How low do you go?

John Foltz <[email hidden]> wrote:
: With all the OT posts lately, I'm thinking that NG mileage is falling off. Less to write about.

True enough. After September my mileage dropped dramatically. Viruses, motivation, off-season...

: point do you a.) shorten your rides

It's the off-season man! We're *supposed to* taper.

: b.) break out the wedgie

When I can kick myself around to lube it. Then I'll maybe ride it to some nice basement where I can
hide it for a few months.

: c.) just stay indoors!

When there's flu. Or too much snow or rough ice for the trike.

: The following represent typical weekend rides for me in the winter.

I don't think I'll do regular weekend rides, but I haven't made my programme for the next season
yet. About time to think about goals and stuff...

My snowboard is in bad shape so I think I'll stick to swimming and resistance training this winter.
And of course a bit of trike riding. Maybe I should start XC skiing again? I think I won't get a
trainer for this winter yet...

: recumbents regardless of temperature, as long as the roads are clean and dry. A fairing helps,
: and I have *got* to put another one on my V-Rex! But snow and ice = wedgie. And I hang it up
: somewhere below
: 10(F).

Weather is not really an issue for me. And ice is what the trike is for. Though dunno how much
slippery conditions would affect braking... have to treat traffic even more carefully.

Recently there was some snow so they started sanding all the pedestrian and trike paths. Well the
snow of course instantly melted and now there's heavy coat of sand on the said paths. It was not a
nice feeling when my trike suddenly needed 2-3 extra meters to stop when I tried hard braking.

--
Risto Varanka | helsinki.fihpv.htmlOpen ↗ varis at no spam please iki fi

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

With all the OT posts lately, I'm thinking that NG mileage is falling off. Less to write about.
I've seen thousands of threads about how to dress for colder weather, but I'm curious - at what
point do you a.) shorten your rides b.) break out the wedgie and
c.) just stay indoors!

The following represent typical weekend rides for me in the winter. 35-40(F) - 35 miles 25-35(F) -
25 miles 10-25(F) - 15-20 miles single digits - stay home

So I start shortening my rides somewhere in the 30s. I use the recumbents regardless of
temperature, as long as the roads are clean and dry. A fairing helps, and I have *got* to put
another one on my V-Rex! But snow and ice = wedgie. And I hang it up somewhere below
10(F).

How 'bout you?

Well, I don't see many days around 25 and I can't recall any around here below that. I've never
considered doing shorter rides because of temperature. I have cut rides short because of wind chill
but more because of the wind not the chill. November & December usually finds my monthly mileage
dipping but I think that is because other activities interfere with biking during that time. Yet
last year I had over 380 miles in Dec 2002.

Oh yeah, one other thing. I probably won't venture out in the rain below about 40.
--
Cletus D. Lee Bacchetta Giro Lightning Voyager clee.orgclee.orgOpen ↗
- Bellaire, TX USA -

John Foltz said:

With all the OT posts lately, I'm thinking that NG mileage is falling off. Less to write about.
I've seen thousands of threads about how to dress for colder weather, but I'm curious - at what
point do you a.) shorten your rides b.) break out the wedgie and c.) just stay indoors!

The following represent typical weekend rides for me in the winter. 35-40(F) - 35 miles 25-35(F) -
25 miles 10-25(F) - 15-20 miles single digits - stay home

So I start shortening my rides somewhere in the 30s. I use the recumbents regardless of
temperature, as long as the roads are clean and dry. A fairing helps, and I have *got* to put
another one on my V-Rex! But snow and ice = wedgie. And I hang it up somewhere below 10(F).

How 'bout you?

I start shortening my rides the beginning of October. That's when the long rides with the bike club
are done & I take a week off to go camping & fishing. I never break out the wedgie except where I
don't have anything else to ride. After about a mile I remember why I just leave it lying around the
rest of the year. I don't do my commute when there's more than about an inch or two of snow on the
road or when it's icy. But if I'm in the mood I'll ride over to a nearby cemetary that has paved
roads and go play in the snow.
. You can really get a great workout trying to plow through about 4 inches of fresh snow & really
get to know how your machine handles in less than ideal conditions. I really don't have a
temperature below which I stay home. When it's -10 I don't go out on leisure rides but I'll do my
regular commute to and from work. That's about 7 1/2 miles each way.

