Cycling on a cold day. I can feel the cool air fill my lungs as I take deep breaths… I did a quick “sprint”, if you can call it that, up a small hill in my local trails. Its close to 50 degrees.. in November… this is going to be an interesting winter.

Cycling Throughout The Year

One of my favorite activities is riding a cycle. Any cycle. I think of sneaking off to ride my bike every single minute of every day. If it rains, I wonder if I should take my road bike out. I have my rain poncho. I do wonder if the slippery roads would cooperate.
If it is windy, I wonder if I should take out my mountain bike or gravel bike, hoping the trees block the winds out, giving me a good riding session. I try to ride throughout the year, even in the cold.

If it is hot, which this summer was, I wonder if I will bonk in the middle of the ride, tired and dehydrated while riding my road bike. Gravel and mountain bike rides could help, sheltering me from the blistering heat, though humidity might be an issue. Ignoring these ever-present musings, I did go mountain biking during one of the hot weekends with my son. It was a great time, we both had fun. That is what is key to any activity of your choosing – FUN. Why else would you do it?

My wife says my riding habit is an addiction, since I would not keep talking about it, or seeing if my son wants to join me on rides. Also, maybe because I have 4 bikes. We have 6 in total, including the ones my son and wife ride.

The ones I ride frequently are my Cannondale road bike that I treated myself to about a decade ago (a pricey present, I should say), a Specialized Stumpjumper MTB that my wife gifted me, an old Trek 4300 mtb that I got close to 20 years ago, which I converted to a monster cross bike (with drop bars), and my old Trek 1.2 road bike that I swapped parts with the Trek 4300 that I use to cruise my neighborhood. Oh, and about the other 2 – my son’s “intro” road bike that is an old Campus bike I saw on Craigslist, and my wife’s Trek mtb that she bought on Craigslist as well, which my son uses when we go on the trails.

I try to ride at every opportunity I get. Or at least I dream of riding when I cant get out. The winter months less frequently, unfortunately, but my spending on winter accessories has gone up.. haha..

I have ridden on the trails once when it snowed. My son and I went on a mountain bike in such a situation. Was not a bad experience, though I would do things a little differently this winter. I would NOT go on the technical trails, but stick to the flat ones, only because the trails are not visible in the snow, not to mention the wet sticky trails. Those are not fun at all, since the mud sticking on your tires slows you down, the turns are slippery, and overall slow progress. But it is fun in its own way. Bigger wheels can help (27.5 or 29), and thicker tires/ lower pressure to increase traction.

Have fun with your cycles and cycling this session, or throughout the year.

Hope you found this entertaining. Check out my other posts as well.