Andrew Shadow
Site Supporter
Coldest Ride, 2019-2020 Winter
- Thread starter paulcb
- Start date
- Joined
- Sep 25, 2009
- Messages
- 3,063
- Age
- 69
- Location
- West Des Moines, IA
- Bike
- 2022 Kymco AK 550
- 2024 Miles
- 002813
- STOC #
- 8058
Or keep the front tire up in the air all the time 
Ahh.. there is the loophole you need. Just use a bike registered and plated at your other home.
What? Don't have one?? Then time to think about getting one.
This southerly dip in the jet-stream is going to turn the game around. Warmest ride in the winter anyone??
55° when I left the house this morning and 51° when I got on base. This is the 2nd warmest Christmas on record for St. Louis.
55° when I left the house this morning and 51° when I got on base. This is the 2nd warmest Christmas on record for St. Louis.
the Ferret
Daily rider since May 1965
- Joined
- Sep 25, 2009
- Messages
- 3,063
- Age
- 69
- Location
- West Des Moines, IA
- Bike
- 2022 Kymco AK 550
- 2024 Miles
- 002813
- STOC #
- 8058
We ended up with an official high temp at 60F. Set the record as the warmest we've ever had on Christmas day. No Coldest Ride happening here either.
Darth rider
Site Supporter
Amazing...We had a high yesterday of 37F with only 120 miles North of you.
26F this morning. Nice ride. I didn't see any other bikes on the road for some reason.
Chris
Chris
- Joined
- Sep 25, 2009
- Messages
- 3,063
- Age
- 69
- Location
- West Des Moines, IA
- Bike
- 2022 Kymco AK 550
- 2024 Miles
- 002813
- STOC #
- 8058
Not much action on this game for a while. We do expect to see down to 2F in my area next week but there is also snow expected to add to the snow that arrived last night. Blew 2 inches of white stuff off the driveway and most roads still have lines of ice stuck all over them. The week after next may possibly provide some riding weather as far as roads having some time to become clear enough to ride on with some temps down around 4F in early mornings and a few high temps below 20F. We'll see.
I'm anxious to see how low a temp I can ride comfortably in without the solid shell zipped onto my Flex jacket. Thinking I can simply use my Frogg Togg jacket in its place. Did that on my last ride and was more than warm at just below 40F without the extra thermal liner installed. If it works out for me I'll likely be looking to replace my current worn jacket with a TM Intake Air 5.0 jacket or Cortech GX Sport Air 4.0 or 5.0 jacket. All 3 are basically the same mesh design with removable dual wind/thermal liners. Add my Frogg Togg jacket and I have same as the "winter mode" on my current TM Flex 2 jacket for a lower cost.
I'm anxious to see how low a temp I can ride comfortably in without the solid shell zipped onto my Flex jacket. Thinking I can simply use my Frogg Togg jacket in its place. Did that on my last ride and was more than warm at just below 40F without the extra thermal liner installed. If it works out for me I'll likely be looking to replace my current worn jacket with a TM Intake Air 5.0 jacket or Cortech GX Sport Air 4.0 or 5.0 jacket. All 3 are basically the same mesh design with removable dual wind/thermal liners. Add my Frogg Togg jacket and I have same as the "winter mode" on my current TM Flex 2 jacket for a lower cost.
the Ferret
Daily rider since May 1965
it was 62 when I rode yesterday. Can't move up the charts when the weather is like that (but riding is more fun lol)
- Joined
- Sep 25, 2009
- Messages
- 3,063
- Age
- 69
- Location
- West Des Moines, IA
- Bike
- 2022 Kymco AK 550
- 2024 Miles
- 002813
- STOC #
- 8058
Does it count if I just WISH I could go out for a ride and the temp is below zeroF?
Spent an hour this morning attempting to clear 4-5 inches of fluffy white stuff from the driveway and side walk. Wanted to at least start on what we expect here. That was almost 4 hours ago and there was another 1/2 inch again covering what I had just cleared so put away the snow thrower until it is done. Now have another 2-3 inches since then. Don't think I'll be able to do much more than WISH I could get out on the scoot for at least a few days. Expecting -9F to -10F Monday and Tuesday mornings so it may be possible the streets will be clear by then... maybe.
At least I was operating a 2 wheeled machine.
Spent an hour this morning attempting to clear 4-5 inches of fluffy white stuff from the driveway and side walk. Wanted to at least start on what we expect here. That was almost 4 hours ago and there was another 1/2 inch again covering what I had just cleared so put away the snow thrower until it is done. Now have another 2-3 inches since then. Don't think I'll be able to do much more than WISH I could get out on the scoot for at least a few days. Expecting -9F to -10F Monday and Tuesday mornings so it may be possible the streets will be clear by then... maybe.