David Winterized Tour Easy Fairweather Gold Rush

"John Foltz" skrev...

Quoted message said:

With all the OT posts lately, I'm thinking that NG mileage is falling off. Less to write about.
I've seen thousands of threads about how to dress for colder weather, but I'm curious - at what
point do you a.) shorten your rides b.) break out the wedgie and
c.) just stay indoors!

I guess my toes are the determining factor. :-) I limit my ride to 15-20 miles when they start going
numb. I also usually ride a loop that stays in town. (Standvejen to Dyrehaven and then back along
Lyngbyvej/Fælledparken for Danes (or Texans) ) This means I'm not out in the boonies freezing my
Above-Seat-Steering off if something goes pop. Since I can ride every day if the weather isnt too
shabby or my deadlines aren't ganging up on me this still gives me a decent mileage.

Only thing that stops me is when it snows big time and the idiots hired to sweep the bikepaths and
whatnot doesn't. This year they fired the whole corrupt management but I want to see swept
bikepaths before I believe it helped. Also my TE-clone now sports a big knobby reartire that ought
to improve traction.

Mikael Denmark

John Foltz must be edykated coz e writed:

Quoted message said:

With all the OT posts lately, I'm thinking that NG mileage is falling off. Less to write about.
I've seen thousands of threads about how to dress for colder weather, but I'm curious - at what
point do you a.) shorten your rides b.) break out the wedgie and
c.) just stay indoors!

The following represent typical weekend rides for me in the winter. 35-40(F) - 35 miles 25-35(F) -
25 miles 10-25(F) - 15-20 miles single digits - stay home

So I start shortening my rides somewhere in the 30s. I use the recumbents regardless of
temperature, as long as the roads are clean and dry. A fairing helps, and I have *got* to put
another one on my V-Rex! But snow and ice = wedgie. And I hang it up somewhere below
10(F).

How 'bout you?

I avoid riding when it is sleeting or hail stones, otherwise mileage stays the same, I never ride a
wedgie, snow and ice is fun on a trike.

--
Ian

catrike.co.ukcatrike.co.ukOpen ↗

John Foltz <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>... ......

But snow and ice = wedgie. ......

How is an upright any better than a recumbent in icy conditions? They are both absolutely murder on
ice and it would never occur to me to ride either of them when the roads are icy. That is one of the
reasons I have several recumbent trikes. They work great on icy roads and is the only way to go
unless you want to end up in the hospital.

Ed Dolan - Minnesota

My daily ride is 32 miles. As the temperature decreases then it takes longer to heat up and the time
to do the ride gets even longer. I rode on our coldest days last year, 24F at push-off .

"John Foltz" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

With all the OT posts lately, I'm thinking that NG mileage is falling off. Less to write about.
I've seen thousands of threads about how to dress for colder weather, but I'm curious - at what
point do you a.) shorten your rides b.) break out the wedgie and
c.) just stay indoors!

The following represent typical weekend rides for me in the winter. 35-40(F) - 35 miles 25-35(F) -
25 miles 10-25(F) - 15-20 miles single digits - stay home

So I start shortening my rides somewhere in the 30s. I use the recumbents regardless of
temperature, as long as the roads are clean and dry. A fairing helps, and I have *got* to put
another one on my V-Rex! But snow and ice = wedgie. And I hang it up somewhere below
10(F).

How 'bout you?
--

John Foltz --- O _ Baron --- _O _ V-Rex 24 --- _\\/\-%) _________(_)`=()___________________(_)=
(_)_____

Last winter was our mildest on record. No reason to test cold endurance and I had gone back jogging
in any case. The winter before I was on the Rans Stratus and rode down to about 20 degrees.

