Winter Sucks

[steve mercier]

Winter tires for bicycles are good in 1-2 centimeters of snow. I've used Schwalbe Spike Pro for a couple of winters now and you need to slow down if you see snow deeper that 1 or 2 centimeters. If you intend on riding in thicker snow conditions, fatbikes are a better bet, I beleive.

Yes I sold my Ice Spikers. They are insanely noisy compared to the Marathon Winter plus but better in snow. Now that I have 3 Ebikes, if I still had the Ice spikers I would keep them on the mountain bike for the few deep snow days, but snow does not linger here. When I had a single bike I would be constantly putting them on and taking them off so I said to heck with that. If I lived in Red Deer I would probably have kept the Ice Spikers.

 

[steve mercier]

Hey PrairieDog have you ever been caught in a Hailstorm while out riding? I know they grow some big stones around your neck of the woods. Some have been recorded over 4 inches in diameter... ouch!

 

[Jason Knight]

Winter tires for bicycles are good in 1-2 centimeters of snow.

You mean a dusting where you're sitting there going "when is it actually going to snow?"

That's less than an inch! The plows won't even bother coming out. They'll just sand and salt.

 

[Prairie Dog]

Hey PrairieDog have you ever been caught in a Hailstorm while out riding? I know they grow some big stones around your neck of the woods. Some have been recorded over 4 inches in diameter... ouch!

Fortunately not as it could be deadly if the stones were large enough like the ones that came down near Red Deer last year.

Canada's largest recorded hailstone fell in Alberta - The Weather Network

Canada's largest hailstone ever recorded comes in at 292.71 grams, beating the previous record by 2.71 grams.

www.theweathernetwork.com

 

[JakeV]

You mean a dusting where you're sitting there going "when is it actually going to snow?"

That's less than an inch! The plows won't even bother coming out. They'll just sand and salt.

This is what the tires are rated for.
When riding on hard packed snow there are no problems, but when riding on loose snow over 2 centimeters the rear tire tends to sink in but never enough to hit the hard surface so the ride becomes unstable. That's why I beleive a fat bike would be a better option in those conditions.
Of course this depends on rider/bike weight and snow density. A heavier rider on very loose snow might be able to go through 3 maybe 4 centimeters.
I have run those over 3000 Km in different conditions and all in all I find them very usefull on the commute.

 

[tomjasz]

This is what the tires are rated for.
When riding on hard packed snow there are no problems, but when riding on loose snow over 2 centimeters the rear tire tends to sink in but never enough to hit the hard surface so the ride becomes unstable. That's why I beleive a fat bike would be a better option in those conditions.
Of course this depends on rider/bike weight and snow density. A heavier rider on very loose snow might be able to go through 3 maybe 4 centimeters.
I have run those over 3000 Km in different conditions and all in all I find them very usefull on the commute.

Don’t mind little big man. He’s lonely and bored.

 

[PedalUma]

Tonight's lighted bike parade was a blast. At 175 strong we took over streets and intersections. There was even a lowrider contingent from a near by town. People of all ages had decorated their bikes. Lots of people took videos which will be edited and posted over the weekend. This guy had a tree in a trailer. We were chasing away Winter's grip with light and togetherness. In one week the days will become longer.
Edit: I just added reject photos where the lights are in motion. Kind of wild. Video is on Instagram and Facebook. Petaluma lighted holiday bike parade.

 

[retiredNH]

Bikes parked until March, unless we do a southern road trip. Warm days, like yesterday, where it hit 50, are rainy. On top of that, the town sanded roads some time back, so our local steep hills are treacherous.
Time to set up the trainer.

Past three days have been a weather pattern shift. 21" of heavy, wet snow that my snowblower could barely handle. On top of that, power went out for 2 days. At least the portable generator fired up. Winter riding? I'm lucky to get out of the house on foot...the local roads are covered with a nice slush mix of snow, sand, salt and crud. Great for riding, especially chains. Our "bike paths" are now snowmobile trails. At least the snowmobiles make enough noise that no one is surprised when one comes up from behind.

 

[Djangodog]

Past three days have been a weather pattern shift. 21" of heavy, wet snow that my snowblower could barely handle. On top of that, power went out for 2 days. At least the portable generator fired up. Winter riding? I'm lucky to get out of the house on foot...the local roads are covered with a nice slush mix of snow, sand, salt and crud. Great for riding, especially chains. Our "bike paths" are now snowmobile trails. At least the snowmobiles make enough noise that no one is surprised when one comes up from behind.

Same here on New Hampshire’s “West Coast”. My last ride was December 8th. Oh well, Spring is coming. Winter is when I get to take care of everything that I put off during the other seasons. I still love the seasons and Northern New England. The seasons are like a reset so that you don’t get into a rut.

