March In Like a Lion Rides

[emily_in_nc]

Looks like March is indeed coming in like a lion in many parts of the US!

We've been windy and mild here in central Florida, but are due for a cold week starting tonight -- for here. Lows that had been in the 60s will dip back into the 40s-50s, and highs will be 60s-70s instead of 80s. Just after I put away all my wool jerseys! We had such a warm February here we got complacent. I know I can't complain as it's still much nicer than most anywhere else!

Rode over 35 miles each of the first two days of the month and today's ride put me over 1000 miles for the year so far. Woo-hoo! :)

[north woods gal]

Emily, that is so cool. March arrives and you already hit the 1000 mile mark. Congrats.

I'm still riding almost every day. Only missed two days in February. Of course, these are snow riding miles and it usually takes me an hour to do just 5. :) March is still solidly a winter month for us. It comes in like a lion, but that lion sticks around well into April. Just a fact of life, up here. Still, I see changes, now. What snow we get during the week now melts off in the week, so our snow depth is no longer accumulating. It will eventually start to decline as spring arrives.

I ma really getting itchy to get some road miles in and have even been thinking of getting another bike that would work for all day road riding. My Surly Krampus works, but it is really a dedicated trail bike that I make do for road work. Yeah, just what I need, another bike. :)

[Crankin]

Another bike is always OK. We are starting to think about an around town bike, still with gearing, but bigger tires, and probably a flat bar.

[north woods gal]

Always okay, for sure, on another bike.

You know, if I was living in a city, now, I'd have no problem going even as big as a fat bike with the right tires as a utility bike. Those big tires are super comfy and fear no potholes, curbs, sand or road grit, rain, snow, you name it. My Pugsley would be a great choice. With racks and panniers, it would make a great errand/grocery store bike. It's no speed demon, but it's no dog, either, with the right tires. Figure you can only go so fast in traffic, anyway. A 29+ or 27.5+ would even be faster with many of the same advantages.

More snow coming, tomorrow! This has been one long and very snowy winter. Better get some riding in, today. Will probably be shoveling, tomorrow.

[ny biker]

I was going to lead a club ride today but decided not to. It is still breezy here from last week's nor'easter and as of this morning my eyes were still itching. They're not as bad as they were on Thursday but are still not back to normal. So although we have blue skies and high temps above 50, the breeze and low humidity mean pollen hell.

One of my friends led the ride in my place. I haven't seen his report yet. I did hear from another friend who tried to go for a ride this morning and he said the wind was pretty bad.

Things should calm down tomorrow but another storm might hit after that. Meanwhile I spent some time reading about cedar (juniper) trees and looking at photos. It turns out that the pine tree next to my kitchen window, which I thought was dying because it looks a bit yellow, is actually a cedar tree, and the yellow is the pollen. And there are many more of these trees around my neighborhood.

At this point I am just assuming I will not be able to spend much time outdoors for the next couple of weeks. When I am outside, I will wear a hat and coat so I won't have pollen on my hair and clothes while I'm indoors.

So I guess I will be logging more miles on the indoor trainer.

I'd still rather have pollen than snow...

[Crankin]

We didn't have the sun that you had, NY, but, the wind has died down to just about normal for late winter/early spring. In fact it felt and looked pretty raw, though the thermometer said it was 41. We suited up in winter gear, sans the heavier winter jacket, just the regular wind jacket, and went out for a little 13 mile ride. We had a plan, and somehow, DH turned back toward home earlier than the plan. He doesn't remember things like this well (I said "let's do the ride that goes up X, turn at X, and then back to X," which we did last fall and was about 22 miles). We turned before the 2nd X and that brought us to the 3d X... I was not complaining because just about then, DH mentioned his GPS was saying it was 36 out! I was dressed correctly, I didn't overheat, although my feet were a bit cold, despite wearing my winter shoes. However, it just wasn't nice out. As we got onto a long downhill and short climb which brings us back to our area, we saw another couple, coming from the other direction. They had come from the wrong way, down a one way street, making a left on a busy road, to connect to the downhill street. That move was the reason I didn't go on the group ride 2 weeks ago; we let them get ahead of us, we were moving along and I actually felt pretty good when I got home, after a night of a bit too much wine with friends. We set out to go slowly, like last weekend, but we ended up going not fast, but faster, fine for this time of year, and faster than my group ride last Wednesday.
There's a lot of snow in far NW MA and southern VT, as well as the White Mountains of NH. We are looking at doing a weekend near Bennington VT next weekend, at a x country ski place, that is at elevation and we just discovered it's existence earlier this winter. It's too far for a day trip, but not a long drive, about 2.5 hours. They are getting 5-8 inches of snow Wednesday, while we have another horrible rainy nor'easter.

[north woods gal]

Have to hand it to you folks that are out riding, despite the less than ideal weather, especially with all that wind. I'm not the only tough cookie around here in that respect! :) Wind is seldom an issue for trail riding in our woods, but as soon as I go out on an open road, even up here in forest country, it does become a factor. Wind makes a huge difference in how I have to dress in cold weather if I'm out on a road.

More snow coming, tonight, just when some of my trails were down to dirt in some spots. Oh, well.

[emily_in_nc]

Agree re. the wind! We don't face the cold temperatures that many of you do since we're in central Florida, but this time of year, wind is almost always a factor on our rides. Today it's to be 10-20 mph SSW, meaning that we'll have a rip-roaring tailwind on our way "out", but a headwind on the way back. I prefer the other way around, but we're due some chilly mornings later in the week, so I'll take the southwest winds over that. Should be upper 60s to low 70s on our ride today, not bad.

I have great respect for those of you who ride in cold weather. It's just not for me. I have to muster all my motivation even to go out when it's in the 50s. :rolleyes:

[north woods gal]

I'm with you on playing the wind. When planning a route, I'll do my best to make sure I get a tailwind on the way back home. Of course, Nature can play tricks on you and switch wind directions when you're on your ride.

A litte snow, today, only about an inch, but that's better than 3-5 inches they had forecast. An inch of snow on my icy trails is actually a good thing. It's just enough to leave a hard packed track of snow on the ice as I ride over it. Makes for better traction and safer, too.

Speaking of ice, I call this time of year our icicle season. Gets just above freezing by day and then re-freezes at night. That creates huge icicles on the house. It also turns my snow packed trails into ice packed trails, too. Not good. Oh, I can still ride the ice with studded fat bike tires, but I still have to get very conservative and careful on my riding. Studded tires are still not 100% safe. Not my preferred way to ride, but it sure beats not riding at all.

We saw a flock of 15 turkeys in the yard, yesterday afternoon. They were picking up left overs under our bird feed stations. Took down the bird feeders, this week, because this time of year bears come out of their winter sleep and are looking for food. Unless you like bears in your yard, up here, you learn quick not to give them something to eat.

Spotted our resident pair of eagles, flying overhead, as I write this. Life is good in my north woods.

[ny biker]

Although I did not plan it with wind in mind, I had thought that the ride I was going to lead on Sunday was protected from the wind in some areas. I would have expected a headwind in the beginning, then some tailwinds, and maybe some crosswinds near the end, but with enough direction changes and time on tree-line roads to give people a break from time to time. However based on the post-ride report from the person who led it my place, it was a hard slog the whole time. Nonetheless he went out again yesterday to ride and again reported wind the entire time. Some folks are willing to put up with it more than others...in particular I find that people who commute by bike (or did for many years before retiring) are more willing to ride for fun in cold, wind or even rain. For me, those conditions are far less fun, though.

[Crankin]

Rain, no unless it starts without warning when I am out.
Wind, I don't like it, but I can tolerate it a bit more than DH. I just decide to forget about speed. Wind+rain, no. Wind+ a raw, cloudy day, no. I will hike on those days, though.
Cold has different levels for me. Cold (30 degrees) with sun and no or little wind is fine. I have the gear to go lower, but if there's snow, I'll be skiing, or at the gym, or snow shoeing. It's cold with clouds and/or wind that might be a tipping point. My ride Sunday was 36 degrees, cloudy, a little wind, and a few spritzes and a flurry. It was raw. But, about halfway through the 13 miles, I forgot about it and was fine. I wear my heated gloves when it's 40 or below, which takes care of my main issue. Anything else, I have clothing for. Truth is, once December 15th comes, I am ready to take a rest from cycling, but if there's a slightly warmer day and the roads are good, I will go. March is a fun month for me, because I often x country ski and ride because of the changeable weather.

