Are you going to ride in snow?

Prairie Dog said:
Very nice. That photo certainly provides the inspiration needed to go on a winter night ride especially while the conditions are still relatively mild here. 👍
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I would have to invest in some serious lighting to ride those conditions at night. There were a few spots up on Nose Hill this afternoon where I went into some shady areas and had to take my sunglasses off. The riding areas were maybe a foot wide and if you got onto the soft areas on either side it was nearly impossible to get back to the packed stuff where you could steer.

This spot wasn't shady, but you get the drift. 😉

20210107_141821.jpg


The main pathways were mostly packed but you had to really pay attention.
 
RandallS said:
I would have to invest in some serious lighting to ride those conditions at night. There were a few spots up on Nose Hill this afternoon where I went into some shady areas and had to take my sunglasses off. The riding areas were maybe a foot wide and if you got onto the soft areas on either side it was nearly impossible to get back to the packed stuff where you could steer.

This spot wasn't shady, but you get the drift. 😉

View attachment 76197

The main pathways were mostly packed but you had to really pay attention.
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Yea, that looks pretty sketchy. I'll be on some pretty decent hardpack and already have a spot in mind that I've ridden on a number of occasions so the downhill terrain is pretty familiar. I’ll also be packing a couple of Cygolites, a Metro 1100 and a 600 as backup. Sunset is around 4:40 pm and will likely be starting my ride well before the entrance to the trail closes at 5:30pm. Should be home in time for dinner. :)
 
RandallS said:
would have to invest in some serious lighting to ride those conditions at night. There were a few spots up on Nose Hill this afternoon where I went into some shady areas and had to take my sunglasses off.
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I have found CatEye AMPP 1100 a very good headlamp, and that is not overly expensive. For the rear, I use either LEZYNE KTV Pro Drive Rear or Knog Blinder Road R70 (both are very similar to each other). Since these rear lamps are to be attached to the seat-post, I need to mount them very high (just below the saddle rails) on the dropper post but it works.
 
Stefan Mikes said:
I have found CatEye AMPP 1100 a very good headlamp, and that is not overly expensive. For the rear, I use either LEZYNE KTV Pro Drive Rear or Knog Blinder Road R70 (both are very similar to each other). Since these rear lamps are to be attached to the seat-post, I need to mount them very high (just below the saddle rails) on the dropper post but it works.
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Hard to beat a well performing set of lights eh, Stefan. 👍Along with the Metro Pro, I have a Hotshot 150 mounted high on the drive-side seat stay of the 970. Bike light technology has progressed so much since this Night Sun system that I was using back in the 90s. It put out a decent amount of light for its time and lit the road ahead as I commuted from my business in the core to home in the dead of winter. It was a simple dual hi/lo beam setup. Coincidentally, I had it strapped to the bars of the same winter bike that I still continue to ride albeit with some modest updates. ;)

Circa 1992?
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P9041668.JPGP9111670.JPG
2021
IMG_20210108_0914516.jpg
 
I’ve been out the last few days in the snow/ice. It’s went from good fun to outright white knuckle stuff. I’d say the wider tires are so much better than the narrow ones when you lower the PSI a lot!
 
My Brother Sent Me A Message It Was Slippery...

I started my day with attaching the "Ergodyne TREX 6300 Slip-On Traction Cleats for Snow and Ice with 8 Carbon Steel Spike Grips, Black, Extra Large" (as recommended by some of you, which I bought on Amazon) to my boots. Walking up my garage ramp with Vado was easy. The first attempt to ride ended up with my Vado making a zig-zag, and the ride was over. Lucky me to wear the traction device (or I would have fallen).

1610530933126.png


No way, my Vado gets the studded winter tyres today! (@RandallS I can remember your story very well!)

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Done!
 
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Did you source your tires from the same place I did? As you can easily understand, I wish I'd made that decision about 5 weeks earlier. As the saying goes, "you're never too old to learn things", but I'd respond with "you can be old enough to break easier and heal slower".

If you ride where it's known to snow and get icy, get studded tires!
 
RandallS said:
Did you source your tires from the same place I did? As you can easily understand, I wish I'd made that decision about 5 weeks earlier. As the saying goes, "you're never too old to learn things", but I'd respond with "you can be old enough to break easier and heal slower".

If you ride where it's known to snow and get icy, get studded tires!
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I bought the Schwalbe Marathon Winter Plus studded tyres from Bikester, a large German online store.
 
