count your coldness

It's officially snowy in ILlinois, since last Thursday night. I've had
a few days along the Fox River Trail, today being the coldest at ~0F
Our local hero, Dave the Bicycle SnowPlow guy, made a solid attempt at
clearing the snow, but for various reasons (frozen-over slush mostly)
he was imperfectly successful this snowfall. Riding along the Fox is
_definitely_ a challenge. I had a couple of what we unicyclists call an
unplanned dismount. (The plus side being that all my unicycle riding
has improved my ability to fall less injuriously...) Having a riding
buddy makes it more fun and a bit more reassuring.

some specifics:
I'm riding a hardtail MTB with disc brakes Michelin transworld MTB
(street tread) tires and a 15 watt halogen headlight.

I'm typically pretty well bundled in layers and quite cozy. My ~7 mile
ride http://tinyurl.com/preview.php?num=a2b3p took about 50 mins,
about half of which was on the icy trail.

Unicycle on ice. Wow. I bow my hat too you.

On 5 Dec 2006 08:32:37 -0800, "nash" wrote:

Unicycle on ice. Wow. I bow my hat too you.

I don't think that he was riding the unicycle on the ice. He did
mention a mountain bike. As an aside, if using a unicycle, I think a
studded tire is a prerequisite on ice. We'll have to check the
icebiking faq.

I love looking at people's routes. One of my favorite games is seeing
how many levels I have to go up before I recognize the state. Once I
saw Chicago (two levels) the cat was out of the bag.

I did ride over my first ice of the season this morning. Just some
frozen over puddles but it's a start. Now I can look forward to that
first day when I can ride without a jacket.

dgk wrote:
On 5 Dec 2006 08:32:37 -0800, "nash" wrote:

Unicycle on ice. Wow. I bow my hat too you.

I don't think that he was riding the unicycle on the ice. He did
mention a mountain bike. As an aside, if using a unicycle, I think a
studded tire is a prerequisite on ice. We'll have to check the
icebiking faq.

I love looking at people's routes. One of my favorite games is seeing
how many levels I have to go up before I recognize the state. Once I
saw Chicago (two levels) the cat was out of the bag.

I did ride over my first ice of the season this morning. Just some
frozen over puddles but it's a start. Now I can look forward to that
first day when I can ride without a jacket.

Funny here in FL I look forward to the first day I feel like I NEED a
jacket!

Ken
--
The bicycle is just as good company as most husbands and, when it gets
old and shabby, a woman can dispose of it and get a new one without
shocking the entire community. ~Ann Strong

On Tue, 05 Dec 2006 13:06:03 -0500, "Ken C. M."
wrote:

dgk wrote:
On 5 Dec 2006 08:32:37 -0800, "nash" wrote:

Unicycle on ice. Wow. I bow my hat too you.

I don't think that he was riding the unicycle on the ice. He did
mention a mountain bike. As an aside, if using a unicycle, I think a
studded tire is a prerequisite on ice. We'll have to check the
icebiking faq.

I love looking at people's routes. One of my favorite games is seeing
how many levels I have to go up before I recognize the state. Once I
saw Chicago (two levels) the cat was out of the bag.

I did ride over my first ice of the season this morning. Just some
frozen over puddles but it's a start. Now I can look forward to that
first day when I can ride without a jacket.

Funny here in FL I look forward to the first day I feel like I NEED a
jacket!

Ken

My mom rides in Florida, well, she'll be back at it once they finish
cleaning out a few stents as she's in for artery cleaning at the
moment. She said that it has been very windy in Florida lately.

I really prefer weather that doesn't force me to change clothing
between the AM and PM rides. Today is a perfect example. Ass freezing
cold in the AM, and ass freezing cold in the PM. Of course, I have to
switch gloves after the first 20 minutes or so both ways.

On Dec 5, 12:00 pm, dgk wrote:
On 5 Dec 2006 08:32:37 -0800, "nash" wrote:

Unicycle on ice. Wow. I bow my hat too you.I don't think that he was riding the unicycle on the ice.

He did mention a mountain bike. As an aside, if using a unicycle, I think a
studded tire is a prerequisite on ice. We'll have to check the
icebiking faq.

Indeed, i was riding a two-wheeler.

One can uni on _smooth_ ice on regular tires w/o studs (i have, Maxxis
Hookworm), but it's a little sketchy. ... a lot sketchy. ok, i spent a
lot of time horizontal. DTTAH. Being too much of a cheap skate to shell
out for a 24" studded Nokian tire, i've had some success simply lacing
low grit-# sandpaper to my tire ... not really durable, but it's good
enough for the occasional spin.

..max

On 5 Dec 2006 11:02:27 -0800, "what does THIS button do?"
wrote:



On Dec 5, 12:00 pm, dgk wrote:
On 5 Dec 2006 08:32:37 -0800, "nash" wrote:

Unicycle on ice. Wow. I bow my hat too you.I don't think that he was riding the unicycle on the ice.

He did mention a mountain bike. As an aside, if using a unicycle, I think a
studded tire is a prerequisite on ice. We'll have to check the
icebiking faq.

Indeed, i was riding a two-wheeler.

