Bike lane snow angel.
(Photo © J. Maus
(Photo © J. Maus
Wow.
Lots of fresh and fluffy snow out there this morning.
Please use this post to report what your plans are and what the riding conditions are like in your neck of the woods.
Here at the Maus House we’re bundling up for some sledding and snowman making. I hope the snow keeps up so I can get up to the hill for some SnowBombing Sunday night.
Enjoy the weekend and stay warm.
Thanks for reading.
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I hope the snow sticks around after the 25th. That’s when I come home for the Holidays! I can’t wait.
Eye my fendered cross bike for a snow ride. I have used it all week with great success and no falls. BB
Eyeing my fendered cross bike for a snow ride. I have used it all week with great success and no falls. BB
I rode (again) from SE 30th & Burnside to Broadway and 15th. Not real far, but far enough in this weather!!
To be quite honest, it wasn’t too bad. I just took it REAL slow while breaking, and had to remember not to “burn-out” when starting up again. I’ve found while riding the last couple days that the real problem isn’t the weather, it’s the DRIVERS!! Near Lloyd center, the damn shoppers are giving me about 4in of space IN THE SNOW!!! WTF? Calm down please XMAS shoppers. My close call ratio increased ten-fold (literally) on the rides home, due ONLY to the cars being impatient and rude. So far the weather hasn’t stopped me. Just be patient and aware, and stay out of whatever you feel is dangerous. It’s your right.
ITS TOTALLY AWESOME.
snow just over an inch deep everywhere, and more on the way.
i just rode the cargo bike from mlk/killingsworth out ainsworth to denver, and then denver to lombard, to pick up a load of firewood (about 150 lbs or so), and then rode back. took an hour, counting loading and conversation. about to go back for another. then, im gonna run my recycling up to new seasons concordia and cash in the refundables, and then ride over to se to do some errands.
ive seen more bikes on the road on that short short jaunt into north than i saw on my commute all week. these conditions are way better for riding than theyve been all week, and while its cold, i encourage everyone to get out and try it if they want to. you can ride fast, but just dont do anything sudden – turns, acceleration, braking, none of that. its a hell of a lot of fun.
LET IT SNOW LET IT SNOW LET IT SNOW!
It’s really nice out – I went out on my Electra Amsterdam to both New Seasons on Division and Trader Joe’s on Holgate, and being careful and not making any sudden moves, I didn’t have any problems with slipping or sliding. The crunch of the snow under the tires is a wonderful sound. And it’s so beautiful outside…
Rode down Division this morning into work, and car traffic was movign real slow which was very nice. My cruiser performs great on the snow, and at times I had to brake to keep from passing cars in front of me!
I rode my Brompton to work down SE Salmon St and it was lovely thanks to the custom studded tires my husband built yesterday.
I am considering making the commute to work via bike today. I ride a Bianchi Fremont fixed with skinny slicks… Does anyone think it’s worth a try? or should I just stick to trimet? I’m on the west side and have to ride down barbur blvd for a few miles. All week i’ve just been taking the lane.
(NE, bet. Knott and Fremont)
What beauty!
Not much I can do with either of my narrow-tire steeds, but I bet I could make nice long tracks on X-C skis in the Rose City Golf course. Have fun and be careful, everyone.
I rode out a little ways out NW Skyline on Friday afternoon. It was bare pavement until just above Willamette Stone, then it was slushy.
Mountain bike off-road tires would have done fine. I was a bit uncertain on smooth city tires on my hybrid.
Pix at http://drop.io/redbike
This may sound like an ad, but I was just out on a shopping trip with my new Yuba Mundo, and it’s an absolute dream on the snow. I cruised along with nary a slip, feeling like I was the most stable vehicle on the road. We bought the bike to carry cargo and got a snow freedom vehicle in the bargain!
My biggest problem was figuring out how to keep the scarf from slipping off my nose…
I’m with you Joel.. it’s magical outside! we’re having a lot of fun here in north portland (at Rosa Parks and Michigan).
walked to the market and chatted with a few bikers… including our friend Curt who was on his way for a ride on Council Crest with his MTB.
We have another foot of snow coming our way tomorrow … that’s make for a tough commute Monday morning … might have to ski instead.
