November Rides

Will do, NY. I take collisions with animals while MTBing, seriously, given that I have had close calls with deer on some of my fast downhill runs and given that fact that bikers and other outdoor folks have been killed when colliding with wildlife. Recently, a guy in an ATV up here collided with a black bear on a back trail and died when he was thrown from the vehicle.

I do keep praying that you'll solve the pain thing. You're on the right track, though, with experimenting and testing different things. Always amazes me how even a tiny adjustment in all the fitting parameters can make such a big difference when we ride as to efficiency and comfort. Seems like I am forever adjusting something on my bikes as I ride the trails. For sure, just a change in shoes makes a difference in bike fit. The more I ride, the more picky I get about the right adjustments.

I switched to Shimano shoes from Sidi about 6 years ago. It made a big difference. I do not have wide feet, but the Sidis were just too constricting for me. My feet were burning and hot after like 3 miles. I still have this on longer rides, but not badly, and I can loosen my shoes to make it go away. I need new shoes, too. I am waiting for the new version of my shoes to come out, during the winter. DH bought the new men's version, which is out. He got the screaming hi viz green, but I am not sure if I want to do that. I agree, NY, though that the white shoes seem to have run their "in" phase. Mine look awful. I am ready to go to another color. I loved my red Sidis, but I have not seen red in any Shimano style.
I am feeling better, but I decided to do the right thing and not go to boot camp this morning. Since it was 63 out at 5:15, DH and I went for a fast 2 mile walk in the neighborhood behind our condo. I used the new headlamp we bought a couple of years ago, but I haven't used. It is so much better than the old one. So peaceful out, only one car and one runner. I will rest tomorrow and on Wednesday I am doing a club ride that I have not done, although they've been running it for years. It starts and ends at a Bonsai garden, and we eat there afterwards, with sandwiches the leader's wife picks up for us. This ride includes a 3 mile dirt road and lots of hills in the area I first lived in when I moved to MA. This includes riding by a very smelly pig farm that my kids saw on their first school bus ride here... a shocking thing for 2 kids from the never ending development in Tempe, AZ!

Never got above the freezing point, yesterday, so my trails remained frozen hard. Kind of cool. With all the rain and snow we've had, I could hear the ice crystals breaking up under the tires as I rode. Sounded like I was riding over Rice Krispies at times. Even better, the trails were super fast, probably the fastest they've been this year.

We're hogging all the warm weather down here in Florida, NWG! It's been hot and humid, with foggy, cooler mornings. Have done our usual trail ride the past two days, and lots of folks were out and about on the trails. Snowbirds are arriving in Florida daily, so even weekdays on the trail are busier than they had been, but not enough to be a problem (no kids, anyway!) Went over 2800 miles on the year today and looking forward to hitting 3000 in the next couple of weeks!

Good for you, Emily. Even without your injury, earlier in the year, that's impressive. As for the cold weather, at least it's more the norm for us, this time of year. Was getting a little spooked with that heat wave we were having earlier, this fall. Anyway, got two of the fat bikes setup with studded tries, so let it snow. :)

Wow, Sheila, had no idea that you're struggling with your Krampus build. Sorry to hear it. Will keep an eye open for that color. Not crazy about the same old, same old red on mine (my least favorite bike frame color), but otherwise no issues. Bike is a very nice ride, though that, as always, is partly a matter of the tires you run.

Yeah, just about everything in the MTB world is thru-axle, now. Quick release is pretty much an antique, these days. I think it's a good thing, though. Thru axle setups are more durable and stronger and that's a big plus for trail work. Really doesn't take any longer to remove a wheel, anyway.

I'd strongly recommend going plus, even for road work. Does make for a smoother, more comfy ride. You can cut down on the added wheel weight by going tubeless if you spec out a tubeless ready rim and tire. On plus and fat bikes, getting rid of that tube makes for a substantial reduction in wheel weight. Not just a reduction in weight, by the way. The tire runs smoother without a tube. Gives a little more without that tube in it. Have done tubeless on two of the fat bikes, now, and wish I had done it, sooner. What a difference. Will not buy another MTB/fat bike unless it has tubeless ready rims. Wish my stock Krampus had them.

Also, if I remember right, someone was asking about dropper seat posts. You? Well, my new Norco came with one and I've been riding it for a month, now. Verdict: I can take it or leave it. It is nice to be able to get way low on the bike on the fast downhill runs - gets me a bit more speed - but my runs aren't exactly the stuff you see in the MTB ads. I get a little nutty, but not that nutty. On the really, really steep drops, yeah, I can see the use. On the negative side, dropper posts are heavy. Do add a lot of weight.

If you're going to spend the money ...
Going Jones versus Surly is the difference between going custom and going heavy duty commercial. Have the Jones handlebars on both of my Surly bikes, now, and love them. I'd sure give Jones a call and talk with him. Seems like a nice outfit. Yeah, you'll spend more, but the bike will be built from scratch and done right by someone who can build it the way you want.

Best of luck, girl.

