With the surprising discovery of winter cycling fun I ventured out the next day to get some more of it. This time glove liners, and a second pair of woollen socks did the trick, and I wasn't at all cold. The sky was of a metallic grey and it was snowing. I was glad for having lowered the pressure in my tires. Although harder to push forward on the black top it seemed to provide me with a fairly good grip in the snow.
The only other cyclist I met during my outing was a spandex covered - I am too sexy for my bike - guy. He almost fell off his fully dressed steed as I passed by. Yes, it might be hard to believe but one doesn't need a mountain-triathlon-supersport-bicycle for snow-riding. As a matter of fact one can actually ride a beach cruiser in street attire in the winter, and aside from this, my Townie is a much better looking motive ;-)
Schwarz-Weiß
Nach der überraschenden Feststellung, dass Winter-Radeln Spaß machen kann, habe ich mich wieder auf den Weg gemacht. Diesmal zog ich Innenhandschuhe und ein zweites Paar Wollsocken über und blieb damit schön warm. Der Himmel war von metallischem Grau und es schneite. Ich war ganz froh, mit niedrigerem Reifendruck zu fahren, so hatte ich einen guten Grip im Schnee, auch wenn das Fahren auf der Straße etwas anstrengender war.
Auf der kleinen Tour begegnete ich einem be-spandexten - Ich bin zu sexy für mein Rad - Fahrradfahrer. Dieser fiel fast von seinem Mountain-Triathlon-Supersport-Bike, als ich ihm entgegen kam. Ja, es mag zwar schwer zu fassen sein, aber man kann auch auf einem Beach Cruiser in normalen Straßenklamotten im Schnee unterwegs sein. Zudem gibt das Townie ein so viel besseres Fotomotiv ab ;-)
You have my admiration! Bicycle-riding in snow is courageous and fun.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Ally. Little did I know about bicycles and fun but since owning that beach cruiser I am hooked.
DeleteI would say that if you are staying upright and moving along well, then your cruiser is just fine for those conditions. Maybe Herr Spandex was looking to see if you had a different type of fat snow tire.
ReplyDeleteI like the utilitarian way of bike riding in Madison. Lycra comes out in the summer.
Martha, this is exactly what I found on winter riding guide lines, and it worked like a charm plus lower air pressure, and lowering the seat a bit to flatfoot.
DeleteMen over here take their sport very serious, and don't like to be challenged by middle aged women in utilitarian outfit. I might have stolen his thunder that day.
Very photogenic Townie. I really like that first pic.
ReplyDeleteGlad you were warm this time around.
Thank you, Brandy.
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ReplyDeleteGorgeous pics. It looks like a lovely ride. If one can stay warm and comfortable, there is something wonderfully peaceful about a ride in inclement weather.
I haven't done any snow rides yet, but I'm looking forward to getting a chance to ride in some snow sometime. Wool - great stuff.
Oh, and agree on the fat, cushy tires. Love them for off-pavement/poor pavement riding. Even on my road bike I have moved to wider tires - as wide as one can go on such bikes. :)
Kari, for me the fat tires really do the trick. It had been a great ride. If it weren't for your encouraging ride reports in adverse weather conditions I might not have done it, though.
DeleteThe Townie looks a little lonely in all that grey.
ReplyDeleteBut lonely in a good way, Karen ;-)
DeleteHier kommen auch ständig vermummte Mountain-Biker vorbei .... und die übliche niederrheinische Rentnerschar auf Normalos oder wahlweise E-Bikes :-)
ReplyDeleteAber dein Townie wäre eine wahre optische Bereicherung.
Bei uns sind es nur wenige, die bei diesem Wetter unterwegs sind, aber wenn, dann nur "harte Männer" in Profi-Ausstattung (ähnlich der Spezies GS-Fahrer mit Wunderlich Voll-Ausstattung damit man für die Runde um den Pudding gut aussieht...). Mein Townie hat hier eher Seltenheitswert.
DeleteI hear of folks using zip ties on their tires to provide more grip on snow/ice.....nice pics.
ReplyDeleteIf I'd be riding in deep snow, I'd try the zip tie solution as well.
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