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who does winter cycling here?

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who does winter cycling here?

Old 08-29-20, 01:08 PM
  #26  
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Originally Posted by JW in AK
I don't ride outdoors in winter. We get down to only about 3 hours of daylight and can have stretches of more than a month when the daily high temperatures don't get above -30 degrees. I've seen the fatbikers out there in the worst of it but it doesn't look fun. I've got studded tires for my mountain bike to ride in the shoulder seasons when temps might be in the positive teens or single digits but once the thermometer goes negative so does my attitude about zooming around on a bike.
I had a paper route out in Westgate. Foot only. The great thing about winter in Fairbanks is no wind. Biking would introduce unwelcome wind. Frostbite scars used to be a sign of the true sourdough. One can toughen the body against cold, just by exposure. I have a riding buddy down here who grew up in an igloo on the Kobuk. He used to swim under the ice during breakup. Gotta do serious stuff to prove yourself if you're a white guy out in the villages. Down here, he'd show up for a ride when it was snowing in MTB shorts and no gloves. I wouldn't put long johns on under my blue jeans until it was colder than -11°. Gotta harden up.

I've gone wussy now. No rain riding when it's under 40°. We did a 75 mile ride on our tandem a few years ago when it poured all day at a steady 36°. That was the end of that.
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Old 08-29-20, 06:13 PM
  #27  
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I do.
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Old 08-30-20, 01:00 PM
  #28  
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Originally Posted by Carbonfiberboy
I had a paper route out in Westgate. Foot only. The great thing about winter in Fairbanks is no wind. Biking would introduce unwelcome wind. Frostbite scars used to be a sign of the true sourdough. One can toughen the body against cold, just by exposure. I have a riding buddy down here who grew up in an igloo on the Kobuk. He used to swim under the ice during breakup. Gotta do serious stuff to prove yourself if you're a white guy out in the villages. Down here, he'd show up for a ride when it was snowing in MTB shorts and no gloves. I wouldn't put long johns on under my blue jeans until it was colder than -11°. Gotta harden up.

I've gone wussy now. No rain riding when it's under 40°. We did a 75 mile ride on our tandem a few years ago when it poured all day at a steady 36°. That was the end of that.
Nah, the great thing about winter in Fairbanks is June. I've tried the frostbite thing once. Highly overrated and not nearly as fun as it sounds. I've actually been told that frostbite scars are sometimes referred to as "incompetence marks." I've done work based out of Yup'ik villages on the Y-K Delta, Aleut villages in the Pribilofs and Aleutians, Gwich'in villages in the interior, and Inupiat villages up north. What I think they've found most impressive about me, rather than cold tolerance, has been my complete and total inability to figure out where the hell I am or where I'm going while out on flat-ass, snow-covered tundra or boating down labyrinthine river systems without a compass/map/gps.

I've definitely gotten accustomed to the cold over the years but I personally feel that there's enough stuff involved in living in Alaska full-time for more than 10 years that will toughen you up. My time up here has involved working year-round outdoors in some very remote places. That's all the hardening that I think I need. I don't want my hobbies to torture me into toughness. Well, aside from XC skiing. I will happily embrace my burgeoning wussiness and keep the bike on the trainer through winter. Although, this thread now has me thinking of at least renting a fat bike to give some winter trail riding a try some night when the skies are clear and there's a good aurora forecast.
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Old 09-01-20, 07:44 AM
  #29  
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Se bikes "se tripel 2015 matte black"