At least I was operating a 2 wheeled machine.
the Ferret
Daily rider since May 1965
33 and overcast on today's ride, so still no upward movement as far as the contest is concerned
went out at 08:00 with the 824 toro snowblower and blew snow until 10:00, got several of my neighbors snow removed also then i fired up the Mighty CT 70 and headed down the block. got about halfway when the snow changed to rain. i was dressed for snow but not for rain so i headed back home, it was 28f
Not much for cold here today. Just the remnants of the snow we had last week.
Uncle Phil
Site Supporter
I guess I get to join the '20 degree' club this morning. It was probably 19 where I live but the weather wienies said 20 so I'll go with that.
OP
OP
Welcome to the club UP.
Although, I'm not really a member, just the scribe.
Although, I'm not really a member, just the scribe.
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- Joined
- Sep 25, 2009
- Messages
- 3,063
- Age
- 69
- Location
- West Des Moines, IA
- Bike
- 2022 Kymco AK 550
- 2024 Miles
- 002813
- STOC #
- 8058
Wish I could get out. Temps been a few below zeroF the last few mornings but the streets all around still have ice/snow cover. Been working on my driveway so it's now about 90% cleared but too cold for any treatment on the streets to do the job very well. Around here we don't use salt. Gets too cold for that to work, stops working just below 20F. Instead the roads crews use a mix of magnesium chloride and beet juice. The MC works better than salt and works down to just below zeroF and the beet juice makes it stay put on the pavement even in rain. The mix is much much less corrosive as well so I don't worry about that. When it dries on dry pavement it still is effective when snow/ice falls, but when dry any that gets kicked up when traveled on becomes a powder that blows off. One reason I wait for dry pavement to ride this time of year. Expecting a high of 6F today (warmer than yesterday) so maybe a bit less slippery stuff covering the roads by end of day. Maybe.
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the Ferret
Daily rider since May 1965
No chance of me besting what I already have at least for the next 5 days. Heck we are supposed to be near 50 again Thursday with 35 for a low. Maybe if I got out at 2 am tomorrow I could improve by 1 degree lol. Looks like it might be February this year for the cold stuff.
- Joined
- Sep 25, 2009
- Messages
- 3,063
- Age
- 69
- Location
- West Des Moines, IA
- Bike
- 2022 Kymco AK 550
- 2024 Miles
- 002813
- STOC #
- 8058
Ok, I'm feeling restless and frustrated with the weather during this time of year for the last few years. The cold I don't mind. Well, warmer would be nicer but I live in central Iowa so it gets cold here this time of year. It used to be that we could get a snow event over one or three days and regardless how much it would be long enough before that happened again the roads would be cleared and dry for several days and I could ride. Lately it seems we get a snow event over one to three days and there would only be one to three days and we get another one, then another 2 days and more snow, then another 3 days and more snow, and... Not really long enough for the roads to clear before we get hammered again. And usually now the temps start to warm up to start melting what is on the streets and more snow dumps on top of the melt turning to ice. Etc, etc.
Well, had significant snow last weekend AND right after the temps dropped to near zeroF. Even the high temps stayed close to zeroF so no melting even with the sunshine. I had to scrape my driveway multiple times just to mostly clear it. And now we expect more snow to fall during all of the next 3 days. So I just decided I needed to get out on the scoot before that happened and will have to see how the roads are as I go.
So I bundled up this morning and took off. My own street still has ice/snow on both sides including about 4 ft off the end of my driveway but the center of the street was just passable for most of the way to the main road. Some sections along the road were looking clear of snow but not so clear of a very thin veneer of ice. But enough grit was poking through that taking it very carefully I could keep going without slipping too much. Good thing my scooter has a VERY low CG making it really easy to keep my balance, but even so the rear wheel did slip/spin just a little in a few places along the ride and once while coming to a stop at a stoplight. Almost all the main/major roads/highways were clear with the lanes on the south side having some slick lines where car tires beat the snow into black ice. I stayed in the center where it was mostly drier. My ride took me two towns west of home for a total short round trip of 31.4 miles. My thermometer at home showed about -2F when I started. In Adel I turned around at a local bank (about the half way point) and headed back. That bank has a time/temp sign so grabbed a photo there. Same as at home: -2F (minus 2 F or almost -19C). I took a slightly longer route coming home just to make sure I stayed on well traveled roads. Some places I had to be careful to pick my lane position to stay in the least slick track. Wasn't too hard really. My own street and the street near the bank at the half way point were the worse of the roads traveled. Photo is of the end of my driveway and street and also the bank sign.
I did get to test a new configuration for my riding gear. 2 years ago I had to replace my riding pants so went with the TM Venture Air 2.0 pant which is mesh and has both wind and thermal liners. I added my Frogg Toggs rain pants over this for an outer solid shell. I've mentioned before I am looking to replace my TM Flex 2 jacket now and am considering something less complicated. So I removed the outer shell and wore it as mesh with the thermal liner installed, and as I usually do at these temps I added the wind/thermal liners from my previous jacket and a fleece jacket under that. Then I added my Frogg Toggs rain jacket over it all as a substitute for the solid shell. This combo worked out great and kept me warm the entire ride. I was also wearing my Turtle Fur neck gator and turned on my Gerbing heated gloves. I was comfortably warm all the way there and back.