Our for a brief ride this morning, but at -20C (-5F), it quickly turned into an extreme ice cream headache 🙂
Oops … The previous post should have read … that’ll make for a tough commute …
Anyone been downtown and noticed whether the Saturday Market is running? Neither their website nor their voicemail mentions the weather…
If they’re there, I’m riding. Christmas waits for no snow. 🙂
Just got back from a short jaunt up and around Mt. Tabor. Took my cross bike out with very low air pressure in the tires. No problems at all except the COLD! That east wind is really nasty right now.
My fingers are still warming up.
only downside to this for me is that both psu and hillsdale farmers markets are cancelled this weekend 🙁 i was really looking forward to bringing some oregon produce from vendors there down to my parents for the xmas visit, so that was a bummer. guess ill just have to mail it later.
i think weve almost got 2 inches here at ne mlk/killingsworth, and still falling. the birds are having a huge party at the bird feeder megaplex, the fire is roaring, and im getting all toasty for the next excursion!
now i start wondering what the airport is going to be like next weds! eek.
I hate it. I have a road bike without knobby tires, and I haven’t biked for a week.
i have a fixie, 700 x 23 not much tread. today was easy riding, however my bike lock froze again. the only days that were bad for me were sunday night and monday all day. so yes james, it is well worth riding, save the $2 and have fun!
speaking of riding in the snow…
has anyone even seen one of the supposed ups bikers yet? im beginning to think they may have pulled the plug on that cause of the weather…
Rode from SE42nd & Lincoln to SE 12th & Akeney (2 Friends) and back; including a stop at Citybikes’ used parts room for some more bike gears for my illuminated jewelry.
The studs did quite well and I had no problems except some drivers.
One SUV driver was fishtailing like crazy on Division and 41st. What did he do? He floored it. Wheels spinning, he ended up doing a 180 and went back the way he came. Fortunately there were no peds nor bikes near him.
Saw two motorists go thorugh red lights without slowing.
Chatted with the few bicyclists that I saw.
It seems to me that whenever there is something like this going on, the bicyclists who stay out there are more willing to chat with each other. It’s like a community of its own.
Also, very surreal.
I cant wait to go out with the lights tonight!
Mark
the conditions are sweet!!! Started from Woodstock at 9am, rode over to Leif Ericson, took that to Germantown road, then back again. Riding MTB with low pressure, standard knobbies. Awesome day for a ride! Traction is a lot better than you would think, no crashes in almost 5h of riding.
Just returned from a outer limits/downtown loop on a mtb. Started on east side of Tabor and rode up the trails and over. Saw 3 other mtb-ers. Down Lincoln to Ladds, across Hawthorne Bridge, back on Burnside-Belmont-back streets. Only dumped the sled once; stupid almost-buried light rail tracks on SW 6th. My bad. West of 39th the riding was fabulous – smooth, dry, good traction. Besides the Tabor bikes, I only saw 2 other bikers out: 1 mtb and one road (cross?) bike (w/Team Beer sticker) on the Hawthorne Bridge. But the corral on Belmont was pretty full.
East of 39th the combination of brutal wind and snow has created a kind of minefield of alternating drifts and black ice – very slow going. Got my first bike riding snotcicle!
Brought up the beach cruiser from the basement low and nice wide knobbily tires – and have been riding around NE – way too much FUN! Going back out to get some panda video action.
I just got back from a long ride through NoPo. Mississippi, Willamette bluffs, Kenton. My eyes are sore from the sideways snow flurrys.
In some spots I was riding through several inches of dry snow. I talked with several people out riding. One guy on MTB headed up to Forest Park. Then on the Bryant Bridge there was a little bike traffic. Three of us were either coming or going to Fred Meyer. We stopped to trade stories and look down at I-5 traffic.
It’s fun out there now…but I wonder what will happen tonight. I can’t believe it has not stopped coming down all day!
Stayed inside today- woke up with a bad cold & went back to bed without breakfast. Woke up around 11-ish feeling a little better, but they cancelled the OHPV club holiday party so I still have no reason to go outside.
It’s 23 degrees and blowing 15mph. I think I’ll watch from indoors.
I took the mountain bike out on the springwater today. The hybrid 2.1″ tires didn’t shed the snow that well but they got me around.
I encountered six ATVs being ridden (illegally) on the springwater including one group headed into Powell Butte. What were they thinking?! Surely the trails are not wide enough. They certainly weren’t city staff.