[north woods gal]

Have to say that, as for me, I've been bitten by this snow biking bug. Have done more biking, this winter, than the previous ten winters combined, maybe more. It's catching on, up here, in snow country. We now have some fat bike races in the snow over some of the same courses used for XC ski races. Don't know if snow biking will ever become an Olympic event and I doubt it will become a major bicycle sport in this country, given that, like XC skiing, it's limited to snow country. It is fun and a great workout, though, and even in sub zero weather, doesn't take me long to warm up. It's actually very practical, too. It's not just a stunt. On hard pack snow/ice, you can really fly. Have had days when I logged the same average speed over my trails as what I do in the summer. Nowhere near as fussy about snow conditions as with XC skiing. For sure, my XC skiing has taken a big hit since I've been bitten by the snow biking bug.

[Crankin]

15 inches of heavy, wet snow here in West Concord. Not sure if I will go into work at all, already had 2 cancellations. I am thinking it's a xc ski day...
There's 2+ feet of snow where we are going to be skiing this weekend, outside of Bennington, VT.
I finally hit one right! Although I am glad I have already been out on my bike 4 times this year.

[north woods gal]

You folks seem to be stuck in that storm track. Hope everyone is doing oaky.

As for us, the season is changing, slowly, but surely, but still a good foot and a half to two feet of accumulated snow in the woods. Can't help but dream of spring, though, now that the days are getting longer. DST starts, this weekend, too. Spring ahead with those clocks.

Lot of shoveling, yesterday, and laid down some gravel on some of the icy turns. Still have to use the slower bikes with the studded tires to be safe. Tempting as it is to use the faster fat bikes without the studded tires, it would be pretty stupid to risk nasty spill for the sake of speed when I had studded tire bikes already setup and ready to go.

I'm still thinking about another bike, this spring. I want a faster bike than my 29x3" Krampus on pavement, but it still has to have wide enough tires for hard pack gravel and rough pavement, maybe an occasional ride down some logging roads.

Recently read an article about the environmental issues with carbon frames. They're toxic to manufacture, but mostly a problem of recycling, due to the glues they use to bond the fibers. Anyone else see that? Not sure if it's enough to talk me out of carbon, but still something to consider. Good old steel, of course, is easily recycled and will last a lifetime.

[ny biker]

I am not a big fan of carbon for a different reason -- about a year after I bought my current road bike, I found a crack in the top tube and have no idea what caused it. Cost $500 and many weeks to have it fixed. I know that many people have carbon bikes now and not many have similar problems, but I feel like I need to baby it much more than I did my aluminum bike. When it comes time for a new road bike I will look into steel and titanium first.

We got lucky with the first two nor'easters, in terms of snow. Nothing from the storm last week and flurries the other night with big flakes that added a bit of a visual challenge while driving home from work, but the wet heavy snow on my car when I went to bed was gone by morning. However we might get substantial snow from the next storm, which is due Sunday night-Monday. Needless to say I am hoping that doesn't happen. This morning I read that our current cold snap will be here through next week. Meanwhile pollen is still moderate-high and the cedar tree next to my kitchen window is still yellow, but today I saw that maple was listed first in the predominant pollen types so I'm hoping to be able to spend time outside soon.

[Crankin]

Damage here is a lot worse than I thought. Not for us, but all around me. Trees down everywhere, and some on electric wires. DH went for a walk when I was at work and he said the large neighborhood next to our street is like a war zone. Many of the streets are closed in neighboring towns, and a few in Concord. The main road in my old town was closed this morning; it connects to I-495, so it's a busy, yet rural street. I am glad I didn't xc ski today,because only the fields are open at the local center. The wooded trails have too many trees down.
On a positive note, there has been 2.5 feet of snow in Woodford, VT, where I am going tomorrow. I just watched a video of them grooming. I will be in heaven.

As far as the bike material, you are right, NY. I think what happened to you is very rare. I've had 3 carbon bikes, crashed them all, and have had no issues. I love the feel of my titanium bike, too. It's just a different smooth feeling, compared to the carbon smooth feeling. It is similar to steel, but the only steel bike I've had was a lower end one, the Jamis Coda. My next bike, an around town bike, will probably be aluminum or steel.

[rebeccaC]

Spent a couple of days doing renewable energy policy work on the Navajo Nation in Arizona last week. The environmental preservation in the Navajo’s Diné cultural teachings has made such positive contributions to their development of renewable sources of energy and makes, for me, very rewarding conversations with tribal members.
Anyway….the trip also gave me the opportunity to do some hiking in Bryce Canyon on the way back......and more importantly to spend a whole day bicycling, hiking and photographing in Nevada’s Valley of Fire state park with two friends from Las Vegas. Few vehicles this time of year, temps in the high 60’s and natures surrounding beauty made for an excellent day.

Bryce
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4782/38873232970_47fd99ef0a_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/22e6tQE)




Valley of Fire
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4793/38928296290_f635c0746f_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/22iXGff)


https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4799/25867550757_91e21991b7_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/FpPXCr)


https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4782/39843612715_84e3c0dc73_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/23GQVVV)


Navajo Nation
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4764/40626518361_dcfd69f8ee_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/24U2wv8)

[emily_in_nc]

Stunning photos, Rebecca!

We enjoyed hiking in Bryce Canyon way back in 2006. So beautiful! Have never been to the Valley of Fire state park. It looks gorgeous! And the lack of motor vehicle traffic is a huge plus. Most parks seem to have narrow roads with no shoulders, so it's always a huge plus to get to ride when traffic is low.

[rebeccaC]

Thanks Emily!!! Bryce is one of my favorite hiking areas….so beautiful!!

This is towards the end of the season of having a good ride in the Valley of Fire with its moderate temps now and low traffic and riding on a weekday helps too….and yeah, no shoulder could make for a nervous tension during more vehicle times of the year. Another consideration is the immense silence of the park and it being easy to hear vehicles approaching from farther behind. It was also probably my last desert ride until next fall.

It’s a rainy day here at home so Alex and I are just going to relax and enjoy being together today.

[north woods gal]

Breathtaking! I have never been there. I must remedy that.

As for me, back home, today, was my first all road ride of the year. Yippeee! Not a long ride at only 15 miles, but most of that was a sprint and I pushed it a bit, so happy I was to be out on the open road, again. Our local roads are down to dry pavement with only an occasional patch of ice which I can ride around. Dug the Surly Krampus out of our outdoor storage shed and got everything adjusted and ready to go, then off I went. Still have a lot off sand and gravel on the roads from winter maintenance, but the 3" tires on the Krampus handle that with ease. Gravel roads and secondary roads are still a fat bike, only, proposition for now.

I'm preaching to the choir, of course, but I really missed flying down the open road with no concern about techy riding or frantic gear changes and all the other challenges of trail work. So nice and relaxing to just breeze down the open road with just my thoughts and nice scenery for company. Really missed that kind of riding over the winter. I will do more road miles, this year.

[north woods gal]

As much as I hated not to ride my trails, today, they are now too many long sections that are nothing but ice and, worse than that, ice with standing water in spots. There's only so much that studded tires can do. Even bicycling out of our long driveway to go road riding is getting tricky, now. There's also a long stretch of pure ice, there. It's all caused by day after day of temps getting just high enough to melt some packed snow, then dropping again, at night, to freeze and cause ice.

Seems I can't escape it. Went for a nice road ride of 15 miles, again, on dry pavement. Decided I had gone far enough, so made a turn into a wildlife area parking lot to reverse direction. Big mistake. Yup, you guessed it. I hit a patch of ice that was covered with a light dusting of snow. Me and the Krampus had no chance. We went down in a flash. Hurt my left ankle in the fall, but not enough to prevent me from pedaling, home. Just a touch sore, this morning, but barely notice it, now.

I am SOOO tired of ice.

On a more positive note, had a pair of Lincoln's Sparrows land for an instant outside our window, this morning. The Lincoln's is an uncommon migrant for us, so a sure sign of spring. Lovely little bird.

[emily_in_nc]

NWG, hope your ankle heals up fast. Ice would not be fun -- have rarely experienced it on a bike (perhaps never), but certainly in a car during NC winters. Not fun! Hope the ice melts soon, or gets covered up with enough snow that it is not an issue!

[north woods gal]

Thanks, Emily. The ankle is fine this morning, but, please, no more snow. :) I've had enough and now that my trails are closed for the moment, I need our local roads to stay free of snow in the meantime. Most of our paved roads are now ice free, but some of the less traveled ones still have ice in patches. Sure is nice getting out to ride and see different country, though, after a long winter riding the same old trails.

Compared to last winter, this one has been much more north woods traditional, meaning long sustained cold and lots of snow. My notes show that this date, last March, I was actually able to put my canoe in the lake and do a little paddling, since about half the lake was open water. This winter, no way. The lake hasn't even begun to melt and is still covered in deep snow.

