2013 Alberta Blizzard

Living in northern climates can really test your metal sometimes. We're just seeing the last of a winter blizzard that's kept me unable to drive to work, and kept me busy shoveling, snow blowing and pushing out stuck neighbors. Sometimes the snow from my blower was so thick and the wind blowing it right into my face making it so I couldn't even breathe. It was like being stuck under water, but with snow and -17C. Most of the work is done, highways still closed and the fireplace is on. Time to hunker down and enjoy it.

Dialling in the winter gear

Every year, it seems to take a few rides to get used to riding in the cold weather. Not so much the being out in it, but the dressing properly. After a few rides, usually your gear is sorted, and you can adjust up and down, to be fairly spot on with the varying temperatures, all being cold.

This past Saturday, I took an hour and a half, to start to process. It was -23C when I left my house, and from what I remembered, I had my best selection of gear to ride in the cold, be as mobile as possible, and not overheat. For folks who don't ride in extreme cold conditions, it's far easier and more common to over-dress, and over heat than it is to under-dress. Of course once you over heat, and start sweating, then the cold can get dangerous.

With two base layers of good wool, a thin polar-fleece jacket and a wind breaker, my torso was perfect. For the legs, a thing pair of tights worn under my favorite manpris did the job. For my head, I tried something new. A thin balaclava, with my skiing helmet and goggles. Worked great. For it's intended purpose, my ski helmet would offer sufficient protection in a wipe out, and without tons of air vents and a fleece liner with earflaps, it's warm! My hands were another story. They were feeling pretty cold after 1 1/2 hrs outside, but when I stepped into our warm house, freak! I just wanted to cut them off they hurt so bad. Felt like a baby, but it was painful. Just the day before I had a pair of pogies in my hand an opted not to buy them. Now I'm wondering if they might help out.

The fact that I stop and take pictures doesn't help the hands out much either. It was my right hand, the shutter-triggering hand, that felt the coldest while out riding.

I think that once I can figure out something to keep the hands warm and toasty, I should be good to go. Winter cycling is my favorite type of cycling and I'm not sure why. I don't even like cold weather much. But there's something about the quite stillness and isolation that seems to be magnified in the cold of winter. Rides seam more epic, even though I go less distance. Somehow, 6 miles from home feels like exploring some far reaches of an uninhabited land. It's invigorating.
I'm trying to find places that I've ridden by before, but never really noticed. Exploring more deeply my own backyard you could say.
One great revelation of this exploring is the canal system, and the long culverts that are now dry and trekkable. These are really cool to walk through. This one is right under highway #1. Semis, cars and trucks were passing over-head. I couldn't hear them, they didn't know I was there. It made for a great place for a little break. Next time, I'm bringing a small stove with me and I'm going to make a cup of coffee. Micro-touring, and my good man Chris has coined it.
It's so great to get away, slow down, and enjoy what nobody else notices or can even see. Little things can have such a profound effect on life. Even in the cold.

P.S.- As a side; I write affectionately of the cold weather from here, a room overlooking the thirteenth hole of a beautiful golf course in Phoenix Arizona. Maybe the memory of the pain of cold has quickly faded. :)

Cheers.

Soon, the studs will be back on the bikes....

The weather we've had in Southern Alberta has been pretty terrible this summer. August was the only month so far this calendar year that we haven't had snow. We've had very few hot days, and my short-wearing days were less this year than I remember them being ever. After a terrible, cool, wet summer, it's hard to get excited about winter coming.

Until I remember how much fun winter cycling is. I almost think I prefer it to summer cycling. Everything about it is a little more epic. Lights, studded bike tires, careful wardrobe selection, and the fact that a perfectly flat and straight gravel road can turn into an almost impossible-to-ride trail with the slush and snow. Winter is harder on the bikes, and every ride pretty much requires an after ride wash-down, but it's a little funner. There's a greater feeling of achievement after a winter ride than a summer ride. Not that I don't love a nice warm ramble in the country on a hot summer day, stopping to take pictures and drink water while the birds and bugs sing around you. Those are great too, and I"m sure I'll be missing them come mid-January when I'm staring outside at -30 degrees.

I'm not sure why (and I think it's kind of sick) but, I'm pretty stoked for winter cycling to be coming around.

Global warming?

Yesterday we set a record low for the date. -32.4C (-26.32F). They say it hadn't been that cold here since 1813 or something. How good was their weather equipment back then anyway? Nasty nasty cold!

Today it warmed up a bit....to -25C when I left for work. The cold isn't the problem though, it's the ice all over the roads. My Schwalbe snow studs just don't cut it, by a long shot. On Soots, or even any other bike for that matter, those studs are good for the occasional little patch of ice. Right now, on all the road around town, there are ruts that can be 6-10" deep that are solid ice.

It's gotten to the point that I've reverted to re-studded the ice spiker tires I had last year. It's a long and slow process, but I'm over half done. This year though, I've made a few changes. The resistance on the studs last year was so great, that keep any forward momentum require a lot of consistent effort. Not that it's a bad thing, but when you're reward is reaching a top speed of 8-10mph, it's a little disheartening. This year, I'm taking the same approach, running the pan head screws through the square tread block, covering the head with duck tape and then running a second tube as a liner over the tube that will be holding (hopefully) the air. The difference: I'm cutting the screws down with bolt cutters, so the screw will only be about an eighth of an inch proud, rather than a quarter inch. This should make it roll a little faster (still going to be a slow tough slog) and I'll be able to retain the claw like traction that I get when the studs dig deep into the ice.

