I think I'm about done motoring for the winter..

bluegoatwoods

Well-Known Member
Local time
9:28 AM
Joined
Mar 23, 2008
Messages
3,008
Location
central illinois
It's a drag. But it's getting too cold. It's hard to stay warm and it's hard to start the engine. (particularly about dawn or so)

But I'm gonna keep on two-wheeling. I drove to work all last week and my back hurt so bad I could hardly stand it. I had a nice Schwinn pedal bike. I had been thinking about motorizing it, but I didn't want to lose it as a pedaller. But about a month ago my daughter took it without telling me and it got stolen. So I spent the last couple of days rebuilding an old, cheap mountain bike that we had laying around. Built my own saddlebags out of aluminum strips from the hardware store and two of those cheap fabric, insulation and plastic-inside coolers from wal-mart. Now I've got a nice, wide platform over the back wheel that I can bungee my duffel bag onto. This gives me the cargo space I need without a trailer.

I've been an ice-biker before and I'm gonna do it again. I'm actually looking forward to it. It makes this time of year less bleak if you can spend some time out there without being uncomfortable. Though I've (almost) never been a hunter, I've always enjoyed camping out this time of year with my hunting friends for pretty much the same reason.

Another example of how people can be weird toward us; commuting to work as the cold weather came on I, naturally, dressed heavier. Heavy boots, coveralls, etc. I also carried a small folding chair. Makes it much easier to change shoes and such. A few times, while sitting in this chair with my boots, coveralls, hats, gloves, etc. kinda spread around me, security would come up and say, "What are you doing?". Now their job, of course, is to be suspicious. But these guys were agressive, sort of angry and overly suspicious about it. I really think they were jumping to the (ridiculous) conclusion that I was trying to set up some kind of squatter's camp. I remember thinking, "C'mon Barney Fife..I know it's unusual. But it shouldn't be that hard to figure out." Of course they recognize me now and don't give any trouble. And most of the people at work are admiring. But even at this (moderately) grown-up stage of life, you'll still rung into that third-grade mentality that says, "You're not like the rest of us. You're a dork."

Oh well, I don't want to end on a sad note. I'm looking forward to riding in the winter. I'm gonna have to consult with AlaskaVan and get a good notion on how he makes his studded tires.

see y'all around.
 
aint no shame in pedaling a bike! (I should pedal more, especially in the winter...ya stay a lot warmer)

you're still gonna hang out with us, aren't ya?

I plan to ride every day... as long as the roads aren't snowy/icy.
hmmmm..studded tires on my trike?:idea3:

great...another unfinished project!
 
Dude, don't abuse your back! Ice & slippry stuff can be quite a painful day. Windy Rocks!
Wish I was there for the Xmas Lights. From here I can see Bikni's & Ice cold Beers, S. Texas Rocks too. :)
 
Just had the first pedal commute in upper 20s weather. It was just fine. Yesterday evening when I went to work (6;00 PM) it was about 35, light snow and sleet. I stopped at McDonalds for a burger and fries and I was so warm that I sat outside on their picnic tables cooling off while a dusting of snow built up. It was great; people passing by would look at me like I came from Mars. They just don't understand that it's possible to be in weather like that all sweaty and digging on the feeling of cooling down.

this morning I left work right at sun-up. temp in the high 20s. might have been as low as 25. I had to stop half-way home and sit in the grass for a bit and take off my heavy clothing down to almost shirt sleeves, no hat (for a while, anyway) It felt like a September morning to me. Life is good.

I imagine I'll be checking in here about as much as I have since joining. I'll want to read the winter riding stories and pick up on any rough weather tips that are going around.
And when spring comes, I'll be getting the motor bike up and running again. I've had enough of pedalling in that hot, muggy stuff.

And even though I'm singing the praises of winter riding, there's always a part of me that thinks that places like Los Angeles, Miami and South Texas sound mighty good this tiem of year. Wouldn't it be great if we all weren't so busy making our livings that we could form a time share co-op? Then we could switch around from climate to climate, never getting too much of one particular good thing.
 
It's about 5deg F here this morning. I think I'll strip the cables off the trike today to thaw them out and get them lubed so they won't freeze up again this winter.I might also work on changing my throttle. I've been using a brake lever, but with the cold, the arthritis in my fingers is giving me some trouble. Might be okay if I switch to a thumb lever. Dang, getting old is a hassel. I'll probly get around to studding some tires during the week.
 
My gloves and ninja hat is in the wash right now.
Oh yes this winter will be fun.
 
It was great; people passing by would look at me like I came from Mars. They just don't understand that it's possible to be in weather like that all sweaty and digging on the feeling of cooling down.

I hear ya man... I love ice biking. I love the feeling of it. It makes you almost invincible to the cold it feels like. I would come inside from a solid hour of biking in a blizzard, damp from either sweat or snow, and just have the moisture steaming off of me. It's invigorating, and you can't get the same effect biking in the summer. I plan on riding my motor bike this winter (when I finish it) when it's dry, but before the 4 stroke kits were available, I bought a bike that I am in the process of converting to a hard core winterized ride. 700c hybrid upright frame with suspension front fork... The plan is to put an nexus internal 7 speed hub with a roller brake on the rear, and internal drum brake on the front. I can't get 700c wheels with these hubs, so I still have to get them built.
 
It is a good feeling, isn't it?

I remember the last time I did any serious winter riding (ten, twelve years ago now) I had reached the point that the thermometer reading would tell me at a glance exactly which clothes to wear for max comfort. And that was a good feeling, too. I'm a little rusty on that now, but I'll get it back quick. I also had the notion that I was more "in tune" with the weather (summer and winter). The feeling that I could tell from the feel of the air what sort of weather was coming. That might have been largely illusion, but I'll bet there was at least some truth in it.

I also had the feeling that if I just carried, say, a pup tent, then I could blunder into a horrible blizzard and still be just fine. Just sleep til morning and then drag my stuff home through the snow. I never bothered to carry one because such a thing was pretty unlikely. But it felt great to think that it wouldn't be any big deal; kind of a neat adventure.

Large Filipino used to have a signature line that talked about how we had found the fountain of youth. I thought it was perfectly true. In fact, I might have to steal it since it seems to not be used anymore :)
And bikes also make winter a whole lot more bearable, too.

I've always maintained that the bike is mankind's greatest invention. I still think so. that'll probably never change.

Now it's about time to get ready for work. If anything happens on the ride that's worthy of reprting, then I'll do so in the morning.
 
man u guys are inspiring me to dig the bike out lol. last winter, this 20 degree weather was the usual, and id be on the mb riding on solid ice roads. (see sig lol) and when it got up around 40 i was in a t-shirt. now, im looking at carheartt overalls lol. id really love to ride through the winter this year, but with my messed up ankle, i really doubt it'll happen.

thats the main reason i got a scooter. i need surgery on my ankle, and presently they cant do it, so i have to wear an air cast. so i cant pedal :(

anyway, ill hope to report on my 45mph scooter rides in the 20 degrees! lol
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Back
Top