[ny biker]

The early-blooming trees around here have pink flowers on them but it is still cold, more like January than March and really I am just so over this cold wind that we have almost every day. Pollen allergies plus winter weather. Boo. The long-range forecast says more of the same next week and possibly some snow from yet another nor'easter. Next Saturday I will go to a march in DC and it will be colder than it was for the Women's March in January. Tomorrow I'm going to a college baseball game to see my nephew and it will be football weather. This is just nuts.

I am focused on getting other things done, like income taxes and packing up the small stuff in advance of new floors being installed in my condo. And writing emails to send to bike club members about various upcoming events and then figuring out how to use our web host's software to layout the emails and send them. And going to things like nephew's baseball games and marches in DC.

Maybe someday I will ride my bicycle again.

One good thing -- I managed to go out for a short walk around my neighborhood last night, and a slightly longer walk on Sunday night, thanks to short breaks from the cold wind. I wore a hat to cover my hair (keep the pollen out of it) as my neighborhood is full of pollen-spewing cedar trees. And I did not wake up with flaming red itchy eyes on Monday or today. So whenever this ridiculous winter weather passes, I should be able to ride my bike without too much of an allergic reaction.

[Crankin]

Same weather here. It's 38-40, but with a stiff breeze. Weekend high to be 32. I so want one more weekend of xc skiing, or to be able to ride my bike, but tomorrow I have a workshop. It will be good, but I have to take the train to Cambridge and walk in the freezing cold wind for a few blocks. My granddaughter is sleeping over on Sat. night, so unless I go to 7:30 AM spin, I'll be snow shoeing or hiking Sunday afternoon. My friends just arrived up in Bennington, where I was last weekend, and there's *70* inches of snow.
We are going to get hit again, Tues. night into Wednesday, so I may be skiing next weekend, as north of here it's still great.

[emily_in_nc]

Agree with all of you, this March has been really cold by normal standards. This is our third March in central Florida and by far the coldest. February was super warm, lots of rides in just shorts and a SS or even sleeveless jersey, and this month, we've missed many days we'd hoped to ride because it was just too cold and windy for we wimps! For instance: We rode last Sunday, a warm day (shorts and SS jerseys), then missed all week until today, when we just couldn't take it anymore. So, we bundled up -- leg & arm warmers, wool socks, wind jacket -- and headed out. Temps in the 50s with a chilly wind off the lake. Fortunately, with the sun, it did warm up, and over time I peeled off all but the arm warmers.

When we got back to the RV park at around 1:15, it was "only" 70 degrees. With a breeze and the desert-like humidity we've been experiencing lately, it still felt a wee bit chilly. Finally at nearly 5 pm, it's 77 degrees. If we were willing to start our rides in the afternoons, we'd do much better, but traffic is so much worse, we just hate to do that. We aim to start around 10:00am this time of year, but in Feb's warm temps, we often got out earlier. Today was 10:45.

With it being this chilly in Florida, I know it's lots colder than usual for most of you. Hopefully this will soon be behind us, but I do see another "norte" coming through mid-next week here, after a warm up for a few days. :(

[ny biker]

This Sunday might be okay here, weather-wise. It will depend on the wind. I had thought I'd be busy with family activities but there's been a change of plans, so it looks like now I might have a chance to get out for a short ride. A friend is leading a club ride but it's twice as far as I would want to go starts in the morning when it will still be cold. I will wait until tomorrow night or Sunday morning to decide.

[north woods gal]

Honestly, I think the March weather has actually been worse for you folks in the New England area than it has been for me, up here in the frozen north and March for us is still a winter month. I feel for you, I really do. I worry about everyone being safe, too. Please take care. I'm praying foursome spring weather, but I'll add you in those prayers.

Hey, I found the perfect bike for my gravel riding, but now I've learned that it has been completely sold out for2018 and here it is only March. Just nuts.

My trails are now turning as much muddy as icy, now that the melting slowly continues. Mud, ice, packed snow, all in one ride. Its a mountain biker/fat bikers dream. :)

[north woods gal]

Just to let everyone know, I am not trying to rub it in with you folks that are having tough weather. I hope all are safe. Today, for us, though was gorgeous. Highs in the upper 40s, all sunshine and NO wind.

Plan A was to ride the trails. That was a bust. Got about ten yards on the ice and called it quits. The ice was absolutely treacherous. Even the studded tires were slipping. Love my trail riding, but not worth the risk of a bad spill. Went to plan B.

Plan B was heading out on our paved roads for a long ride on the Krampus with its tall 29x3" wheels. Did 26.3 miles, total, all pavement. Longest ride, so far, this spring. Loved it. Our paved roads are all nearly clear of ice, now, with only a scattered patch of ice, here and there, and nothing I couldn't ride around. (Of course, that's only going to last until the next snow storm. )

No, the Krampus is no speed demon - my average speed wasn't all that great - but those tall, wide wheels do have their advantages. One is that those tall wheels hold their speed better than smaller road bike wheels. That means a LOT less shifting once I get up to speed. Seriously, compared to a standard 700x25 road bike wheel, I reduce the need to shift by about half in the rolling hills I ride. Hard to appreciate if you've never ridden big wheels out on the road for any distance, but it's true.

Another advantage, of course, is comfort. Those big wheels take the bite out of the worst any paved road has to offer and they are oh, so stable. The bike sometimes feels like it's steering, itself.

Another plus is the ability to safely deal with sand and road debris. In fact, I can bounce back and forth from the road to the gravel shoulder anytime I want. That comes in real handy as a safety feature, sometimes.

Still, I do want to have something a little faster and bit more paved road friendly, even though I really don't need such a bike. The Krampus, after all, is a dedicated trail bike, not a road bike. Still, with the easy rolling tires I use on the Krampus, I could ride the Krampus all day long on the roads. Just wouldn't get as far or go as fast.

Hope everyone gets a chance to ride, this coming week. Happy St. Patty's day.

[Crankin]

Looks like the midweek storm is not going to be a big snow event here. The end of it on Thursday might glance us with rain/snow, but mostly on the Cape and Boston. Friday I may be able to ride to work, although I have to be there at 9 and it will still be in the 30s (not that I don't have the gear). The huge amount of snow has melted, but it's been *really* cold the past 2 days, 12 degrees this morning, so a lot still there.
Here's hoping the week after this one will be more temperate.

[north woods gal]

Watch that ice, Crankin. That kind of weather is recipe for making ice. It's what I am battling, now.

[Crankin]

Oh, I am very aware of ice. Our good friend broke his hip on a morning in March that was 27, but it went up to 60 later in the day. DH and he had discussed commuting, but when DH saw the relative humidity, he knew there would be black ice and he did not ride. If it looks sketchy, I'll take a short ride Fri. afternoon.

[rebeccaC]

good to read some are getting rides in...nwg…glad you’ve had some good pavement for road riding!!

We’ve been having some needed rain with morning temps in the 50’s and 60’s in late morning/afternoon. A heavy rain is predicted for the middle of next week that i'm actually looking forward to. I’ve had more commutes in the rain this winter than any since living here. Not enough to make me not want to ride in it though. I do like that rain gives me an opportunity to do/feel more than on the same old safe ride and that it may even turn into an epic storm ride. :) However, I do prefer heavy rains on the way home a whole lot more than in the morning. :(...well, i guess the stop for a croissant and tea is nicer on a really wet morning commute....

Today was dry, overcast and in the mid to high 60’s so Alex and I rode to the farmers market this morning and I rode into downtown L.A. and East L.A. to do some photography late morning into late afternoon. I do a lot of alley riding in downtown (lots of street art there) and there are few if any cars. Sundays are also best for riding in the old industrial areas since there is very little traffic. Between bike paths, alleys and side streets, I seldom ride on any busy streets the entire route. The bike paths give me some good sprints into the ocean headwinds on the way home too. 48 miles total and just a nice relaxed day of riding and being creative…..and then there’s the chocolate cold brew and salty caramels from Stumptown coffee that help too:)

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/791/26019983657_caf4673425_h.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/FDidBT)

[north woods gal]

That is so cool! Amazing art work (and photography, as usual).

I got a little trail work in, yesterday, late afternoon, when everything was a bit mushy with our warm temps. Lots of mud, now, along with packed snow and icy sections, but it was warm enough for the tire studs to get a good bite on the soft ice. Still some tricky spots, though. Not ready to try without studded tires. Interestingly, too, that with all the melting by day and freezing by night, those tricky spots seem to change location, day by day, now. Never know what I'l get.

Temps, today, though, will be cooler and hovering right around that freezing point. From experience, I know that makes for some very dangerous ice - just enough melt on top to lubricate the hard ice beneath. Bad combo. Will most likely head out for some road work and play it safe, even though it's a bit chilly.

