[All_talk]

Anything melted out and dried up enough yet? I’m looking for something close to CDA so I could squeeze in a ride after work but I’m hoping to avoid a muck fest.

Gary

 

[idahodirt]

Dry? How about frozen or snow covered!

The road is ice for awhile then A and 6 have a little snow. Past the island you have to try to stay in the ATV ruts. Cave and D are a PITA with post holes. That said, the road up and A left or right and up 6 are a good ride. The towers are a good workout too.

 

[All_talk]

Hey Idahodirt, I guess it still is the middle of winter, a little early to be looking for spring just yet. I just got a new bike and am hoping to get off the pavement soon. If I can get out of work with some daylight left I might have to try a bit of snow riding.

Gary

 

[idahodirt]

Hi Gary,
I rode up yesterday to test some new camping toys. Alot has thawed down low since last week with some new snow up high. The road is not too bad, a little soft but not mud like a soft trail. You'll get a little dirty but should have a good ride. Good time to break in that new bike. What did you get?

 

[hdparrish]

Nice pic, idahodirt.

I cross-country ski here in southeast Idaho when the trails are snowed over, but I've seen several snow bikes this season. These are purposefully built for snowy terrain--the tires are four inches wide and the frames are rigid. Looks like a lot of fun, but I'm OK with waiting for the thaw.

I sure do love Idaho and its seasons.

 

[idahodirt]

HD,
I rented a Pugsley one week end and took both bikes out to compare side by side. I wound up buying studded tires. The bottom of the trails has been ice and up high to loose snow to float a fat bike. A standard bike has worked most of the time. Now that we have some mud, I'd like to try both bikes again. (I ride the ATV and dirtbike trails, so my little tire has no noticable impact)

 

[All_talk]

Hi Gary,
I rode up yesterday to test some new camping toys. Alot has thawed down low since last week with some new snow up high. The road is not too bad, a little soft but not mud like a soft trail. You'll get a little dirty but should have a good ride. Good time to break in that new bike. What did you get?

I got a Stumpjumper FSR Comp 29er. I went out in the hills around my house here in WA and packed enough mud on the tires to get the first scratches on it, so the break in has started.

Gary

 

[hdparrish]

I rented a Pugsley one week end and took both bikes out to compare side by side. I wound up buying studded tires. The bottom of the trails has been ice and up high to loose snow to float a fat bike. A standard bike has worked most of the time.

I'm inclined to agree, though I don't have much experience riding in the white stuff. I've ridden the trails in November and December when they're only lightly dusted with snow and been surprised at how well my hardtail handles.

My former neighbors, who were from Alaska, liked to take their wornout tires from seasons past and drive screws into them so that the threads were coming out of the treads. Then they would ride their bikes over snow and ice without much problem. Keep in mind these were ordinary trail tires in the neighborhood of 2 inches wide.

I'm sure they would get stuck/bogged down in deep snow, but it seemed like a cheap, effective solution, otherwise.

Nice ride, All_talk. Surprising that the trails in Washington are that dry/uncovered.

 

[All_talk]

...

Nice ride, All_talk. Surprising that the trails in Washington are that dry/uncovered.

Thanks. And the trails here are still covered in snow, I've been riding dirt road. I'm in central WA (Ellensburg) between the mountains and the desert. The hills around my place are mostly scrub (back ground of the pic bellow) and we haven't had much snow down this low since early winter.

Gary

 

[idahodirt]

I've been wanting to try a 29'er. I just spent 2 weeks in Ellensberg working on CWU's new mech/industrial building. I was going to look you up but we worked dark to dark and there was no way to have time to ride. You didn't get the black and red one in the window at the downtown bike shop? Or was it yellow and black? I tried not to look!
I bet you love the new bike.