I did my first snow ride this Thursday in MA, just outside of Boston. On the recommendations of One on one, I rode in Cutler Park.
The first 1/4 mile of the trail was pretty rough. It was mostly frozen foot-prints with a 1 inch coating of powder. Within the first 100 yards I fell off 3 times. It finally dawned on me to let as much air out of the tire as possible, and after that riding wasnāt too bad.
Once I got the cadence up, the ride was a real blast. Riding on snow and ice is great for honing your balance. As someone else mentioned earlier in the thread, sharp turns can be dangerous. So, I just tried to pick some smooth lines and ride over whatever was in my way.
The best part of the ride was when I came across a bunch of walkers who were using their arms as much for balance as I was. I donāt know if they had ever seen a unicycle, much less a unicyclist who rides on snow and ice. Their expressions were priceless.
Just got a KH24 last Monday. It was snowing alot here in MN so I just sat on it inside for a couple of days, Wednesday it was still snowing but I couldnāt stand it any longer and took it out. My wife took a couple of pictures before I headed off for a few milesā¦
This first one was a feeble 12" power slide into a UPDā¦
This next one is just trying to balanceā¦
And this last one is just pretty much hopping around in the deeper stuff. I just couldnāt get a roll going thereā¦
I was really happy to learn that riding in the snow and ice is very doable. I just started riding in May of this year, and really didnāt want to put it away for the winter and lose what fitness and some of the skills Iād worked so hard at getting.
This morning it was zero degrees Fahrenheit when I headed over to Battle Creek East for some riding. I couldnāt ride on the biking trails, since they are all for skiing now, but I parked there cause there is a path along the road for a mile that I just rode back and forth on. I love the looks ya get when riding in the summer, but seeing the skiāers and folks at the stop signs looking at ya when itās that cold and snowy, itās priceless.
Definately gonna keep riding all winter up here in MN.
I spent the day riding on the frozen lake we live on, its a great time, not many hills though. Every once in awhile youāll break through a false crust, and you think youāre going for a swim! Try it!
Last year I posted a brief note on the Kendaās Klondike, a fine studded tire for those who ride a 26" wheel in icy roads. Click below. --carl (North Dakota)
Iām just about to make the jump to a bigger wheel. Iām buying the Nimbus 29". What do you think, ISIS cranks or no?
Also, Iād like to get a snow tire. Would this one do the trick? Which size should I get, the 35C or the 45C? Any other wheel I should be considering? Iāve never switched my wheels before, what should i know going into this?
Personally I would go with the ISIS model because I doubt I would constrain myself to flat ground. The advantage of square taper though is the availability of cheep cranks in a variety of lengths so experimenting doesnāt have to be as expensive
I definitely say go with the wider 45C tire, it should give you better flotation on packed snow.
Changing tires is easy but you may need to get tire levers to remove your current tire.
Yeah, thanks. I thought I was a member a few years ago, turns out not.
How do I know when a wheel is the right size? What do I need to be looking at to know when itās too big or small? And is there any better wheels for snow riding?
Last winter I used a 26x3" Gazz with chains and it worked pretty good, This year I have been experimenting with my 36 and long cranks as a snow machine. I really like it but need to do something about traction. I just purchased a tire groover off of e-bay and plan on grooving and studding my TA for winter use.
The 36 is a bit unwieldily on the foot paths but great for most other stuff. I havenāt tried it yet (donāt have one) but I think a 29er with a good wide studded tire and 150mm cranks would be about ideal.