One can uni on _smooth_ ice on regular tires w/o studs (i have, Maxxis
Hookworm), but it's a little sketchy. ... a lot sketchy. ok, i spent a
lot of time horizontal. DTTAH. Being too much of a cheap skate to shell
out for a 24" studded Nokian tire, i've had some success simply lacing
low grit-# sandpaper to my tire ... not really durable, but it's good
enough for the occasional spin.

.max

Sandpaper for an ice tire. That should really be the cover photo for
"Icebiking Today" magazine.

what does THIS button do? wrote:
It's officially snowy in ILlinois, since last Thursday night. I've had
a few days along the Fox River Trail, today being the coldest at ~0F
Our local hero, Dave the Bicycle SnowPlow guy, made a solid attempt at
clearing the snow, but for various reasons (frozen-over slush mostly)
he was imperfectly successful this snowfall. Riding along the Fox is
_definitely_ a challenge. I had a couple of what we unicyclists call an
unplanned dismount. (The plus side being that all my unicycle riding
has improved my ability to fall less injuriously...) Having a riding
buddy makes it more fun and a bit more reassuring.

some specifics:
I'm riding a hardtail MTB with disc brakes Michelin transworld MTB
(street tread) tires and a 15 watt halogen headlight.

I'm typically pretty well bundled in layers and quite cozy. My ~7 mile
ride http://tinyurl.com/preview.php?num=a2b3p took about 50 mins,
about half of which was on the icy trail.

Riding along the Fox Trail can be a challenge when the trail is dry. I
always found the two crossings of Route 25 in St. Charles to be scary,
considering a lot of people drive 10-20 mph over the speed limit. The
right-angle turn by the (now demolished [1]) Hillquist Excavating
location was always tricky, and there are often many slippery goose
droppings near Fun Land.

For real insanity, there is the Illinois Prairie Path Batavia Spur
south from Fermilab - how one is expected to cross Butterfield Road
safely is beyond me. A bridge to grade separate the crossing is needed.

[1] Has the new restaurant (or other replacement) been built?

--
Tom "Former Batavia Resident" Sherman - Post Free or Die!

I guess you're colder in Chicago than we are in Milwaukee. The coldest
we've had so far is +4F this morning. I got in a 5 mile ride last Friday
(blizzard day - 12 inches of snow and up to 40 mph winds - by going out at
midnight, before the snow started. Then 28 miles on Sat., mostly up and
down Lincoln Memorial Dr., which was well salted, 6 on Sunday in 6F weather,
a real tough 42 mile RT commute Monday, with quite a few streets still
somewhat icy, and light snow in the PM, and a much easier 39 mile RT commute
today, albeit at 4F starting out in the AM. The roads are decidedly
improved by today, and the PM temperatures were up to about 23F.
"what does THIS button do?" wrote in message
ups.com...
It's officially snowy in ILlinois, since last Thursday night. I've had
a few days along the Fox River Trail, today being the coldest at ~0F
Our local hero, Dave the Bicycle SnowPlow guy, made a solid attempt at
clearing the snow, but for various reasons (frozen-over slush mostly)
he was imperfectly successful this snowfall. Riding along the Fox is
_definitely_ a challenge. I had a couple of what we unicyclists call an
unplanned dismount. (The plus side being that all my unicycle riding
has improved my ability to fall less injuriously...) Having a riding
buddy makes it more fun and a bit more reassuring.

some specifics:
I'm riding a hardtail MTB with disc brakes Michelin transworld MTB
(street tread) tires and a 15 watt halogen headlight.

I'm typically pretty well bundled in layers and quite cozy. My ~7 mile
ride http://tinyurl.com/preview.php?num=a2b3p took about 50 mins,
about half of which was on the icy trail.

In article . com,
"Johnny Sunset aka Tom Sherman" wrote:


Riding along the Fox Trail can be a challenge when the trail is dry. I
always found the two crossings of Route 25 in St. Charles to be scary,
considering a lot of people drive 10-20 mph over the speed limit.

Ah yes. I live about a block away from that spot.

I'm sure you're going to enjoy what the City of St. Charles did to the
little park at the southernmost crossing... pretty much everything east
of the trail is now a "wetland", and now _all_ foot traffic is going to
be shunted onto the trail instead of the nice (already qualifying as
wetland) grassy area. It will make the Hillquist corner look
well-engineered by comparison. You'll see.

I predict a very unsatisfactory series meeting of peds and bikers in
that park [riverside park] this summer, punctuated by ambulance calls,
spilled blood and bad feelings.

I'll put up a flicker picture later... there's going to be a real useage
conflict vastly aggrevated by local geometry.

The
right-angle turn by the (now demolished [1]) Hillquist Excavating
location was always tricky, and there are often many slippery goose
droppings near Fun Land.

For those not in the know, it's a 90 degree short radius turn with big
river stones on either side and a ... big privacy fence. going right to
the corner. Great place for a meeting of the minds. and handlebars.


For real insanity, there is the Illinois Prairie Path Batavia Spur
south from Fermilab - how one is expected to cross Butterfield Road
safely is beyond me. A bridge to grade separate the crossing is needed.

I keep hearing it's "on the list" ya. whatever. probably after someone
flattens a pair of 5th graders.

[1] Has the new restaurant (or other replacement) been built?

Not yet, but i hope it's a) good and b) has a cyclist friendly outdoor
cafe facing the river!