 

[Roamers]

All tucked in and ready to go for the winter. They actually take up the same amount of room and wll trade back places Aprilish.

 

[Jason Knight]

Past three days have been a weather pattern shift. 21" of heavy, wet snow that my snowblower could barely handle.

Ooph, we barely got two inches here in Keene between the two snowfalls the past week. Today it's 37, it hasn't dipped below freezing for four nights, and the roads are bone dry... paths are slushy but manageable. Just got back from a quick zip to Walmart and back across the college campus (piddly 2.8 miles round trip), no hassles. If I wasn't busy this afternoon socializing, I'd probably go for a 30 mile run.

Which honestly is VERY out of the ordinary. This is October weather, I'm kind-of sitting here still waiting for winter to start. All my heavy winter prep and gear, and I've only needed it once.

But that's us NH folk, 40F is shorts and T-shirt weather.

 

[Prairie Dog]

My relationship with respect to bike and snowblower is quite likely to be a role reversal of others here. So far I’ve gotten by with hand shoveling as our snow tends to be of the light flaky variety due to the cold temps. I’ve only used the snowblower on one occasion back in November and that was removing the piles left on the ground after raking the roof. The bike, on the other hand, gets ridden every week when the conditions are what I deem tolerable. Today’s high will likely top out at -24 C but with the wind gusting at over 24 kph will make it feel more like -35 C. I’ll try and head out tomorrow if the sun is out as it’s a nice reprieve from my indoor workout routine even if it’s only for an hour or so.

 

[Rideagain]

Tonight's lighted bike parade was a blast. At 175 strong we took over streets and intersections. There was even a lowrider contingent from a near by town. People of all ages had decorated their bikes. Lots of people took videos which will be edited and posted over the weekend. This guy had a tree in a trailer. We were chasing away Winter's grip with light and togetherness. In one week the days will become longer.
Edit: I just added reject photos where the lights are in motion. Kind of wild. Video is on Instagram and Facebook. Petaluma lighted holiday bike parade.
View attachment 142709

Now that's cool!

 

[scottsdalecommuter]

Nice and cold on morning commute but got new boots at Farm and Fleet which helped a ton and they pedaled much easier than I expected. Also picked up snow mobile gloves which are a bit warmer than my last pair which was nice. Big highlight of the ride this morning was that the Mississippi River is starting to freeze on the sides so that was exciting. I'll try and grab a photo and share it! Still no real weather to speak of here like snow and ice, just raw cold temps.

 

[Roamers]

Nice and cold on morning commute but got new boots at Farm and Fleet which helped a ton and they pedaled much easier than I expected. Also picked up snow mobile gloves which are a bit warmer than my last pair which was nice. Big highlight of the ride this morning was that the Mississippi River is starting to freeze on the sides so that was exciting. I'll try and grab a photo and share it! Still no real weather to speak of here like snow and ice, just raw cold temps.

With a post that includes Farm and Fleet, Mississippi River, and no snow just cold, sounds like you are somewhere between Muscatine and Dubuque.

 

[scottsdalecommuter]

With a post that includes Farm and Fleet, Mississippi River, and no snow just cold, sounds like you are somewhere between Muscatine and Dubuque.

Lol, I'm in the Quad Cities and more specifically Moline if you know the area. I ride along the river every morning and afternoon on the way to/from work. Amazing views and really quiet bike path especially this time of year. Although when I drop down off the hill, the river valley asks a bit like a wind tunnel and is usually a few degrees cooler too. I have an alternate route that stays up on the hill, but it just isn't nearly as scenic so I'll take the cooler temps to get the nice view!

 

[Roamers]

Lol, I'm in the Quad Cities and more specifically Moline if you know the area. I ride along the river every morning and afternoon on the way to/from work. Amazing views and really quiet bike path especially this time of year. Although when I drop down off the hill, the river valley asks a bit like a wind tunnel and is usually a few degrees cooler too. I have an alternate route that stays up on the hill, but it just isn't nearly as scenic so I'll take the cooler temps to get the nice view!

We are also in Moline. Just crossed the river and it looks like ice all the way across; or very calm water.

 

[PedalUma]

For a brief video go here.

First Annual Petaluma Holiday bike ride - YouTube​

 

[Rideagain]

For a brief video go here.

First Annual Petaluma Holiday bike ride - YouTube​

What a great way to celebrate Christmas!

 

[scottsdalecommuter]

That looks like a great time riding with so many folks! The ride this morning was COLD! Excited to ride on the winter solstice but it was very chilly for sure. Even my new snowmobile gloves with bar mitts struggled to keep my hands warm, the new boots with alpaca socks are working great on the feet though. I've got some hand warmers in my desk, may use those on ride home.