TheKillerPenguin

We got off really easy here, only a few inches of snow on the ground. From what I've heard not even 20 miles south of there there's about a foot of snow.

gsteinb

we must have 15"

globecanvas

Cold and insanely windy, but nary a flake of snow. And I'm just a bike ride away from where TKP lives.

shovelhd

Nothing in Western MA. Spawn #1 was galavanting around Manhattan before they shut the Path trains down. Maybe he made it, maybe he didn't. Kids.

mike868y

just starting to snow around here.

gsteinb

fat bike dude rode down the street while we were shoveling (third round of shoveling). can't imagine that bike would be much use in the woods now.

Duke of Kent

If he has a pair of Vee 2XLs, it might be...

Athens80

I just asked in the Mechanics forum about replacing a damaged 5600 RD with 4700. Several people advised that 4700 10 speed is not compatible with 5600/SIS 10 speed.

revchuck 

Wonder if 4600 would work?

grolby

Had to bail on a party cause it's snowing more than expected here. Could have six inches by the end. So instead of hanging out drinking cocktails, I'm home making a pie and drinking cocktails. Could be worse.

ridethecliche

Ended up driving to boston and back today. Trip took way longer because of unplowed roads and idiot drivers, but AWD and snow tires rock.

And here grolby couldn't even make it down the street lol.

grolby

I don't bother with snow tires because a) $$$ and b) we don't do enough driving in the snow here to justify them IMO. I actually find my 09 Fit with all-season tires is pretty capable in snow. Small FWD cars work pretty darn well. But I still bailed on driving to Cambridge last night, cause while I could probably have made it and enjoy the challenge of snow driving, the stakes are F'in REAL, and I can't control what the other morons out on the roads might do.

I know it's good sport to laugh at people who don't know how to drive in the snow and feel superior, but the reality is that driving places in conditions like that when you don't have to is DUMB. End of story. It doesn't matter how good a driver you are (how good a driver you THINK you are). It doesn't matter if you have AWD and snow tires. Maybe that's just me getting old and responsible, I don't know. But I just no longer see that rush of machismo - and I do feel that, big time - as being worth the risk of thousands of dollars of auto repairs or worse.

Wylde06

California BFers, please be on the lookout for this bike.



A team mate of mine is in Fresno CA right now on business and his bike was stolen last night. Cannondale SuperSix with a Rolf Vigor wheelset (exactly as pictured). Dont know if this will do any good, but I figure spreading the word cant hurt.

Flatballer

Winter tires (not snow tires, snow tires would be studded or something) are a good deal better than all seasons, even when it isn't snowy. They're just better when it's cold, period. The rubber is extremely soft so it stays soft when it's cold. If you have a place to store them it's not much more expensive, since you aren't wearing out your other tires while the winter ones are on.

But yeah, if you don't plan on driving in the snow at all, it probably isn't worth it if you already have all seasons.

Ygduf

this was the guy who was supposed to race? what size?

if she's back, seek out https://www.facebook.com/plattyjo?fref=ts Jenny Oh on FB. else ******/r/babike

Stas87

About 2 hours shoveling this morning. While the parking lot in my complex was plowed the side street needed to leave said parking lot was not. Shoveled enough of the street so that my small vw golf could drive through and get fuel for the work week. Funny enough, most of the neighbors were out digging their cars out. No one cared about the street and each just dig out their car enough to get out their respective spot.

After two hours of shoveling, I think I'll skip the trainer tonight

Wylde06

Yes, same guy. I believe it's a 56..haven't heard from him yet to be sure.


Just heard from him, it is a 56.

carpediemracing 

I took the opposite approach. On the Expedition I didn't expect to drive it much (about 500-1000 miles a year) so I bought studless snows. My reasoning is that I can drive snows in the summer but I really don't want all seasons in the winter. Also in March/April, for the Series, I expected to see some snow.

Studless snows are pretty incredible. I drove the 06 Expedition (on snows) and a '12? Explorer (all seasons). The Explorer (belonged to MIL) couldn't stick to our driveway, slid down into the street and into the bank aross it. Then it crabwalked down the street due to the crown of the road. I parked the Explorer, got the Expedition (we were switching vehicles, Expedition was in our storage bay), and drove the Expedition back on the same roads. I was back at the house before I realized I forgot to take the Expedition out of 2WD. Also no crabwalking, and it went up and down the driveway fine.

ridethecliche

Sprayed the eff out of my brifters with WD40 and they seem to be working again! I'll try to get on the bike tomorrow or day after and see if they work well under load on the trainer. WOOO!!!

Yup, snow tires should be mandatory in areas where the temperature is below freezing for a chunk of the year and conditions involve snow and ice. They make things MUCH safer and the performance on dry pavement is way better than it used to be.

And I was just messing with Grolby re: him being a wuss. He's a great guy and I might drag him and mike out for a beer next weekend when I'm in town

That said the tires perform incredibly well in limited traction. The bigger issue for my car would probably be clearance off the ground. I could feel any single tire lose traction and it would jump right back in again, especially since I was driving mostly in 2nd and 3rd gear to allow engine braking to do its magic instead of tempting fate with the brakes.

grolby

Haha, yeah, I'm down for a beer. As long as it's not snowing, you know?

One thing I did learn was about snows being better in the cold, period. I didn't know that before!

Flatballer

Snows aren't great on dry pavement. For overall cold, sometimes some snow, you want winters. Summer tires turn into hockey pucks in the cold, all seasons are better, winter great. My car with summer tires tomorrow with some black ice possible will be fun. Gonna have to take it easy.

carpediemracing 

Careful. Summer tires on cold stuff, ugh. I learned the hard way about summer tires, when, with virtually no throttle (but it was 28 deg or something stupid) I spun my car pulling slowly away from a stop light. It was like I was drivign on ice.

If you have tire pressure monitors that show actual pressure you can do some brake riding (as long as no one is behind you) to warm up the tires. I can't remember the exact numbers but I think my Z tire pressures went up about 5-8 psi from cold to hot, I think cold was 35? and hot was 42?). If I got above a certain number (39?) the car felt better. Brakes warm up the tires quickest, don't slalom like race cars (I tried it).

Also, you're right, snows are worse in dry. Some are really bad in dry, increasing stopping distances significantly, so there's that.

ridethecliche

Oy, sorry. Meant winter tires. Not studded!

Gramercy

30 inches of snow is a lot, especially when the snow plow clears the road and blocks my car in. Fun times.

gsteinb

30" of snow is a lot, when you don't have a car, and have to walk uphill



















both ways!