mr_bill

I would think that a three mile walk with a bike in the dark is strong enough of a teachable moment that it would be seared in your memory.

-mr. bill

rumrunn6

well the 3 mile dark bike ride at least ...

mr_bill

Sigh. Just double checking - you have a smartphone?

-mr. bill

rumrunn6

negative

rholland1951

Took the LHT out this blustery Saturday morning. After a bit, the wind blew my enthusiasm away, and I turned around at Lexington Center, satisfied that I had succeeded in keeping the moving parts moving, and liking the thought of riding home more than the thought of riding on.






One of the Minuteman abutters in Arlington has put Bert's head on a pike. A simple "No Trespassing" sign would suffice.


rod

Ghazmh

liking the thought of riding home more than the thought of riding on.

rod[/QUOTE]

Very eloquently put. I had a moment like that last week when I first felt the wetness beginning to soak through my socks in my left shoe.

Ghazmh

I am curious if any of you studded tire users still use them during stretches of days with bare pavement?

Ghazmh

i decided to put my 2013 Madone 2.3 out to pasture. it was my gateway drug to road cycling. after 2 years as my bad-weather, night, back up bike and a few thousand miles in those roles, it was either invest in an overhaul or replace it. since i don't particularly like the ride quality it quickly became an easy decision. i wanted endurance geometry and disk brakes. after riding a few i quickly fell in love with the ride quality of a leftover 2015 Roubaix SL4 Pro Disc. i brought it home yesterday and took it out for a 34 mile spin. Sunday morning should be fun!!!

jimmuller 

We took our tandem (which is decidedly vintage) out for 39.4 miles today through the wind and the upper 30's temperatures and the occasional snow flurries. Rod, we might have passed you had you stayed out a bit more.) It was rather a nice day if you consider January nice. We even rode a few miles on the Reformatory Branch RT starting at the Great Meadows Concord location. Didn't know what it was there, just a dirt road that begged to be explored running off from the parking lot. After we'd explored far enough east to "discover" rt62 I figured out where we were. At least I think that's the RBRT. I've never ridden it before so one of you are free to tell me I'm mistaken. We jumped off at Hartwell Ave because it seemed rather too muddy to proceed further east.

My sweetie bundled up against the cold on the Minuteman:

rholland1951

I'm doing it, this year; there's a story. I only subject two of my bikes--the old GT Karakoram and the 700c LHT--to road salt. The other two stay off the road from sometime in December (whenever salting season starts) to, typically, April (when the salting stops and street sweepers make the rounds). I've been running studded 556-47 Nokian W240s on the GT all winter for years now. Some years I've left normal tires on the LHT, and ridden them on days I judge unlikely to show me ice; the problem with that approach is that 1) I blow the ice call too often, and 2) some winters don't actually present snow-and-ice-free days that often (not this one, so far, of course). A couple of years ago I tried mounting a pair of Continental Top Contact Winter II tires, not studded, but with very soft rubber and micro-siping that gripped like a gecko's foot. Those worked surprisingly well in snow and over smooth ice, but again had two problems 1) they were of absolutely no use on icy ruts, and I had a pretty good spill that way; 2) above 45 degF, they pretty much glue themselves to the pavement, all grip and no roll--on nice days, they were a literal drag. This year, I've mounted a pair of 622-42 Schawalbe Winter Marathons, carbide studs with 3mm-deep sipes. They cost me about three gear ratios compared to the Compass Snoqualmie Pass tires I run the other three seasons, but keep me on drop bars on days that aren't seriously snowy, and can get me out of icy ruts if the need arises. So far, so good, although I'm rolling slower than I'd like with what are essentially heavy, armored touring tires (that happen to be studded). On the up side, the crackling carbide studs make on bare pavement constitutes an audible signal to pedestrians and runners I pass on the Minuteman.

We'll see how the rest of the Winter goes. I'm learning how to build wheels, and maybe will build a spare set for the LHT for next winter, keeping one with studs mounted and the other with the Compass tires, then just swap wheels when the weather changes... and grind my teeth when I guess wrong and roll over ice when I'm not shod for it. That's the real rub, and why I'm willing to put up with the studded Schwalbes on a certain number of nice days...

rod

rumrunn6

nope. the benefits of 3 bikes rode the road bike w regular slicks today

Ghazmh

Thanks! I know tires are a commodity to be used up but I haven't been too sure if I'd be causing premature stud wear on such ice free surfaces. I picked up a pair of Continental Travel Contact tires for the spring. I swapped out the Winter Marathons yesterday even though it's not spring yet. I figured since changing tires on that bike only takes a few minutes I'll swap them back on at some point soon.

rholland1951

According to Peter White's excellent discussion of studded bicycle tires:
By the way, with no snow or ice on the ground, don't ride aggressively with studded tires. Just as riding hard will wear the tread blocks quickly in summer, it will do the same in winter, and the studs will be more likely to rip out of the tire. Take it easy on the clear patches. You can let 'er rip on the ice, but not on pavement or rocky trails. Stud wear and stud damage are two different things. The studs don't wear out, being carbide. But they can be ripped out.

