Cold

[bdee]

Anyone else ride this morning? I was on the bike at 7:15 - 8:45 and it was really friggin' cold (25 when I started). It felt good though, in a weird frozen toe kind of way. I liked seeing the frost on the leaves and the air was incredibly crisp, and best of all there were absoultely no bugs ;D Won't be long before the studded tires get mounted again.

[gnurider1080]

speaking of ice. anyone know what nam is like in the winter? if you need studs then i guess riding there is out of the picture. studded tires are way too much money for how little ill get to use them.

[ArmOnFire]

It was perfect this morning at GBF, about 38-40 deg.

Also like to report no Mtn Lion seen there, only Mtn Lion food (deer) on Litchfield Loop.

Great ride at dawn, it's so nice to be back on the bike!

[MTBME]

"studded tires are way too much money for how little ill get to use them."

Not true gnu. I bought real nice studded tires last year from Bike Nashbar for $39 bucks a piece.

[Jisch]

speaking of ice. anyone know what nam is like in the winter? if you need studs then i guess riding there is out of the picture. studded tires are way too much money for how little ill get to use them.


Make your own with old tires. Cheap and easy to do, a bit time consuming but not too bad.

Simple procedure:
1) Mark lugs you want to put studs in with chalk (that way you can make the tire balanced)
2) Drill with a broken spoke from the outside of the tire on the marked lugs
3) Insert screws from the inside into the holes you made with the spoke
4) Cut off the end of the screws from the outside (you want the screws to stick out just a bit past the rubber) using bolt cutters.
5) Split a tube lengthwise and lay it in the tire over the screw heads

I use the screws that are made for connecting sheet metal studs, they work out great because they have a flat bottom to the head and a rounded top.

Good to go.

John

[truckboy]

I did this as a teenager and it worked great, except I didn't cut the screws. I kept the pressure really low. I probably would have cut the screws and added some, but on my test ride I left the bike out on the frozen lake in front of my sister's house and some skater took off with it while I was inside visiting! Bummer. This time I have a pair of Nokian studdeds that I bought second hand for 45 bucks. Not too much. Check mtbr, craigs list, nemba, busted spoke, and rage classifieds. You never know.

I rode the Fells yesterday afternoon and the temperature was great. A little ice in the shallow pools and frost heave kinda spots but very refreshing. I only got an hour in before the sun went down but that was a great hour. No mountain Lions in the fells. Just militant hikers. More dangerous if you ask me. My dog was actually prancing and running circles around me. I guess he likes to cool weather too! Hopefully I can keep it up to avoid that "breathing broken glass" feeling next spring.

Just got back from my daily spin here in the heart of mountain lion country (Acton) and it was pleasant and blissfully lion-free. A little snap in the air but I could have worn shorts and been comfortable. Providing the lions didn't get me.

I heard this morning was in the low 40's with a 30% chance of getting your head eaten off.

[bdee]

Glad to hear no one was eaten on their morning ride today! It felt like a heatwave at LWoods - 45 degrees this AM. No MT lions out there just a lot of deer and some big hawks. I'm paying for the last two mornings now though (major post lunch crash). Won't stop me from possibly sneaking in a 'cross bike ride tomorrow AM though (I never learn), assuming it's not raining and like 12 degrees out.