Author Topic: The Icicle Cycle  (Read 3370 times)

StillOld

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The Icicle Cycle
« on: September 28, 2015, 11:20:25 AM »
Is there such a thing?

When I was flying we had an annual "Icicle Meet" at a nominated airfield. It had to be sub zero and that meant a late call so we rolled over from one week to the next in Jan Feb (waiting for a good forecast) Camp over night, meal and drinks in a local pub. It started out about 8 yrs ago with four of us but has grown into a 30 plus meet.

Are there any hardy souls who venture out at such freezing times?

I would have thought a shortish cycle ride and camp out would be a laugh.......any thoughts?

mickeg

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Re: The Icicle Cycle
« Reply #1 on: September 28, 2015, 02:56:48 PM »
I highly recommend Schwalbe Marathon Winter tires.  But plain Winters might work well too, they have fewer studs.


jags

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Re: The Icicle Cycle
« Reply #2 on: September 28, 2015, 03:34:24 PM »
Hah stillold u certainly came to the right  place some headers in this place.i mean that in a nice way. ;)

John Saxby

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Re: The Icicle Cycle
« Reply #3 on: September 28, 2015, 04:17:25 PM »
I've always declined such opportunities: softie that I am, as a rule I retire my bikes for the winter before Christmas, and bring them into the spring sunshine around mid-March.  I use the intervening 3 months or so for winter projects & winter sports--X-country skiing, hockey, skating. I've shied away from the extra expense of winter camping, but since my early days in Canada on a farm, I've have always been spooked by the problem of hypothermia.

There are some guys around Ottawa, fat-bike wallahs especially, who do winter riding, including camping. There are cabins and yurts that one can rent in nearby parks and skiers routinely do so. And, there are a few threads on crazyguy recounting bicycle travel in the Canadian and Siberian Arctic. I'm in awe of those cyclists -- well, awe mixed with a bit of morbid fascination.

Still ... late last Feb, the co-owner of my LBS said he was going up the Valley for a day of Fatbiking in the Snow, a festival as it were. (Winter Carnivals are standard practice hearabouts. Québec sets the standard, as you might guess: one of Gilles Vigneault's great anthems is "Mon Pays, C'est l'Hiver. Have a look & listen here, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CH_R6D7mU7M, a hymn not just to winter but to human tolerance and solidarity.)  Ooops -- back to the thread:  I raised my eyebrows at the idea, as the daytime temps were around -20 to -25, without the windchill. Barely manageable if there's sunshine, as there often is at that temperature, though with the sunshine & high pressure, there's usually a northerly. Wisely, they called it off.

Those are extreme conditions, to be sure.  If you can manage to keep dry(-ish), and there's not too much ice, and there are warm-&-dry pubs nearby, go for it, sez I.

StillOld

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Re: The Icicle Cycle
« Reply #4 on: September 29, 2015, 07:45:52 PM »
You do have some extreme cold in Canada! and I like those tyres.....

We usually have high pressure and calm clear conditions for an Icicle Meet so we shouldn't really be troubled too much. I think the lowest we have had is -7c but normally only just under.

If there are any other loons out there .....  :P

John Saxby

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Re: The Icicle Cycle
« Reply #5 on: September 29, 2015, 10:01:34 PM »
High pressure, calm & clear and -7 sounds just about perfect ... long as it stays that way. What better excuse for treating yourself to a pair of trick Marathon Winter tires?

mickeg

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Re: The Icicle Cycle
« Reply #6 on: September 30, 2015, 01:29:40 AM »
I live in USA.  Minus 7 is a lot colder here than in Canada or UK, we use Farenheit.

The coldest weather I have ever been exposed to was a snowshoeing camping trip and it was minus 36 (F).  But I was young and stupid, so that was not too bad, at least it gave me bragging rights.  It is not easy to light those Swedish type camp stoves at that temperature.

I will be camping on the Canadian border in a few days (Boundary Waters Canoe Area), but forecast is for positive 30s and 40s (F) for lows.

« Last Edit: September 30, 2015, 01:32:22 AM by mickeg »

onrbikes

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Re: The Icicle Cycle
« Reply #7 on: September 30, 2015, 05:56:22 AM »
I was born a lived in Thunder Bay, Ontario till I travelled to Australia and realised -40C was NOT the winter norm.
Now I live south of Perth and work in the north, where 40C in the summer is the norm.

I feel a chill just looking at that snow

Note: Fahrenheit and Celsius meet up again at -40.