Fox Cities Cycling Club
A Recreational Bike Club in Appleton and the Fox Cities of Wisconsin
Weekly Wednesday Rides--April Through September
More Ride Listings and Fun Events- They're all fun. Go on a couple. Riding and SkiingWell, more like just riding. I've been doing quite a bit. Even took my road bike off its trainer, out of the basement, and hung it back in the garage. Haven't used it this winter. Not going to. Been riding outside. Just around town, really. But it's a workout. There isn't much snow and the streets are all plowed, so the city streets are super easy to pedal on. I don't blow through the stop signs, so it's hard to work up a sweat on the streets. That's okay. I just use the streets to pedal from one hard spot to another. Yesterday I rode to the fitness trail. It's a woodsy trail along our river which at this time is covered in packed snow, crispy snow that I broke through, ice (hurray for studs), or mud (in the sunshine). From there I took the streets to Bucholtz park. It has a short road that circles the crown of a knoll. I ride the road (plowed=easy) then attack the hill (steep + unplowed=hard). I ride back to the road, then repeat it. By the time I had used the streets to catch my breath, I had ridden from the park to the airport. While the airport is fenced off, there is a 4-wheeler track around it. Put three inches of snow on it, or some mud, and you've got enough resistance even on level ground to make you think you're climbing High Cliff hill. Problem is, when you turn around, there's no downhill on the way back. On the way back home I passed another river park, Olen. It's flat and open mowed lawn (in the summer) with trees here and there, not a woods. The road around it is nearly clear of snow, unlike two weeks ago, so I got off onto the grass frequently. It was fun turning hard enough to break my back wheel free, pedaling to keep it spinning, then coming back to the straight line. It was a great one hour ride, and I never left the city limits. They're Legal !Studded tires aren’t really necessary for riding in snow, but on ice or hard packed snow, nothing beats them. There is something just sassy about riding up a grade of sheer ice on a bicycle, getting better traction than a car. I’ve been riding to work for several years (illegally, apparently). This year I’ve been riding for more enjoyment, there being not enough snow for skiing. I’ve always enjoyed Christmas rides. It was snowing during the Friday evening before Christmas this year. Those times are beautiful. The tires just made a hushing whoosh through the snow. The Christmas lights were on. Beautiful.  Check out some local bike shops for studded tires. When I got mine, they were hard to find. Besides other sites, I used mainly Peter White’s site for my education. The site discusses more than just tire attributes. Regarding tires, a friend recommended Nokian Mount and Ground, with studs on the edge of the tire. I ended up getting the Hakkapeliitta. It has studs just on either side of the center. This means I take corners slowly, I don’t want to lean too much and get off the studs. My son-in-law recently chose a tire that combines both. Icebike is also an excellent site. Besides the standard winter clothing, I recommend two specific pieces of equipment. First is a mirror. True, we can always turn our heads and look. We do it in summer, right?. I tried that with a winter coat, neck gator, in a rut on dicey snow wanting to turn left, without turning left in front of a car. I decided then and there to get the mirror. I haven’t turned back since. The second piece is a balaclava. A neck gator is okay, but a balaclava really covers everything. I got a Shampa Pharaoh. Being designed for motorcycles, it has a wind proof front panel. Nice. Local Bike Shops - ...squeeze the saddles, smell the tires, and fondle the titanium |