tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5235419263414453422.post8707585620449345422..comments2024-02-23T01:30:06.101-08:00Comments on Early Warning: A Few Notes on Winter Cycling in the NortheastStuart Stanifordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07182839827506265860noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5235419263414453422.post-74919479976929509222010-12-29T19:06:03.866-08:002010-12-29T19:06:03.866-08:00suicide kitten: not a very profound reason: it'...suicide kitten: not a very profound reason: it's just very noisy and disruptive in the morning as the kids get hounded around to get ready for school, and I can focus a lot better out of the house. So I spend the morning in a cafe, and then head home at some point so I can get on the video link as people get into the office in California, and the house is pretty quiet in the afternoon. I also just enjoy working in cafes, and I don't mind the biking - need the exercise in any case.Stuart Stanifordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07182839827506265860noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5235419263414453422.post-36103974524063181382010-12-25T06:31:43.557-08:002010-12-25T06:31:43.557-08:00Stuart, if I understand correctly you are working ...Stuart, if I understand correctly you are working from cafe (telecommuting)? You could do that from home I assume, could you elaborate on why you prefer not to (since it involves considerable investment of time and energy)?<br /><br />I enjoyed this post a lot. In London now the weather starts resembling your Ithaca descriptions, so some things may become relevant here... I have had to stop cycling over the last two weeks.suicide kittenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17408400877982293895noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5235419263414453422.post-22939340135252891472010-12-23T23:46:14.871-08:002010-12-23T23:46:14.871-08:00Thanks for the information, we will add this story...Thanks for the information, we will add this story to our blog, as we have a audience in this sector that loves reading like this” <a href="http://www.filmview.com.au//" rel="nofollow">corporate video production</a> .Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5235419263414453422.post-6458169325832573332010-12-23T07:35:45.874-08:002010-12-23T07:35:45.874-08:00Actually, that balaclava you have would help with ...Actually, that balaclava you have would help with the hot/cold problem, Stuart. The pictures show it with the face mask unstrapped on one side. So you could unstrap it on the uphill, then put it back on for the downhill. Getting it back under the goggles might be a trick, though. I have an old Greenscreen mask, so I just pull it down off my mouth and nose when I'm overheating. Same idea.<br /><br />The best is February, after a snow, around 20, but with that bright, late-winter sun. For some reason, that seems to make the birds start singing, so you'll get cardinals, chickadees, and song sparrows on the sides of the road singing as like a crazy choir, all of them competing to be more beautiful. And since you're on a bike you get to hear it.kjmclarkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00490417628052004621noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5235419263414453422.post-82571005931779414312010-12-22T18:24:12.100-08:002010-12-22T18:24:12.100-08:00p-roc's Mom. At least around here lately, it ...p-roc's Mom. At least around here lately, it seems to generally be enough to just open the zipper on my jacket. Without the windproof layer, things underneath seem to stay cool enough even when working hard.<br /><br />It's definitely slower getting around - the added friction of the tires, the snow/slush/whatever, stopping to adjust clothing or check behind me, etc. That just needs to be accepted I guess.<br /><br />It also can be amazingly beautiful with all the snowy fields and soft feathery trees.Stuart Stanifordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07182839827506265860noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5235419263414453422.post-89534729054584490582010-12-22T17:45:26.701-08:002010-12-22T17:45:26.701-08:00This is great! It's true, you can cycle in a l...This is great! It's true, you can cycle in a lot colder weather than you would think, in the proper gear. My main issue is getting too hot on the uphills, and then getting sweaty, and then freezing on the downhills. Gotta figure out how to thermostat better...<br /><br />Keep us updated on how the rest of the winter goes!Auntie Jhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12818566250264650386noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5235419263414453422.post-71075227044188528482010-12-22T15:43:09.897-08:002010-12-22T15:43:09.897-08:00If you take packed snow, mix in some salt and some...If you take packed snow, mix in some salt and some sand, freeze it, then have cars/trucks run it over so it collapses into mush, you get cookie dough. It looks like cookie dough, but acts like sand. That's fine for the motorists, but bike front tires don't do well on the stuff. <br /><br />700s sometimes can cut through it, and some MTB tires can float on top of it if their pressure is low enough, but generally it just makes it really tough to steer, just like a sand pit on a MTB trail. It's best to slow beforehand, but not too much, and head as straight as possible through it, unless you can steer around it altogether.kjmclarkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00490417628052004621noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5235419263414453422.post-33686236402232462182010-12-22T14:16:20.624-08:002010-12-22T14:16:20.624-08:00Copper - ingenious plan!Copper - ingenious plan!Stuart Stanifordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07182839827506265860noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5235419263414453422.post-6151836632588507862010-12-22T14:14:27.679-08:002010-12-22T14:14:27.679-08:00Lars - sounds like Vermont is the center for Nordi...Lars - sounds like Vermont is <a href="http://www.nordicskater.com/calendar.html" rel="nofollow">the center</a> for Nordic skating in the US.Stuart Stanifordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07182839827506265860noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5235419263414453422.post-91200993630985392562010-12-22T14:10:03.938-08:002010-12-22T14:10:03.938-08:00Kjm - no, no cookie dough here - not even sure wha...Kjm - no, no cookie dough here - not even sure what that is?<br /><br />Lars - I understand Cayuga Lake freezes in it's entirety only rarely and briefly, so probably not. Sounds fun though. My pond at the new house is frozen, and was almost bearing last weekend, however, so I should be able to skate round in circles soon :-)Stuart Stanifordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07182839827506265860noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5235419263414453422.post-33595591352376677232010-12-22T13:11:41.212-08:002010-12-22T13:11:41.212-08:00Have you discovered the horrors of cookie-dough ye...Have you discovered the horrors of cookie-dough yet? With a good set of tires, you can deal with just about anything, except sand, or the winter equivalent, cookie dough. We somehow managed to get an early snowfall/deep freeze combination here, and it mostly turned into cookie dough and hard pack. The hard pack is OK, but all the cookie dough is driving me nuts.<br /><br />People think I look odd with a mask over my balaclava! That thing's scary. But it's impressive how well something covering your mouth and nose helps you retain heat. I think we tend to ignore the heat loss through breathing. And the best combination I've found for hands is wool mittens under goretex mitts, though we bought my wife some pogies this past year, which she swears by.<br /><br />I discovered ski goggles a few years ago. The only problem is getting a pair that fit under the helmet, but they're much easier to find these days, since more people are skiing with helmets.<br /><br />And glad to hear that Peter White worked out for you. Their bike light section is even better than their tire page.kjmclarkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00490417628052004621noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5235419263414453422.post-48264624577225472832010-12-22T11:51:05.444-08:002010-12-22T11:51:05.444-08:00Stuart,
Is tour skating possible on the lakes aro...Stuart,<br /><br />Is tour skating possible on the lakes around Ithaca?<br /><br />http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tour_skatingLars-Eric Bjerkehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12632949799117185675noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5235419263414453422.post-54034933549379929072010-12-22T09:27:44.349-08:002010-12-22T09:27:44.349-08:00or if you're relatively broke you can use zip-...or if you're relatively broke you can use zip-ties on your tires. Make sure that you clip off the excess and alternate the closure from teh right to the left so you can have some extra grip when turning corner.<br /><br />-Minnesota ;)Copperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10617820832276405295noreply@blogger.com