Winter Cycling Noon and Night

Still eager to hit the snow, I planned on two rides in the same day.  One would be a quick ride to the post office in the snow.  The other would be a longer night ride, with a clear sky and icy roads.  I was also eager to try out some new gear.

I Spy With My Giant Eyes

I had purchased Spy Optics Whip MX Goggles.  I was hoping they would fill the need for anti-fogging eye-wear.  I was also hoping for something that would be comfortable, especially over the course of a long ride.

The other piece to keep my face warm is a Seirus Neofleece Combo Scarf.  It works like a face mask that has a nose opening.  There are lots of small openings around the mouth.  It can also be flipped down so it functions like a scarf.

Very thin, very warm.

And of course, when you wear them both you look like a badass ninja.

I am a badass ninja!

The last bit of wear would be my MEC Watchtower Pants.  They're actually the 2013 version I bought on clearance.  It seemed like a great layer to use as an alternative to my usual thermal tights.  I would be wearing them with my Drencher pants to see if I ended up sweating a lot.  For a shirt and jacket I went with a very thin polyester shirt and my red rain coat.  The idea was using less insulating base layers so maybe I could be waterproof on the outside and sweat proof on the inside.

I started my quick noon ride.  The goggles turned out to be just what I was looking for.  They didn't fog up regardless of my activity level and they were very comfortable on my face.  In addition the wide band ends up insulating your ears a bit.  The lenses can also be changed out for new ones that block out various spectrum.  The only big downside is it did not play friendly with my cheap head lamps.  Not a fault of the goggles though; I should be using a bicycle helmet friendly headlamp. 

The mask was very easy to breath through but the material turned out to be very warm.  I ended up pulling it down into a scarf shape a few minutes. after I started riding.  At my halfway point I just removed the mask entirely and pocketed it.  I still believe this mask is going to be a great asset when it gets substantially colder.  Right now it is simply too warm.

My new layering idea didn't quite work.  Even for a short ride I found I was getting entirely too warm.  I think I need a windproof jacket that has a bit of breath-ability.  And perhaps some tights with built in water resistance.

The evening brought lower visibility and colder temperatures.  But I wasn't going to try the same layers.  Instead I'd be wearing a MEC Ardent Jersey with the MEC Watchman pants.  There was no snow so water resistance wasn't necessary.  Because of this I skipped out on the eye-wear portion entirely.

As I headed off to check out the MUP, I noticed that I was at the perfect temperature; not too hot and not too cold.  It looks like the combination was a good one.  The tires themselves did an amazing job of sticking to the ground.  My rear tire slipped at a couple of very icy areas but I was able to keep the bike upright without putting a foot on the ground.

Since it was a bit easier to see tonight, I noticed others taking notice of me.  Pedestrians looked at me like I was simply from another planet.  Cars and trucks made sure to drive slowly and cautiously around me.  Since winter biking is new in town I can forgive them if they thought I was an escaped mental patient.

Through both rides I didn't have a single problem with chain slippage.  I stuck to just spinning at a lower intensity and I think that is what did the trick.  I will talk to my bike mechanic and find out if we can narrow the problem further.  I don't want this bike breaking down on me in the middle of nowhere.

Stay tuned for more winter fun!

Finally Some Winter Cycling!

Ride on ice like its dry pavement!

Well, we finally got some temperatures below freezing and some snow, ice and slush.  I was looking forward to putting SubZero (aka Project: SubZero aka The Scrambler).The only downside was I would have to ride after dark; I can't leave any earlier due to my day job.

The weather conditions were not ideal.  The temperature was about -1C.  It was snowing pretty heavily but most of it was melting right away.  Anything that did manage to stick ended up being pretty slushy.  In other words, pretty crappy conditions.  I'm not a commuter so I have the choice to shy away.  If it was raining I would have.  But I've been waiting eagerly to try this bike out in real world conditions.

For clothing I tossed on a MEC Ardent jersey with the Pearl Izumi thermal tights.  I thought about doing a waterproof shell but that combo always ended up too warm.  I wore merino wool socks and my hiking boots on my feet.  For gloves I thought I'd give my lighter MEC gloves a shot.

Snow acting like icing on a muddy cake.

I start off by heading down to the muddy road where I tested before.  I figured if anything the snow would stick there better than on the pavement.  Well after carving myself a path through the sopping wet mess, I found my way there.  There was definitely lots of snow as well as a lot of mud, clay and water.  I found that I was still kicking up mud as it hadn't frozen at all.  Riding through mud with snow on top is even more difficult than riding through mud.  After several minutes of powering through it, I figure it will be more funfun to try out in daylight hours when things are a bit colder.

