Are you going to ride in snow?

[J.R.]

And the not so pretty side of wood heat.The path to the woodpile.

I burn a couple cords a year. It's part of my exercise routine, as I hand split all of it. Wood heat is very efficient, it's the only fuel that heats you up twice! Once when you split and stack it and again when you burn it

 

[Art Deco]

Very similar amounts here. Start about Thanksgiving, keep it burning till about St. Patricks Day, a couple of cords per Year.

 

[Art Deco]

Jeez, I've had snow on the ground for nearly the last month and have been skiing most every day. The bike(s): safely put away probably until March. Given that roads here are all too often steep and icy I'm not really up for biking on them.

Recently I've been on the Dawn Patrol for skiing and have seen the same guy commuting to work on his fat tire bike. Where he is riding is relatively flat and he appears to be taking a detour to avoid some substantial hills anyway.

What about those crazy snowmoble tread things. Are you tempted? I am.

 

[Art Deco]

Just came in from a 23km ride. Lots of packed snow and ice and I really took it easy as i haven't gone studded yet. Wind came up and although the web says +5, it felt like -5. Was good to stretch out the legs a bit as its been very cold the last 5 days or so.

Doesn't sound like studs are needed, just nice to have.

 

[J.R.]

Doesn't sound like studs are needed, just nice to have.

Required if you use a bike for transportation. Not required for pleasure or exercise. Most of my commuting time was spent at 15 to 20 mph, even on the ice. You just can't do that without studs. It hurts when you hit the ground

 

[Mr. Coffee]

What about those crazy snowmoble tread things. Are you tempted? I am.

I'm not. I've got more skiing here than I can shake a stick at plus a bundle of sticks. I also have access to snow machines which can take me to other places to ski if I want to. I quote:

Ghost riding is a common thing in AK. It's a great way to ski bowls over and over without bootpacking or skinning.

The key is to find a slope that isn't too steep, doesn't have obstacles or cliffs for your sled to fly off of, and naturally levels out so that your snowmobile will come to a stop just by friction.

If you're not careful, this happens (my video)

 

[Art Deco]

Is skiing a good substitute ? for biking? I see places I could cross country ski, but probably not downhill.

 

[Mr. Coffee]

Is skiing a good substitute ? for biking? I see places I could cross country ski, but probably not downhill.

Generally I burn hotter skiing than biking, right now I am rocking-and-rolling before sunrise and skiing until 9 or 10.

Where I live there are approximately 200km of groomed cross-country trails. There are other areas close by (within about thirty miles) with another 75km of trails. Many of the places I ride my bike when it is mostly snow-free are groomed ski trails in the winter.

There is also close-in backcountry skiing out my door, and close by there are 3000 foot powder runs that people would fight each other over if they were in Colorado or Utah. Most of those tours need to be snowmachine-supported.

Also, in the spring I do a fair amount of bike-skiing.

 

[Art Deco]

Just found this thread ...

Help choosing year-round commuter eBike for Wisconsin weather

I am new to eBikes, but I want to replace one of my vehicles with an electric bike that I can use year-round, rain and shine, snow and sleet. My biggest concern is salt and slush in the winter getting into the motor or battery. Rain doesn't bother me much. However, I don't want to invest in a...

electricbikereview.com

 

[J.R.]

We went from a lot of snow and sleet, low at night in the teens and now they weatherman is calling for 50°F and rain on Christmas Eve! Then Christmas night 15°F. Riding the trails I'll need skate blades by Saturday.

 

[Dallant]

Ok...I had to try it out on my normal workout route since all of the snow on the streets is gone. Well, not so much on a lot of the trail.
Still, the SCHWALBE G-Ones did ok and I was VERY careful! I did get >10 miles of mostly clear riding in.BTW, this is where I turned around and went back!

 

[pmcdonald]

Ok...I had to try it out on my normal workout route since all of the snow on the streets is gone. Well, not so much on a lot of the trail.
Still, the SCHWALBE G-Ones did ok and I was VERY careful! I did get >10 miles of mostly clear riding in.BTW, this is where I turned around and went back!
View attachment 74788

Beautiful! You've got no idea how magical four proper seasons look when you've got year-round spring-summer. Or maybe you do. Or maybe the grass is always greener..

 

[Dallant]

Beautiful! You've got no idea how magical four proper seasons look when you've got year-round spring-summer. Or maybe you do. Or maybe the grass is always greener..

There certainly are many days where the grass would be greener if I could see it!
I really miss Washington state as I lived in the Columbia Basin area of eastern Washington where it’s warmer and less snow generally.
Ive been to New Zealand but have ALWAYS wanted to get to Australia.

 

[FlatSix911]

Generally I burn hotter skiing than biking, right now I am rocking-and-rolling before sunrise and skiing until 9 or 10.

Where I live there are approximately 200km of groomed cross-country trails. There are other areas close by (within about thirty miles) with another 75km of trails.
Many of the places I ride my bike when it is mostly snow-free are groomed ski trails in the winter.

There is also close-in backcountry skiing out my door, and close by there are 3000 foot powder runs that people would fight each other over if they were in Colorado or Utah. Most of those tours need to be snowmachine-supported.

Also, in the spring I do a fair amount of bike-skiing.

Thanks for sharing the adventure Bike/Skiing video... amazing mountain scenery!

 

[Oberst]

Snow = cross country skis

 

[RandallS]

Didn't today and it may be a while.

Yes, that's a Subaru stuck in my alley, blocking access to both doors of my garage.
I got my snowblower out and cleared the area around their car, so a truck could get in and tow him out.

As I had the thing out, I cleared up the access to the street for me and a few neighbors, although my Volvo wagon wouldn't had any problems.
Christmas day is forecasted for +8C, so it's going to be pretty messy for a while.
I think the accumulation was somewhere around 30-40cm where I live.

 

[Dallant]

Is that a pigeon coop I see in the background of the top picture?

 

[RandallS]

No, it's a Catio - an Ikea hack.
An enclosure for our indoor cats to get some controlled outdoor time. Its usually up against the house where we have a window insert with a cat door.

Not during winter though...

 

[john peck]

Usta ride snow, but the last few years we rarely get any. Day b4 yesterday was a biblical deluge interrupted in the middle
by 2 inches of snow that disappeared in the second wave of rain. That may well be the only snow we get this year.
Back in Colorado usta to dig down through 4 ft. of it just to set up scaffold for siding, don´t miss it at all.

 

[Prairie Dog]

Didn't today and it may be a while.

View attachment 74900
View attachment 74901

Yes, that's a Subaru stuck in my alley, blocking access to both doors of my garage.
I got my snowblower out and cleared the area around their car, so a truck could get in and tow him out.

As I had the thing out, I cleared up the access to the street for me and a few neighbors, although my Volvo wagon wouldn't had any problems.
Christmas day is forecasted for +8C, so it's going to be pretty messy for a while.
I think the accumulation was somewhere around 30-40cm where I live.

Yikes! I had heard that Calgary received a significant amount of snow the other day and wondered how you were managing. I guess that answers my question. We only received 10cm at the most but I still managed to pull the snow blower out of the shed.

Been pre-occupied for a spell so I've got a bit of catching up to do. Up until the most recent snowfall, the winter riding conditions have been ideal around here. I shot this footage last week on a trail that I’ve never been on before and have now worked it into my daily ride routine.