VomitSpeed

I was driving (a truck for work) between Whitehorse, Yukon and Watson Lake, Yukon on the Alaska Highway and I thought I might have been having mental issues/hallucinations when I saw what appeared to be a cycletourist in January. I nearly fell out of my chair. As it turns out there really was a cycletourist in January and his name is Henk van Dillen and he has a blog which I cannot link to due to my newbie status. You'll have to add the Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure colon slash slash to the following:

henkvandillen.net/en/the-mysterious-box/

djb

thanks, completely bpnkers eh? As someone who lives and does day activities in our winter, I can't really get my head around the few folks who do this sort of thing.--but hey, all the power to him. Just hope he has good judgement and doesn't get himself into a jam.

VomitSpeed

To the best of my knowledge I don't think anyone has done the route he is doing at this time of the year (December and January). He has so far somewhat avoided the worst of the brisk weather and he is headed into the area where it generally does not go below -45C a lot. I was in a spot on the northern part of the Alaska Highway about a week before he got there and it was -51C which is unappealing for cycletouring even in Fahrenheit (-60F).

Judging from his equipment he seems to know what he's doing. Equipment list:

henkvandillen.net/en/kit-list-extreme-winter-cycle-touring/

balto charlie

Thanks for the link. That dude is amazing. I can't imagine touring in that weather. Hardcore MF. His treat one evening was a frozen cupcake

djb

Iohan gueorguiev biked up north years ago at the start of his big travels.
like cross country skiing expeditions, I've just enough outdoor experience and being outside at -20, -30 tops, I can't really imagine how tough it must be being out all day etc at colder temps.

Kudos to these folks, but they really are hardasses.

Yan 

It's above freezing in Whitehorse today, compared to a historical January average of 12F (-11C).

In 2012 this guy was planning to bike all the way up to Tuktoyaktuk in 24 hour darkness:
https://theprovince.com/sports/updat...back-in-winter

I'm unable to find any follow up information so it's unclear whether he made it all the way or aborted.

VomitSpeed

I am still in shock that Iohan is dead. There is supposedly a place where Iohan liked to ride to near Cranbrook (where he committed suicide). I believe his local memorial was held there. Perhaps that spot could be a pilgrimage objective for cycletourists. The area is quite lovely in the summer and the winter. I am sure Iohan was the inspiration for many cycletours around the world.

Iohan started in Tuktuyaaqtuuq by riding the ice road on the ocean and then the Dempster Highway from Inuvik. Henk rode the Dalton Highway further west.

Here's a partial link to Iohan's first YouTube video on that Tuktuyaaqtuuq route:

youtu.be/Z0wAPztOO2U

mev

Not the Alaska Highway, but some of the roads across Siberia...

- There is a book "Cycling Home from Siberia" by Rob Lilwall that I read a few years ago. Rob and Alastair Humphrey started in Magadan and cycled through some of the coldest regions along "the road of bones" in late 200x years. As I recall, some of the new road had been built but there was also some of the old road that was passable in winter when everything was still frozen. I recall them leaving in later parts of winter and also getting into the -40C/-40F range at coldest. It was interesting to see the extra challenges they had with this, particularly starting out on a long trip.
- A friend of mine was planning a trip originally in 2020 titled Siberia to India. Plan was also to start in Magadan and then come via Chita and then over the Himalaya. That trip need some timing - leave Magadan late enough to avoid the worst winter but cross the Himalaya before the snows. I briefly thought about joining him on first past from Magadan to Chita as I had gone across Siberia in summer of 2007 but hadn't been up the road. Originally he suggested a start date of March 1st but as he looked further at temperatures in the first stretch (e.g. https://weatherspark.com/y/142848/Av...sia-Year-Round) he moved things to May 1st. The pandemic happened and the trip itself was scrubbed. I didn't get very far in my considerations (partially because the trip might have been too much for me and partially because I wouldn't easily have the two months off); but when it was a March start definitely had me consider what was required.
- On my trip across Russia in 2007 I found accounts of others with similar rides. Almost all were crossing in the summer but there were one or two that also crossed in winter. Not as cold as the Road of Bones area but still a strong continental climate with some cold temperatures.

VomitSpeed

That was Brek Broughton in 2013. He made a heroic effort riding north from Vancouver but was stopped at Dawson City, Yukon with purple toes and hypothermia and had no choice but to abandon only 800 kilometers from his objective. If I recall he was luckily rescued at the intersection of the Klondike Highway and the Dempster Highway in poor condition, underlining the unavoidable danger of cycletouring in the far north in the winter no matter how fit and prepared one is.

Steve B.

I recall a YT of some women did the Dempster in winter. Theres also this, didn't watch, no clue if they succeeded. One of the best north country videos I had seen was some Canadian guy from Montreal (not Iohan) who biked (and kayaked) the northern part of the Canol Road, solo, in late summer, not for the faint of heart.

VomitSpeed

We won't be worrying about being tourists in Russia for the forseeable future. Some of those Russian temperatures are frightful anyway. Zhilinda in Siberia hit -80F a couple of weeks ago and that weather drifted over to Alaska and the Yukon. Other than genocide, Russia is notorious for sending cold weather to the Yukon and especially the Klondike Highway that is the only route to cycletouring destinations further north.

