First winter ride pictorial.

I couldn't wait any longer for my first ride with my bike, so my husband and I went out yesterday. It had snowed a lot over night so it was an interesting ride. Here are some pics...


We got to the trail pretty early ~9am but fortunately some had beat us and we had a good path to follow. Here is me following the path. Next to the trail you can see some paw prints that cut through. Lots of animals use the trail apparently.
http://img528.imageshack.us/img528/4...ingdown1ho.jpg

Another shot of me going through some fresh snow
http://img199.imageshack.us/img199/5205/4j23pp.jpg

Nice shot of the trail ahead
http://img199.imageshack.us/img199/8...hetrail8jr.jpg

Here is my husband coming around a turn
http://img358.imageshack.us/img358/7...inwoods1eb.jpg

A picture my husband took of himself while riding
http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/2074/9driding9vy.jpg

A cheesy couple shot of us on a bench. We were smiling, but you can't tell
http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/3...sposing4hd.jpg

And a final shot of me in the snow
http://img487.imageshack.us/img487/120/10jriding2zg.jpg


I was warm once I got started. I highly recommend toe warmers, the kept me really warm. In the end, it was a tough ride. I wasn't ready for the challenge and didn't have the greatest time. It was an up and down ride, loved it, hated it, loved it, couldn't wait to get out of the trail. The most frusterating part...trying to get clipped in!! I love my pedals, but the were terrible in the snow. Riding in the snow is like riding in sand, the second you stop pedaling, you stop moving. I think I'll go again, because it's a good challenge, but I'll be more mentally prepared for the challenge next time.

Thanks for sharing this! My ride partner and I were suppose to go out Sunday on a local trail with about 3 inches of snow from the night before. This was to have been our first "snow ride" on our new mt bikes. I got sick and couldn't go but I was wondering about what riding through snow would be like.

Nice pics. Looks like fun - if I were warm enough and had some hot chocolate waiting for me at the end. :) I wonder if your pedals were frozen?

V.

I think it was actually more in the cleat. I would step down on the ground or walk a hill and they would get really tightly packed with snow/ice. It would take a while to get it all out before I could clip in. My husband didn't have too hard of a time with it but I would say like 60% of the ride I only had one foot clipped in.

It's defintely worth trying out. Just be ready to work hard on a once easy trail! I hadn't gone for a ride for about 3 or 4 weeks because of fractured ribs so maybe some of my conditioning was lost too.

Great pics. Im sure that will keep you fit over winter. :)

It looks cold and miserable and just awful - but the Bike Looks SWEEEEETTTTT!!!!..........so purty against the icky stuff!!

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Originally Posted by CorsairMac

It looks cold and miserable and just awful - but the Bike Looks SWEEEEETTTTT!!!!..........so purty against the icky stuff!!

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No! It looks like fun!! ;) :D What's with this cold, miserable stuff? When the snow is available, I say get out and play in it. Dress right to stay warm and it is so worth getting out in the beauty of the snowy landscape. It IS harder to pedal, but still better than being cooped up inside. Makes me want to go out right now!

annie

We're having weather that I cannot motivate myself to ride in. 38 degrees and pouring down rain. :mad: :mad: All day. :mad: :mad: I'd take snow over that any day;)

Thanks for sharing the pictures - looks beautiful!

I like the red (pink?) and green in the snow. Looks very seasonal.

Wow! OK, now I feel like a total weenie for not wanting to ride just cuz it's cold and the trails are frozen (I suspect most of the snow has melted off here). You guys are HARD CORE!

The heat you produce riding is significant. MOtorcycling - that's cold! But today only my feet got chilly on the commute in (and I think if I switch to my bigger shoes that will go away - these are really too small for thick socks and everything is scrunched and directly conducting the cold in), and it was 6 on the bank thermometer. I love riding faster than the temperature!
Hoping the ride back goes smoothly... but not as smooth as ice...

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Originally Posted by Geonz

But today only my feet got chilly on the commute in (and I think if I switch to my bigger shoes that will go away - these are really too small for thick socks and everything is scrunched and directly conducting the cold in

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You should really try the toe warmers. They worked wonderful and don't take much space at all. They have an adhesive side that you stick to your sock and then slide your foot in your shoe. I've heard, not sure if it's true though, that if you put them in a zip lock bag afterward you can use them again. They're activated by the air and last 6 hours. If you haven't tried them yet, I would highly recommend it. If you're commuting daily though, it could get a little pricey

These are perhaps cheaper in the long run than the toe warmer packets? ;)

I've always wondered if these REALLY work...

Yes. I had a pair of those and a pair of gloves - both ran off C Batteries that I used when I walked to work while living in Indiana. I walked to work in temps as low as -15 with wind chills even colder and never had cold feet or hands. The neat thing about them is: the batteries sit in a pocket and aren't acitivated until you "snap" the pocket closed. So when you get to your destination, you just unsnap the pocket and shut the heaters off.

Funny you would show that: I was thinking about getting pair of gloves for this years winter commute since the Weather Channel told me this morning the nation as a whole is averaging up to 40 degrees Below normal for this time of year! :eek:

I've never seen those before, those look sweet!

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Originally Posted by SalsaMTB

I think it was actually more in the cleat. I would step down on the ground or walk a hill and they would get really tightly packed with snow/ice. It would take a while to get it all out before I could clip in. My husband didn't have too hard of a time with it but I would say like 60% of the ride I only had one foot clipped in.

It's defintely worth trying out. Just be ready to work hard on a once easy trail! I hadn't gone for a ride for about 3 or 4 weeks because of fractured ribs so maybe some of my conditioning was lost too.

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Maybe try using some grease on your cleats next time to keep the snow from sticking. I think that's what people do to shod horses hooves in the winter to keep them from balling up with snow. Another option is to just pick up some cheap flat pedals for snow rides. That's what I do - we get fairly wet snow up here and it packs into things SO easily!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SalsaMTB

The most frusterating part...trying to get clipped in!! I love my pedals, but the were terrible in the snow. Riding in the snow is like riding in sand, the second you stop pedaling, you stop moving.

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I eventually swapped my winter bike's SPD pedals for platforms with MTB mini toe clips made by Zefal for this reason. The toe clips keep my foot reasonably stable on the pedals, let me easily raise a pedal to take off from a stop, but still give me an instant out if I need it. That also allows me to switch to a well insulated pair of 8 inch boots that are more waterproof, have a solid bottom that doesn't conduct heat away as much, gives me a windproof barrier up above my ankles, and lets me skip struggling into neoprene shoe covers. I prefer not to use "pac boots" because they restrict my ankles too much.