Jump to content

Could Have Used A Fat Bike Yesterday


Razors Edge

Recommended Posts

...on my ride.  Still a ton of snow, slush, and ice on the roads and trails, but the park maintenance guys did plow a single plow width section on the big commuter trail outside my front door.  Anyway, I took the road bike out, and with the exception of bridges, the trail was very navigable.  Some definite single track (2' wide or less) where I had to check for approaching traffic in the narrow space (lots of walkers out, about a half dozen cyclists).  I definitely would have liked one of @dennis's winter bikes for the bridges, though.  It is NO FUN fishtailing on a road bike at under 10 mph.  Seriously, what an odd feeling as the front wheel follows random ruts/grooves in the snow, and the rear just slips around.  It did provide plenty of prep for the expected slow-mo stop and tip over, though.

Today, the snow forecast has been changed to rain, so maybe the rain over the next week or so clears out the slush and remaining snow. It is supposed to get pretty cold on Monday (single digits), but then back into the high 30's - low 40s for the rest of the week. Snow begone!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 1/19/2019 at 11:59 AM, Razors Edge said:

...on my ride.  Still a ton of snow, slush, and ice on the roads and trails, but the park maintenance guys did plow a single plow width section on the big commuter trail outside my front door.  Anyway, I took the road bike out, and with the exception of bridges, the trail was very navigable.  Some definite single track (2' wide or less) where I had to check for approaching traffic in the narrow space (lots of walkers out, about a half dozen cyclists).  I definitely would have liked one of @dennis's winter bikes for the bridges, though.  It is NO FUN fishtailing on a road bike at under 10 mph.  Seriously, what an odd feeling as the front wheel follows random ruts/grooves in the snow, and the rear just slips around.  It did provide plenty of prep for the expected slow-mo stop and tip over, though.

Today, the snow forecast has been changed to rain, so maybe the rain over the next week or so clears out the slush and remaining snow. It is supposed to get pretty cold on Monday (single digits), but then back into the high 30's - low 40s for the rest of the week. Snow begone!

Strong work. Ice can be so sketchy. I love my studded tires. 

  • Heart 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

45 minutes ago, bikeman564™ said:

Fatties are fun. I don't have studs.  Riding on slushy roads is dangerous. The tires grip the slush somewhat, but nothing grips the slush to the road, so I've gone down on that crap. Hard packed snow is best.

I think the snow is mainly gone now, but with it hitting only 32* today, I think the black ice is now the big threat :(  That and the frozen hard and sharp slush that didn't fully melt.  46* and rain for tomorrow, so we'll see if that clears the rest and gets rid of black ice patches.

  • Heart 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 1/22/2019 at 8:05 AM, Razors Edge said:

I think the snow is mainly gone now, but with it hitting only 32* today, I think the black ice is now the big threat :(  That and the frozen hard and sharp slush that didn't fully melt.  46* and rain for tomorrow, so we'll see if that clears the rest and gets rid of black ice patches.

I think the freeze/thaw cycles are the worst. You ride on clear pavement with confidence then hit ice. It melts during the day and freezes overnight. Give me one of the other so I know what I'm dealing with. 

It messes with the snow too. We were in the high 30s Sat. The skiing was awful. The snow was so heavy and lumpy. It was like mashed potatoes. Avalanche danger was high.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...