(This picture shows last years version of the spiker tires)

I'm also building the studs up around a frame that hasn't seen action lately. My trek. The bike that started my serious bicycle commuting. Some mustache bars, maybe a 7speed cog in the back and a shimano bar end shifter from the parts bin. Hopefully in another week I'll have it all together.

Studs on the Xtra

Last night I made a little time to install the studded tires on the Xtra. I wasn’t necessarily going to run studded tires on the soon to be named Xtra, but with all of the snow we’ve recently received, and the fact that the roads and sidewalks is pretty much solid ice, I needed something with studs. Either that or drive........ Yesterdays ride on the KM proved this. 3 wipe outs on the way home for lunch. 2 on a busy road. Not my idea of a risk worth taking. Also, seeing as the only set of studded tires I’ve got are 26”, and the only 26” bike I’ve got is the Xtra, I didn’t really have much of a choice. The studded tires that I run are Schwable Snow Studs. I don’t think they make these tires anymore. I think they’ve been replaced by the Schwable Marathon Winter. I do like these Snow Studs I have though. While they’re not aggressively studded, they do offer that extra little bit of bite that aids in keeping the bike vertical. I’ve been eyeing up the Nokian 29er 294, with its 294 studs. Those on the single speed Karate Monkey would make for a very well planted bike on the winter roads around Strathmore. However, I think that once the ice is gone, the studs would wear down really quickly. At least the ones in the center band of the tire. One thing I really like about the Snow Stud is that I can pump them up to 65PSI, and the studs are clear of the road. Obviously cornering will bring them into contact, but you just have to remember not to corner very fast. Last night, I put 35PSI in them, and that lets the center of the tire flatten out, and brings the studs nicely down to the icy surface. Where these Snow Studs really shine is when everything starts to melt. Slush and slop pose no issues for these tires. The tread pattern sheds slush, snow and mud like crazy. I’ve never seen a tire as good at shedding mud as the Snow Stud.

After a season away from the studded tires, you forget how big of a difference the do make. Especially after abandoning my bike ride back to work after lunch yesterday I really notice the difference. If you think you may benefit from running studded tires on your bike, I’d say give them a go. You’ll be amazed at how much it helps. With the current conditions that I’m commuting in right now, I’d say that I couldn’t ride my bike to work safely without studded tires.

(This is the way home for lunch today. Warmed up to a balmy -16C!)

Now……..I’m seriously second guessing my decision not to buy a set for the Karate Monkey……

Winter is here

When I went to bed last night, the thermometer read -32C (-25.6F). That's cold. Yesterday it was as cold as -36C on the highway into town. Right now it's -29. Freaking cold. Fun though. I like how if you inhale through your nose, it freezes the inside of your nose.

Friday was the 12hrs in photos. My entry is here. That was fun. Always a little bummed with the lack of participation. Many say , 'oh yeah, I'll do that' and then don't. It's kind of fun, but I think it might have run it's course.

This past weekend was a nice one though. Sitting around the house, reading, drinking copious amounts of tea and folding laundry. All in the warm quiet our our little prairie home. Life is Good.

Invigorating???

Today I rode to work. I've ridden to work every day for the past month. Very, very steady. In fact, so far this year I've driven my truck only once to work, and that was because I had to drop off my table saw with a buddy before work.

The Xtracycle has made huge contributions to making this happen.

Today however was the coldest I've ever ridden my bike. It was -38C (-36.4F) with a windchill factor of -48C (-54.4F). I know in my post this morning I said I would not be taking pictures, but you just can't turn down a shot like this can ya? The 15 seconds I had my gloves off almost brought tears to my eyes. They said on the radio that exposed skin freezes in less than a minute with these windchill factors. I think they might be right. Didn't really want to find out though. We haven't had too much snow, but some monster drifts. I've lately found them to be very handy as bike racks. Seems everywhere I want to park my bike (work, the arena, outside of my shed) there seems to be a great stiff snow drift that does the job well. One of those benefits to winter cycling, huh?
Cheers.

PR

I just woke up, walked over to our little thermometer and it is -37.6C. We have a wind of 15 km/h. The temperature with wind chill is -51C!! I'm riding my bike to work today. That will be the PR part. I've never ridden in temperature that cold. You can be sure I won't be stopping to take any pictures.

Stay warm, wherever you are. Peace.

Cold Ride in

Well, I don't have any pictures in this post. Just want to say that my hands were cold on the way in. It was -13C when I left my house, but there was a crisp little wind blowing.

I dropped off some books at the library on my way, and even at that point, I was in a little bit of pain. I was only half way to work too. By the time I did get to work, I was almost crying. I wondered when I left my house if my thin gloves would be warm enough, and I've found out the painful way, they aren't. Oh well. Boo Hoo.

It did get me thinking though, one thing about riding in the cold, it sure feels good when you quit! However, I doesn't feel good not doing it, the good comes from doing it, being cold and then not doing it. If you've done it, you know what I mean.

I felt good when I came into my work today and back into the warmth. I wouldn't have felt the same way if I had just stayed warm in my truck, isolated from the seasons that are a part of where I live. I think that if you live somewhere that gets cold, you should get out in the cold and enjoy it. Yes it can be enjoyable. What's more, you certainly shouldn't complain about how cold it is. You should move.

If you've never done it, give it a try and you'll know what I mean. And more than likely you'll want to do it again.

Jerome.