I set my sights for a nearby multi-use path and started pedalling over.  That's when my chain started slipping a lot.  This is the same problem I had each time I took the bike out!  I've already replaced the chain and had it eyeballed.  It seemed like it had no problems prior.  I figured I should make some observations (what gear, how much slippage, does shifting help, etc.) so I would have lots of data for my bike mechanic.  It seemed to slip more in higher gears; shifting back and forth sometimes seemed to help and sometimes didn't.  But the problem would go away for 5 or 10 minutes at a time before returning to plague me.

Snowiest patch of the entire MUP.

I ended up on the MUP only to be disappointed.  I had been expecting some snow as there was slushy snow on the roads.  In my township, MUPs do not get plowed, roads do.  My guess is the MUP is slightly darker and retained more heat from the daytime sun.

I found my clothing choice was not good with the weather.  I've always concentrated on using certain clothing at certain temperatures.  If it wasn't snowing so heavily I would have been fine.  Snow would land on me and melt instantly due to the warmth I generated.  So in short order my clothes were already wet.  I was starting to feel the cold so I made up with it with some more exerted effort.

Winter cycling version of HIIT!

I found an open field of snow and figured I'd give it a shot.  Well now I know how to peak my heart rate pretty quickly, just mountain bike over some snow and grass!  I got most of the way across when I felt the need to stop.  I quickly realised I was getting cold fast from being wet so I got out by spinning a much smaller gear.

I was running out of fresh terrain to test out on and figured I'd give the nearby parkway a shot.  It was definitely bicycle and runner friendly during the summer.  In the winter it doesn't get cleared so there ends up being less car traffic.  Later in the year there would be a surge of snowmobile and ATVs.

Reflections look better when they aren't pairs of eyes.

Upon arrival I noticed it was pitch black on the parkway.  Really a great way to test lights!  I felt like my lighting situation was sufficient (head lamp, handlebar light, animated pulsing rear light, laser red outline around bike).  But then the dreaded chain slip hit me again.  I started to think about being stuck by myself on the parkway in the dark, already soaked.  Walking home would be a good way to freeze.  So I ended my trip on the parkway early.

Snow.  Or a broken hyperdrive.  Mmm.  Probably snow.

I ended up cycling around on residential streets (and the occasional patch of grass) to get a feel for the snow and slush.  It didn't take long before I started getting chilly; the temperatures kept dropping and I was still wet from the snow.  I really need to learn to mix and match my layers more, to take into account the type of precipitation I was going to experience.  The last time I tried a waterproof shell I had these clothes on underneath; it was entirely too warm.  Maybe I need to try with some lighter layers underneath?

There was one other thing I wanted to check next ride and it involved my chain.  My current hypothesis is that something ends up failing whenever I apply a lot of force to the pedals.  Both times this problem occurred were after I had tried riding through that muddy area.  The other time we experienced chain slippage was after any forceful pedalling in the mountain bike area.  On my next ride I would stick to fast, light spinning and see if I had a similar issue.

Project: SubZero Update 3

Now I just need some ice and snow.

A few weeks ago I had an opportunity to put Project: SubZero through the paces.  I had heard about a mountain biking area nearby and went to check it out.  As I started packing for it, my wife expressed interest in coming along.  We'd have to take turns riding as we only had one mountain bike, and the trails here would have killed our hybrids.  But I'd rather spend time with my wife and share a bike than ride around solo.

The trails were pretty tough to navigate.  There was just so many fallen leaves from autumn covering the path, that sometimes the leaves were a foot or two deep.  You couldn't see rocks, roots or other obstacles.  But we found some areas that weren't too bad and had fun taking turns with Project: SubZero.  We did find there were some gearing issues so we tried to "single speed" it for the most part.

I tried messing with the derailleur when I got back.  I was able to get it shifting properly again but it just seemed off.  I'm not sure if it's an equipment problem or my inexperience with them.

I waited for an opportunity to test it properly.  Finally after several days of rain I was able to take it for a test drive on a back road.  At least, it was a dirt road last time I checked.  It ended up being thick gooey mud.  Normally the sight of a road like this would put me in a bad mood.  But I had a mountain bike equipped with fenders and big knobby tires; a thick gooey muddy road was ideal!

I didn't get in too far as it was starting to get dark.  I turned around and churned up the mud some more.  I found myself laughing as I watched my bike spray mud everywhere.  I felt my rear tire slip a few times as the mud started giving way into puddles.  I managed to stay stable and got out of the mud trap.

Riding a mountain bike is a completely different experience in comparison to road biking.  But I'm learning the one big thing they have in common is they're both fun as hell!

