[cowleyd]

Hi,

With the northern hemisphere heading into winter I was wondering do you stay on your Turners in the snow, or do you give up and go for a ski or board? I live in south east Australia where it doesn't snow, expect at the top of a few mountains. So we can stay out all year, with the best riding to be had on the mild winter days. The biggest issue here is that the hot summer is beginning, where daytime temperatures usually range between 30-40 degrees C (86-104 F), and then I go night riding.

If you do ride in the snow how does the bike hold up, do you require a special setup etc?

 

[tscheezy]

I ride all year here in Kodiak, Alaska. I don't switch bikes. I have a 5-Spot and 6-Pack and am about to head out on my Pack for a ride in 13F (-11C). I put studded Nokian tires on for the winter, I usually switch from my King wheels, the freehub of which doesn't like cold weather, to WTB or DT wheels, and I sometimes will warm my bike up in the house for half an hour before heading out so that the shocks start out warm and I don't get off-the-bat seal issues. Otherwise it is business as usual.

When the snow gets to be too much for biking I will xc-, skate-, or tele-ski, ice skate, ice blade, snowshoe, snowboard, etc, but I will ride at every opportunity.

 

[EndoRando]

I was wondering do you stay on your Turners in the snow?

If you do ride in the snow how does the bike hold up, do you require a special setup etc?

I've dabbled with riding in the snow on my Spot a couple of times, but there are better suited frames for that. You don't really need the suspension or the added weight that comes with it. Turners in general are really versatile though, and have a ton of tire clearance for wide, high flotation tire/rim combinations, so it was fun to play. I've put SnoCat rims and large tires on mine, with room to spare, and had a blast ripping our local trails. If it's the only bike you own, tear it up, it'll do fine.

The bike holds up well, the only adjustments to make are really to dress your body for it.

Rando

 

[tscheezy]

You don't really need the suspension or the added weight that comes with it.

Randy also rides in Alaska, but in very different winter conditions than mine. I have to deal with a lot of rutted-up and rough ice. I actually prefer my Pack over my 5-Spot because it has a lot of supple traction and an upright and short cockpit. I ride a rigid SS around town and it is AWFUL on bumpy ice. I can cruise across a frozen, pock-marked and tire-rutted parking lot on my Pack with smooth impunity while my townie bike bucks and skitters all over the place, running the same tires (Nokian Extreme 296s) at the same pressure. If I lived in Anchorage like Randy does, I'd already be on a Pugsley.

 

[EndoRando]

We do have periods of high pressure with no snow, and our trails will become pretty hard-packed. Traveling them then becomes the preferred route for local moose, which pock-mark them pretty badly with divots. These conditions can literally rattle teeth, and that's when I break out some suspension. I have an older classic which now only sees duty during these conditions, an oldie but still a goodie....this is the one that probably gets most of my studded tires miles too. I have to admit though, the Pugs is high on the next bike list, especially after seeing Bob the Wheelbuilder's up close and personal!

Rando

 

[Bikezilla]

I had a hot second on BTWB's Pugsly...I expected that thing to pedal like a truck and it really was sweet. I rode it over the ping-pong sized gravel garden in the hotel lot it felt like pavement. A very unexpectedly kewl bike.

As for the snow... Gaaah!!! It burns! it Burns!! Hibernation! Hibernation I tell ya!
This must be a mammalian thing.

 

[cactuscorn]

for what its worth

i ride in 1' of snow max. for those of you in similar conditions, this might help a little. for those in the alps, pass this one by.

ive found a rigid frame with 3" fork works well. i tried the shorter fork and felt kicked around some and this was on a mega plush atom bomb. i was suprised. stay away from air forks as the seem to stiffen badly as compared to full coil, another reason for a h/t.

small tires with tall, small, hard spaced knobs also to the trick. my pick is panaracer fire mud 1.85's. i did the studs and felt huge drag with them but yers may differ from mine. what i dig about the little muddies is how they cut down into the hard pack and find traction. sure ya gotta push through it some but it was still tons better than the studs and with better traction.

a shortish stem and 2" of rise in the h/bar rocks. anything else made me feel like i would be too nose heavy causing a "plow" feeling with the front wheel in corners and wanted to send me over the bars on a regular basis.

and my last thought is winter riding is tough on stuff. dont think id be as brave as cheese and take out one of my babys but then again im not brave enough to ride like him either. or is it good enough to ride like him? whatever.... ill stick to my cheap little gt with all the deore and bontrager and hayes mech discs.

 

[Roy]

The biggest issue here is that the hot summer is beginning, where daytime temperatures usually range between 30-40 degrees C (86-104 F), and then I go night riding.

What's your humidity like during the summer? Ours is usually around 100% so it's 90+ degrees at night, too. Pretty sucky during the summer heat - have to join a bowling league and drink heavily.

 

[Zip]

I ride all year here in Kodiak, Alaska.

You are a stud! I feel like such a wuzzz..
How does the lack of sunlight effect your riding? Do you use lights? Also can you tell me what works best as far as staying warm on the bike (shoes, gloves, jacket etc..)?

 

[cowleyd]

Dry summers here

What's your humidity like during the summer? Ours is usually around 100% so it's 90+ degrees at night, too. Pretty sucky during the summer heat - have to join a bowling league and drink heavily.

The humidity is low. Our summers are very dry which involves a string of hot days followed by a cool change (for a day or so) and then it builds up for another string of dry hot days. After riding for more than two hours in 35+ degree temperatures your energy gets really drained. At night the temperature drops about 10 degrees which makes it perfect riding wheather.

 

[tscheezy]

It is almost dark when I get home from work these days, so all my mid-week riding is at night. Here is a thread on lights.

The Alaska forum has a lot of good info on cold weather riding. Try a search there for "cold weather". Basically I wear Lake MXZ300 riding shoes sized 3 sizes up, with felt and foam insoles and warm socks for my feet, layers of clothes with windproof front panels like Pearl Izumi Barrier jackets, Sugoi tops, Cannondale Slice tops, wind-panel front tights with extra fleece sewn inside the knees, and generally mid-weight gloves since my hands don't get that cold. Just get some windproof layers that still breath in back and you are most of the way there. I rarely see temps below 10F, so I am not going out in the same conditions the guys in the Interior are.