[north woods gal]

Have had it with trying to ride my icy trails. Oh, I can do it safe, enough, or at least mostly safe, but it means going slow and very, very, timidly. Like riding on eggshells, so to speak. That is totally alien to my usual all out and go for it trail riding technique. Takes all the fun out of it and not much of a workout, either.

So, while the weather holds and our paved roads stay open and dry, it's going to be road work for this gal until my trails melt off. Took my beloved Pugsley out for a 15 mile road ride, yesterday, even though it still wears the very aggressive Nate tires I've been using for snow work. Yeah, noisy, for sure, but I pumped them up to the max psi rating and they weren't too bad on the pavement as far as rolling resistance. She ain't fast, but the Pugs is uber stable and mucho comfy on the road. Kind of fun, too, to bop back and forth between riding the shoulder dirt and gravel and the pavement. That's one of the fun thing about fatties. Gives you that feeling that you can ride anywhere you want and that nothing can stop you. :)

Big wheels keep on rollin'.
https://s18.postimg.org/g3fi0besp/IMG_0723.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

[north woods gal]

Had been looking for a drop bar gravel bike, recently, but couldn't find what I wanted and that's a good thing. I'm now so physically tuned in to riding flat bar bikes that I don't want to transition back to riding drop bars. No more drop bars for me.

After riding my Surly Krampus and the Pugs, out on the pavement these last few days (both of which wear Jones loop bars), I've decided to stay with what I know. I find those loop bars with their swept back design, when set at the right angle, are more comfy for me than drop bars and offer nearly as many hand positions. Also allow me to tuck down tight, almost as tight as being in the drops on a drop bar bike. The loop bars make a good substitute for drop bars for me. Can ride them all day long.

So, my next bike will be a flat bar, a' la' a loop bar. It will be steel for ride quality and feel. It will probably have more a touring geometry than trail geometry. It will be my dedicated pavement and gravel bike, but by going flat bar/loop bar, it can just as easily go off the road to ride trails, too. Won't be super fast, okay, but it won't be slow, either, and it will always get me where I want to go. Some pretty remote roads, up here, so that's important.

[ny biker]

Happy Spring!!! Or not. Today started with rain which turned to sleet and is now snow. The really heavy snow will fall tomorrow, beginning early in the morning. Today's early afternoon forecast said 5-8" here with more north and west (or 3-6" depending on the source). Now they are saying that recent models call for much more accumulation, and will be revising the forecast.

So on the one hand, boo! I hate snow.

On the other hand, at least we didn't get this a month or two ago. Whatever falls will melt faster with the late-March sun.

I had hoped to be able to go to work tomorrow but am now figuring that I will have to stay home. I dropped my bike off at the shop for the annual clean-and-tune service on Sunday and picked it up today on my lunch break. I was not thrilled to be standing out in the rain and sleet loading it into the car, but I suspect I will want to put in some trainer time tomorrow while I am trapped in my tiny condo. Unless I have to go out and shovel a foot of snow...

Meanwhile, I had thought that the cedar pollen had started to fade and I would be able to spend more time outdoors. But after going out for a walk last night, I am congested and my throat and ears are itching. Which is just ridiculous -- it's cold and raining but I am suffering more from pollen today than I have in several weeks. I think one or two things are responsible -- it could be a different tree (elm) that is causing today's misery, or I made the mistake of taking off my hat in the middle of my walk last night so there was pollen in my hair all night.

Despite the snow and allergy misery, the good news is that I am able to go out and walk again. After hurting my ankle last January and then tearing a different tendon and spending months resting and hoping that injury would heal, and spending $$ on PT that my insurance didn't cover and going to three different doctors, I am finally able to walk without pain. Yay!! So far I'm up to 40 minutes on flat ground. Which is why I'm okay with not riding my bike lately -- I'm enjoying the walks instead.

[Crankin]

We are getting that storm, but won't really heat up until dinner time tomorrow, "north of the Mass Pike." Why do weather patterns conform to major roads? Really, they do around here. Anyway, I digress, it will mostly be a fast mover and be done by 8 AM. I got a message from the instructor of the class I am taking at my agency's corporate headquarters Wed. and Thurs., saying if the schools in the town the office is in are delayed or cancelled, our class will be, too. I imagine there might be a delay on Thursday, but I want to get this done! It's about a 10 mile drive, so if it's snowing, that could be an hour.
I don't see any riding happening for at least a week or 10 days. I did go to spin this morning and I hope it's the last time until next December!

[emily_in_nc]

It's certainly been crazy beginning of spring weather in lots of places. We were under a tornado watch for most of the day yesterday, and as the front pushed through our area, we were briefly under a tornado warning. It rained hard and hailed briefly, but thankfully no tornadoes were spawned, at least that I heard of. I was at the dentist inside a safe concrete building, but I sure was worried about DH and our dog back in the motorhome, and everyone else at our RV park.

Today it's nice and sunny but much cooler, and we're forecast to have winds in the 20-30 mph range, plus gusts of 40+. We haven't been able to ride since Sunday, which was a nice day before all this mess started. Hopefully this will be the last nor'easter of the season! Stay safe, those of you up north.

[north woods gal]

Shelia, yeah, I'm too far gone on the steel and big tire thing to probably ever swing back the other way. Have even been looking at the new version of the Pugsley. Yeah, right, like I "need" another fat bike. :)

N.Y., I am glad you are getting out and, especially, that you are able to enjoy it, despite the allergy thing. As much as I love biking and all my other outdoor activities, just getting out is still the most important thing for me. I am just plain miserable if I get stuck inside, all day.

Crankin, I think it is extraordinary that you are getting these storms, one after another. Our wether has been cooler than it should be for this time in March, but at least it's been quiet. What was snow pack on my trails, is now all ice. Can't wait for a serious thaw to get back to my trail work.

Emily, send some that warm Florida up north for us, if you can. Keep the tornadoes, though. :)

[north woods gal]

Oops! Almost forgot.

Spent the morning, yesterday, swapping out the heavy lugged trail tires on the Pugsley for the much more road friendly Specialized Fast Fats. Those Specialized fat bike tires are a great fast rolling fat bike tire. Makes riding the Pugs out on the road much more practical. Also reminded me how much fun it is NOT to do the swap the tires thing. Now have enough fat bikes in the collection to pick a different bike when I need a more aggressive tire, so I'm going to leave these tires on the Pugs, permanently. They're also a very good trail tire, anyway.

Seems like I pay a lot of attention to tire designs and setups. I do. On trail bikes, the bigger the tires, the more you tend to notice differences in tire design, psi, and so on. Fat bikes really bring out these differences. Pretty amazing how even a tiny change in tire pressure makes for a whole different ride.

Met a gal at the bike shop, last week, who was getting ready to ride her fat bike in a fat bike race up in the nearby U.P. of Michigan. We both thought it was great that other gals in the area were fattie fans. :)

[ny biker]

NWG and Sheila, are you familiar with Marin bikes? BikesnobNYC has this one with a Jones handlebar and he loves it... has sworn it will be the only bike he rides this year*.

* except for bikes that he tests and reviews, which so far means he's riding 2 other bikes and it's only March. :D

He finds it to be a good year-round bike for pavement and trails.

Edit: oops, I forgot the link. http://www.marinbikes.com/bikes/family/pine-mountain

[north woods gal]

You guys are so nice! Thank-you for thinking of me. Like the looks of the Marin, but no one in our area carries that brand.

Well, I just went ahead and ordered the ECR 29+ from our friends at our local bike shop! Be here in a few days. These are such great folks and bend over backwards to help their customers. They really appreciate our business. Pretty tough to keep a bike shop going in an area with such a low population. Glad to help them.

Anyway, wasn't too hard to choose the ECR. Been looking at it for, years. Finally did it! Given my familiarity and loyalty to Surly bikes, about as safe a purchase as I could make. Even the components are familiar to me because I have them on our other Surlys. The components work and they last. Nothing fancy, but they're simple, durable, easy to work on, and a good value - typical Surly philosophy. May or may not do some upgrading, down the road, but it's mostly the ECR frame I wanted, anyway.

The frame and geometry of the ECR IS different from my Krampus. The ECR is about dirt, gravel, logging roads, roads of all kinds and carrying loads along the way. The Krampus is a trail bike, at heart and not so much a mule for carrying loads. Now that I have the ECR on the way, will convert the Krampus back to its original trail bike setup with more aggressive trail tires and a standard flat bar.

Yes, I have the original Pugsley and could do the cargo thing with it, up to a point. The Pugs uses an asymmetrical, offset frame design, though, which makes adding racks and carrying heavy loads a bit funky, not to mention those big fat and heavy wheels are really overkill on anything but the nastiest sand roads. We do have some of those in the area, though, so the Pugs will not be neglected.