Donna, the Saturday Market is indeed running. I passed it on the MAX today. Craziness! I salute the persistence of those vendors!
I just finished a ride from SE 39th and Taylor to 11th and W Burnside, and back. My Specialized Enduro Mt. bike with High Roller tires tackled the snow like a champ. With disc brakes and aggressive knobs, I didn’t have any trouble stopping or going until the end. It is starting to get too deep to ride now, unless you have can ride in the ruts left by the few cars out there. Like many of you, I witnessed my share of driver stupidity, can’t change them so just be wary.
Ride On
I went riding frm NE 33rd & Killingsworth over to Tabor,down Hawthorne, quick Stop at Veloce to 33rd QFC and Home. Fun ride on my Kona Jake Cyclocross pit bike. I added fenders and broke down and bought studs. The ride was great fun except from the sidewind Gusts! The studs are Schwalbe Snow Studs from Bike tires direct. They worked great.
well, just got back from a ride from ne mlk/killingsworth to roughly se 39/hawthorne. outbound was still pretty awesome, just motor on and plow through it – speeds the key on the cargo bike – the front wheel kinda floats, and you just muscle through it at the rear. headed back, there was now a bunch more snow (im guessing theres 3+ inches on the ground now (nws says 2″ as of 4pm) and snowing harder – stopped at new seasons concordia, and then headed down emerson. the thick stuff on some of the side streets is kinda interesting – started to run into issues not with snow depth, but with the unseen tracks of car tires beneath the snow – theyd catch the rear at inopportune times. had to put a foot down a few times, even. still rideable, though, if youre up for a workout. its pretty damn fun.
I rode in to work again today. N. Portland to NW. I left the house around 7:30 and it was amazing out. I noodled through Overlook and then down Interstate which had no traffic. I went across Steel Bridge rather than Broadway just because I had extra time. Barely in cars on the road but the few that were seemed to be cautious.
My bike continues to perform well in these conditions. 700x37c tires, singlespeed, and upright bars.
I’m at work now (5:40) and will probably leave early as it’s slow here. Getting home should be interesting.
Took the MTB out near Gabriel Park in SW at 3pm and later at 4:30pm. The second trip out the snow was too deep, 5 to 6 inches in places, to ride. Gotta love the imaptient SUV driver honking at me to get out of the way.
What a day! I loved riding today, although I took a spill by Trader Joe’s (stay off of the front brake, people!). I went shopping at TJ’s, New Seasons, and Cash & Carry. My trusty BOB trailer finally has ‘snow’ on it’s history. Anyway, coming home in the late afternoon was magical; it looked like a layer of glitter upon the snow.
I am attempting to make snow chains for my tires. If this works, I’ll post my results.
Be safe, everyone.
Discovered another fun use of my BicyleR Evolution trailer by giving rides around the neighborhood to my children and two of their friends (two at a time in the Rubbermaid tub).
“This is like Indiana Jones!” shouted one of the little ones as she sang her version of that movie’s theme song.
It was a fun diversion from the day’s main attraction of sledding at the local (sloped) park, because we didn’t have enough sleds to go around.
PS: This is fun and I’m loving my studded tires but I’m also looking forward to our return to wet and grey. Out west near Beaverton, bike lanes and shoulders are mucked up, effectively narrowing the roads for bicycle riding.
had fun riding today on my mountain bike. the tires aren’t the best cause they’re semi-slicks, but with low pressure they work pretty well. only problems are taking off and the drivers giving me room. I can’t believe they get so damn close to me. I almost ate it in front of some cars going across the bridge over I-84 from the Hollywood Fred Meyer. I did slip and couldn’t get my foot out of the pedal in time and landed on my right thumb. I’m actually pretty sure it’s broken. swollen and can’t move it and it hurts like crazy. then I went for another ride. I can’t get enough!
just got done going out to play in the snow with emily on the sidehack. it was a blast going downhill, but difficult to keep up my momentum on the flats and hills, especially with a passenger. may try to make some studs for it to bomb on sunday, and if I can make it to goodwill, I may have a ski bike up and running.