Slava Ukraini.

Carbonfiberboy 

Heroyam slava.

Tourist in MSN

I do not know if the gal that posted this is bike touring or not, several years ago she quit bike touring so she could have a baby, not sure what her status is.
https://cyclingdutchgirl.com/tag/dempster-highway/

If I was trying to do that sort of riding in ultra cold conditions, I would use a Rohloff or maybe a Pinion instead of derailleurs. And use a frame that does not need a pulley wheel for chain tension.

If it is colder than 20 degrees (F) I stay off the bike.

Tourist in MSN

Wow, Sorel Caribou boots. I have not worn my Sorel boots for over a decade, but I only wore them for work in cold weather and am now retired..

balto charlie

Henk was chased by a bison!!

https://henkvandillen.net/en/chased-by-a-bison/

VomitSpeed

I saw Henk a couple of hours ago. He was just north of Muncho Lake making good progress away from his Buffalo stalker.

There were plenty of Buffalo on the Alaska Highway today. He has their full undivided attention because there are no other cycletourists for thousands of miles.

VomitSpeed

That was in April on the Dempster Highway so no extreme temperatures. She happened to meet the Jasper, Alberta Fire Chief Greg van Tighem going the other way on a fatbike.

VomitSpeed

My concern with internal gears is that one must use the manufacturers spec oil that performs at high temperatures (eg 0C) because one will be riding in temperatures above -30C most of the time. There would be significant changes to the viscosity of the spec oil at -30C to -50C. I use derailers at -40 (same in Centigrade in Fahrenheit) with plain old Finish Line Dry oil. Derailleurs are not the most awesome gear-changing apparatus when the chain gets coated with sand, ice and road salt around -20C so it would be nice to use internal gears and a Gates belt if they performed well in the cold.

Gates belts seem to be fine (according to people I talked to that use them) down to -30C but below -30C they go beyond their maximum performance characteristics. I don't think Gates will be offering a cold weather belt while the worldwide population of cycletourists riding at -40 is approximately 1.

Tourist in MSN

I knew that Rohloff had cold weather specifications, could not recall what they were so did a quick internet search. All they say here is mix 50/50 percent of the cleaning oil and regular oil for below minus 10 degrees C. Or converting, that is colder than 14 (F).
https://www.rohloff.de/fileadmin/roh...EN_2010_09.pdf

For those that are not familiar with Rohloff and lube for it, an oil change kit has 25 ml of cleaning oil that is used to rinse the hub innards, and 25ml of lube oil to put in the hub after the cleaning oil has been drained. So, for cold weather they say mix the two, 50/50, presumably for a total of 25ml.

I have ridden my Rohloff in the 20s (F), I think once about 15 (F), that would be the coldest I have ridden it. It worked just like it does in warm weather. I used summer oil. I use a chain, not belt.

The bike is unusually clean in the photo, this was the first winter after I built up the bike, thus it looked pretty new. Studded tires.




In the extreme cold weather, you really want equipment that you know is not going to fail. And I would trust a Rohloff over a derailleur system where you could get ice in the sprockets or other kinds of problems and make a mess of things.

I would not rule out Pinion drive but I am quite ignorant of those systems.

balto charlie

Those cyclists in the northern tier U.S. or Canada wanting to test their gears in cold weather can get their chance in the next few days. Bone chilling, I'm just gonna put another log on the fire.

VomitSpeed

Someone on this forum is going to have to ride from Whitehorse, Yukon to Dawson City, Yukon in January or February with a Rohloff hub to determine the exact oil dilution required. I don't suppose Rohloff is going to reveal exactly what the oil is in case people put automotive oils with seal-destroying automotive additives in their hub. Maybe it's automatic transmission fluid. Who knows. Maybe the "cleaning oil" is actually kerosene. What would happen to the hub seals when the temperature goes up with diluted, low viscosity winter cycletouring oil in the hub?

djb

Our high tomorrow will be -24c, wind chill will be -30, -40, so not fun. Not sure if I'll bike to an early morning dentist appt....

balto charlie

If you ride, post. You'll earn some serious street cred!!
Coldest I have ridden was during my commuting day, -5F/-15C.....it was brutal, my rear cassette froze

Tourist in MSN

I have read that there is something inside of the Rohloff that can swell if improper lube is used. And from that if someone returns a hub to Rohloff for warranty, they can tell if a normal auto lube was used. Maybe it was seals, maybe something else.

I did not like the high cost of the annual oil change kits, several years ago I bought the 250ml size bottles, I have many more oil changes to go before I run out. I am not going to worry about it.

The viscosity of both lube oil and cleaning oil are quiet low. When you pour a bottle of 5W30 into your car engine, it takes a long time for the last bit to pour out of the bottle, Rohloff oil is much thinner.

Tourist in MSN

I have worked outdoors in weather like you cite, but am now retired so I do not have to any more. I too will not be riding a bike in that weather. I do not ride if it is colder than 20 degrees (F).