Anyway, so relieved that the fretting and decision making is over. I now have a bike that I could load up with my camping gear and ride across the country on those rough, backcountry farm and ranch roads or just stay at home and load up with groceries or tools for working on my trials. Neat! Can't wait for the new bike. You know how that goes.

Again, thank you for thinking about me. Will report back on the ECR.

[rebeccaC]

ny...hoping you have some interesting walks!!! A colleague commutes on a Marin urban Fairfax and really likes the way it handles....I've been thinking of replacing my Milano. only problem....I've gotten so use to it over the years and had so much use that it's a good mechanical friend now :)

nwg....ever think about a custom built steel frame, completely built up the way you want....you deserve it!!!!!!...you really do :) (Thinking learning brazing and building a bike would be a great journey one of these years) I haven't had one complaint about my Seven and haven't had any thoughts of wanting another road bike for a few years now. The only thing is, you need to keep doing the research in all of it...to share your knowledge :):)


we're forecast to have winds in the 20-30 mph range, plus gusts of 40+.
thinking i would find a way to do a good one way ride with that tailwind :)

Not a lot of riders today…and tomorrow I get to ride in a good rain/wind storm on both commutes and Friday morning too.

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/794/27076676318_6300a26f06_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/HfF3wS)


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/785/27076676498_7d509cf5b0_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/HfF3zY)


A big plus with rain is I’ve gotten to know the potholes in the alleys I ride on my commute so I know the ones full of water I can have fun riding through :)

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/816/26075214267_421b93a1e3_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/FJbhKM)

[north woods gal]

Yup, biege color on the ECR. Would not have ordered it if all I could get was the other option, the black. Yuk! Just something about some colors on bikes that turn me off. I am very color sensitive about things. Enough so that color is an important buying decision for me. I'm sure some of you would understand. :)

Also, medium and stayed with the 29+, just like my Krampus. Thought about trying another wheel size, such as the 27.5+, but could really see no performance advantage for me. A 29+wheel/tire diameter is very similar to a 26x4 fat bike wheel/tire diameter and I ride both all the time. I am totally comfortable on the 29+, now. I have the physical leg length for it (important if you want to go 29+) and, more importantly, I now have the leg strength to get that size up the steepest hills (talking trails, here, not roads). Be a different story if I was shorter in height or a bit weaker in the legs.

Yes, I did struggle a bit climbing some of the worst steeps with the 29+ and fat bikes when I got back into trail riding. A 26" or 27.5 is easier for climbing, but I'm glad I stuck it out with the 29+ because it has so many advantages for trail riding that I can't get with smaller wheels. The larger wheels are also best for eating up those long miles out on the road.

Speaking of trails, we got home too late in the day, yesterday, to head out on the road for a long ride, so Star and I decided to take our chances on our icy trail.

Hit my worst steep and, yup, got half way up and the studded tires on the fat bike spun out on the ice. Uh, oh! There I was, half way up an icy climb that was even too dangerous to walk. Couldn't even dismount, safely. Had to slide the bike back down the hill in reverse, doing my best to stay upright, keeping my balance by dragging my feet and using the brakes when I could. Meanwhile, Star knew I was in trouble, so she started barking to warn everyone to stay away. I made it, though.

Actually, it would have been hilarious to watch, though, of course, I was not having fun. :)

[north woods gal]

I'm fine on a bigger wheel, too. But when I built the Krampus, I was trying to keep prices low (ha! considering I had to rebuild with a new frameset). 29er tires and wheels are half the price of 29+.

And lots more tire choices! I may even try drop down to a 2.5" or so on the ECR since it will be doing a lot of pavement work.

[emily_in_nc]

Yup, biege color on the ECR. Would not have ordered it if all I could get was the other option, the black. Yuk! Just something about some colors on bikes that turn me off. I am very color sensitive about things. Enough so that color is an important buying decision for me. I'm sure some of you would understand. :)

Me (raising hand)! I just picked up a cheapie used cruiser bike (single speed, coaster brakes) for riding around the RV park, up to the pool, office, etc. Something I can just grab and go without having to worry about putting on all my bike gear. I bought it at the park's annual yard sale, and I was kinda disappointed that it was burgundy - not my fave -- I like lighter, brighter colors. But for the price, I had to relax my color requirements. I'll be donating it when I'm done with it anyway. :)

NWG, glad you made it back down that icy hill without crashing. Scary!

Returning your wave, Sheila! :)

18329

[north woods gal]

5 too many? Uh, oh. :)

One of these days, I'll probably just take the time and build what I want. I think building a bike would make a great winter project. Be fun, too.

Sheila, the rims are 40mm wide, so I could drop down to maybe a 2.4 or 2.6 wide 29er tire, but any narrower on the tire width would get me some wobbly sidewalls. Not a big deal, for now. Just thinking down the road, so to speak on how to outfit the ECR, which I pick up, today.

Spent most of the day, yesterday, with a pick and shovel trying to clear a path though the ice on our long 100 yard+ driveway. Miserable and grueling work. The ice has been so bad on the driveway that getting out to the paved road where all is clear has been an issue. The ice really freaks out, Bill, and I don't blame him. He's had so many injuries in the past. His back won't allow him to do the shoveling, either. I'm more than willing to do it, though, so that we can go for a short ride, together, everyday, as is our little routine.

Speaking of together, the one big heartache with road riding is that I can't take our Border Collie, Star, with us, either. Just not safe. She's my contact companion on the trail riding and we domes her when road riding. So for my long rides after Bill and I do our short neighborhood ride, together, it's all solo for me. Going solo is the same old story from on my bicycling for most of my life. Don't especially like it, but it doesn't keep me from riding, either. Just the way it's worked out

[emily_in_nc]

That is a sweet bike, Emily. And I actually like that color. It's weird that I don't have a cruiser, considering where I live. And I don't have a bike I can lock up somewhere and not be heartbroken if it is stolen. But that would bring the bike total to 5! That is too many. ;) (But I do need a cruiser or similar).

LOL...this is bike #4 for me. I really only have room (in our motorhome bike rack) for three: my roadie, Bike Friday, and MTB. This one doesn't fit, which is why I will donate it when we leave, but the cost was less than two days of rentals here, so well worth it to tool around. Today it was too chilly for me to ride in the morning (50s with stiff north wind, yes, I am a wimp!), so this afternoon I rode the cruiser down to the post office. So instead of my usual 35-mile ride, I got a whopping 3 miles. But it was fun -- and I see some great weather on the horizon, so by next week I should be back to riding four times a week. One week off won't kill me, I suppose! This week was just a real bust -- rain, wind, cold. So I got caught up on all sorts of other things, worked out in the gym, walked, and felt guilty because I wasn't doing long rides. But such is life!

[north woods gal]

Brought home the new Surly ECR, last night, and I am so PUMPED. Will report on it, later, after I get it setup the way I want and take it out for a ride.

Spent yesterday, afternoon, converting the Krampus back into pure trail bike, instead of a do it all bike, which is the setup I've been using for the last year. That meant changing from the road friendly Knard tires to the aggressive Dirt Wizard tires that originally came with the bike and switching from the Jones bar with its backward sweep to the original standard straight flat bar that came with the bike.

The Knard 29x3s I was using on the Krampus for the sake of road work are a great easy rolling tire, but don't cut it in soft sand or gravel. The nasty lugged Dirt Wizards are made for that. As for the Jones bar, I LOVE it out on the road, but it takes a lot of getting used to in the tight turning tech stuff. Much prefer a standard straight MTB handle bar for that finesse work.

Took the newly equipped Krampus out for a test ride in some slushy snow and mud and pleased to report, my work paid off.

Whew! Almost forgot how involved and aggravating playing bike repair girl could be. Those 29x3 Dirt Wizards were a nasty tight fit. Fought me all the way getting them on the rims. You know, I could probably do bike repair for a living for about one day, then I'd be looking for a different job. :) I'm proud that I can do the basics and I think every gal should know basic repair, but I don't enjoy it. Would much rather be out riding.

[Crankin]

You guys are busy.
I went for a little 12 mile ride today, before our friends get here from Amherst. It was 42 and sunny when we started and within one mile, totally clouded up. But, other than that, it was fine. Feeling a little off today, so just out to get some fresh air. I didn't get any road spray on me until about 1/4 of a mile from home, splat, right on my sunglasses and a bit on my jacket.
Glad I went, and while tomorrow and Monday are going to be cold and kind of rainy (a dusting of snow tonight), things are looking like spring for the rest of the week.
Yay!

