch on the iced over snow. I had to break through to the snow to get footing and I still kept slipping back. The bike had a twisted gooseneck and seat, which a good whack fixed. Next time I try ice bike trials I will use crampons. Actually I don't think that ice bike trials is possible, even with studs and crampons. Makes for a good fantasy, but I know I can't do it, I just proved that to myself. I will bet that there are people with the skills and ingenuity to do this. Videos have been made using motorcycles, why not bicycles?

 

[MplsCoaster]

I only rode in -25 last year and then only about 5 times. It was either that or not ride as it was -20s a lot. I still didn't ride all that much last winter because of the cold. So far I have been riding a fair amount as we are having a warm winter. Last week the bike path was dry and now it is ice. I didn't ride last week because the ride is so rough on dry pavement with my homemade ice tires. I like the ice with my studs. Bare pavement makes for a rough ride with homemade studs. I am going to make a winter beater bike without studs as I have a feeling that this is going to be a warm winter with a lot of bare pavement riding. I have a frame in mind, I just have to dig it out from the snow and throw a bunch of junk parts on it. Today I went for a 9 mile ride on the city's paved bike path. A 1 mile stretch of the path is closed as Lake Superior washed out the shoreline breakwall this fall. The Lake made the path and all the boulders and trees ice covered. I noticed that fat bikes have been riding on it so instead of taking my normal detour, I went on the iced up closed path. What fun with studs. I did try and invent a new sport (I think it may be new?). Bicycle ice trials. I saw all the ice covered large breakwall boulders and decided to see if I could climb up on them with my studs. I failed miserably. The snow drift at the base of the boulders was covered in ice and I went down before I even got to the rocks. I broke through the ice and the soft snow underneath cushioned my fall. It was so slippery I had a hard time climbing out of the ditch on the iced over snow. I had to break through to the snow to get footing and I still kept slipping back. The bike had a twisted gooseneck and seat, which a good whack fixed. Next time I try ice bike trials I will use crampons. Actually I don't think that ice bike trials is possible, even with studs and crampons. Makes for a good fantasy, but I know I can't do it, I just proved that to myself. I will bet that there are people with the skills and ingenuity to do this. Videos have been made using motorcycles, why not bicycles?

Great story! Glad your having a blast with your homemade studded tire on the ice. Ice Bike Trails sound like fun. I've been in those situations where you're battling both ice crust and soft snow. I did a slow-slow wipe out a few weeks ago thinking a bank was solid when it wasn't LOL.

We got a little more snow last weekend so I took the aluminum bike out. I could have rode my other bike with only this much snow but I can ride more confidently (faster) with the knobbier tires at night. Snapped this shot of someone doing an awesome job on decorating this large tree. The city lights reflecting off the fast moving clouds in the background and the empty trees made a kinda cool shot.

The snow has since melted again and now it raining and 35F . Looking forward to more riding when off between Christmas and New Years but the extended forecast is predicting very cold. We'll see...

Stay warm
Steve

 

[mornview]

Anybody have a seat that works for the winter. I Like road bike style seats. The vinyl cracked in the cold. I patched it but is is cracking everywhere now. I have another seat on my other winter bike that is gel and covered with a material that absorbs water so that is no good as my winter bikes are stored outside. Riding has been good at night as there is less traffic and the loose mush gets firmer. There is a pretty good base of ice for about 75% of the road, which is what I prefer to ride on with studs. Went about 10 miles this morning and Christmas traffic was not that bad.

Hmm, I had a vinyl seat last winter and it did just fine (and last winter was just about as cold as it gets). Then again, I was able to store my bike indoors at work at that job, and I stored my bike indoors at home. I get where you're coming from with your zero-maintenance policy on your winter bikes, but I really think a few small things (like storing it indoors, putting on fenders, etc.) could save you a fair amount of headaches.

I have to leave my bike outside at work at my new job, though. I'm using a Messinger saddle (different than the one shown in my Heavy Duti pics thus far). It's made of ... some kind of fake leather? I'm not really sure what it is, but it's gorgeous and also quite comfortable now that I have it adjusted just right. It hasn't had any issues with being outside while I'm at work; the only issue has been that my rear light can't handle the cold. It'll power on just fine, but when I get home it refuses to shut off until it's warmed up for ten minutes. Oh well .

 

[mornview]

Thanks!
I'm glad the studs don't slow you down. Looking forward to pics.
You are a brave soul riding at -20F. I only can ride when the windchill is above 0F.

Yeah coaster brake, my favorite hub! Here's a closer shot.

Ride On!
Steve

Last winter was actually my first winter commuting by bike. The windchills actually got down to -40F last year (you're in Minnesota, so I'm sure you went through something similar). The first day it got that bad I sucked it up and drove to work; there was too much talk about how deadly that weather would be. After I got out of work that day my truck wouldn't start. We had at least a full week of that -40 windchills (and it came back a few more times throughout the winter, I believe), and I braved it. Thankfully I didn't have to go more than 2 miles in it. The funny thing is, it made -20 windchills feel like paradise .

 

[mornview]

Shoot, I checked the forecase and it looks like you guys are right. I've just been hoping this warm weather was going to stick around all season long . Looks like we've got two straight days of rain, above freezing temps, then it's gonna snow a few days, and then next week it'll get really cold. If nothing else, I should be able to get a few more winter commuting pics up in this thread .