At the moment price is directing my decision about what jacket to get. The one I really would like, the TM Pivot, is basically out of production in my size and the one or two places I can still find it want more $$$ than I want to spend. My next choice right now is the Cortech GX Sport Air 4.0. That is currently also the best priced of what I am looking at. My third option would be the TM Intake Air 5.0 jacket. All of these have the wind and thermal liners that can be added inside, one or both as I want. If I need an outer solid shell I have my Frogg Toggs and also another insulated wind breaker that fits loose enough to go over everything. So no loss, effectively, for riding in the cold. And I like the almost full mesh of the last 2 choices (similar to the mesh base of my Flex jacket) for hot weather riding.
BTW- after today the temps are expected to jump to upper 20sF and lower 30sF and stay there for a few weeks.
Well, had significant snow last weekend AND right after the temps dropped to near zeroF. Even the high temps stayed close to zeroF so no melting even with the sunshine. I had to scrape my driveway multiple times just to mostly clear it. And now we expect more snow to fall during all of the next 3 days. So I just decided I needed to get out on the scoot before that happened and will have to see how the roads are as I go.
So I bundled up this morning and took off. My own street still has ice/snow on both sides including about 4 ft off the end of my driveway but the center of the street was just passable for most of the way to the main road. Some sections along the road were looking clear of snow but not so clear of a very thin veneer of ice. But enough grit was poking through that taking it very carefully I could keep going without slipping too much. Good thing my scooter has a VERY low CG making it really easy to keep my balance, but even so the rear wheel did slip/spin just a little in a few places along the ride and once while coming to a stop at a stoplight. Almost all the main/major roads/highways were clear with the lanes on the south side having some slick lines where car tires beat the snow into black ice. I stayed in the center where it was mostly drier. My ride took me two towns west of home for a total short round trip of 31.4 miles. My thermometer at home showed about -2F when I started. In Adel I turned around at a local bank (about the half way point) and headed back. That bank has a time/temp sign so grabbed a photo there. Same as at home: -2F (minus 2 F or almost -19C). I took a slightly longer route coming home just to make sure I stayed on well traveled roads. Some places I had to be careful to pick my lane position to stay in the least slick track. Wasn't too hard really. My own street and the street near the bank at the half way point were the worse of the roads traveled. Photo is of the end of my driveway and street and also the bank sign.
I did get to test a new configuration for my riding gear. 2 years ago I had to replace my riding pants so went with the TM Venture Air 2.0 pant which is mesh and has both wind and thermal liners. I added my Frogg Toggs rain pants over this for an outer solid shell. I've mentioned before I am looking to replace my TM Flex 2 jacket now and am considering something less complicated. So I removed the outer shell and wore it as mesh with the thermal liner installed, and as I usually do at these temps I added the wind/thermal liners from my previous jacket and a fleece jacket under that. Then I added my Frogg Toggs rain jacket over it all as a substitute for the solid shell. This combo worked out great and kept me warm the entire ride. I was also wearing my Turtle Fur neck gator and turned on my Gerbing heated gloves. I was comfortably warm all the way there and back.
At the moment price is directing my decision about what jacket to get. The one I really would like, the TM Pivot, is basically out of production in my size and the one or two places I can still find it want more $$$ than I want to spend. My next choice right now is the Cortech GX Sport Air 4.0. That is currently also the best priced of what I am looking at. My third option would be the TM Intake Air 5.0 jacket. All of these have the wind and thermal liners that can be added inside, one or both as I want. If I need an outer solid shell I have my Frogg Toggs and also another insulated wind breaker that fits loose enough to go over everything. So no loss, effectively, for riding in the cold. And I like the almost full mesh of the last 2 choices (similar to the mesh base of my Flex jacket) for hot weather riding.
BTW- after today the temps are expected to jump to upper 20sF and lower 30sF and stay there for a few weeks.
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If you can find it, check out the Olympia Ranger jacket and the Olympia Dakar II jacket. You'll find the Olympia jackets are better in the details than the TourMaster gear. I'd say they are really more in line with the quality you find on gear that costs $100+ what their selling for.
I haven't been able to confirm it, but I'm thinking Olympia is going out of business. Their gear is on Closeout everywhere. It's a shame because they have some great products. So if you want a Ranger or Dakar Jacket, you'll have to move fast.
Chris
I haven't been able to confirm it, but I'm thinking Olympia is going out of business. Their gear is on Closeout everywhere. It's a shame because they have some great products. So if you want a Ranger or Dakar Jacket, you'll have to move fast.
Chris