Thursday we cycled down to A&W to meet friends for breakfast. It wasn't overly cold, and there's a good trail most of the way.
Winter Cycling
- Thread starter Number_35
- Start date
I used to ride my bicycle to deliver papers summer and winter. To improve traction in winter I wrapped binder twine around the wheels. One day, in the middle of my route, I suddenly woke up in the middle of the street with a terrific headache. I wasn't wearing a bike helmet, but then again they hadn't been invented yet.
The only consolation was my parents took delivery of our first television that day and I got to stay home all afternoon and watch Howdy Doody.
I wonder how many IQ points I lost in that little episode.
The only consolation was my parents took delivery of our first television that day and I got to stay home all afternoon and watch Howdy Doody.
I wonder how many IQ points I lost in that little episode.
I tried the rope-around-the-tire trick with my first mountain bike - and then realized I had rendered the bike unrideable due to interference with the rim brakes. (It would work fine with coaster brakes or disc brakes; I assume your bike had coaster brakes.)
So then I tried sheet metal screws through the knobbies on the outer edges of the tire. They worked reasonably well, but wore very quickly.
We got the fat bikes in 2015. I found the wide tires run at low pressure generally gave good traction. After my wife had a nasty fall in 2017, I bought studded tires for both bikes. The carbide studs have been really good.
*******
As far as IQ loss, I presume that was due to watching Howdy Doody rather than the concussion.
(I was too young for Howdy, but I'm sure incurred lots of brain rot watching Beanie and Cecil, Do Do The Kid From Outer Space, Mr Ed, My Mother The Car, etc.)
Yes, it was an old time bicycle with coaster brakes. A binder twine wrap actually worked pretty well in snow except, as I discovered, there is no improvement in lateral traction, thus the fall on ice.
I don't remember falling or a short period before that (ante grade memory loss - which is a negative sign) but I was probably only briefly unconscious (a positive sign) and recovered very quickly (seconds to minutes, which is another positive sign).
This getting knocked out stuff is a risk for future dementia. But then again most active males have been knocked out a couple of times.
Yesterday was fun ...
Actually not as bad as it looks - the wind was behind me earlier on.
Coming home against the wind, it was much milder - the temperature had come up at least 10°C.
Actually not as bad as it looks - the wind was behind me earlier on.
Coming home against the wind, it was much milder - the temperature had come up at least 10°C.
We are now far more aware of the seriousness of concussions, even minor ones.
I've been saved from what I think would have been significant concussions twice. Both times, a bike helmet did what it was supposed to - compressing under the impact and absorbing the energy. I did not pass out either time.
One of my medical colleagues used to ride his bicycle to work, even for emergency calls. One morning after having been to the emergency department the night before, he couldn't remember getting home. He checked his helmet and found it was badly fractured. He must have had a severe crash, had somehow gotten home and gone to bed, thankfully waking up in the morning.
That could have been a cyclist found dead in bed event.
AZjeff
$50 Site Donor 2023
My big concerns so far this season are sunburn and snakes, it has been warmer than normal. Did touch a bit of snow last week on a very shaded north facing trail but survived. Not complaining.
My wife and I cycled in northern Colorado in 2023 and 2024, and were impressed by the "beware of rattlesnakes" signs on one trail.
We are not as impressed by snow.
I've compressed two helmets (by falling and hitting my head on the ground) during the 40 years I've worn a helmet for cycling. That's infrequent, and yet very worthwhile.
Likewise, seatbelts have saved me once over my many years of driving. Still worth it.
The city crews did a good job clearing and laying down sand on this bike trail. The photo is from this morning, around 0815.
Nice they never clean any bike trail or lanes around here. Even trash.. Only snowed once here just the wind ugh. 45mph gust tomorrow so might drive, I hate cold strong winds.
45 mph in the winter would be brutal - and the of course wind always seems to be against me ...
One exception - in May 2019 we cycled the Lake Wobegon Trail in south-central Minnesota. This was out-and-backs from St John's U in Collegeville. One day we had a tremendous tailwind all the way out to Sauk Centre. Easy peasy ...until we turned around to head back. We were crawling into the headwind.
Chuck, what was the temperature?
Balmy (for mid-January)! Around -6°C (c. 21°F) with no wind. It rose to around freezing (0°C/32°F) later on.
Our longterm temperature trough is January 15 - 18, with lows of -23°C (-9°F), highs of -13°C (9°F), and a mean of -18°C (0°F). The temperature lags the sun by 3 to 4 weeks.
I knew it was gonna be negative double digits.
Minus 36.
This was this morning's outing to and from the nearby A&W to meet up with the breakfast gang.
I was OK on the there with the wind mostly behind me. Riding home was challenging.
Can you believe my wife declined to ride today?
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