Winter.....finally......over!

bluegoatwoods · Mar 7, 2014

Until now the worst winter in my memory was 1976-77. The cold came early and stayed late. And the wind howled the whole time.

By at least one measure that I say (# of days at zero deg F or below) this one was even a bit worse.

Since mid-December I've only managed about half a dozen bicycle commutes and it's getting old.

But now we've turned a corner. Temps are going to be such that we'll no longer have to deal with ice covered roads.

Riding season can begin again!

racie35 · Mar 7, 2014

About time! I'm headed or that way for a week and I'm hoping its at least warmer than here.

Going2Hell · Mar 7, 2014

I was kind of thinking the same thing, it's raining in Colorado and I rode my bike yesterday. All I can think of are excuses to go ride my bike, when I'm on it I forget what I was supposed to do and accomplish nothing but a 3 hour smile!

Allen_Wrench · Mar 11, 2014

Should have rode my bike today. But there was no time. And we're supposed to get more snow out here again tomorrow morning. Winter isn't over here in Indy.

2door · Mar 11, 2014

73 degrees in Denver yesterday. Today? 34 and snow. We have about four inches of the stuff. Winter might be over in Central Illinios but Colorado isn't finished with it yet.
Oh, and it is moving East, so be prepared.

Tom

BarelyAWake · Mar 12, 2014

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAY ME
323 AM EDT WED MAR 12 2014

...WINTER STORM TO BRING HEAVY SNOW TO THE MOUNTAINS AND
FOOTHILLS WITH A MIXED BAG OF PRECIPITATION TO THE SOUTH...

.INTENSIFYING LOW PRESSURE WILL TRACK ACROSS SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND
TODAY INTO THURSDAY. HEAVY SNOW WILL FALL ACROSS NORTHERN NEW
ENGLAND TO THE NORTH OF THE LOWS TRACK. THE HEAVIEST SNOW IS
EXPECTED IN THE MOUNTAINS. A MIX OF SNOW...SLEET...AND RAIN IS
EXPECTED FURTHER SOUTH...WITH FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET EXPECTED
THIS EVENING BEFORE CHANGING TO SNOW LATER TONIGHT.

MEZ024>028-NHZ008-010-121530-
/O.EXT.KGYX.WS.W.0008.140312T2200Z-140313T1600Z/
COASTAL CUMBERLAND-SAGADAHOC-LINCOLN-KNOX-COASTAL WALDO-MERRIMACK-
STRAFFORD-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...PORTLAND...SOUTH PORTLAND...WESTBROOK...
BATH...TOPSHAM...BOOTHBAY HARBOR...WISCASSET...WALDOBORO...
CAMDEN...ROCKLAND...THOMASTON...BELFAST...LINCOLNVILLE...
CONCORD...HOOKSETT...ROCHESTER...DOVER
323 AM EDT WED MAR 12 2014

...WINTER STORM WARNING NOW IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO
NOON EDT THURSDAY...

Yea... Maine... woo...

SpAsTicJaX · Mar 12, 2014

i wish we had that sort of weather down here in australia! oh what i would do just to wake up one day and see snow outside haha.

unfortunately its just so damn hot, then we have warm muggy wet winters and if we are lucky we get a few colder days in late winter. but oh what i would do just to see snow!! im sort of jealous of you lot lol
hopefully the weather clears up for you all

BarelyAWake · Mar 12, 2014

The novelty wears off quickly I assure you lol;

Of course, should australia see snow we'd prolly be incinerated up here, or buried in another ice age... hard tellin' heh

SpAsTicJaX · Mar 12, 2014

BarelyAWake said:
The novelty wears off quickly I assure you lol;

Of course, should australia see snow we'd prolly be incinerated up here, or buried in another ice age... hard tellin' heh

woah looks slippery! lol deflate your tyres and youll be better hahaha.
still would love to move somewhere that it snows in winter, i think one of the few places in aus would be the blue mountains maybe which is a 10-11 hour drive from me haha.

and yes, by the time we see snow it would either be the end of the world, or ice age lol

bluegoatwoods · Mar 12, 2014

Yep. We got snow overnight. It's only a bit and it'll melt long about tomorrow.

But the roads are covered in ice and I've got to drive to work again. It's getting old.

SpAsTicJaX · Mar 12, 2014

bluegoatwoods said:
Yep. We got snow overnight. It's only a bit and it'll melt long about tomorrow.

But the roads are covered in ice and I've got to drive to work again. It's getting old.

winter is slowly approaching us in a few months, and as i have just finished my cert ii in engineering im going back to school part time (which means early morning rides lol)
but lucky enough i found the electric hand grip warmers brand new from my quad, so as soon as i have a battery ill be hooking them up lol

bluegoatwoods · Mar 12, 2014

Things worked out better for me today than I thought they would. By the time I had to leave I could see that the roads were melted off enough. So I got to ride my bike instead of taking the car.

And the forecast looks like bicycle conditions for the foreseeable future.

There's some rain on some days next week. But I don't let rain stop me unless it's really extreme.

