sriley4290

almost 22 miles on a chilly WINDY Monday evening.

JanMM

Three miles this evening after work - weather supposed to go downhill this week and may not have opportunities. Cool and windy plus damp but better than not riding at least a little.

scott967

Went out after the Packers lost Sun and did my usual Sunday 50 miler. It was super windy (sat night reported gusts to 60 mph). It wasn't anything like that on the ride, but still kind of "survival mode". I was riding my new carbon tubs (38 mm section) down a longish descent that averages 35-40 mph for the first time on these and it wasn't quite white knuckle time, but it wasn't a cruise for sure. Coming back up the hill (different road but still 1000 ft up) the wind was pretty much facing me and it was a grind.

scott s.
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DQRider 

Did the quintessential Minnesota winter ride on Sunday morning; rode my Peugeot U08 "Velo de Ville" 22 miles on icy trails to meet non-riding family members at "da Moose (club)" for breakfast.

We've had quite a thaw in January, but this trail has many tunnels and overpasses, so the ice lurks in the shadows where the sun never reaches. And I still don't have my studded tire - it's on a slow boat across the Atlantic - so I had to be very careful on my Conti Tours, unclipping every time I went across a puddle.

A hint for those in a similar situation: It may seem counter-intuitive, but stand up to cross these slippery spots. It keeps your weight down low on the pedals instead of up high on the saddle, so you're less likely to end up on your arse.

No photos this time, my camera battery was almost dead. So was the scenery, btw - a black and white bike in a world of dreary, dirty grey. Still, at least I got out there. I only saw one other bike, a Huffy, and that belonged to a guy who was standing at the freeway offramp with a cardboard sign...

John_V 

Sunday's 40-50 mph winds and yesterday's 30 mph winds put a lot of debris on our daily route. Today's winds were much better and in the upper teens. Got in a good 40 mile ride with my riding buddies. Hoping tomorrow's winds won't be as bad.

Blues Rider

This morning, at the Y:
-40 min. of weight training
-Stationary bike: 12 min., 3.9 miles

John_V 

Lots of fog this morning with visibility of about 30 yards. The chilly temp didn't help either. Had a wet, chilly 40 mile ride. Fog didn't completely dissipate until half way through the ride. And of course the sun came out and warmed everything up as I was finishing my ride.

momsonherbike

Yes. One ride outside, one ride inside. Both on saddles - one a heck of a lot more expensive ($2k) than the other ($50)

First ride at noon: 9.7 mile loop on the gravel roads. Average speed about 7mph. Best speed 11.3mph (trot). Nice day for a conditioning ride - low 60's, clear and bright. My mare did great - a bit sweaty by the time we got home, but still tons of energy to keep going. Youth is a wonderful thing: she's young (just 5), I'm 63, but when riding her I feel like I'm 20 all over again. She and I start serious conditioning February 3rd (trotting up mountains) and riding distances 3 days a week. Her very first competition will be at the third weekend of April. Have to have her in good condition to do 30 miles/within 7.5 hours in the mountains. First week of June is our 2nd competition - will be doing 50 miles/in 12 hours in the mountains in heat and humidity. Getting back into the sport after a 7 year absence (prior mount retired then laid to rest) - a bit nervous as I'm not 45 yrs old anymore as when I started, but with help from my bike I should be in very good shape - balance and strength-wise.

Second ride at 4PM (in the living room): 25 minutes on the trainer with a fun bunch of French guys cycling through some really pretty French countryside (YouTube). I'm guessing that was about 6 miles? I really credit my bike for keeping my legs strong, and keeping me focused. First benefit bike ride this spring will be the weekend following the 30 mile endurance ride in April. Will be doing the 35 mile route, taking it easy and enjoying the view along the Chesapeake Bay.

John_V 

58 wind tunnel miles with my buddy. Frankie. It's currently in the 80s and we're expecting a 20º-30º drop by tomorrow morning so the wind is pushing this front really fast. We felt it this morning.

Ronno6

22 blustery miles for me and my buddy Sambo yesterday.
Feeling quite rusty but a little better each time out.
Gonna be cold the est few days, so we'll see............

jimmuller 

Yes, my normal commute. Just like yesterday, more or less. Had a flat on the way home though.

canklecat

22 miles Thursday afternoon/evening, mostly gravel. Many flats on the front tire recently and after patching five pinholes in one tube since last week I decided to put in a new tube. Another flat Thursday anyway. Mostly grass burrs, some tiny bits of glass. These are just barely poking through, nicking the tube so slightly I get slow leaks that are hard to find and patch. I had to put on 2x reading glasses and use tweezers to find and dig out the tiny grass burrs.

I stopped at the nearest bike shop along the way to use the air pump they have available for customers. The mechanic wasn't too busy and offered to add Slime to the tube to see if it helped. Didn't charge me. If it does help with these tiny pinholes I may go back and buy some pre-slimed tubes or a container of sealant and add my own.

scott967

Went out did my "normal" 50 miler Thursday ride. Weather was pretty much ideal with winds not too bad for a change. I've been on my new crabon tubs. I don't think I'm any faster (as an old man) but I can tell the ride is much nicer than clinchers. Basically I can run 10 lbs more pressure (these are 25's) and still get a better ride than the Conti GP 4000s. Braking sucks on these. I will invest in some black prince pads and see if it helps.

scott s.
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momsonherbike

30 minutes of interval training..on the trainer (so about 8 miles?)...with a bunch of YouTube guys cycling the roads in CA....while one of my collies stood in front of my bike and watched me sweat, his throw toy in his mouth, patiently waiting for me to play with him because I obviously wasn't doing anything important (in his mind) except sitting there pumping my legs up and down, and huffing and puffing.

