Plus Bike in the Snow

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So today was one of the few days this winter I got to get out and ride the trails at Theodore Wirth park.  This winter has been a tail of two cities, early on we had no snow, just ice and then we got so much snow the trail wasn’t open long before the next storm would roll though.

TASCO might not recommend their gloves for these temperatures but i’ve found that once I start going I tend to warm up.  The start of the ride is always the coldest and by 15 minutes in, I’m normally warmed up and unzipping something.

So my bike setup changes for winter consist of running the stock Arc 35 rims with a 45North Wrathchild for the front tire and a Maxxis DHF 2.8 as the rear.  The Wrathchild is a 3” tire that does have studs.  It is really well suited for the snow and offers great grip.  The DHF is not awesome in the snow and will probably get replaced next winter. Santa Cruz says the 5010 can run 2.8” tires but I’ve found the Wrathchilds run small and work well on the bike.

During the summer months, Theodore Wirth is one of my favorite trails to ride.  This XC loop rides fast and has several fun technical sections.  In the winter I find that the snow covers up those harder features and slows everything down.  The inconsistent tractions ends up making me ride more cautions and the trail starts feeling uphill both ways.  Still, I rather be on a bike than stuck inside.

So this was the first time I’ve been able to ride the south loop since January.  The snow had made the south loop unrideable and since it isn’t as popular, it just hadn’t been packed enough to ride.

We’ve had so much snow here lately that bridge was completely buried and I sunk a good three feet when I fell.  I’m luck I didn’t break anything, I do have a nice welt on my shin.

Most of the South loop was pretty questionable.  A lot of the trail was really difficult to stay on the groomed section since the pack was uneven.  What was packed kept pushing me offline and I ended up walking most of the return section.

Overall this winter has been a tough one for riding.  We should have a couple more days this week to ride before the next winter storm hits and are back to packing out our trails.  The weather next week isn’t looking promising though.  It seems Spring has decided to make an appearance and we could see the temps above freezing which will most likely close the trails till the snow is completely gone and the trails are dry again.  If you’ve stayed this long, thanks for watching.  I can promise you this will probably be the only winter riding video I put out this year.

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