There’s not much to say about today’s riding other than it was very cold! I didn’t feel like taking any pictures either. So until I have something more exciting to write about, go check out some commuting safety tips I wrote over on Commute by Bike.
Three prominent cycling minds discuss how to get more people on bicycles.
Suffer from cold hands during winter cycling?
I followed everyone’s advice, including my own, and took the road bike out yesterday afternoon. It was actually quite comfortable.
It looks like today is shaping up to be another decent day for riding. Don’t procrastinate though, as it looks like it’s going to get cold for about a week.
How many more days until January is over? Sigh…
This just in…
The west side trails officially suck right now. There are some patches of dirt to ride on, but there are icy snow banks crossing the trail everywhere. It can be hard to stay on the trail at times, since the snow is not rideable everywhere. This forces you to take alternative lines, which is a bad idea. We’d like to keep the singletrack single. It’d probably be a good idea to stay off the trails until they’ve had a chance to melt a bit further.
There are several new gullies that have formed since the last big rain. Some of them are clearly visible, and others are hidden under the snow. Scott was walking in one inch of snow, and then all of a sudden he sunk in up past his knee! I’m glad he wasn’t riding at the time! Keep an eye out for these new gullies or you’ll find yourself flying over the bars.
As you can see from the pictures, all the northern exposures are covered in snow. This makes for some fun challenges as Scott demonstrates above, but also ruins trails like Jackrabbit pictured below. This trail swoops back and forth through this little canyon; however, there was no swooping today.
I think tomorrow will be another road bike day!
Bicycle commuting has been going really well. In fact, I haven’t even been in a car for about a week now. The last time I went car free this long was probably 1984, back before I had my driver’s license and walked or rode my bike to school.
The roads have dried out, so I rode in my work clothes this week without fear of getting dirty. This has saved me time in the morning, lightened the load in my pack, and has kept me from changing so many times each day.
I met my friend Bob for lunch today. He just started bike commuting again, and even bought a new commuter bike to do it with. He’s committed. He actually lives in Reno, but he takes the bus to north Carson City, and then rides his bike to South end of town. We rode over to a restaurant (Ming’s), but then couldn’t find a decent place to lock our bikes! We ended up locking the bikes together next to a railing across the parking lot. Luckily we could see the bikes good from the window while we ate.
The idea has crossed my mind before, but today really got me thinking about it. I’d like to compile a list of bicycle friendly businesses, and post them here on the blog. I know there are some bicycle racks at some of the grocery stores, but what about restaurants? If anyone has some good suggestions, please let me know!
The mountain bike trails on the west side are horrible right now as the snow is melting. It’s a combo of greasy mud and snow. The road biking is great though if you can stand the wind chill!
Kristy and I toured the west side, hitting Kings Canyon, Combs Canyon, and the roads in between. The mostly dry roads make a fun alternative to the awful trails.
Word of caution though… Watch out for ice in the shade! We were caught off guard by a few patches yesterday, so steer around the shady sections when in doubt.
Photo note:Â Kristy tried hard not to smile for Brian (aka oldmanandhisbike, aka BG Phone Home), who accused her of smiling too much.
You may have noticed the lack of lunch riding photos lately. That’s because there hasn’t been much lunch riding! With all the trails under the snow, and all the roads icy, we’ve been finding other ways to entertain ourselves at lunch. A few of the lunch time riders got together last week, and explored our mountain bike trails on snow shoes!
Yesterday was my first lunch day back on the hills. I had been putting around town at lunch, but not really getting my heart rate up. We had a freezing fog yesterday that created some beautiful landscapes up in the mountains!
As pretty as it was, most of the trails aren’t rideable. Crusty, bumpy snow covers the lower trails, making them no fun to ride; however, we’re due for some warmer weather this week, and I think we’ll have a few trails to ride soon. Provided the freezing fog goes away. Until then, it looks like road riding might be a good option!
