Riffing off Andy's last two: - The grip issue of champaign powder is greatly aided by shifting weight back and off the front wheel, giving the drive wheel "dig" and the steer wheel float. This is greatly aided by having handlebars high and upright.
- Snow builds up in strata, and then ages based on temp and sun exposure, so patches of road/trail will vary more and more as the snow ages, especially with freeze/thaw cycles. - Ventile is a brilliant outer layer. At temps below 25˚F, untreated canvas also works brilliantly. - Experimenting with these tips will aid riding in all temps. I ride down to -20˚F (the lowest we've gotten round these parts), but most commonly in the teens, twenties, and thirties (a useful demarkation to think of for layering strategy). - A simple and inexpensive way to test if you like winter riding would be to buy Wiggy's fishnet tops: https://www.wiggys.com/clothing-outerwear/fishnet-long-underwear/ (They are nylon and thus scratchy against the skin, which is why I use https://www.brynjeusa.com/ (twice the cost, far more comfortable) under cotton layers (yes, cotton is fine as insulation with fishnet as a base!); wool mittens or gloves with a cheep leather chopper mitt, etc. - The pictures and descriptions in this gallery show my clothing setup, which I've used for years now. https://snap.as/deaconpatrick/of-fishnet-long-johns-and-boiled-wool With abandon, Patrick On Tuesday, December 17, 2019 at 3:05:38 AM UTC-7, ascpgh wrote: > > Learn how well the fallen snow is connected to the underlying surface. > > Like the sound of snow crunching under the wheel will tell the > temperature, the adhesion of the precipitation to the road or trail varies > by the temperature at the time of snowfall and soon after. > > Nearer 32° the snow is pretty connected to what it falls on (picturesque > snowy boughs) and will tolerate some abruptness of steering input or pedal > mash. Same with snow fallen in that range followed by a 12-20° drop. > > Cold snow accumulated on cold pavement looks all friendly and powdery but > acts like graphite on marble. Any grip you think your tread pattern affords > you has no bearing on how easily your contact patch of snow will move on > its substrate, just how much of it they grab and hold for the slide. > > Andy Cheatham > Pittsburgh > > > > On Monday, December 16, 2019 at 6:24:20 PM UTC-5, Deacon Patrick wrote: >> >> By way of encouragement to the weather timid, and tip sharing to the >> intrepid, I thought we could compile a simple, growing bullet list of tips >> for cold weather riding. Here are some of mine: >> >> - ride slower >> - nose breath >> - fishnet long johns make a brilliant base layer and everything easier. >> Especially if you're daft enough to stop for more than a few minutes while >> out. >> - Coffee outside at 10˚F or below is brilliant (a narrow-neck thermos of >> coffee made at home makes this much simpler. >> - Boiled wool >> - Listen to the sound of the snow under your tire and learn to know the >> temperature by it. >> - Knobbies and supple tires matter more than width, but width matters too. >> - Fixed gear means no frozen derailure and brakes always work >> - Dress in layers and so so moisture freely evaporates (Gortex >> equivilants are sure ways to boil in a bag while riding, freeze in a bag >> when stopped). >> - Perfect time to avoid main roads and explore back roads and trails, >> MUPS, etc. >> - oversize your shoes so blood flows to the toes. >> - Beeswax/coconut oil blend (or similar) on nose and cheeks keep face >> warmer and happy against wind. >> - learn what layers work for you as you climb, by temp and wind and >> cloud/sun conditions, and carry a range for when they shift. Ventilate so >> you keep dry (fish net helps significantly with this). >> - Best snow rides: trails up to 6" snow, plowed back roads. >> >> What are you tips for brisk riding? Enjoy getting out! >> >> With abandon, >> Patrick >> >> www.MindYourHeadCoop.org >> www.CatholicHalos.org >> www.DeaconPatrick.org >> > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/6bfcc52a-dff7-4608-8092-186b16ae9bcd%40googlegroups.com.
