Cycling Thread - Page 323 - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

Bigtime · 02-09-2018, 07:50 PM

No kidding, I extended and rode a little over 19km because it was just so awesome out there. Even got a high five from fellow biker Kev Shlaw, turns out he was on his way to the CBC for an interview about winter biking with his wife Jenny.

Bigtime · 02-12-2018, 08:26 AM

Whoever has the contract to clear the north side of the Bow river from Eau Claire over to Nose Creek is a legend. Path was scraped/plowed again for this morning. Nose Creek at Memorial and north however was not plowed, and with lots of folks walking on it yesterday it was a bumpy slippery mess this morning with about 2-3cm of accumulation.

Fuzz · 02-12-2018, 08:39 AM

Ya, Confederation Park wasn't plowed and it was a bit of a slog. Felt colder this morning than last week. Winter is almost over, right?

Bigtime · 02-12-2018, 08:43 AM

I'm pretty sure at this point winter is going to last forever and we shall be eternal frostbikers.

Dan02 · 02-12-2018, 08:58 AM

What winter didn't even start until Mid December and you're complaining this has been a long one?

KTrain · 02-12-2018, 09:00 AM

The amount of snow definitely makes it feel like it's going to be around a lot longer than the last couple years we've had.

habernac · 02-12-2018, 09:44 AM

#### this, I'm going to Nevada (unfortunately, not until Thursday)

Fuzz · 02-12-2018, 11:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dan02

What winter didn't even start until Mid December and you're complaining this has been a long one?

What is your secret to keeping your toes warm on the cold ride in? My chain was also skipping as the links froze up. Any special lube you are using?

Kybosh · 02-12-2018, 04:43 PM

I'm in the market for hopefully a "do most everything" bike and I've been eyeing up some so-called gravel/adventure bikes or maybe a cyclocross style. Ideally, I'd be using it for everything in the city including commuting but also stuff like Goat Creek Trail and back on the legacy trail Canmore-Banff. Can these bikes do a trail like that? Also, the bike will be going on a trainer for the winter.

I'm currently thinking something like a Kona Rove or maybe this slick looking Cannondale. Any advice or recommendations?

81MC · 02-12-2018, 06:53 PM

^Im by no means schooled on those bikes, but last time I rode Goat Creek I wouldn’t have wanted to be on something like that. At least not for keeping any sort of decent pace.

Fuzz · 02-12-2018, 07:01 PM

A guy who is by no means an expert rode Goat Creek with me a few years ago on one of those, it is not to bad. You aren't going to be flying down the trails like you would on a full squishy, but it's entirely doable.

redflamesfan08 · 02-12-2018, 07:27 PM

I've got an XC bike after a lifetime of MTBs, and I think it's like urban truck drivers, you don't need the MTB for most of what you think you need it for. If commuting is a major part of what you want to use the bike for .... Go for the XC.

worth · 02-12-2018, 07:51 PM

90% of people who buy suspension bikes don't need suspension. If you are looking for one bike to do it all, a Cyclocross bike is a great all round bike.

My partner has a Kona Rove ST, it is a great little bike and very versatile.

Cross bikes will never replace a true MTB in singletrack, you can watch GCN videos on youtube about this if you really want, but to me, a cyclocross bike a really a great choice for a lot of people.

If you really do see yourself riding dirt quite a bit and also want drop bars, I recommend finding a bar that is wide, like the Salsa Cowchipper. When you are doing singletrack, you really want the wider grip that a flat bar would give you. You can kind of come close with drop bars that flare out.

Northendzone · 02-12-2018, 07:57 PM

Wow, there is a lot of incorrect advice in the above posts.

Kybosh clearly needs, two or possibly three bikes. Why place limitations on yourself like “I need one bike to do it all”

Remember, the formula to determine the number of bikes you need is always n+1 where n = the number of bikes you currently own

Kybosh · 02-12-2018, 08:22 PM

Oh, I'm already totally into the n+1 philosophy for climbing gear but I'm trying to keep the bike stuff in check...

Northendzone · 02-13-2018, 07:55 AM

stop trying to do that, I never works very well

habernac · 02-13-2018, 08:26 AM

Ugh, snow drifts! Had to walk a whole bunch on the east/west portion of the nose creek pathway.

I got almost to McKnight Blvd. then I tried to power over another drift and I snapped my chain. Good times. Very happy we have buses with bike racks.

Fun tip from the driver: be wary of guys who get on after you who put a crappy bike on the rack with yours. He might get off three stops later and take yours.

Fuzz · 02-13-2018, 08:29 AM

I'm always nervous about snapping my chain, particularity in the real cold, like yesterday where it was skipping on me a bunch. What chain are you using? my SRAM one has survived a lot more than I think it should. Though it's an 8 speed so a bit thicker.

habernac · 02-13-2018, 08:31 AM

Probably a 105, it was on borrowed time.

Bigtime · 02-13-2018, 08:46 AM

It was too warm this morning so I didn't ride...

Actually had to pick up a person and drive to the deep south, but I was thinking that a lot of Nose creek pathway could end up with the snowdrifts over it like you talked about habernac. Wonder what it may look like tomorrow?