Hey all,
Well, I wish I'd have worn my helmet-cam last-night to show you what I mean to describe. I am on Long Island, NY, and we had a decent snowfall yesterday. After the snow stopped, I went out at about midnight to shovel my Mom's walks and clear her car. The snow was about a foot deep, but very light. I had developed a mean thirst so I decided to hop on my motorized bicycle and putter to the local 7-11 to grab some beers. The roads had been given a once-over by the plows, but there was a decent layer of compacted snow still extant. This made clutch-popping to start difficult since traction was compromised. If I had a compression-relief valve (something I've been meaning to install), it'd make turning over the engine that much easier. Anyway, with some patience and finesse, I very soon had the engine chugging, and soon it was all-ahead...1/4-speed! My mountain bike's rear knobbies are effectively non-existent save those on the outsides...so starting AND handling are compromised in snow, but I haven't had problems yet. That is until last-night. The parking lot at the 7-11 and surrounding roads were covered in ice and snow. When I had my beer and was leaving, I found that my only means of starting the bike was to use the shoveled sidewalk in front of the store as a runway; it was the only clean bit of concrete/asphalt in 1/2-mile. Anybody else ever need a runway? In any case, I'm surprised how well the old motorized bicycle runs on snow. I don't dare go faster than 15MPH in slick conditions, but it sure beats walking.
Well, I wish I'd have worn my helmet-cam last-night to show you what I mean to describe. I am on Long Island, NY, and we had a decent snowfall yesterday. After the snow stopped, I went out at about midnight to shovel my Mom's walks and clear her car. The snow was about a foot deep, but very light. I had developed a mean thirst so I decided to hop on my motorized bicycle and putter to the local 7-11 to grab some beers. The roads had been given a once-over by the plows, but there was a decent layer of compacted snow still extant. This made clutch-popping to start difficult since traction was compromised. If I had a compression-relief valve (something I've been meaning to install), it'd make turning over the engine that much easier. Anyway, with some patience and finesse, I very soon had the engine chugging, and soon it was all-ahead...1/4-speed! My mountain bike's rear knobbies are effectively non-existent save those on the outsides...so starting AND handling are compromised in snow, but I haven't had problems yet. That is until last-night. The parking lot at the 7-11 and surrounding roads were covered in ice and snow. When I had my beer and was leaving, I found that my only means of starting the bike was to use the shoveled sidewalk in front of the store as a runway; it was the only clean bit of concrete/asphalt in 1/2-mile. Anybody else ever need a runway? In any case, I'm surprised how well the old motorized bicycle runs on snow. I don't dare go faster than 15MPH in slick conditions, but it sure beats walking.