[north woods gal]

Well, here's my new baby. It's a Surly ECR 29+ in medium. Spent most of the morning switching out to my Terry seat, adjusting all the brake and hand controls for proper reach, adding an excellent set of Shimano flat pedals and so on. Usual new bike fit and adjust stuff. The rear rack I had the shop add while they were assembling the bike. It's a Surly made for this bike. It's steel and spooky expensive, but I think everything Surly makes is steel. Even the new Surly version of the Jones loop bar on this bike is steel.
https://s18.postimg.org/5a2iyh4mx/P1090932.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

As for the ride, sweet, sweet, sweet. Did a short 10 mile run on pavement, stopping, here and there to make the usual adjustments. Don't let those big tires (120 tpi Surly Knards which we added before the bike left the shop) make you think this is a slow bike. NOT. Even with the same tires as the ECR's trail counterpart, my Krampus, the ECR is a better ride out on the road. It should be, of course, because the ECR is a touring bike, made for riding any kind of road, even a cowpath of a road, whereas the Krampus is a trail bike.

Both the ECR and Krampus run the same wheels and tires, but they're two very different bikes because they have different geometries. Without getting all techy, then, the ECR seems a touch easier to pedal out on the road, my position is more upright and it does seem to climb, easier. It feels just a bit stiffer than the Krampus, but, again, it should because it is designed to carry heavy loads.

Camping, anyone?
https://s18.postimg.org/hq4apw9ll/P1090934.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

And this is just part of the carrying capacity on the bike. I can still add a front rack and even a couple of anything cages on the fork. It has braze ons all over the place. In fact, I could probably pack more gear on this bike than I could pedal.

Okay, enough gushing. Really, when buying a new bike you just never know, sometimes. One ride on the ECR, though, and I know I made as perfect a choice for what I want to do as any bike decision I've ever made.

Now If I could just get a little warmer weather than the 30s for a high. :)

[emily_in_nc]

Love the new ride, NWG. Attractive and does look like it's built for anything! I am in awe of you doing all all you do re. getting your bikes customized for you and ready to ride. Is there anything you can't do? :rolleyes: :D

So, how many bikes does this make for you? Will you sell any in your stable now that you've added another?

[north woods gal]

Thanks, folks.

I can do basic repairs. Enough to keep a bike rolling with the routine things. Can't do everything, though. Can't do the things that require special tools or things that get too high tech or, for that matter, things that take too much strength. For instance, haven't tackled repairing hydraulic brakes and really don't want to tackle the job. Even my repair guys at the shop don't like that one. I can't break open hubs and cranksets or replace cassettes and that sort of thing. Those take special tools and, sometimes, the kind of strength I don't have. Most of what I've learned, I've learned from necessity. There have been times I simply couldn't afford to take a bike to a bike shop for repair or the time to take a bike in for repair.

As for how many bikes? I've kept two 26" MTBs from my Chicago bicycle commuting days that are near and dear to me. Great bikes with a lot of sentimental attachment, but also great bikes in their own right. One is a 1996 steel Kona Kilauea MTB, one of the finest steel MTBs frames ever made. The other is a more modern aluminum Trek 8000 that I had my favorite Chicago bike shop upgrade with even higher end components. Both of the bikes got me through two very snowy Chicago winters, innumerable rain storms, sub-zero cold and so much more. Otherwise, it's all plus bikes (3) or fat bikes (5), now. The wide tire stuff is ideal for this country.

Sounds crazy to have that many bikes, I know, but it's practical, too, and we can now afford to splurge. We both worked like dogs all our lives. Each bike is set up for specific types of riding and trail conditions.

More than that, though, my bicycling has never been just a hobby or sport for me. It's always been a lifestyle and a passion. It's how I keep my health and my sanity into my old age. It really is no exaggeration to say that my bicycling has significantly extended my lifespan and helped me overcome some serious health issues. The day I have to stop riding really is the end of the line for me. I really want to look back at my life and say it was one hell of a ride. :)

[rebeccaC]

good grief everyone is getting new rides...i feel left out :(

nwg....enjoy the new surly!!!!...10 BIKES :eek:........:)

Luv the cruiser Emily, so practical for what you’re using it for….and it will live on courtesy of your generosity...win/win :)

Sheila….NICE bike, I luv the purple/orange…many fun miles for you!!! btw…..my bianchi milano is an 11 year old urban bike I bought used 6 years ago from a friend…..i’ve made some changes mostly around getting an internal Rohloff and Ryde 26 rims. It's a friend (a +1 nwg sentimental attachment thing) that just keeps working through whatever I put it through….and cuz it’s getting ugly and is heavy I worry less about it not being there when I come back to it. :)

below and to the right of the photo on flickr there are 4 symbols...click on the curved to the right arrow, click on bbc code, pick a size, copy and paste into your post.....this one is a medium 600x800....that really is a beautiful bike!!!!!!!!!
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/799/39187450730_893c40efd1_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/22GRVQf)


spend most of sunny yesterday at the March for our Lives here in L.A. For us, just a ride to the farmers market this morning and then the bike path to a lunch with friends.

[north woods gal]

Absolutely right on, Emily. That is a great thing to do with the cruiser. I should have mentioned it, earlier. Just got too focused on my new bike. My bad.

Sheila, I LOVE the color. If its bright, I like. :) Love the dingle speed, too. Always thought that was such a cool idea in a retro kind of way. No shifters. Ultra simple and trouble free. You're going to have fun, fun, fun. Now you've got me thinking of building a dingle speed bike. Good heavens! Hello, my name is Joanie and I'm a bike addict. (I'm not the only enabler around, here.)

Rebecca, thanks for participating in the March. So very needed.

As for me, waiting for the temps to get above freezing before I go for a ride. Although are roads a snow free, right now, there is still a lot of meltwater in places which stays ice until well into the afternoon. Just the way it's been for the last two weeks with highs barely making it past 40 and temps way down into the teens and single digits at night. Our spring thaw is way behind schedule. Not complaining, though. Could be snowing, right now.

[emily_in_nc]

I had never heard of a "dingle speed" bike, but now I know. Love the color scheme, Sheila!

Yes, thanks for going to the march, rebecca!

NWG, here's to that spring thaw going into hyperdrive. We're supposed to finally heat up for awhile (probably until next winter, to be honest!) here in central Florida, and I for one am fine with it. March was just too chilly for my thin blood. I hope I am never forced to spend winter in a truly cold place.

[north woods gal]

Thanks, Emily. We may get a little bit of a warmup, this week, and actually get into the mid forties. :) Yeah, I'm just suffering from a case of spring fever, I guess. After riding in the cold for so many months, now, I am so ready for nicer weather.

Today was a good example. Took the ECR out for a ride, again, of course, but temps only just above freezing and a strong east wind gusting over 20 mph and a headwind, to boot, on the way back. Only managed about 15 miles, but under-dressed and was chilled to the bone. Forgot about how much more exposed you are when riding out on the open road compared to back in the woods. As for the ECR, though, home run all the way. Wind hardly affects it, once I get it up to speed. The ECR and I are going to see a lot of miles, together, this summer.

[shootingstar]

I did my baby bike ride today to bank, café and sporting goods store...lst time on bike in past 2 months. Gotta get myself motivated.

[ny biker]

You and me both, Shootingstar! I think that I will be raring to go on bike rides next month, after so many reasons to be mostly off the bike lately.

Congrats on the new bikes, NWG, Emily and Sheila. I suspect my next bike will be steel, but am hoping to get many more miles out of my current road bike. I have no room for a third (or fourth, etc) and as it is my mountain bike is sad and lonely most of the time.

Emily, I have a friend who travels out of the country a lot, to do research for her job and/or doctorate. If she's going to be someplace for a while, she will buy a bike there for transportation and then give it away when she's done with it. Currently she's in Brazil for almost a year so the bike she bought is for fun as well as getting around. Sometimes buying a temporary bike is a great solution.

[north woods gal]

Come to think of it, Emily, I think riding a cruiser might be fun in a retro kind of way. Would bring back memories for me, for sure. Okay, okay, I'm not going to buy another bike, at least not right, now. :)

[emily_in_nc]

Emily, I have a friend who travels out of the country a lot, to do research for her job and/or doctorate. If she's going to be someplace for a while, she will buy a bike there for transportation and then give it away when she's done with it. Currently she's in Brazil for almost a year so the bike she bought is for fun as well as getting around. Sometimes buying a temporary bike is a great solution.

Yes, we did that in Mexico. People are always coming and going in Playa del Carmen, so used bikes are easy to sell (or give away). We were able to sell both our cruiser bikes (that we bought new when we first arrived) very quickly there. Of course we sold them for much less than we paid, but considering rental prices, the six months we got out of them was a deal, and they were inexpensive to begin with by our typical standards.