Distance is another issue. From where I live, most decent long rides are up into the canyons. Some
are closed for the winters. The others are usually treacherous. Therefore I am left to ride circles
around town. That is mind numbing as well as toe numbing.

This winter I built a homemade fairing and am going to try to ride more often and maybe at colder
temps, but still only about 10-15 miles at a time.

By the way, I first got the idea to build a fairing from a couple websites created by John Foltz and
Ed Gin, who post here. My thanks.

Gary McCarty, Greenspeed GTO, Coroplastic Fairing, Salt Lake City

Edward Dolan said:

John Foltz wrote:

But snow and ice = wedgie. ......

How is an upright any better than a recumbent in icy conditions? They are both absolutely murder
on ice and it would never occur to me to ride either of them when the roads are icy.

We don't get much in the way of reliable snow and ice arounf here, but as a rule of thumb for
two-wheelers, the higher the centre of gravity, the easier it is to maintain balance. When a low
racer loses the plot, it goes down very quickly; taller bikes give a bit more leeway. Finances do
not, sadly, run to a trike at this stage.

Note to self: acquire penny-farthing before New Year...

Dave Larrington - legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uklegslarry.beerdrinkers.co.ukOpen ↗
===========================================================
Editor - British Human Power Club Newsletter
bhpc.org.ukbhpc.org.ukOpen ↗
===========================================================

Edward Dolan <[email hidden]> wrote:

: How is an upright any better than a recumbent in icy conditions? They are both absolutely murder
: on ice and it would never occur to me to ride either of them when the roads are icy. That is one
: of the reasons I have several recumbent trikes. They work great on icy roads and is the only way
: to go unless you want to end up in the hospital.

Decent studded tires help, though they are not available off the shelf for 20". Even without them,
solid ice seems doable if you ride slowly and carefully...

--
Risto Varanka | helsinki.fihpv.htmlOpen ↗ varis at no spam please iki fi

John Foltz said:

With all the OT posts lately, I'm thinking that NG mileage is falling off. Less to write about.
I've seen thousands of threads about how to dress for colder weather, but I'm curious - at what
point do you a.) shorten your rides

Well, I don't really ride that far anyway, so not at all....

Quoted message said:

b.) break out the wedgie

Only if the trike is off the road for some mechanical reason, i.e. hardly ever.

Quoted message said:

c.) just stay indoors!

Last winter I set off for a dental appointment. It was snowing heavily (the one major snowfall we
had here IIRC) and I got a couple of hundred yards down the road before realising it was hopeless.

But it would have been hopeless on a wedgie too - it was a case of not being able to see far enough
ahead to be safe.

A day or two later I triked to the nearest shops (about 4-5 miles away) for some bits & pieces. Had
to push the trike through a couple of deep bits, and the drag wasn't funny. Once I got to the main
road, I acknowledged that motor vehicles do have their uses- they'd flattened the snow enough to
make it easier to ride on.

I do the majority of the shopping by trike ( the rest is delivered by Tesco) so I always go out at
least once a week.

Rob commutes on his (about 15 miles round trip) so he goes out 5 times a week and I can't remember
the last time I saw him ride a wedgie....

--
Carol Hague "...it's not normal if you don't like cake..." - Sean Yates

Don't forget that traction without steering is pretty useless. "Mikael Seierup"
<[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Also my TE-clone now sports a big knobby reartire that ought to improve traction.

Edward Dolan said:

How is an upright any better than a recumbent in icy conditions? They are both absolutely murder
on ice and it would never occur to me to ride either of them when the roads are icy. That is one
of the reasons I have several recumbent trikes. They work great on icy roads and is the only way
to go unless you want to end up in the hospital.

I used to ride my MTB in the snow, but holding my head up gave me a stiff neck. I also road my
Peugeot road bike to school every day in 8th grade - this was in SW Wisconsin where they had real
winters back in the pre-global warming era.

Tom Sherman - Recumbent Pedant Curmudgeon

"Don't Have a Cow, Man!" - Bart Simpson

harv said:

Don't forget that traction without steering is pretty useless....

