Our Rides in Words, Photos & Videos

Back from a short Vado ride (-5 C) for grocery shopping...

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...and soon rising a toast for @RabH and all of you Forum friends with famous Scottish drink (it is not Carribean!) It is made in
Fife, KY8 5HD, United Kingdom :D
 
Another lovely ride today despite the windy conditions, it was supposed to be dry but it wasn't :rolleyes: At least I didn't get soaked so it was all good, no need for heated gloves today for a welcome change! It was 8C today so that made quite a difference from the sub zero temps of late! Very little snow even in the fields today, it was good to see lots of green again!:D

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Somebody was looking a little wet but seemed very happy, until they realised there was no food and sloped off!🤣

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I was climbing this hill with a 15% gradient and spotted a photo opportunity, this is where an e bike comes into its own as I wouldn't like to attempt getting back in the saddle on that gradient!
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This will probably be my last ride until Sunday, wet and windy for the next few days! I'm happy that I managed to get out on consecutive days, hopefully Spring will make an appearance soon!
 

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Another lovely ride today despite the windy conditions, it was supposed to be dry but it wasn't :rolleyes: At least I didn't get soaked so it was all good, no need for heated gloves today for a welcome change! It was 8C today so that made quite a difference from the sub zero temps of late! Very little snow even in the fields today, it was good to see lots of green again!:D

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Somebody was looking a little wet but seemed very happy, until they realised there was no food and sloped off!🤣

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I was climbing this hill with a 15% gradient and spotted a photo opportunity, this is where an e bike comes into its own as I wouldn't like to attempt getting back in the saddle on that gradient!
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This will probably be my last ride until Sunday, wet and windy for the next few days! I'm happy that I managed to get out on consecutive days, hopefully Spring will make an appearance soon!
Nice to know the whole world has not plunged into freezing hell. 👍
 
and now, we'll return you to what @Saratoga Dave is referring to as the concept of "freezing hell".

As we've been hovering around -30C. riding was not in my plans. But today it got up to -5C for a while and I took advantage for a relatively short ride.
The first question was what to wear, which included the choice of balaclava or mask.
Since Valentines day provided some new masks, I thought I'd try one.
Got quite a few reactions on the ride!
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Route today was up onto Nose Hill, and a short tour of a neighboring area. My first intended route up to the hill was too much deep snow, so I ended up riding a round about way via back alleys.
They were all hard packed and icy, and the studded tires worked like a charm. On short section I had to walk with "walk mode" as I got stopped in deeper snow and there was no way I was getting started again.

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Took a short break at 6km to take some pictures. The pathways had a 30-50cm (12"-18") rideable surface where people had packed the snow down while walking. If you got off that - it got dicey.

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There was one direction from there that I've done in the summer, but not in the snow. I'm not sure if the steepness comes across in that picture, but not a sensible route while riding solo in the winter with a bum shoulder.

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At 8 Km, I headed onto one of my favorite trails that ends up at the MacEwan community, just about 500 meters from my brother's house.

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One particular pathway wouldn't be doable with out the studs...a sharp turn and a steep icy downhill at -16 degrees. No problems...

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From there, it was really just picking a route home as the temperature was dropping and I was slightly under dressed.
I'd anticipated better solar warming but it clouded over and I think it will be snowing soon.

That's all for now - it was great to get out on the wheels again.
It's been over two weeks since the last ride and the indoor bike has zero fun factor built in.

Final note - I have had a couple of instances lately where my phone died (or froze) while I was out on a ride.
I did have a battery pack that fit my top-tube bag, but it was tight. I purchased a USB cable with 90 degree connectors and it now fits nicely in the space.
They were a 3 pack as a daily deal at Amazon last week and were cheap...

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I enjoyed hearing the crunch of the snow in your video... how do you gauge the ice thickness? ;)
After a few weeks of that kind of weather the locals don’t have to guess much I reckon. Probably a foot thick anyway. Looks like they use a 4 wheeler with blade to clear thick snow. If that didn’t fall through PD knew he was good. :cool:

Since its public they probably do official measurements prior to opening up access.
 
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