So, the question is, what constitutes "aggressively". I've never lost any studs on the Nokians after years of use; haven't noticed any gone from the Schwalbes, yet. I'll inspect them at the end of the season.

rod

rumrunn6

hmmm, well, I'm not going to use my studded bike on the gravel trails I've been exploring this year (unless they are snow / ice covered)

rholland1951

I've been holding back from that, myself. "Gravel" covers a range of surfaces... I'm not sure stone dust would damage studded tires; railroad ballast intuitively feels like a different story... All the things in between, the crystal is cloudy. I may make a few inquiries elsewhere...

rod

rholland1951

So, I got this response from Peter White, on another forum:

Sounds like guidance to me...

rod

Ghazmh

Thank you sir! I'll enjoy the new tires for the coming week as I ride this bike tooling around town This week and swap the Winter Marathons back in as needed. No missing studs after a few weeks (100-150 miles total). I did notice the center rows appear shorter than the outer rows.

Ghazmh

34.5 miles through Weston, Lincoln, Concord, Carlisle and Bedford on the new Roubaix. It was so much more comfortable than the alpha 200 framed Madone. The Roval 40mm clinchers spin up fast and the braking is reassuring. It's my first bike with hydraulic disc brakes. I slipped my PI thermal barrier covers over my Defroster shoes which made a huge positive difference. The 685/Ultegra combo is so much more precise and buttery than 5700.

rholland1951

Took the LHT for a ride on the Minuteman in the early evening, the air clear, cold, and still, temperatures marching down into the mid-20s as the day's heat beat feet for outer space in an infrared glow.




Admired the winter lights in the big tree at Taylor Lane, and turned around and headed for home.

A flooded backyard in the neighborhood just beyond Hancock Street appears to have gained a skin of ice, reflecting houselights. The new moon peers over the roof, with the old moon in her arms.


Rolling home in the cold and dark, I found myself thinking fondly of having a long ride in July. A bowl of beef stew and a glass of red wine in a warm kitchen served as a practical substitute.

rod

Ghazmh

I took out my trusty Montare for 11 miles of local errand running bliss before today's snow began to fall. The Continental Travel Contacts are proving to be a great fit. 20 miles so far. They have a solid continuous center section with short blocky looking knobs on the sides. I pulled them off after getting home and remounted my Winter Marathons for the rest of winter.

rholland1951

Rolled out on the Nokian-shod GT Karakoram this evening, temperatures falling through the 30s, what passes for mild just now, low clouds, bright with electric light scattered from the thin snowpack, scudding across a velvet sky among various lights celestial and aeronautical. A pretty night.

I was curious about the state of the Minuteman after our pygmy snow storm. Most of it looked like this:


In a few spots, there were ice patches, avoidable for those with lights and the wit to use them. I just fed them to the Nokians.


Assorted meltwater puddles and wet spots should be black ice by dawn.



rod

jimmuller 

I rode my commute today, first time since Rod's pigmy snow storm. The MM wasn't bad for the part I rode, Lake St to Bow St this morning. A nice day if you were dressed for the cold.

Ghazmh

I somehow managed to get in 50 miles of local errand (or commute miles although I don't bike to and from work) riding this week on my Montare. Visits to the parents, Gym, library, produce store, and now grocery store. After selling my Madone on Craigslist this week I picked up a Burley Nomad cargo trailer. Now I can do full grocery shopping trips via bike. Sunday should be a nice day to take the new Roubaix for a Sunday ride through the country.

rholland1951

Didn't ride today, but did lace up my first bicycle wheel (Chris King hub, Alex DM-18 rim), the opening shot in a Winter build project, based an old Ebisu All-Rounder frame, fork, and headset.


rod

Ghazmh

Good luck on the build. If the build pics and descriptions are as nice as the ride pics and descriptions it should be nice to observe from afar.