There was about 1 1/2 inches of new wet snow when Mikamal and Manimal met at the trailhead in order to expand their mtb'ing horizons... Don't get me wrong - we certainly have ridden in the snow before, but this was the first time this year when we both rode together and the conditions were almost ideal for a snow ride - temp's in the low 30's - very little wind - and no-one on the trails during this Tuesday afternoon. I was greeted by the site of Mike's van doing 360's in the parking lot, as it was empty of any and all vehicles or people.... and he demonstrated great skill in perfect circles utilizing just about the entire width of the lot coming just a few inches away from the sides as he 4 wheel slid the van on the snowy and icy surface. Manimal tried to also do a few of the same, but his vehicle has the AWD and unable to slip and slide as well as Mike's rear wheel drive. Having checked out the uniform and controlled vehicle sliding tracks we left in the snow, we got on the bikes and got riding. We had virgin snow - untracked powder - except for the several animal trails we noticed directly following the trail, and occaisionally scooting off into the woods. We thought that they were perhaps made by a dog without it's owner, a fox, or maybe another critter. Sometimes they would meander on and back off of the trail, but often went right down the center. Speaking of critters, we did come across a large herd of whitetail deer (overpopulated in Maryland) which scampered off rapidly as we flushed them out of their area. In short order, we saw their multiple hoof prints and markings in the snow where they had crossed the trail ahead of us. Quite a disturbance in the snow showed evidence of their passing. Some of the deer we noticed were a bit of stragglers, and fell behind the rest of the herd either with a limp or just slower movement than the quicker ones.... they all soon disappeared... The overall traction was amazingly good with a new set of velociraptor tires at 38 psi, and powdery 1-2 inch snow on the trail which had just fallen and was now starting to mix with a little sleet/freezing rain on top. Conditions were comfortable and the uphill climbing had better traction than in rainy, wet conditions. Neither of us had the rear wheel loose traction on even moderately steep climbs - but you really had to be carefull in the turns and the not so visible roots and rocks. Log crossings were pretty normal, but you needed a bit of extra momentum, and pay strict attention to hitting the logs at a 90 degree angle and planning to slide around a bit while crossing. We could ride at about 70% of normal speed if conditions were dry, and the snow required due diligence to keeping your weight centered on the front wheel with more gradual turns and speed changes. There were a few times when the rim v brakes seemed to fail and could provide little stopping power due to the ice buildup - and once I went off the trail a bit as could not make a turn due to surprise brake failure - so I learned to gently test the brakes a bit before you really needed them and it seemed to help them grab a bit more before you came to a section where you knew you had to use them. All-in all this was an excellent ride, and riding in the snow is well within the grasp of even an intermediate rider. Be carefull not to overdress, as you can easily overheat. A rule of thumb is that before you ride while you are unloading and prepping your bike outside, you should feel a little cold before you actually start pedaling. If you are inactive and feel comfortably warm standing outside before you get on the bike, you may quickly overheat once you start pedaling. Even so, a moisture wicking base layer is ideal to move sweat off your skin - and nice gloves and head/ear band or balaclava are very nice. |
