Let's visit the lake !
#1
Life Is Good
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Central Massachusetts
Posts: 1,695
Bikes: Zipp2001 Carbon Belt Drive SS, Kestrel RT900SL, Kestrel KM40 Airfoil 1x10, Orbea Occam H30, Trek Stache 5 29 Plus, Giant Yukon 2 Fat Bike
Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 277 Post(s)
Liked 867 Times
in
443 Posts
Let's visit the lake !
Get a little snow and follow that up with almost a week of freezing temps and you get some great trail conditions. It also means the lakes get frozen over and you get to go play on the frozen water.
Likes For ZIPP2001:
#2
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: 25 miles northwest of Boston
Posts: 29,528
Bikes: Bottecchia Sprint, GT Timberline 29r, Marin Muirwoods 29er, Trek FX Alpha 7.0
Mentioned: 112 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5219 Post(s)
Liked 3,564 Times
in
2,331 Posts
oh man that looks like a blast especially riding from the ice onto the island or what looked like an island. nice ride-by, big lake? any islands?
Likes For rumrunn6:
#3
Life Is Good
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Central Massachusetts
Posts: 1,695
Bikes: Zipp2001 Carbon Belt Drive SS, Kestrel RT900SL, Kestrel KM40 Airfoil 1x10, Orbea Occam H30, Trek Stache 5 29 Plus, Giant Yukon 2 Fat Bike
Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 277 Post(s)
Liked 867 Times
in
443 Posts
This is a smaller lake that goes into swamp land that is now frozen, so it looks like an island. Temps are going up Tuesday but should be dropping back down so the trails should still be in great shape to ride this weekend.
Likes For ZIPP2001:
#4
meh
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Hopkins, MN
Posts: 4,700
Bikes: 23 Cutthroat, 21 CoMotion Java; 21 Bianchi Infinito; 15 Surly Pugsley; 11 Globe Daily; 09 Kona Dew Drop; 96 Mondonico
Mentioned: 22 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1109 Post(s)
Liked 1,011 Times
in
518 Posts
I love riding frozen lakes! In Minnesota, we get months of frozen lakes, but it get difficult to ride as the snow gets deep. Sometimes we get lucky with clear ice (studded tires highly recommended!):
#5
Full Member
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Southern California
Posts: 487
Bikes: Historical: Schwinn Speedster; Schwinn Collegiate; 1981 Ross Gran Tour; 1981 Dawes Atlantis; 1991 Specialized Rockhopper. Current: 1987 Ritchey Ultra; 1987 Centurion Ironman Dave Scott Master; 1992 Specialized Stumpjumper FS
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 207 Post(s)
Liked 178 Times
in
111 Posts
I love riding frozen lakes! In Minnesota, we get months of frozen lakes, but it get difficult to ride as the snow gets deep. Sometimes we get lucky with clear ice (studded tires highly recommended!):
https://youtu.be/8_rkhkmQRp8
https://youtu.be/8_rkhkmQRp8
My worry would be that I'd go fast enough not to notice that the ice was getting too thin. Six inches was my minimum when I was young and dumb and lived in the Midwest. But this looks pretty much like the dead of winter, so I'd imagine you're all good.
Likes For Chinghis:
#6
meh
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Hopkins, MN
Posts: 4,700
Bikes: 23 Cutthroat, 21 CoMotion Java; 21 Bianchi Infinito; 15 Surly Pugsley; 11 Globe Daily; 09 Kona Dew Drop; 96 Mondonico
Mentioned: 22 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1109 Post(s)
Liked 1,011 Times
in
518 Posts
Looks like a blast. Terrifying, but a blast.
My worry would be that I'd go fast enough not to notice that the ice was getting too thin. Six inches was my minimum when I was young and dumb and lived in the Midwest. But this looks pretty much like the dead of winter, so I'd imagine you're all good.
My worry would be that I'd go fast enough not to notice that the ice was getting too thin. Six inches was my minimum when I was young and dumb and lived in the Midwest. But this looks pretty much like the dead of winter, so I'd imagine you're all good.
Many smaller lakes in the area have groomed tracks for Nordic skiing, if the groomers have been out, the lake ice is safe for a biker.
Additionally, having grown up in the area and spend a lot of time on the lake ice, I know the dangerous areas: channels under bridges; pressure ridges on larger lake; and area where creeks flow into or out of the lake.
#7
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: 25 miles northwest of Boston
Posts: 29,528
Bikes: Bottecchia Sprint, GT Timberline 29r, Marin Muirwoods 29er, Trek FX Alpha 7.0
Mentioned: 112 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5219 Post(s)
Liked 3,564 Times
in
2,331 Posts
just don't ride on the Charles River in Boston, OK?
