Our Rides in Words, Photos & Videos

@Prairie Dog: I have shown your ice ride video to my FB friends. Any cyclist among them got jealous of your gear, and especially of the tyres! :)

@Stefan Mikes That bigos looks really tempting. I checked out a recipe. Right now my ratatouille is cooking and vegetarian will have to make do.
Then you know bigos shall be heavy packed with different meats :) There is a big difference between Polish Bigos and German Sauerkraut. The German use raw sour cabbage and stew it rather shortly, giving the food sour, fresh and aggressive taste. The Polish wash their cabbage first to remove most of the acid, then add a lot of meats, sausage, dried fungi and dried smoked plums. Bigos stewing is a process taking a lot of time, that's why families make it mostly well before Christmas. As you never make it in small quantities, bigos is later stored outside at winter temps. All that explains why getting a real home-made Bigos is so rare for a person like me, a single guy living in a small flat now.
 
I have shown your ice ride video to my FB friends. Any cyclist among them got jealous of your gear, and especially of the tyres!
Bigos look yummy!

I didn't want to push it with all of the kiddies around. They're like minions on ice. Here’s a favorite of mine, Stefan. Makes you appreciate what real ice biking on an alpine lake is like.

 
Bigos look yummy!

I didn't want to push it with all of the kiddies around. They're like minions on ice. Here’s a favorite of mine, Stefan. Makes you appreciate what real ice biking on an alpine lake is like.

I really prefer what you are doing with your Trance and ISP tyres Art :) Did you notice how those fat rear tyres were slipping in the video? It does not happen to the ISPs!

Brother and wife have invited me to Xmas at their home. I'm riding there with the Vado! Jacek suggests we rode to the KPN the morning after :D What a... he owns the Trance/ISP and expects me to do the ride on a less adequate e-bike! Haha!
 
Did you notice how those fat rear tyres were slipping in the video? It does not happen to the ISPs!
It might have something to do with the lower stud count. Those guys in the video were running 45North Dillingers/Wrathchilds and Cake Eaters I believe? I rode on 45North Wrathchilds last season and I couldn't keep up with my buddy who was on ISP 29ers.

Edit added:

No contest. I actually counted the number of studs on the ISP to verify. I find an inflation of 18-20 PSI works as the sweet spot for me.

45North Dillingers 4.6” (252 stud count/tire) VS Ice Spiker Pro Evo 2.25” (402 stud count/tire)
45North Wrathchild Fat 4.6” (252 stud count/tire)
Terene Cake Eaters 4" (180 stud count/tire)
 
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Been a while since I posted in this thread, but today I went for a ride down to a LBS to test ride a new bike.
Well - I now own a Full Suspension eMTB - a LIV Intrigue X E+ 3. I'll ride my Fathom through the winter and sell it in the spring after it's tuneup.

Strava exports:
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Pics - winter is here and Ice Spikers are on.
Amazing tires - I need to watch for a sale on some new ones as the new ride is on 29" wheels.
About the time I took those last 3 pictures, the temps were starting to drop so it was time to head for home.

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Lunch was great, until my temporary bridge broke - thankfully I was going to the dentist Monday morning anyways.

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The new bike:

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Luv my Liv Intrigue! Great choice full suspension bike. 🙂
 
Gardening by design?

Coominya, SE Queensland

Coominya, Queensland
I do not know how this corner of a horse paddock beside the rail trail began its transformation into a garden. Did the owners simply find the first tree growing inside a discarded water tank – it's not too unusual – and then plant another, before continuing the theme inside tyres from tractors and, if my eyes aren't deceiving me, earthmoving machinery?

Whatever: it's quirky and I like it.

Brisbane Valley Rail Trail, Coominya
 
Gardening by design?

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Coominya, Queensland
I do not know how this corner of a horse paddock beside the rail trail began its transformation into a garden. Did the owners simply find the first tree growing inside a discarded water tank – it's not too unusual – and then plant another, before continuing the theme inside tyres from tractors and, if my eyes aren't deceiving me, earthmoving machinery?

Whatever: it's quirky and I like it.

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Keeps the nags from eating the saplings and then later chewing the bark off the trees. 👍
 
It might have something to do with the lower stud count. Those guys in the video were running 45North Dillingers/Wrathchilds and Cake Eaters I believe? I rode on 45North Wrathchilds last season and I couldn't keep up with my buddy who was on ISP 29ers.

Edit added:

No contest. I actually counted the number of studs on the ISP to verify. I find an inflation of 18-20 PSI works as the sweet spot for me.

45North Dillingers 4.6” (252 stud count/tire) VS Ice Spiker Pro Evo 2.25” (402 stud count/tire)
45North Wrathchild Fat 4.6” (252 stud count/tire)
Terene Cake Eaters 4" (180 stud count/tire)
Theres only one stud on my bike. 😛
 
Returned to the castles of Cheshire, bit muddy, but I survived, the 2nd one was closed, but that was for the best because it kept the trails empty.
Quick vid with my fav castle ambience music.
They are both amazing in their own way .
Those and all of those other castles are remarkable. We must have, at least, two or three in the US! ;)

Did you fly a drone or grab someone else's fly overs?
 
45North Dillingers 4.6” (252 stud count/tire) VS Ice Spiker Pro Evo 2.25” (402 stud count/tire)
45North Wrathchild Fat 4.6” (252 stud count/tire)
Terene Cake Eaters 4" (180 stud count/tire)
It's certainly to be expected a tire like the Ice Spiker will outperform any studded fat tire on glare ice. You may have trouble getting to the lake in the first place, however. The fat tires can do both.... :p

Occasionally you need something other than a bike to move!
Those look like fantastic conditions to me! Y'all just need more capable bikes! :)

Where was that (if you don't mind saying)?
 
I took a bit more time to prepare for today’s ride as the temperature plummeted to -27C wind chill. Even though it would be a relatively short ride, it was worth the extra time to dress accordingly. This would be the coldest day yet that I have taken the Trance out on the trails and I didn’t know what to expect or how much heat the battery actually generates. Just in case, I encased the battery/down tube with a custom neoprene wrap (aka calf supports) a la @DaveMatthews method and went on my merry way. Crazy? Perhaps, but for me, the reward is usually worth the added effort.

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Returned to the castles of Cheshire, bit muddy, but I survived, the 2nd one was closed, but that was for the best because it kept the trails empty.
Quick vid with my fav castle ambience music.
They are both amazing in their own way .
Stunning. Well done as usual Charge! No vid for me today as the camera would have been frozen in less than a minute.
 
Ah, yes, roller skis.
It's certainly to be expected a tire like the Ice Spiker will outperform any studded fat tire on glare ice. You may have trouble getting to the lake in the first place, however. The fat tires can do both.... :p


Those look like fantastic conditions to me! Y'all just need more capable bikes! :)

Where was that (if you don't mind saying)?
Cabin Creek exit of I-90 about 60 miles east of Seattle. The snow conditions were good. Mine - not so much! :eek:
 
I took a bit more time to prepare for today’s ride as the temperature plummeted to -27C wind chill. Even though it would be a relatively short ride, it was worth the extra time to dress accordingly. This would be the coldest day yet that I have taken the Trance out on the trails and I didn’t know what to expect or how much heat the battery actually generates. Just in case, I encased the battery/down tube with a custom neoprene wrap (aka calf supports) a la @DaveMatthews method and went on my merry way. Crazy? Perhaps, but for me, the reward is usually worth the added effort.

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Gorgeous day. One of those days you just need to be out in/on the snow.
 
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