Fixed Gear.
For winter in the city:
Schwalbe Marathon Winter 240 Studs Front Tire (28 "x 1.35 / 35-622)
Tire Rear Schwalbe Marathon Winter 240 Studs (28 "x 1.60 / 42-622) RaceG
Both four rows.
Rim turquoise blue (RAL 5018), inner width 20 mm, height 35 mm.
Favorite air temperature from -20 * C (-4 * F) and below
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Old 09-02-20, 07:26 AM
  #30  
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There's a guy with a fat trike in the Fairbanks area, and that actually looks fun in the winter.
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Old 09-02-20, 09:40 AM
  #31  
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I'll ride in the winter if the trails are clear of ice, if the wind is low, the sun is shining, and if the temps are above, say, 35 F. With the notable climate change that we've had here over the past 30 years, meeting my criteria happens more frequently than you might think.
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Old 09-02-20, 02:05 PM
  #32  
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I bathed in the ice hole in the Epiphany frosts
- 30*C (- 22*F)
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Old 09-03-20, 09:47 AM
  #33  
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Commuting year round for a long time, so yes, and on ice, but it's road ice and central Indiana generally gets an ice storm or two each year, and now so much deep snow. If snow plows are out I will not ride, but that's due to plows and not road conditions themselves. Studded tires work well on central Indiana roads, I just wish there was a knobby studded tire for the smaller (406) front wheel as it's already lightly loaded due to the long recumbent frame and me sitting towards the rear.
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Old 09-03-20, 01:28 PM
  #34  
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Old 09-04-20, 01:58 AM
  #35  
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Old 09-07-20, 01:36 AM
  #36  
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Old 09-07-20, 06:31 AM
  #37  
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Old 09-07-20, 10:58 AM
  #38  
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Old 09-07-20, 05:52 PM
  #39  
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Count me in. This would be my third winter riding my Marlin 7 and I just replaced the tires with a new set of Maxxis Ardents. I’m looking forward to the local MUPs here in PA being less populated and riding in more comfortable temperatures. I’m hoping the Ardents are a good tire for riding in fall leaves, winter slush and early spring muck.
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Old 09-07-20, 11:49 PM
  #40  
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Old 09-08-20, 12:30 AM
  #41  
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Until my furlough from work, I commuted by bike year round. Winter being no exception.
Got no issues riding in snow, either.
In fact, the pics above are actually putting me in the mood to bust out my fat tire bike haha!
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Old 09-08-20, 12:36 AM
  #42  
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Originally Posted by Rage
Until my furlough from work, I commuted by bike year round. Winter being no exception.
Got no issues riding in snow, either.
In fact, the pics above are actually putting me in the mood to bust out my fat tire bike haha!
Thanks for the feedback on the photos! I am glad when people ride all year round. Dress warmly, use studded tires, tune your bike - and go for the adventure!
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Old 09-09-20, 12:40 PM
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Old 09-10-20, 11:38 PM
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Old 09-11-20, 12:04 AM
  #45  
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Best time of the year to ride in Phoenix
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Old 09-11-20, 03:50 AM
  #46  
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Old 09-12-20, 08:03 AM
  #47  
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work from home this autumn and possibly this winter, so no need to get a car, so I'll probably keep "winter cycling" this winter too.

I put the quotes around "winter cycling" because I only leave the apartment once a week now for groceries. And because I only go out once a week, that means I can pick and choose the conditions this time.

Word to the wise: cycling picked WAY up this summer because of COVID. that may mean that we'll get an uptick in winter cyclists this year. With that in mind, I bought a back up winter tire in case one of my tires busts up and for some reason there's a shortage of studded cycling tires.
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Old 09-14-20, 03:04 PM
  #48  
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I'll be trying it for the first time this winter.
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Old 09-15-20, 01:54 PM
  #49  
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Originally Posted by timebomb
I'll be trying it for the first time this winter.
Congrats, I think you've come to the right place! Tell me more about yourself? What region of the country are you cycling in? What are some of the factors influencing your decision to cycle this winter?

I think you will find that there is a wealth of experience and information on this sub-forum, and cyclists here are generally pretty nice!
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Old 09-16-20, 07:07 PM
  #50  
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Originally Posted by parkbrav
Congrats, I think you've come to the right place! Tell me more about yourself? What region of the country are you cycling in? What are some of the factors influencing your decision to cycle this winter?

I think you will find that there is a wealth of experience and information on this sub-forum, and cyclists here are generally pretty nice!
I'm in the midwest. We went down to one car since and my commute is less than 3 miles. I figure even on the coldest days I can make that work. I actually don't have a bike yet but I've narrowed it down to two options. I'd love to hear if you've got any thoughts: https://www.bikeforums.net/cyclocros...l#post21694117
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