November Rides

[Crankin]

DH and I rode about 19 miles today; didn't start out so great, when we went downstairs to get ready and DH had a flat. He was all suited up, so he had to undress and change the flat, which delayed us by 15 minutes or so, then he had to put on all of his winter gear. Anyway, it was close to 2 when we got out. Went out in a different direction, which involves a short hill after about 3/4 a mile. Let's just say my legs were screaming from yesterday's hike. But, after that, it was OK. When we left it was 39 degrees and I was a bit sweaty, although my toes were cold, even with Woolie Bullies and winter shoes. We headed out through Maynard and Stow, to our old stomping grounds in Boxborough, where there is much less traffic. After a short rest, we headed on to the second part of the ride, where it started getting cooler and I was not so sweaty. Lots of shadows at this time of year, and despite full sun, the sun was going down already, around 2:45-3. Got home around 3:15, tired, but glad I went.

[ny biker]

Okay so on Friday I took the regular cotton sheets and blanket off the bed and replaced them with flannel sheets and the down comforter.

Since then I have struggled to get out of bed in the morning. It is just. so. cozy.

So I got a late start today. Then had to get all the winter gear together -- warmest booties, wool cap, chemical toe warmers. Made sure the big orange tote bag of extra layers had a complete inventory of arm warmers, leg warmers, extra socks, glove liners, neck gaitors, various jackets and tights. Had to put plastic wrap inside my new shoes under the insoles to cover the vent holes and then make sure the warmest booties would fit over the larger shoes. (They do, but barely.) I finally started riding around 3 pm. I decided to start at the shopping center where the LBS is located and ride on a rail trail, so it would be easy to shorten the ride if anything hurt. After less than five miles I decided it was too hard to unclip the right foot. I had to turn my foot way too far. So I turned around and headed to the LBS where they lubed the cleat and moved it out about a millimeter. After that it still didn't seem 100% right but I was able to clip out easily enough.

It was cloudy and mid-40s, not too cold actually. I was sweating when I got to the LBS and then was cold when I started riding again. This time I went the other way on the rail trail, rode for a few miles and then turned onto a road with a big hill. This is the start of a 30-mile ride that I do from time to time. But I didn't plan on doing the whole 30 miles (it was 4 pm by this time, less than an hour until sunset). Instead I improvised using roads from the beginning and end of the 30-mile route. I did have good lights with me and was wearing some clothes with reflective bits, since I had a feeling I'd still be riding near sunset. In all I think I rode about 22-23 miles.

So, all the changes we made yesterday with new shoes and cleats plus adjustments to the saddle height and handlebar tilt were generally good. Nothing hurt. My heels were hitting the cranks sometimes, but not always. If the weather holds I will do another test ride in a few days, with more hills.

[north woods gal]

Atta girl, Sheila. That ride with what you're wearing is part of the MTB attitude to just get out and ride, though I suspect most of us diehard MTBer's do wear bike specific clothing, anyway. I sure do, but have been known to ride in jean short and sandals in the summer. For my really cold weather riding, though, I get much stricter about using bike specific winter clothing, though XC ski clothing doubles, nicely.

Beautiful day, today. Highs only in the 30s, but sunshine and the snow laden woods are truly glorious. Just enough snow to make pedaling harder, but not enough to drag you to a dead stop when you don't pedal. Trails are too slick to actually walk, safely, but not to fat bike, safely. Amazing how the fat bikes can easily handle conditions that are too slick for safe walking.

[Crankin]

Get some microspikes, North Woods! One of the greatest inventions of all times, in my book, and such a simple thing. I needed them to walk down my driveway to get the mail, before I moved. Just don't get the Yak Tracks brand, which break and generally don't work that well. I wouldn't be able to hike in the late fall/winter/early spring, when there is no snow, if I didn't have these. Sometimes, there's just enough crusty snow and ice to need them, but not enough for snow shoes.
When I went to the gym this morning at 5:15, I saw a rider with a front light as bright as my "big boy" one. Glad there is someone as crazy as me. No, I was not riding today, but I am not done with 5 am rides yet.

[Crankin]

Microspikes are things you pull on over your hiking boots, so you can walk/hike on icy trails or roads. Northwoods was saying she couldn't walk the trails, but could ride her fat bike.

[north woods gal]

I do use pull over crampons over my boots to walk the trails in the winter when things get really treacherous and, of course, they're built in to my snowshoes. Kind of clunky, though. Might look into those micro spikes. Sounds like a great idea.

The fat bikes aren't 100% slip proof, of course. Still have to know how to take tight turns and so on when fat biking on the slick stuff. Also, when things get nightmare bad, I do have two fat bikes set up and ready to go with studded tires. One is for hard pack snow and clean ice. Has shallow lugs to keep more surface area close to the snow pack/ice. Runs very fast. The other is a deep-lugged monster for chewing though the deep, slushy stuff, but it's a slow beast to run.

Oh, yeah, tire styles and setting the right tire psi to match the conditions is a much needed skill for fat biking. These tires run at very low psi, typically 5 or even a touch less in the winter to about 10 or 12 for the max in the summer, so even one or two psi makes a huge difference in the way the tire performs. Regular bike tire gauges aren't accurate enough, either, so I use a special low psi gauge that only goes up to 30 psi. Even have to be careful to wait until the tires cools to air temperature in cold weather before measuring pressure. Tires will lose pressure going from a warm house to winter cold. Go too low and you get a pinch flat when running with inner tubes. Another reason I'm going tubeless when I can with the fatties.

Okay, more than anyone probably wanted to know about fat bikes, but they really are different. I'll shut up, now.

[Crankin]

I really don't think I am going to get one, because it just doesn't snow consistently enough here, and the ones I want (Trek or Specialized WSD), that will fit me are not cheap. I will probably try it at a nordic center this year. When it snows, I want to be x country skiing. Plus, if I was fat biking around here, I'd be on fairly difficult trails. I cannot see putting fat bikes on the rack, to drive 2-4 hrs. to get up north, or to western MA. Does this make sense? Given my poor experience with mountain biking, I think getting something else for my 3d bike would be better.
What that will be, I don't know. It's pretty much between a gravel/dirt road bike, a city type bike, or a cheap mountain bike to do both of those.
Northwoods, I used to use snow shoes to go out on hard packed trails with just a couple of inches of snow. It did seem like overkill!

[Crankin]

I haven't thought that specifically, Sheila. Frankly, it's not in the budget right now. I am leery about buying any of the Salsa/Surley type brands after trying a couple out at Harris Cyclery a few years ago. Not only did the bikes not feel right for me, there was a kind of weird reverse snobbism in the shop. I feel bad saying that about the hallowed home of Sheldon Brown and it has nothing to do with buying a fat bike, but after almost 20 years of riding, I have found that I feel comfortable on a very small range of bikes. Plus, I really think I would not use a fat bike enough to even justify a 1500.00 or less bike.