[emily_in_nc]

Come to think of it, Emily, I think riding a cruiser might be fun in a retro kind of way. Would bring back memories for me, for sure. Okay, okay, I'm not going to buy another bike, at least not right, now. :)

Yes, my 83-year old mother even said that it made her smile to see my photos and that that was the only type of bike she'd ever ridden. She wished she had gotten to ride one as an adult.

[north woods gal]

Gloomy dark day, today with highs still hovering around that 40 degree mark. May just work some ice patches on my trails and call it good. We're supposed to get rain, tonight, but it could just as easily come down as snow. We'll see. Praying that it rain, though, because riding pavement is the only riding I can do, right now. Ice on the trails is really bad. In fact, the melt ice has pretty much shutdown all the snow sports in the area, now, even though we still have a foot snow cover. Not safe for skis or snowmobiles, either.

May ride into town to get a bike computer and thicker handlebar grips for the ECR. Did use a bike app on my phone, yesterday. The app works, okay, when it doesn't shutoff on its own, which it does too often to be trusted. If I don't catch it while riding, then all my data acquired is useless. In truth, I could get by without any computer, since I know all the distances on all my road routes, anyway, but was hoping to get some data on the ECR for comparison sake.

The stock grips on the ECR are the standard skinny stuff. Not too comfy feral day used not meaty enough for my tastes.

[Sky King]

Northwoods gal. You know how much i love my ecr. Here is the song i made up riding in arizona. The tune is king of the road.

Riding my ecr, hit the backroads and we go far.
I may not go real fast, but there are days i will kick your ***!
29plus is my deal, and the jones bars keep it real.
We're a team, a surly team.
Kings of the road.

Of course i cant carry a tune so only sing when on my bike.

[north woods gal]

Northwoods gal. You know how much i love my ecr. Here is the song i made up riding in arizona. The tune is king of the road.

Riding my ecr, hit the backroads and we go far.
I may not go real fast, but there are days i will kick your ***!
29plus is my deal, and the jones bars keep it real.
We're a team, a surly team.
Kings of the road.

Of course i cant carry a tune so only sing when on my bike.

Love it! It would worker fat bikes, too. You know, your posts about your adventures with the ECR have been rolling around in my head for a long time. You were so right about the ECR. My thanks. I only wish I had gotten one, sooner.

[north woods gal]

Thanks, Sheila. Those look very nice. I think the gold trim would look great on the beige ECR.

[north woods gal]

Okay, despite all the talk about the ECR, I took its sibling, my Pugsley, for a ride, today. Didn't want it to feel neglected. :)

Started the day trying to get rid of some ice on my trails, but it was hopeless. Threw in the towel and decided grab the Pugsley and see how crazy I could get. Okay, what bike can ride on slush snow, hard-packed snow, some ice, deep mud, run gravel and still do just fine on pavement? Yup, my good pal, my Pugsley. Most of the 12 miles I logged were pavement, but some of it was on the safer sections of my trails which now alternate between the mud, ice, snow and so on. Another half mile section was on a local gravel road that is now snow free, but very wet and mushy with the gravel. Also went out of my way on the pavement to ride in the deep sand and gravel on the shoulder when I could find some. In other words, a very typical go wherever I want to go Puglsey ride.

Fully expect the ECR to be such a pal, too. Just not quite ready to get it all covered with mud, yet.

[Crankin]

In order to get all my stuff done in preparation for guests and a holiday, I did ride today, but <10 miles. But... it felt like spring! I waited until the sun came out and it was 51 degrees. I was dressed right, although if I had been out longer, I would have been warm.
There's still too much snow in my backyard to take my bike out of the basement door, so I had to bring it upstairs and take it out the front door. It's staying there, because I am going to commute tomorrow. I even brought my clothes in on Tuesday.

[north woods gal]

Have some maybe heavy snow moving in on Friday. Oh, well, this is the north woods, but had a beauty of a day, today, with a temp at 50 degrees. Took the ECR out for a quick 15 mile spin, again, and just fell in love with it, again. :) The ECR really makes me feel like I could just point it west and keep riding all the way to the Pacific. Wouldn't that be fun!

Did ride my trails, yesterday, to stay in trail shape. Lots of mud and slush, now, but still some ice. I'll take the mud and slush, anytime, over the ice, though. Lots of fishtailing and I did spin out half a dozen times in the slush and mud. The nice thing with the mud and slush is that you get plenty of warning when you start to spin out, so I managed to plant my feet and no falls. With ice, you get zip for warning. You go down, instantly.

[rebeccaC]

Some warmth for this thread :) Back to our normal 70’s here. Rode Caryl Rd on my way home from today’s work in Oxnard. It always gives me a hour or so of a good climb, descent back down to my car and a good way to clear my mind. There is something about this road, maybe the past frequency of my riding it and knowing it so well, maybe the changing nature of the plants/trees (I’m patiently waiting for the huge wild geranium show, the start of it should be soon.) or maybe just its relaxing way after a day’s work with grad students.


I always welcome the relaxed/peaceful moments that roads like this one gives me

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/803/26216111607_5638854807_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/FWCqCg)


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/894/40378773304_700b86ec1a_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/24w8LwC)


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/890/39278566340_0924142639_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/22QUVk3)


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/870/40194140475_6c5aa80ec9_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/24ePtBZ)

[emily_in_nc]

That is some gorgeous terrain, rebecca! Roads look a little rough, but I'd put up with that for the scenery and lack of traffic. Truly idyllic!

[north woods gal]

Plus one on that beautiful country. I think that would be the prefect road for the ECR. :)

[rebeccaC]

Yeah the road isn’t all that perfect but for my bikes being paved is more perfect than other isolated farm roads in the area.:) I’ve also known where the rougher sections are for quite a while now and can see any changes on the ascent to consider on the descent back down. My 26/1.5 tires help too. The times of year they harvest the lemons are the only days when I wouldn't ride it because of traffic. I very seldom see any cars/trucks. It’s kinda the perfect shorter ride to do after the days i work up there and before the 45+ minute drive home on pacific coast highway.

[Crankin]

First commute of the year today. As I was getting ready, DH commented it takes me longer to get ready than to ride there. Probably true, but I always feel better. I had a short day, so less traffic on both ends. There was a section of the street my office is on that had gigantic crater pot holes. The holes are not new, but since our storms in the past month, they grew. I was nervous, as avoiding them would mean not just getting in the lane, but going into the opposite side of the road!. As I turned the corner, I was thrilled to see the pot holes had been filled yesterday, when I don't work. Otherwise, I was seriously considering going through some parking lots, risking getting hit by a 90 year old, going to the doctor, but that will be avoided.
It was only 40 when I left, so I thought the clothes I had brought in to wear were not warm enough, so I wore my merino cycling dress and a base layer with winter commuting tights, exchanging them for regular tights when I got there. I also wore a Terry commuting jacket that is very cool, but too warm for temperatures over 50 or so. Thankfully, it was cloudy on the way home, so I ditched the head cover and it was fine. I know it's only 5.6 miles round trip, but it's worth it for my good mood. And, I have to walk about 1/2 a mile rt to a corporate cafeteria, across the street when I ride, so that's more activity.

[north woods gal]

I agree, those 26x1.5 tires will do just fine. What bike are you using?

Back in the day when all MTBs were 26" wheels and tires, I used the 1.5s on my 26" MTBs for pavement work and rough roads. Still have a set of 1.5s on my vintage steel Kona 26" MTB (which I will never sell). Rode all kinds of pavement with that bike, back in the day, gravel and dirt roads, too. 1.5", after all, works out to a 38mm on a road bike for width and that's a common width on gravel bikes.

Okay, old retro me, here I go, again. I think it's sad that the bike industry, overall, has been so quick to ditch the 26" wheels for the newer 27.5", which, by the way is only slightly larger than the 26" wheels, despite the 27.5" label. Fact is, the 27.5 is nowhere near halfway between a 26" and a 29", not even close. It's much closer to the 26" than the 29". To illustrate, if you went with a 26x2.75 wheel/tire setup on your 26" bike, you'd actually have the same overall wheel diameter as the standard 27.5x2.2 and, yes, there are now a few companies making a 26 plus bike with a 26x3" wheel/tire setup that is even slightly larger in wheel height than a standard 27.5. Of course, if you can convince everyone that the 27.5 wheel is much better than the old 26", you can get a lot more people to buy a new bike. Okay, rant over. :)

Barely broke the freezing point, today. Made it 1o yards in on my icy trails and know I was beat. Everything that had been slusg=h, tow days, ago, was now sold ice.

Took the Krampus, instead, for a road ride. It now wears the original 29x3 Dirt Wizard tires that came with the bike. Switched out the Dirt Wizards, right away, after buying the tire, so today was my first ride out on the road with them. For those who don't know, the Dirt Wizards are heavy and heavy-lugged serious dirt tires. As road tires, though, all I can say is "Bow wow! They really are a slow moving, slow responding dog.