A fact unknown to many SUV drivers in Illinois. 🙁

Tom Sherman - Recumbent Pedant Curmudgeon

"Don't Have a Cow, Man!" - Bart Simpson

Dave Larrington said:

... When a low racer loses the plot, it goes down very quickly....

Some idiot did this on my Sunset at the Chicagoland Recumbent Rider's holiday party last year riding
in the parking lot across the street.

The resulting thigh bruise took several days to heal.

Tom Sherman - Recumbent Pedant Curmudgeon

"Don't Have a Cow, Man!" - Bart Simpson

Must admit, in winter I only ride when I have to, commuting or shopping (and I can do most of the
latter on foot). Prefer the 'bent over the Brompton, since falling with a 'bent is much less
painful. Really would like a Flevobike Versatile (velomobile), but they're 6000 Euros and have a 6
month waiting list :-( Still, even a Baron is more comfortable (and dependable) in bad weather than
catching a bus (and a cold from my fellow passengers!).

Mark van Gorkom.

I live in London Ontario, Canada and am a year-round transportational cyclist.

I cycle toured most of June, July, August and September ( and bit of October) so my weekly totals
were higher than transportational cycling. Temperatures would be about +10 Celcius to +35 Celcius
Typical distances per week at that time are about 350km Usual Transportational cycling distances
would be about 150km

My rides shorten in October and November That would be about 0 Celcius to +10 Celcius Typical
distances per week at that time are about 100km

Rides shorten more in December, January, February and March ( depends on weather) That would be
about 0 Celcius to -15 Celcius Typical distances per week at that time are about 60km

I use recumbents for all trips.

Frequently the roads are wet, to centre bare to track bare. Secondary and occasional primary roads
tend to be used most because less frequent roads are so caked with snow as to be very difficult to
use. There are about 5-6 days every winter where I seriously consider if the trip is worth it by
trike/bike. In those cases- I either don't go, carpool, catch a cab, catch a bus, walk or
something else.

****That is 360 potential cycling days a year!****

Edward Dolan said:

John Foltz <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>... ......

But snow and ice = wedgie. ......

How is an upright any better than a recumbent in icy conditions? They are both absolutely murder
on ice and it would never occur to me to ride either of them when the roads are icy. That is one
of the reasons I have several recumbent trikes. They work great on icy roads and is the only way
to go unless you want to end up in the hospital.

As Larry wrote, uprights fall more slowly. Someone else coined the term, 'inverse pendulum effect.'
At the other extreme, falling from a lowracer is over before you know it's going to happen. You're
just on the ground wondering how you got there. And the ability to use body english sometimes saves
a fall, which is not possible when you're essentially bolted to a recumbent seat. Or, failing that,
I'd rather be able to put my foot down without a major weight shift versus having my feet out in
front of me. So, as much as I like 'bents, when it's slippery out I'd prefer the upright, in spite
of the reverse comfort factor.

I can think of a few times when a trike would have come in handy, but, well, I don't have one!
--

John Foltz --- O _ Baron --- _O _ V-Rex 24 --- _\\/\-%)
_________(_)`=()___________________(_)= (_)_____

"Dave Larrington" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Edward Dolan said:

John Foltz wrote:

But snow and ice = wedgie. ......

How is an upright any better than a recumbent in icy conditions? They are both absolutely murder
on ice and it would never occur to me to ride either of them when the roads are icy.

We don't get much in the way of reliable snow and ice around here, but as a rule of thumb for
two-wheelers, the higher the centre of gravity, the easier it is to maintain balance. When a low
racer loses the plot, it goes down very quickly; taller bikes give a bit more leeway. Finances do
not, sadly, run to a trike at this stage.

Dave, you are quite correct about the higher the center of gravity the easier the balance. But I
can't tell you how may posts I have seen on this newsgroup that claim the exact opposite. I think
that those who claim this are confusing 4 wheel vehicles with 2 wheel vehicles. Uprights over all
balance much better than any recumbent because of the higher center of gravity, but it can seem like
the reverse would be true unless and until you have done the tests yourself.

Ed Dolan - Minnesota