So I did ...at each recovery stage got off the bike for one minute and played toss and catch. That made him very happy. And I still got my workout in.

DQRider 

Rode a few miles around the lakes last night - a shakedown ride on my freshly built winter bike. This was also my first time using a studded tire (on the front; aggressive knobby on the back), and I was shocked at how well it works. I was able to go off the paved trail and onto the offroad trail where the snow is all packed down by walkers, and as far as I could tell, mine were the only bike tracks through there. I went looking for trouble, er, I mean icy patches to see if I could turn without slipping, and that worked like a charm as well. Riding over the footprints was very bumpy on my rigid-frame Orient Express MTB, but I just relaxed my grip on the `bar a bit and that studded Schwalbe held the line perfectly.

There's something magical about riding down a forest trail at night, with a good light up front (Cateye 1200), and nothing but darkness and mystery beyond the beam. The weather is supposed to stay mild (low 20's) through the weekend, so I'll be sure to post some photos.

John_V 

It started out as a ride with my wife but then turned solo. We got about 7 miles into the ride when she decided to turn around and go back due to pain in her leg. I continued on to do the subdivision part of our route. The weather was nasty this morning with temps in the low-mid 60s, dreary overcast skies and a wet chilly wind. I planned to do my normal 40 miles but the weather caused me some serious sinus issues. Got back to the van and called it quits for the day with only 26 miles.

Blues Rider

This morning at the Y:
-strength training, 45 min.
-Stationary bike, 15 min., 5 miles

Greybeard712

It's been 5 days of snow, rain, ice, and more snow. There's been snow and/or ice since the 2nd. Got an e-mail from my bike buddy that said the city cleared the bike path (snow, ice, mud) so I went out this afternoon for 10.4 miles (16.7k). Man, I got sluggish after sitting on my duff watching movies for 5 days.

2017: 102m (164k)♂Total: 15,090m (24,285k)

dunelt_1954

I haven't had anything I thought worthy of posting for a long time, but did have a nice studded tire appreciation ride this morning. 10 miles from suburban east Indianapolis to the Capitol. The streets were icy. Nokian Ice Speed
tires work well. With the ice and head wind, ride was about 10 minutes longer than usual!

DQRider 

Yes! Gotta love studded tires. I rode my 14-mile neighborhood loop tonight, making a racket on dry pavement, but handling the snow and ice just fine. I had to jump on the bike right after work in order to get a bit of daylight for some pictures. Here's my Peugeot Orient Express outfitted with a Schwalbe Winter Marathon up front, and a Specialized Ground Control (gnarly, but non-studded) on the rear:



The Planet Bike fenders fit perfectly, and it felt so good to pedal and actually be going somewhere! But boy, those 14 miles felt like 40 by the time I got home. The rolling resistance feels like 3x what I get with normal street tires.



I'm going to have to figure out how to dress for this; right now I have too many layers, and I get sweaty very fast. Probably have to fit bungee cords to the rack so I can peel a layer or two during the ride.

I think probably 8 miles or so were ridden through the gloaming (cool word, huh?) into full dark, so I got to use the lights again. Drivers around here really don't seem too pleased to see a bicycle on the roads this time of year. It means they have to pay attention...

rumrunn6

can relate. there are less aggressive studded tires that offer less rolling resistance but I'm sure your glutes & quads are grateful for the work. less to build back up come spring! I'm a fan of a rack trunk with options such as knit hats to swap as they fill with sweat. I don't always know in advance exactly what the right combination will be. sometimes I wind up carrying stuff I don't use & I'd rather avoid that. bungee is good to quickly stuff a hat or whatever. last ride I tied my sweatshirt around my waist for the last handful of miles. a good way to avoid drivers is to find some unpaved rail trails in your area. been having fun this yr exploring those near me. it's less about the mileage & more about the time spent riding. got a rd trip w Wifey today so only bike ride option this wknd is a quick a rd bike w/ regular slicks on dry rds before we leave & will try to avoid any ice patches. temps dipped so wish me luck figuring out what to wear

dunelt_1954

That Orient Express is a great looking machine. Winter tires are a force multiplier on several levels, making opportunities to ride that would otherwise be very risky or un-doable, while the weight and knobs, studs, etc, really make a bit of a training ride out of a moderate commute or loop around a lake, etc. The expressions from my office colleagues when I rode downtown- priceless.

Greybeard712

Kudos to you. I had the idea of making my Specialized Allez (Aluminum frame bike) into a semi-cyclocross but the only affordable tires I could find were 35C. The bike was originally designed for 23C, came with 28C, I have 23C on there now. The 35C wouldn't fit in the forks (too wide-32C might fit, dunno). Now I'm stuck with a new set of good Continental tires I can't use. I just have to stay outta the snow.

Some of the paths leading up to the main bike path I ride are still spotted with snow-ice. The sunshine is slowly melting it away. Next week will be up into the low 50s and should complete the task. 26° at the start of today's ride but with sunshine. 18.3 miles (29.4k) on the Allez. The other 3 bikes are carbon fiber (lighter) but this is still a fun bike. Now I have to clean it.

2017: 120m (193k)♂Total: 15,109m (24,315k)

jimmuller 

No studded tires, no snow, mostly road except...we rode a few miles on the Reformatory Branch Rail Trail which is all dirt. Most of what we rode was on the RBRT was on the edge of the Great Meadows Wildlife Sanctuary. Sometimes we explore.

Temps in the upper 30's, a few snow flurries.

My sweetie eating lunch all bundled up. This is the Minuteman Bikeway through Bedford.

Wildwood 

I thought I was riding in Arkansas, but maybe i was ... 'West of the Jordon, East of the rock of Gibraltar'.