The First Snow & Ice Ride On Schwalbe Marathon Winter Plus Tyres

No prisoners taken! :) I'm very serious about all year round e-bike riding. My brother helped replacing my regular slick Electrak 2.0 tyres with Schwalbe Marathon Winter Plus, the studded 28x2.0" ones. With allowed inflation pressure of 2.5-5.0 bar, we chose 3 bar (58 psi) for better traction and smooth riding.

This morning, I had a chance to test the new tyres on snow & ice, at "black-ice" conditions. I was enchanted with the winter Marathons! Was it deep snow in my yard or thin ice on roads, studded Marathons held perfectly. For sanity (and to give the studs the chance to break in -- which disallows sudden braking), I rode decently slowly. No issues: just pleasure to ride! The biggest surprise was how quiet those tyres have been! (I had a single stronger braking - again, no issues).

Now I cannot understand how anyone can ride in true winter conditions without studded tyres... :) Yes, these are twice as expensive as the regular ones.

1610610499826.png


I have to add I use "traction devices" on my boots, too. It makes little sense to use studded tyres if the soles of your shoes are not studded as well :)
 
Stefan Mikes said:
The First Snow & Ice Ride On Schwalbe Marathon Winter Plus Tyres

No prisoners taken! :) I'm very serious about all year round e-bike riding. My brother helped replacing my regular slick Electrak 2.0 tyres with Schwalbe Marathon Winter Plus, the studded 28x2.0" ones. With allowed inflation pressure of 2.5-5.0 bar, we chose 3 bar (58 psi) for better traction and smooth riding.

This morning, I had a chance to test the new tyres on snow & ice, at "black-ice" conditions. I was enchanted with the winter Marathons! Was it deep snow in my yard or thin ice on roads, studded Marathons held perfectly. For sanity (and to give the studs the chance to break in -- which disallows sudden braking), I rode decently slowly. No issues: just pleasure to ride! The biggest surprise was how quiet those tyres have been! (I had a single stronger braking - again, no issues).

Now I cannot understand how anyone can ride in true winter conditions without studded tyres... :) Yes, these are twice as expensive as the regular ones.

View attachment 76651

I have to add I use "traction devices" on my boots, too. It makes little sense to use studded tyres if the soles of your shoes are not studded as well :)
Click to expand...
Well done Stefan! 👍No doubt about it, studded tires will allow you to venture out in more severe conditions that you wouldn’t otherwise attempt on conventionally lugged MTB tires. The Marathons and Ice Spikers that you and Randall have on your bikes look like awesome tires. My Gravdals, on the other hand, aren't armed with as many studs but they certainly hold their own when it comes to getting me to where I need to go regardless of whether it's up or down hill.

Case in point, I shot a video of a portion of my ride this morning from the driveway of my home to the nearest point of entry into the city's trail system which is no more than about a city block away. One of the advantages of small city life. The unplowed road in front of our block is likely more treacherous than any of the trails that I ride on! 😬

 
Nice video - really smooth considering the surfaces you were on.

I was busy looking at the buildings trying to figure out where you were. My memories are vague but didn't you finish by the hospital?

Chest mount?
 
@RandallS -I actually forgot to turn on boost stabilization for this particular shoot. As it turned out, it may have added a bit of effect to the video. I live in the established neighborhood of Mountview which isn’t that far from the hospital. Kudos to the city crews for plowing the bus routes and collector roads just before I left on my ride this morning.

....and yes, you’re right about the chest harness. I purchased my Amazon branded harness for much less than the authentic version.

@Stefan Mikes - Thanks. As you probably saw in the video, I relied heavily on my Ergon GP2s. Can’t say enough about them. Enjoy your Marathons!
 
Prairie Dog said:
Hard to beat a well performing set of lights eh, Stefan. 👍Along with the Metro Pro, I have a Hotshot 150 mounted high on the drive-side seat stay of the 970. Bike light technology has progressed so much since this Night Sun system that I was using back in the 90s. It put out a decent amount of light for its time and lit the road ahead as I commuted from my business in the core to home in the dead of winter. It was a simple dual hi/lo beam setup. Coincidentally, I had it strapped to the bars of the same winter bike that I still continue to ride albeit with some modest updates. ;)

Circa 1992?
View attachment 76244
View attachment 76245View attachment 76246
2021
View attachment 76247
Click to expand...
I still have my Nightsun from the 90's too! I should think about changing out my batteries since I haven't used it in 20 years! Any hints??
 
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