MEASURE TWICE · Mar 13, 2014

Living in NY in the past I know about Winter. CA had some rain and wind, but enough time to work on the bike outside and ride too.

I split my weak cast aluminum pulley on my rear wheel. It is an arm type I self mounted to the spokes. It broke after a while of using a lower ratio. Instead of 14:1 I was using 21:1 last with the 3hp 4stroke Briggs and riding trails.

Now I have a Whizzer replica sheave is steel. Steel material I would have rather-ed in the pulley I made use of.

It just is not the 1970's when the washing machine pulleys were made of stamped steel, so I used what was available and learned a lesson.

I was glad although it broke, it was still ride-able. Just not a good idea to keep on running it.

Using a pickup truck on the dirt mountain back country roads to get my bike to where I could legally ride it was an adventure in itself. 3hrs in first gear to travel 22 miles and using the brakes half the time.

Some day I am planning a ski on the front wheel and maybe some stabilization skis on each side of the rear wheel. Have to check into sno-mobile trail riding legality and if my DMV OHV reg is the same for that too.

MT

Going2Hell · Mar 13, 2014

MEASURE TWICE said:
Living in NY in the past I know about Winter. CA had some rain and wind, but enough time to work on the bike outside and ride too.

I split my weak cast aluminum pulley on my rear wheel. It is an arm type I self mounted to the spokes. It broke after a while of using a lower ratio. Instead of 14:1 I was using 21:1 last with the 3hp 4stroke Briggs and riding trails.

Now I have a Whizzer replica sheave is steel. Steel material I would have rather-ed in the pulley I made use of.

It just is not the 1970's when the washing machine pulleys were made of stamped steel, so I used what was available and learned a lesson.

I was glad although it broke, it was still ride-able. Just not a good idea to keep on running it.

Using a pickup truck on the dirt mountain back country roads to get my bike to where I could legally ride it was an adventure in itself. 3hrs in first gear to travel 22 miles and using the brakes half the time.

Some day I am planning a ski on the front wheel and maybe some stabilization skis on each side of the rear wheel. Have to check into sno-mobile trail riding legality and if my DMV OHV reg is the same for that too.

MT

man you read my mind on the skis, tried it on the front without stabilization... needless to say i ate snow as soon as i hit ice. i found this. havent spent that money yet though.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1WmRoqmtLoc

Harley59 · Mar 13, 2014

I think Mother Nature just said "HA HA psyc!!" to the eastern half of the continent. They just got another dumping after having shirt sleeve temperatures yesterday.

Harley

nathanmd33 · Mar 13, 2014

Well here in GA we are having some 70+ degree weather. Perfect weather...if i could get my bike to run.

MEASURE TWICE · Mar 14, 2014

G2H, I figure I am already making strong brackets for the sides in back for training wheels.

They are for when my motor bike does the metamorphosis to become a California Sheepshead Fish Mobile.

Since it is for parade speed events where I need better stability, and maybe on uneven ground, I will have these 10 inch inflatable tires helping.

For a ski attached to the fork or just im-mobilize the front wheel and strap the ski on there, that might do for the front.

The two rear skis should have a height a little higher than the knobby rear wheel tire, this would make it hopefully grab enough on some dense snow.

The idea I saw without any extra stability was the Rupp Mini Bike with Snow Ski Attachment. The low center of gravity on the mini bike with the wide rear wheel, not using a tank tread of any kind was supposed to work. I never saw a video of it in operation. Maybe some one has seen it actually work and has an idea on was it successful?

MT

A mini bike with front ski

http://www.oldminibikes.com/forum/photopost/data/574/3n53p33l45O35V05Z1b1c73a887d8161410c5.jpg

Allen_Wrench · Mar 14, 2014

Well, it went above 40 degrees here in Indy and the snow is gone so I WENT RIDING TODAY!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOOHOO! Motorbikes kill cabin-fever like nobody's business! Whew. If I never see another snow flake this year, I'll be euphoric!

Going2Hell · Mar 15, 2014

for my front ski, I immobilized the front wheel with twine around the rim at the top of the fork on both sides. On the ski, I set the binding as long as possible. Used short wood screws and screw partway into the top of the ski leaving two anchor points on both sides of the wheel for a total of four. you can use whatever you have at hand, I used bailing wire in a creative pattern; nothing specific. it held for the whole season but I have no pics because digital phothgraphy hadnt been invented yet.

bluegoatwoods · Mar 15, 2014

Allen_Wrench said:
Well, it went above 40 degrees here in Indy and the snow is gone so I WENT RIDING TODAY!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOOHOO! Motorbikes kill cabin-fever like nobody's business! Whew. If I never see another snow flake this year, I'll be euphoric!

We got luckier. I'm not all that far from you, but it was warmer. There was quite a wind, though.

I'm not a big fan of Daylight Saving Time. But it does have one advantage; the Sun is still up, barely, when I leave work. It's dark by the time I get home still. But that'll change. Plus the earlier part of my commute is the part over the roughest ground. That's when I need to be able to see the road the most.

The last three or four days riding has felt so much more like Spring.

It helps a lot.

Winter.....finally......over!

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