Likes For rumrunn6:
#8
Full Member
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Southern California
Posts: 487
Bikes: Historical: Schwinn Speedster; Schwinn Collegiate; 1981 Ross Gran Tour; 1981 Dawes Atlantis; 1991 Specialized Rockhopper. Current: 1987 Ritchey Ultra; 1987 Centurion Ironman Dave Scott Master; 1992 Specialized Stumpjumper FS
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 207 Post(s)
Liked 178 Times
in
111 Posts
I have a rule about getting out on lake ice in the winter: wait one week after the last report of a F-150 going through the ice. For reference: https://bringmethenews.com/minnesota...s-urge-caution Honestly, it happens many times, every year, at the start and end of the season, and with Lake Minnetonka in a heavily populated area, there's always somebody driving out there with a truck, snowmobile, ATV, ....
Many smaller lakes in the area have groomed tracks for Nordic skiing, if the groomers have been out, the lake ice is safe for a biker.
Additionally, having grown up in the area and spend a lot of time on the lake ice, I know the dangerous areas: channels under bridges; pressure ridges on larger lake; and area where creeks flow into or out of the lake.
Many smaller lakes in the area have groomed tracks for Nordic skiing, if the groomers have been out, the lake ice is safe for a biker.
Additionally, having grown up in the area and spend a lot of time on the lake ice, I know the dangerous areas: channels under bridges; pressure ridges on larger lake; and area where creeks flow into or out of the lake.
Honestly, these videos just make me want to go (ice) fishing ....
Likes For Chinghis:
#9
meh
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Hopkins, MN
Posts: 4,700
Bikes: 23 Cutthroat, 21 CoMotion Java; 21 Bianchi Infinito; 15 Surly Pugsley; 11 Globe Daily; 09 Kona Dew Drop; 96 Mondonico
Mentioned: 22 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1109 Post(s)
Liked 1,011 Times
in
518 Posts
Rivers and creeks are a NOPE! for me ... with very rare exceptions.
Exceptions: Shallow creeks, if you break through, you can stand on the bottom; or we have a winter with temps that go weeks and weeks without a thaw ... like back in 2014 when we had 53 days with a temps at or below 0, including a 17 day streak. With a winter that cold, damned near everything is frozen solid!
Exceptions: Shallow creeks, if you break through, you can stand on the bottom; or we have a winter with temps that go weeks and weeks without a thaw ... like back in 2014 when we had 53 days with a temps at or below 0, including a 17 day streak. With a winter that cold, damned near everything is frozen solid!
#10
Life Is Good
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Central Massachusetts
Posts: 1,695
Bikes: Zipp2001 Carbon Belt Drive SS, Kestrel RT900SL, Kestrel KM40 Airfoil 1x10, Orbea Occam H30, Trek Stache 5 29 Plus, Giant Yukon 2 Fat Bike
Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 277 Post(s)
Liked 867 Times
in
443 Posts
I have a rule about getting out on lake ice in the winter: wait one week after the last report of a F-150 going through the ice. For reference: https://bringmethenews.com/minnesota...s-urge-caution Honestly, it happens many times, every year, at the start and end of the season, and with Lake Minnetonka in a heavily populated area, there's always somebody driving out there with a truck, snowmobile, ATV, ....
Many smaller lakes in the area have groomed tracks for Nordic skiing, if the groomers have been out, the lake ice is safe for a biker.
Additionally, having grown up in the area and spend a lot of time on the lake ice, I know the dangerous areas: channels under bridges; pressure ridges on larger lake; and area where creeks flow into or out of the lake.
Many smaller lakes in the area have groomed tracks for Nordic skiing, if the groomers have been out, the lake ice is safe for a biker.
Additionally, having grown up in the area and spend a lot of time on the lake ice, I know the dangerous areas: channels under bridges; pressure ridges on larger lake; and area where creeks flow into or out of the lake.
Likes For ZIPP2001:
#12
Senior Member
That was everyone's favorite cycling hooligan, Lucas Brunelle.
I didn't get out on any of the creeks or ponds in the city at all this year. The snow depth and frequent drifting prevented a decent trail from forming. But the fat bike trails around the park were really good this year. The weight of motorized groomer caused it to intermittently sink so it created a nice chain of rollers.
I didn't get out on any of the creeks or ponds in the city at all this year. The snow depth and frequent drifting prevented a decent trail from forming. But the fat bike trails around the park were really good this year. The weight of motorized groomer caused it to intermittently sink so it created a nice chain of rollers.
Likes For gecho: