Winter Biking

[freeclimb9]

I published this short article in the local paper, and thought yous lot may be interested in the info:

Utah Winter Mountain Bike Riding

By Will McCarthy, 10-2002

A lot of riders know biking on the awesome roads and tracks in Utah’s red-rock country doesn’t stop in winter. But few realize the packed snow trails throughout the state also provide a great surface for riding. I’ve had fun experimenting with this concept, which opens up thousands of miles of trail during the winter. All it takes are a couple alterations to my bike, and I’m ready to go.

 

Really, I only need to alter the rims for snow riding. A super wide rim with a tire run at low pressure maximizes the tire’s footprint. With a huge tire footprint I basically float over sections of trail where I’d otherwise auger the front wheel and endo. Downhill rims are wide and more than burly enough, but the fattest rim –nearly obese– is the SnowCat.

 

The SnowCat rim resulted from brainstorms of Iditabike competitors in the late 80’s. The Iditabike has evolved to a human-powered race series called the Iditasport, which is held in February over sections of Alaska’s Iditarod trail. The SnowCat has become essential equipment for its bike rider participants. It also works great for trails here in Utah. The rim is distributed by the All Weather Sports shop in Fairbanks Alaska (www.allweathersports.com), and is available in diameters of both 26 and 29 inches. The SnowCat rims mount on most mountain bikes without frame modifications despite their 44mm width. When I switch out rims, I only have to adjust my bike’s cantilever brakes.

 

Any tire with a wide knob pattern works fine for snow. I use regular, all-around Continental tires with Presta valve tubes. For really icy conditions, I could put on tire chains, or specialized studded tires from Nokian, Schwalbe, or Nashbar. Fortunately, the famously dry Utah snow packs into trails mostly free of ice. I start a typical ride with a tire pressure of around 15 to 20 psi. When the trail gets soft, I incrementally lower the pressure to minimize rolling resistance, and go as low as 5 psi. To keep the tires from creeping around the rim, I glue one side using tubular tire glue. The tires don’t bulge out beyond the rim, so snake bit tubes are extremely rare. On a hard surface like pavement, or frozen mud, I can pump the tires to their full spec value.

 

If I’ve been harsh on my bike in the summer and autumn, it shows when the temps drop below freezing. Any water that’s gotten into brake or shifter cables will freeze to render them useless. To avoid this problem, I just replace the cables each year. I also check the bottom bracket and headset to make sure they’re clean and dry.

 

Before blasting into the snow, I let my bike sit in the cold for a while. On a cold bike, the snow won’t stick, melt, and refreeze. I clean my bike after a ride by brushing off the accumulated snow, or by pouring a gallon or two of warm water over it before bringing it inside to dry. Then I let it dry completely before riding again.

 

Truly cold temps can solidify grease to lock the rear hub into freewheel, or cause chain suck. I’ve ridden in temps as low as –10 F°, and haven’t had a problem with the Dumonde Tech Bicycle lubricants I use. Sub-zero temps can also damage the seals on gas suspension forks, but spring and elastomer suspensions don’t seem to suffer.

 

I have had problems in winter with frozen water bottles. I now wear a hydration pack under my wind jacket and tuck the mouthpiece under my collar. I also bring snacks that remain chewable when frozen. Chocolate is a perennial favorite.

 

Riding generates a lot of body heat, and I am comfortable wearing surprisingly few layers. My usual dilemma is warding off self-made wind chill while simultaneously avoiding sweat condensation. The WindStopper® fleece fabric seems heaven-sent for some apparel items, and the snow and wind shedding abilities of Schoeller® fabric rip when the white stuff falls. To keep hands and feet warm, I wear the thickest layers on them. Ski gloves, thick socks, and neoprene booties pulled over my loose-fitting bike shoes have been enough for me. Generally, I know that if I’m kind of chilly when standing outside before riding, I’ll be perfectly warm once I start pedaling. The first hundred yards of a ride are always the coldest.

 

Since nightfall comes quickly during winter, I carry lights to see and be seen in the dark. I don’t need high wattage since the snow’s reflectance amplifies any light I have. A taillight gives me some peace of mind in the dark for being overcome by fast-traveling snowmobiles. Batteries get sapped quickly in the cold, so I store them in my hydration pack before use.

 

Fresh snow of up to half a foot in depth doesn’t slow me down, but –even with super-fat rims on my bike– I can’t float deep powder. I seek out packed trails to ride, and the easiest way to find them is to follow my motorized counterparts. Snowmobilers create wonderful bike trails. Even the Iditasport riders primarily follow snowmobile tracks.

 

In a typical winter, Utah has literally thousands of miles of snowmobile trails. The U.S. Forest Service maintains over 850 miles of groomed trail along with several trailheads throughout the state, and their offices carry maps. There are also online resources such as www.utah.com/snowmobile. Many of the state’s great summer riding trails transform into snowmobile-packed winter trails. And, the miserably dust-choked dirt roads of summer can become super sweet winter rides. The groomed trails are often wide, smooth, and fast –for both bikes and snowmobiles. Un-groomed trails develop whoop-dee-dos as the season progresses, and are a lot of fun to ride, too.

 

I mostly ride out of my home base in Cache Valley, and favorite local trails include the Left Hand Blacksmith Fork canyon that splits from state route 101 near milepost 13 and the Tony Grove Lake road off of US route 89 near milepost 192. Along the Wasatch Front, the Bonneville Shoreline trail offers fun riding on foot-packed snow, and is accessible from many points along its ninety-mile length (www.bonneville-trail.org). Explorations further south have revealed some real gems like Maple Canyon out of the Sanpete Valley and a ride from Joe’s Valley to Huntington Reservoir. This coming winter, I want to check out American Fork Canyon, the Wasatch Mountain State Park, and the plateau around Brian Head.

 

To keep the rubber side down when riding, I use smooth pedal action and relax my upper body. I use a soft touch on the brakes and subtle movements to slow and steer. Sudden, hard braking will put the bike into a slide, but snow is a forgiving surface to fall onto. Continual braking on a long downhill will heat the rims enough to melt built up snow. When this water refreezes on the rims, the brakes don’t work too well. If ice does coat the rims, I ride while lightly braking until I feel the brakes start to grab.

 

When spring eventually returns, I usually keep riding the SnowCat rims with higher tire pressure until the trails dry and harden up. Then I switch back to my regular rims. By riding through the winter, I keep my riding skills honed, my fitness level up, and enjoy the season a little more. With my ready-made winter wheels, it only takes a few minutes to get my mountain bike ready for the snow. Why don’t you winterize your own? I’ll see you on the trail.

 

 

[Dave_Schuldt]

Thanks, I posted this on our local mountain bike club list serve.

[freeclimb9]

attached are a couple photos from yesterday's test ride. Tropical temps let us dress in light layers. The trailer is a heavily modified BOB with about 55 lbs of water and rocks loaded. We've added a 29" wheel, and shifted the axle to mimic the bike's wheelbase length. It tracked right behind the bike, and exhibited practically no "memory" of turns (memory in the sense of wiggling after turning). Just easier to handle in general than the un-modified trailer we tested alongside for comparison. And check the Surly bike! One F@<$!ng Speed!

We'll use similar trailers modified by the SLO BOB crew for an upcoming trip on the sea ice.

[freeclimb9]

the bike