Next stop was another nearby dirt road.  This one didn't turn into gooey mud so I was able to pay more attention to how the shifts were going and other various noises coming from the bike.  While it was shifting there were obviously some problems going on.  I also noticed that my rear wheel was out of true.

The mud spray looks neat when lit up.

A few days later I rinsed off the bike as best I could, then packed it up in the car and headed down to the LBS.  They'll be going over both derailleurs to see what the problem is.  They'll also fix up my wheel so it is true again.  Last, but definitely not least, the studded tires are going on!

Still eagerly awaiting snow and ice.  For the first time since I made snow forts as a kid.

Project SubZero Update 2

All set up and ready to go!

Project: SubZero has made some further progress.  It won't be long before my little blue terror is tearing up some ice.  My road bike had it's last official outdoor day of 2014 so the project has seasonally inherited some goodies.  I will be getting more saddle time in so everything is properly broken in.  I'll just have to use mud as a reasonable substitute for snow until it falls.

Fenders
I had ordered Dave's Mud Shovel front and rear fenders.  They're normally used on fat bikes.  But I was considering wider rims (just not fat-bike wide) and I wanted to make sure to contain the icy carnage being thrown at me.

PDW Origami Front Fender

The front was back ordered.  When it finally came in, the plastic fender had a split in it.  More than likely from the way MEC packed the package.  I didn't want to order another only to wait 2 weeks for another cracked fender, so I went to a local store.  Of course, they don't carry the front fender in store.  So I picked up the PDW Origami front fender to see how it would do.  I'm not sure if I will bring in the rear one, you can't get Origami rear fenders in store either.

While the rear one is much larger than the front, I might still keep it. I'm happy to get as much snow/water coverage from my back tire as possible.

Both fenders are ridiculously easy to install.  The fenders install without needing tools, aside from scissors to cut rubber fasteners.  Once set up it's easy to put on or remove the fenders.  You can use the snaps on the fenders themselves or easily remove the entire mount.  The fenders can flatten out and be tossed into a backpack.  Their flexibility would be an asset in surviving crashes.

I heard that using a non-stick cooking spray on fenders will stop snow and slushy accumulation.  When we start seeing some snow I will crack out the PAM and put this theory to the test.

Lights

I had the opportunity to try my existing road bike light in dark conditions.  It is a MEC Zinger 480.  It is a USB rechargable LED headlight.  On the highest setting it produces a light at 480 lumens.  I was pretty happy with the visibility and will stick to using this on Project: SubZero.

I had my light mostly aimed down in the photo to the right.  I found that it was able to light up signs from far away and it gave adequate riding light.  I could have aimed it slightly higher and gotten a much larger patch of light in front of me.  I really didn't want to try my luck though, I already had one person high beam me because of my "overpowering" front light.  No kidding, take a look at the video below.

Lasers with camera flash.

Lasers without camera flash.

My rear light was an interesting find on AliExpress.  It uses a pair of AAA cells and provides 5 LED red lights and 2 red laser lines.  There are a variety of settings for blinking patterns for both.  It feels pretty flimsy but what else do you want for $5 including shipping?

So far it looks great, the pictures don't do it justice.  But I will have to watch that rear fender as it can block the lasers if moved around.

I also have a LED head lamp.  It's a Black Diamond that is several years old.  Can't find the specs online so I don't know how many lumen's it produces.  But thanks to it being liberated from my camping gear, it has a very low cost of 0 dollars.  Hard to beat!

Reflective Strips

I added in reflective strips so I would be legal to ride in Ontario at night.  I'm not sure if it applies for off-road cycling but you never know when I might end up on a roadway. They went on fine but I did have to trim some material to fit around cable mounts.  Despite my dislike for uglying up my bicycle, I do notice they're extremely reflective.

I'm also hoping they do give me a different looking profile than a snowmobile or ATV at night.

Horn, Light, (on stem) RFLKT+, Action Cam, Bell
(below) Handlebar bag..

Other Changes

Since my road bicycle is moving indoors for the winter, I have a bunch of gadgetry that I will be moving over to Project: SubZero.  I also had a few items that didn't work out.

Additions:

• Electric Horn. Great for when you need more decibels than a bell can provide.
• Action Cam. So I can capture whatever winter action I find.
• Handlebar Bag. I usually put my emergency tools, first aid, phone and other goodies in here.
• RFLKT+ Mount.  I will be using my RFLKT+ in spin class but I have two mounts.  I put the stem mount one on Project: SubZero.  So I can switch the head unit between either bike.