Good luck with the build, Sheila.
So, I did not go on the group ride and my ride Saturday is cancelled (thankful for that). DH worked from home, so we did a little ride at 1:00. Somehow, my front light fell off (not sure how this could happen) and I didn't notice until I got home. I have another light, but, it's the "big boy," and although it has 3 settings the flashing mode only works on the highest, which is *very* bright. Personally, I don't care, I know drivers dislike it, but it is pointed down. I usually use it for all riding through the winter anyway, and for all true dark riding. DH actually went out and drove the route, but nothing. I feel stupid, but...
It's going to be 19 tomorrow morning :eek:. Guess I'll be going to spin class. I've been riding every Thursday at 5 am for 2 months, and hopefully, will have a few more times of Thursdays in the 30s or 40s before the roads get sloppy. It didn't take much for my friend to cancel our Saturday ride on the south coast. 25 at the start and wind, by the ocean. His girlfriend was refusing to go. Guess we will hike, or do a short ride around here in the PM.

Crankin, 19!?! :eek: :eek: :eek:

I gotta admit, with all its faults (and there are many), I do love Florida...yesterday the pool felt awfully good after our ride!

Pool? Rub it in. Naughty girl, Emily. :) We have ice on the lake, already. Going to see single digits this week for temps. Still ride every day, of course, but, yeah, cold is a factor. Wears me out, quicker. All that bundling up is a hassle, too, but what's a girl to do? Can't just sit in the house all winter.

Sheila, what is this bike going to do, if you don't mind me asking? Trail, road, single track? I considered the Surly ECR, but for strictly trail riding, I went with the Krampus. It's more of a dedicated trail bike with better bottom bracket height and more current trail geometry. The ECR is a heavy duty touring bike designed to carry big loads on rough roads, way out yonder. Overkill for riding trails around the house.

Emily, I misspoke. The 19 is Friday morning... tomorrow will be 28. Don't think I want to dress up like a marshmellow, though, so I will still be going to spin.

Two inches of snow, again, last night, so it's definitely that transition season where the snow sits around for a couple days, then melts off. That won't last long, though. By December, those in-between melting periods are gone. Once it snows, it's usually here till spring.

Not sure how much XC skiing I'll get done, this year. The fat biking really cut into it, last year, but mostly because the snow we had was crappy for skiing - crusty, icy or slushy. Had to listen to all my XC pals sing the blues about it, all winter log. Told them to get a fat bike. A fat bike can always go.

For sure, the fat bikes are much less sensitive to snow conditions. Any kind of snow works as long as its not too deep to get though it. No waxing or guessing as to how much glide or kick I'll have on any given day. With the studded tires, I can do almost all the steep climbs and drops on the bike that I can do in the summer and most of those are too steep to do with the skis, anyway. Can even ride out on bare ice on the lake or hard pack snow out on the roads after the plows have been though. That's a no go for the skis. No such thing as too little snow, either.

Even with fat tires that don't have studs, most of the time can do all these things. The studs just add a bit of extra grip and safety when things get super slick. That's why I run a number of fat bikes in the winter, all set up with different types of tires. Can just grab a bike with the right tires and go.

Nothing like riding a bicycle out on the lake in the winter. Just ask my hubby. Star thanks so, too.
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The Krampus is a nice match for that kind work, Sheila. Hope you get something built.

Now and then, I wonder if I shouldn't have gotten a Karate Monkey with the 27.5 plus wheels. Would make for a lighter bike with those wheels, but I have too many bikes, as it is. :)

Brrr! Yeah, I did get out and ride in that two inch plus fresh snow, but I waited too long. Should have hit it right away, this morning. Temps have been falling all day and by the time I hit the trail our thermometer said 12 degrees and that was 12 degrees with a gusty 20 mph plus wind. What had been fairly soft snow in the morning is now pretty compressed and crunchy. Pedaling effort to get though it was a factor. Definitely slowed me down. Still did 3.4 miles before calling it quits with numb hands and feet. No slipping or fishtailing on the steepest climbs, though. The fat bike can do.

Well, we are getting that weather tonight. Tomorrow, low of 18, high of 30.
I went to spin. It wasn't bad. There was a sub, who was good (the regular one is kind of crappy). She did some bicep work with weights in the middle, with slow peddling, which normally I would say is dumb, but it broke up the time. The rest was normal intervals and hill climbs. She asked if anyone rode outside... I was the only one :(.

Well we will not be as cold as Massachusetts and Wisconsin but temps will be dropping for us tonight too, with NW winds to boot. I had thought maybe I could do a rail-trail ride tomorrow with the bike club, since it will at least be sunny, but I wouldn't ride in these conditions in January so not gonna do it in November either. (If the wind was calm, I'd probably give it a try, with plenty of wool and 2 chemical foot warmers per foot.)

Saturday I will get the cleats put on the new shoes and get a cursory bike fit check to see if anything else might be causing the knee pain. It might rise into the 50s on Sunday, so maybe I'll go out and ride then.

Last night I rode 40 minutes on the stationary bike at the gym. So at least I turned some pedals and worked up a sweat. I might go back and do it again tomorrow.