To get a better comparison, took my Trek Stashe, also a 29x3 bike and also with a trail tire, but a less aggressive lugged tire and a much lighter tire. No comparison. The Trek 29x3 Chupacabra tires made a huge difference. The Dirt Wizards I will now sell. Not happy with them.

We now have a winter storm watch for Friday night. Not good for my riding, but not unusual for this the of year. Have to expect it, but can't help wishing the storm misses us.

[north woods gal]

Sheila, those Ardents look very similar to the Dirt Wizards. Lots of thick lugs on them. To be honest, I prefer something much milder for a tread design out on the road and even for most hard pack dirt riding. You don't need heavy lugs for that. The good old Surly Knards really are a very smooth rolling tire, but be sure to spend the money and get the lightest version with the 120 tpi. Have them on the new ECR and they really ride very much like an ordinary road tire. Huge difference compared to the cheaper version of the Knards and way, way better than the Dirt Wizard.

As long as you don't venture into the thick, soft stuff, you replay don't need aggressive treads for trail work and, even then, I still prefer wider spaced lugs as on the Trek Chucka's. In mud, close spaced lugs fill up with mud, too quick, and then they're useless. It's a lesson I've learned from fat bike tires designed for snow use. These tires use widely spaced lugs for the sake of shedding the snow, rather than collecting it. The Trek Chucka's have a similar design. Great design.

Looks like 8-9 inches snow headed our way, tonight. Eeek! Better get out for a road ride, now, while I can.

[north woods gal]

We are all sand, too. When they build a gravel road, here, they lay down a bed of dirt and clay, first. When that under bedding gets worn, away, it's all sand. The gravel roads that have homes along them get regular maintenance and are good to ride, unless you hit them just after they've laid a fresh load of gravel. (Then they turn into fat bike, only, rides. :))

It's the roads that don't have homes along them that get very little in the way of maintenance. These regress, very quickly, back to sand. Even worse, these get designated as ATV trails and those ATVs chew up the sand in a hurry. Nothing against the ATV folks, by the way. They need roads to ride, too, and I'd rather have them out on the roads than chewing up the woods. Have to say, too, that up here, the ATV riders are a very disciplined group and work hard to be good neighbors with all kinds of users. Ours go out of the way to be safe around bicyclists. Really appreciate that.

All this is a long way of saying that when riding sand, it's all about tire width. When riding those chewed up sand roads, there are days when I can get though with the plus bikes and their 3" tires, but there are also days when it takes a fat bike with their even wider tires to get through. For sure, though, it is never a dull ride. :)

[north woods gal]

Well, from sand to snow. Big storm coming in, tonight, so we figured to get in one last ride before it hit. Got the Trek 29 plus bike out of winter storage, yesterday (great timing), so after giving it a tune up, last night, Bill and I headed out for a ride around the neighborhood paved roads. Just as we left, it started spitting snow. Bill called it good after a couple of two mile laps, but I went to six laps and a good 12 miles. Figured it best to say close to home, in case it really started to snow.

My Trek Stashe is now one of three 29x3 bikes I have. Yeah, that's going bit overboard and I admit it, but this is a very unusual 29 plus bike, nothing at all like the other two. It's also not replaceable, either, because Trek changed the geometry on the Stashe the very next year, not to mention this first year Stashe 5 was the only version ever offered with this fixed carbon fork. These days, all models have suspension. Old retro me, though, still prefers rigid bikes.

What it all boils down to is that the Stashe is super light as MTBs go and rabbit quick in its handling and acceleration in the way no suspension bike can be. Even makes my Krampus seem a little on the slow side. Reminds me very much of the way an old 26" MTB handles, though, of course, this has much bigger wheels. It's not a bike I would choose for long distance road work, though. That super fast handling means you have to pay constant attention as it heads down the road. Not a bike that forgives a little day dreaming as you ride. Not at all a bike like the ECR. That bike tracks straight as an arrow and almost guides, itself.

Love the color, too. :) (Taken last summer)
https://s18.postimg.org/ecdq77w95/P1080440.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

[north woods gal]

Sheila, do you really need a fat bike? Not that need has a lot to do with it, sometimes. :) They really are trail bikes at heart, but can be used as utility bikes and be ridden on the road for other uses, too, like touring and all weather commuting with the appropriate tires. Just about everyone has one, up here in snow country, and a lot of us ride them as our standard trail bike all year, long. Minnesota and Wisconsin is kind of the mothership for fat bikes.

The Wednesday would make a good choice for a fat bike just to have a fat bike without spending a lot of money. Components are low end, for that reason, but the frame design is sound and it's steel, of course. My Norco fat bikes are aluminum and that's fine for trail work. Those big tires soak up most of the bumps and vibrations, anyway, and the geometry on the Norco frames is all about trail riding.

For actual road work, though, I'm a big fan of steel, even if it is heavier than aluminum. My Pugsley is a decent road warrior when it has the right tires.

Here I go, rambling, again. Sorry. I'll give you my nutshell on fat bikes versus plus bikes and shut up. A plus bike with 3" tires can do 90% of what a fat bike can do three seasons of the year for trail riding and do it, faster, with the exception of riding in the very soft stuff, such as deep sand on the beach or roads, deep mud or loose, anything. That's fat bike country.

Plus bikes with 3" tires can do a lot of snow riding, too, out on the roads when they are plowed or when the snow is only a few inches deep or even if it is packed hard. Still not as good as fat bikes, but there are now 3" plus tires with studs, now, so that opens up some more snow riding possibilities for plus bikes. For ice and trail riding on groomed snow trails or slushy or deep snow, or anytime traction is a serious issue, a fat bike is really is a must.

To be honest, if I didn't live in snow country, I could manage with a plus bike for most of m riding.

[north woods gal]

Well, speaking of snow, we got nailed. Woke up to ten inches of new snow, this morning, on top of the foot of old snow we already had on the ground. If that isn't enough, we're due to get another storm in a couple of days. As I've mentioned, before, March comes in like a lion, up here, but that darn lion sticks around well into April and sometimes even May. Par for the course.

Still, I am bummed out. My riding is out until the snow plow comes through our area. If it does, I'll grab a fat bike with studded tires and take my chances out on neighborhood roads. As for my trails, I'm done. I'm beat. I give up. I've managed to keep them open all winter long by shoveling and using a snow blower, only to see them turn to ice, anyway, this month. Was it with all the effort? Will I do it, again, next winter? I don't know. Something to think about over the summer (if it it ever shows up). No more his year, though.

Not going out on a sour note, though. I had a good month, probably my best March, ever. First half was all snow riding and the second half was mostly road riding on our dry pavement roads. Pavement riding is not something I expect to do in March, but logged in almost 200 miles on the road and who knows how many on the trails? Only missed two days of riding all month. One was for digging out (probably one of those, today) and one was for skiing.

On to April.

[north woods gal]

For beach riding, a fat bike would be tops. Can't say what ocean salt would do, but I do know that road salt can definitely take its toll on aluminum, too. A lot depends of the aluminum alloy used and its finish. For sure, in the winter in Chicago, had to clean off my bikes after every ride. Both the aluminum and steel frames held up pretty well as long as I did that. It was some of the small parts that took the hit with the salt because it was harder to clean in the small areas where the salt would collect. As for carbon, have no experience with how it reacts with salt. Not being metal, it might not be as sensitive to salt. Maybe we can get some feedback on this.

[north woods gal]

Update

We finally dug out from our storm, Bill with the snow blower and me with the cleanup work with the shovel. No small task, since our driveway is 500 feet (longer than football field) long. Snow blowers are great, but they don't get down close to the surface. Leave a coating of snow that will turn to ice if you don't get rid of it. Anyway, over two hours of work.

The good news is that I can now ride the bike out to our paved roads, which were plowed shortly before I finished with the shovel. Was dead tired and cold, but really felt a morale booster was needed, so took one of the fat bikes with studded tires for a short three mile run around the neighborhood. That was enough, though. Felt much better knowing I could still ride.

[Crankin]

Sounds tough, and for the last day of March, too much snow!
Had a wonderful ride with our friends. We had done this ride, or I realize now, a version of it, last fall, and I thought it was 22 miles, but today was 18.5. Anyway, bright sun, temperature going up from 49 to 55, with a light wind. Lots of cyclists out there.
Nothing felt bad, a little tough in the beginning, as we have to climb a short steep hill after a mile, but then, all was well. Three out of the four of us pushed it on my favorite road, good for gauging your fitness, and then we went back to our moderate, slower speed.
Now getting ready for our Seder.