Newbie winter riding observations
Long story short, I learned to ride when I was 6 year old but never rode in the winter. Now I'm pushing 50 and an OTB senior moment ended my riding season prematurely and left me feeling both disappointed and unfulfilled. When my wife surprised me with a new hardtail for Christmas (2019 Trek Marlin 7) I was determined to redeem myself and start riding at the first hint of a thaw. On Saturday, I set forth on the Trek through the mud and muck and found that I liked it. Here are some quick observations:
1: layers make the difference. I especially love the suggestion for wearing a full face mask and mittens vs. gloves. I may have overdid it with ski goggles but overall I felt more comfortable than I would have in the heat of August. You can't shed layers in summer without treading on others' sense of decency, but I'm hoping by then that the old dad bod is more presentable!
2: sometimes, with regards to riding conditions the colder the better. On Saturday it was above freezing and despite the addition of some flimsy fenders my backside was peppered with muck and the 2.2"/2" stock tires were not quite wide enough to keep me afloat. OTOH, on Sunday it was below freezing (yet not icy) and I made much better headway - though in the muddy sections my tires still lacked "grip."
3: there are less people out walking on the trails when it's cold outside, though there were a few die hard dog owners to muck things up as it were. Conversely in the summer, the same trails are littered with strollers 3 abreast, situationally-unaware kids with training wheels and weekend warriors who try to multitask bicycling with dog walking - several of my "pet peeves."
3A: less riders out there allows me to set my own pace. I know that a hardtail on a paved trail in summer is inherently slower than the skinny tired ride of choice but in winter I don't mind plodding along without worrying about somebody whizzing past me without even calling ahead "on your left!"
So today I'm taking a maintenance day (and washing my cold weather gear) but I'm thinking that first thing tomorrow I'm going to go back out there once the school bus pulls away. Is there anything else I should do to prepare? For example, I'm wondering if there's a tidy way of cleaning my bike inside (like using a deep tray) instead of hosing it off in the driveway. I'm not about to fully join the Polar Bear club!