Riding in the Holiday Season: December Rides!

[Crankin]

That is a cool name, Sheila. Too bad I missed you in Atlanta by a week.
It's going to be sunny and 45 today, but our friends want to hike . They will be arriving around 11, so I guess if I was really motivated, I could go out and ride now, but it's still really cold.
Looks like we might get some snow next Saturday. Not a big storm, but enough to mess up the roads.

[north woods gal]

Sounds like dreamy weather, Emily, all the more so for being December, now. (Can it really be December, already?) Just thinking about it will help keep warm on my winter riding.

Sheila, that was so very much my pleasure to get it on the bike selection process with you. Works both ways, too. I learned a lot about the Jones bike and am now more convinced than ever in the need to try one before I buy. The geometry is different. Yup, the Salsa is always a safe bet. Love my Pugs and Krampus. I'm sure there will be others in the future.

We've been remarkably dry this past week and after nearly a month of rain, drizzle, fog and snow, that's fine by me. Sunshine and 40, today, so not hard to guess where I'll be.

By the way, the birds are mobbing the bird feeder. Took less than a day after putting them out for the birds to find the goodies. Love it. Can't feed them other times of the year because of the bears in the area, but it makes for a great winter fun activity for us.

[ny biker]

Emily I am jealous of your weather.

Am watching the forecast here -- I think I might be able to get out and ride Tuesday night after work instead of Wednesday, which currently looks to be the day the cold arrives, along with some rain which of course makes the fallen leaves slippery. But in the meantime, tomorrow looks good so I'll be leading a club ride.

Once the cold arrives I think I will have to ride indoors at night. While in NY over Thanksgiving week I visited an old mansion that was decorated for the holidays, and in the gift shop I found a reprint of an old book on "fancy cycling." It looks like it might be good reading for indoor pedaling.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/...y-cycling-1901

[north woods gal]

Sheila, love that dingle speed setup and that whole minimalist idea. Not sure how much I would use such a bike, but knowing me, I'll bet I'd find a way.

The problem with MTBs and geometry and fit is complicated because there are so many techniques and styles of riding in the MTB world, not to mention different bikes, now, for specific types of trail riding. Was nowhere near as complicated in the early MTB days. Can get very confusing and frustrating, for sure. Just no substitute for a test ride. You did well to try a Jones, first. Cheap, they are not.

Have had a great start to the month with 8 miles of trail work, yesterday and 9 miles, today. I pushed it a bit because, after tomorrow's rain and wind and maybe some snow, our temps drop down into the teens for a high the rest of the week. Hoping we don't get too much snow so that I can get more riding done with the 29+ bikes or my faster fatties, but it's just a matter of time before I have to put them away for the winter, anyway, and go with the studded fat monsters.

[Crankin]

Sheila, I'd have to take a vacation to meet up with you guys, but next year at this time, my son will at Ft. Bragg, and he will be there for awhile (years). So, I will be getting down south at least once, maybe more, a year. Columbus, GA was nicer than I thought it would be, but I clearly see why mom son is renting in the historical district and not living on base, and he's within walking distance to a really nice downtown and riverwalk. However, the rest of the city looked not so nice. When we drove in from the airport in Atlanta, we stopped about 2 miles outside of the downtown. A greasy looking young guy in a t shirt with a huge picture of the president and all kinds of nasty stuff walked by, and I got seriously panicked. I just don't see that where I live. A few signs here and there, but after a few other things i noticed when we stopped off the highway for lunch, I was scared.
No cycling this weekend, and I am not happy. Yesterday we did a nice 3.7 mile hike with our friends and today, nothing, except walk a few city blocks to and from the garage to the play we saw. Lots of eating, too.

[ny biker]

I rode yesterday, as planned. A 39-mile club ride with views of the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay. The sky and water were both a pale blue. The water looks different every time I visit the bay, sometimes dark blue or brown when it's windy but rarely is it so pale. Very pretty. Also it was high tide. There is one point where the road is very close to the water and most of the rocks along the shore there were under water, which I don't often see.

There were four of us in all. Temps were in the mid-50s, and we all agreed that it felt a little cool sometimes and a little warm at other times, depending on the amount of shade and how close we were to the water (where it's noticeably cooler). But overall we were never really uncomfortable. I rode without a cap or ear warmers and took off my windproof full-finger gloves because I was too warm with them. The roads were still wet in one area due to early morning rain but nothing dangerous or slippery. Toward the end we rode on the shoulder of a couple of busy roads and there was lots of broken glass so I need to check my tires carefully before I ride again.

Afterwards I went shopping at a large shopping center that is north of where we rode. I took the scenic route driving there, using roads that used to be nice for cycling but now tend to have more traffic than I'm comfortable with.

I suspect that will be our last good day for cycling for a while. The "arctic blast" that is on the way doesn't seem like it will be too cold despite all the freaking out by the TV forecasters, but they are saying we might get snow from "a coastal system" this weekend. It's really too soon to tell at this point, but it's possible. Before that, it now looks like the last warmish evening when I can ride after work (tomorrow) will be rainy. So I'm preparing for some stationary cycling at the gym. It's so hot at the gym -- would it look weird if I brought a small electric fan? Even if it looks weird I think I will...

[ny biker]

Rode forty minutes on the stationary recumbent bike at the gym last night. Not exciting but better than nothing.

I thought the weather would be okay for a short ride on Saturday but now they're saying we'll get snow. Just an inch or two, but that's still not anything I to ride my bike in. And the roads are already being treated with that sticky brine solution to keep them from freezing. Some of the paved trails here will be pre-treated, too. Then it will get colder, too cold for a night ride (for me, at least).

Hoping to get in one more ride outside before heading out of town for the holidays. In the meantime, I'm finishing my Christmas shopping.