Removals:

• Saddle Bag.  Tried replacing it with 2 other saddle bags I have.  Nothing would fit with both the fender and the rear light.  Will just use front bag and backpack in lieu of a saddle bag.
• Phone Mount.  I don't really need it as I have the RFLKT+ showing me everything I need.  I will either put the phone in the front bag or in my coat.  The latter seems to be a great idea for when its very cold.  I will probably have this on the hybrid as it has no RFLKT+ mount.
• Snack Pouch.  I was going to put it on here but it would just ensure my food would freeze.  It only has a mesh cover.  Better for me to just put food in a backpack.

Project: SubZero Update 1

Project Status

Project SubZero

Things have been moving along well with Project: SubZero.  I've had a chance to pick out a lot of things I'll need on sale.  I've also had some time to think about all the upgrades the bike needs.  With everything I have so far, I'm just a tire change away from riding on ice.

While most of the items in question are exclusively for Project: SubZero, a few of them are seasonal hand-me-downs from my road bike.

Chain
I made several attempts at cleaning up the original chain.  But it hadn't really been maintained well.  After repeated attempts, wiping the chain would still leave a stain of corrosion.  A quick trip to my LBS got me a shiny new stainless steel chain.  Since I won't be near salt too often (mostly off road) and I'm ridiculously compulsive when it comes to cleaning bicycle chains, I expect this new one to last the winter.

Bell

Ding Ding!

Since it is a requirement in Ontario, I added a generic bell.  Ding ding!

I have a loud horn on the Valence that I might move over, once the Valence is on the trainer.  I don't expect a lot of people to hear Ding Ding through closed car windows, snowmobile helmets or pedestrian winter head wear.

Wheels
I wanted to get a wider rim as I had heard it can improve traction in winter conditions by allowing lower pressure.  That being said, I want to keep things on the cheap.  So unless I run into a really good deal, I'll just run the wheels I have.

Fenders
I was looking at several fenders out there and the Dave's Shovel line from Portland Design Works really stand out.  They're made for fat bikes but I think they'd work out well on this bike; they're thin, easily removed and will fit whatever tire/rim combo I want.  That being said, getting said fenders is a pain.  They're pretty cheap at MEC but the front one is back ordered.  We'll see what I end up using

Everything fits nicely.

 Pogies

Access to brakes and shifters

Pogies are a great idea.  They're like big mitts for your handlebars.  The only problem with cycling pogies are the price.  So I went looking for a bargain, something that would at least keep wind and water off my hands.  I would still need gloves but lighter gloves would do.

Where's the ice?  Lets go!

I ended up trying out a pair of Kwik Tech Scooter Mitts.  I don't expect these will keep my hands super warm.  But as long as they keep the wind and moisture off my hands they'll be fine.

Click here to see Kwik Tek Scooter Hand Mitts at Amazon.ca
Click here to see Kwik Tek ScootR Hand Mitts at Amazon.com


Lights
Lights continue to evade me.  I know I want something bright enough that any potential car or snowmobile can clearly see me.  I will be moving all my current lights to Project: SubZero at the end of the road bike season.  I also ordered a neat rear light that's also supposed to mark the ground with red lasers.  It is a slow shipping process from overseas so I'm not sure when it'll arrive.  In the meantime I have my eyes peeled for good deals on lights, either really reduced sale price or used.

If you look very closely, you'll notice the pattern in the tires
clearly spells.... BADASS. :D

Tires
I was shopping around for a studded tire.  There are several on the market.  I was able to eliminate a lot of them (winter commuter tires) by focusing on tires with off-road capability.

Originally I wanted to pick up a pair of Schwalbe Ice Spiker tires.  They have 304 studs and have a nice knobby pattern to them.  But then I ran into a deal on some used Schwalbe Ice Spiker Pros (even lighter and have 361 studs).  I won't be putting them on until we're close to freezing rain weather.

Click here to see Schwalbe Ice Spiker Pro HS 379 at Amazon.com

Phone
I am picking up a used phone mount for the bike.  I will run this until it dips below -5C, then the phone will just live in my coat.  The pictures so far have my current mount, but the used one I am getting looks similar.

My head unit.  I cannot say that without smirking.

Computer
I have a head unit /display that connects to my phone wirelessly and displays the stats (distance speed etc).  I had an extra mount for it, which will live on this bike.  It has a quick release mechanism so its easy for me to use the head unit on this bike and on the indoor trainer.

Camera
I've been thinking about a helmet based mount which would resolve the problem.  Alternatively I may just seasonally hand-me-down the handlebar mount from the Valence.

My saddlebag is looking flabby.

