Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
Degrees Fahrenheit can be quite confusing
![Smiling face with smiling eyes :blush: 😊](https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/7.0/png/unicode/64/1f60a.png)
P.S. So I was riding at below 20 F today.
Degrees Fahrenheit can be quite confusing
Wow…
and (- 40 degrees F - 32) x 5/9 = - 40 degrees C which is the temperature the two scales are the same and where we are getting close too with the wind chill and I'm getting tired of watching football and and envious of those who can go for a Christmas ride even David who is looking for shade because its too hotDegrees Fahrenheit can be quite confusingAll I know is 32 F is 0 C and 0 F is -18 C...
P.S. So I was riding at below 20 F today.
Looked like superb outing in the snow for both you and Jacek.View attachment 110195
Got up at 8 a.m. with no after-effects of the Christmas party. Which was strange as we had been drinking the "Russian Standard Gold" vodka and Polish Żubrówka (Bison Vodka) by midnightI attribute lack of hangover to all that delicious food served by Renata!
Yet, a look at the outside thermometer (-10 C) made me worried a little. Will we survive the ride? I woke Jacek at 9 a.m. and we were set at 10:22. (It was only a tad less than -7 C at that time).
Jacek was riding his Giant Trance E+ on 2.6" Ice Spiker Pro tyres, and my ride was the Speed Vado 5.0 modded to the low geared version, on 2" Marathon Winter Plus rubbers. We both were wearing skiing apparel, and I was grateful to Jacek for lending me a pair of Gore-Tex skiing gloves (my brother is a skier, and he owns tons of skiing clothes!)
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Upon entering the Kampinos National Park (KPN). Majority of our route was off-road. When we rode paved roads, those were covered with hard-packed snow covered with a layer of ice. To my surprise, I preferred the icy roads to off-road paths covered with frozen snow. The reason is, studded bike tyres are designed for riding ice but are not good for snow really (just manageable).
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At the beginning of the Palmiry Road, which was glistening because of ice. It was the easiest ride segment for me!
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A short stop at the Palmiry Memorial Site. No hikers, no cyclists! (Yes, some people appeared in the KPN just after noon). Just after, we had to clear a nasty segment of the Palmiry Rd. paved with rough cobblestone. As the cobbles were almost completely covered with snow, riding there was easier than ever!
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I did never subscribe to MTB riding for that day! And it was only worse because my brother inadvertently got onto a hilly MTB singletrack soon after! (I survived although I had to walk my Vado uphill twice: too icy).
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The icing on the cake: Visiting the former Warsaw Pact Atomic Warfare Command Centre (secondary). The facilities were created in 1980s and completely bulldozed in 2017. A Nature reservation was created, and the underground structures are bat habitat nowadays.
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The reservation is also for rare plant species (ones that grow on sand).
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The only remaining overground structure now sports a bat mural.
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Soon afterwards we got out of the national park. Both I and Jacek were surprised how close the atomic command was not only to the civilisation but also so close to Jacek's place (and it was his first time there!)
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The handlebar remote on my Vado stopped working! Therefore, I set the Eco assistance to 50/50% and it was appropriate for the whole ride, leaving a lot of charge in the battery. Yet, our average speed was pretty low (as you might expect from a Winter off-road trip).
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The day before: Jacek replacing a worn 11t cog in the cassette of my Vado.
Looks like folks in the PNW are getting hit by some of that Arctic air flow. BTW, love the third image down of the snow-covered homes overlooking the water. That says it all.View attachment 110235
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Photos of our drive home up I-5 back to the fair isle of Whidbey - I need to bring that feeder in and thaw it out so the hummies don't starve! Well have to do that nightly for the next week or so!
To be fair - this is your bike's natural habitat. Mine, not so much. Looks like you probably waited until the wind died down which was smartBah, you're supposed to aim for the powder, it's more fun ya buch a wimps!
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Johnny 5's for the win!
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It was supposed to be a quick spin around the neighborhood to test some new parts...ended up riding about an hour and a half it was so much fun!
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That one was from our living room window after arriving safely homeLooks like folks in the PNW are getting hit by some of that Arctic air flow. BTW, love the third image down of the snow-covered homes overlooking the water. That says it all.
Very true. It was a pleasant 24F during the ride. In fact, I had to hang my coat, gloves, hat, etc near the fireplace upon my return as they were soaked--with sweat!To be fair - this is your bike's natural habitat. Mine, not so much. Looks like you probably waited until the wind died down which was smart
Seriously? That’s spring like weather. We don’t have a hope in hades of reaching those kind of temps here anytime soon. A high of -29C (-20F) without the windchill factored in for tomorrow. At least it’ll be sunny.Very true. It was a pleasant 24F during the ride. In fact, I had to hang my coat, gloves, hat, etc near the fireplace upon my return as they were soaked--with sweat!
Seems about right. Both places will be about 25 degrees below normal on Monday. Your problem is that your degrees are Celcius. If you were smart you'd use Fahrenheit like us, then it wouldn't be as cold there.Seriously? That’s spring like weather. We don’t have a hope in hades of reaching those kind of temps here anytime soon. A high of -29C (-20F) without the windchill factored in for tomorrow. At least it’ll be sunny.
Hahaha!If you were smart you'd use Fahrenheit like us, then it wouldn't be as cold there.