The 700c Xtracycle could climb anything (as it had ~30 pounds of coffee on board. The front wheel was all over the place though. Generally it rallied and I did a full loop around NE SE and back. The tires have more of a texture than a tread. The absence of traction was intermittent and generally it was smooth sailing. And with the quiet and drifty effect, it felt like sailing. There were times when the snow was so thick coming down and the glasses so foggy that I was in a surreal otherworld. I just kept pedaling with the confidence that everything would work out. The Xtra is so predictable when it slides and recovery is easy.
Surely I could deflate the tires to improve traction but I’m so happy to not have the slightest risk of a flat tire. Nothing could be more dire than trying to fix a flat in a blizzard.
Totally beautiful out there, I dig it.
I left work a few minutes before 4:00 pm and made it more or less ok to Sunnyside, By then the fine snow had changed to wet larger flakes. It took me about 10 minutes to make the 4 block from Sunnyside to 39th – I was debating cutting over to Belmont, where the snow might be more packed down.
No riding possible after that: I got stuck in snow drifts, had to close my eyes because of blowing snow… Miserable! I made it home around 5:00 — 60 minute for my 15 minute commute!
Just rode at 8PM in NE from 11th and Jarrett to 27th and Alberta- normally a blink of an eye distance, but I literally had to push my bike in some spots (I’m riding the mountain bike). The gusts of wind made the ride more difficult. Sticking to the arterials where snow is packed down made the ride slightly faster. The key is just to keep moving, when you stop you start to slide.
Impatient drivers on Killingsworth including one that shouted “You’re going to get yourself killed!” I felt like shouting back “You too, if you don’t put chains on your tires!” Why do people drive in this weather? Ugh.
Chuck-
post a picture of your ski-bike for us
Rode to New Seasons on Rosa Parks around 6pm and had one of the best, but most cardiovascular, one mile rides of my life.
38 pounds of Schwinn Suburban did great once again and did even better once I picked up a gallon or so of milk and put it in the panniers. The front end was a little squirrelly (wish I had a front rack to put some weight in), but after a few blocks I realized I just had to think of my front tire as a rudder that would carve my way through the fluff and all went pretty good from there on out.
Will more than likely be hauling my gear to a gig at the Kenton Club tomorrow afternoon in the Volvo, but if I can fit some skis on our Burley trailer and make it to the show and back with my bass amp in tow I’m gonna seriously be thinking about putting me and my Suburban in this year’s Iditarod.
Mush!
on a bicycle
sailing through the snow,
nice bit of heaven
Threw some knobbies on the Xtracycle and my partner rode his Salsa full suspension MTB. We spent a good part of the day riding around, making up excuses to go places because we were having such a good time. Let’s see, we went from inner SE to Lloyd Center, then up to NE 20th to SE Ankeny for a stop at City Bikes. We then headed over to Palio in Ladd’s Addition for warm drinks.
Most of the day it was like riding in normal conditions, maybe with a little extra drag. That changed when I went out for my last ride a bit after 6pm and it was very nearly too deep to ride– 6″ or so. Front wheel was all over the place, but my lovely Xtracycle stayed the course and my butt never met the ground.
What a great day for riding in the snow on cargo bikes.
Check out some photos of the day at the links below.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/31530356@N08/3124423626/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hollyandpatrick/3123825701/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hollyandpatrick/3124651024/in/photostream/
@Joel – I second your comment! 9 feet of bike with weight in it is a dream to ride in the snow. As the snow began to drift I could just bomb right through without a problem. No studs or low tire pressure needed with the Big Apple tires.
Headed over to the Kennedy School for a dip in the soaking pool and later dinner. Heading home at six pm was tough but fun. Took the kid too – she loved it! Of course she was snug as a bug inside the SNOW DOME. She even fell asleep on the way home!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/31530356@N08/3123598593/
here is my bakfiets snow ride
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojD5GB8pCno
http://www.flickr.com/photos/33149958@N06/3124773788/
I will be back out in the morning for more snow fun
this morning is going to be a bit more interesting, though!
walked out the back door to a good 6″ of snow, with a nice ice crust on top. you could hear my footsteps cracking and booming through the quiet. trees have about 1/8″ of ice on them, and are drooping ever so slightly.
this, my friends, will make for some interesting riding. but first, i need to scoop out the basement stairs. birds are sliding off the bird feeder roof…
Anybody out there still believe in global warming?
What is it about snow that makes the “what global warming?” trolls come out?