Bags
I tossed on an old saddle bag that wasn't being used.  To be honest I'm not crazy about it but its cheaper than buying a new one.  I may have to ditch it depending on the fender I end up using.

I also have other options.  I have a couple of backpacks that would work out well.  There's also handlebar bag I'm using on my road bike that I will also transfer on (once the Valence gets parked on a trainer).

Rear holds rum, front holds cola.

Bottle Cages
Threw 2 on.  I wasn't sure at first if I would use bottles or my hydration pack.  They don't have to be exclusive though; your pack can carry water and the bottles can carry hot liquids in a thermos, like coffee or soup.

I notice on this frame I can't use big 24oz Polar bottles in both holders so I'll need to steal liberate my wife's smaller 20oz Polar bottle.

Lubricant
I have been asking around for a good winter lubricant.  Someone recommended Fluid Film to me.  It is winter rated, non toxic and not a solvent.  It displaces water very well and it is also a rust inhibitor.  So for the duration of the winter, this will be both my lubricant and my frame protector.

Click here to see Fluid Film at Canadian Tire

In order to obey
Ontario HTA 62 (17)

Reflective Strips
Again, to keep things legal in Ontario.  In Ontario any night riding (or 30 mins before/after dusk/dawn) requires these sticky strips be adhered to your forks.  I think they will ugly up my bike.  But I'd rather be ugly than squished by a snowmobile or car.  And the strips cost much less than a ticket does.

Click here to see Cycle Stripes at MEC

Great for ice biking and ice for rum and cokes!

Ice, Snow, Winter, Rain?!
So now I just need some weather that is conducive to winter riding.  Until then its road biking on the tolerable days and this bike out on cold muddy days.  But for the first time in many years, I'm looking forward to lots of adverse weather.  Years of clearing snow and driving a car on icy roads has made me hate winter.  I'm really hope this bike changes how I feel about snow and ice!

Project: SubZero

The Project

I wanted to try my hand at winter biking.  It seemed like a poor investment to buy an expensive bike just to see if I liked biking in the winter.  So instead I opted for something that was cheaper to try out.  If I'm really into it, I can invest in a better ride at a later date.

So I established Project: SubZero, my winter biking project.  Something that was within a small budget that I could taste the on-road and off-road conditions that Canadian winters offered.  I started shopping for a bike using the criteria below.

• Cheap. Both for the initial price and how much I would have to invest in repairs and upgrades.
• Resist Corrosion. Winter here means lots of snow and ice and salt. I figured something with an aluminum frame would be a good start.
• Winter Features. Winter tires, fenders, disc brakes. Any features that would make it appealing for winter usage. Anything it was lacking, I would need to add.
• Off-Road. With low visibility and icy conditions, some of the safest driving will be in the countryside. Literally. And if things don't work out with winter cycling, I'd have something I could take off road in warmer seasons.

The Bike

Project SubZero, pre-upgrades.

I found a 2010 Norco Scrambler that met with a lot of my criteria.  You can see some of its stats at Norco's web site.  It was cheap, it had an aluminum frame and it had disc brakes.  The tires were pretty knobby; not ideal for ice but could be fun for snowy conditions and open fields.

First thing to go was the handlebars, it had risers that someone had cut short.  This was replaced with a used riser that was full length.  The disc brakes were fixed up and the derailleurs were cleaned and tuned.

So after a bit of a refresh, it is in great operating condition.  Took it for a quick spin around the block and amused my wife while trying to drive in and out of ditches.  It is definitely fun to ride!  I'm not sure I'll wait until winter to start riding around on it.

Bike Upgrades

Now that the bike is in running condition, its time to prepare it for Project SubZero.

• Fenders: Some mud guard style mountain bike fenders.  Front ones attached to the fork and a rear one coming off the seat post.  This should help with the snow and slush issues.
• Lights: Canadian winters mean reduced daylight.  So it's very important that you can be seen by drivers.  I will probably move my existing lights onto this bike for the season.  I'm also thinking about doing my own setup using high intensity LED strips.  It may end up making me look like a gaudy UFO, but that still looks much better than the view from under a car.
• Tires: I've been thinking about this one.  The existing knobby tires seem like they'd be fun to run through snow.  But with some studded tires, I could ride on the road during freezing rain or packed ice.  I'm still thinking about it as studded tires don't fit in with doing it on the cheap (they sell locally for ~$100 each).  But it would be pretty awesome to go riding on some frozen rivers!

I'm still kicking a few ideas around.  Like switching to a flat bar and adding in bar ends.  But it might be better to stick to the riser and just go with pogies.  Decisions, decisions...