Hot answers tagged off-road
16
Passing a horse, mounted or otherwise, should be done so:
very slowly
as quiet as possible. If you have a loud freehub, pedal slowly -- do your best not to coast.
with as much space & consideration as possible
no sudden movements
limit the number of cyclists going past
It all depends on the horses' temperament. Some are OK, some like cars but not ...
12
Riding in snow depends on a bunch of factors, so you won't really ever be able to know unless you just go for it and try it out.
What bike/wheels you have
Should be obvious. Mountain vs Road, 26" vs 29", wide vs skinny tires, etc
Your skill level in snow
The better and more comfortable you are in the snow is important. I'd say its the most important ...
10
Officially: Bikes yield to hikers and horses.
Hikers are fine, if you call it out and pass when safe.
Horses can spook easily. Once you see it, stop. Wait for the rider to signal you by. Often I have been simply asked to walk my bike by. Easy. Sometimes it's best to just wait for them to pass.
In your situation, I would get within 10 - 20 yards, and ...
9
If you're looking for a general purpose bike for commuting and towpath riding, you probably want to avoid a standard road bike, they are very specialized and have very small tire clearance. Typically supporting tires no larger than 28mm and often lack mud guards or rack/pannier mounts.
However, touring bikes or steel cyclocross bikes (if they have rack and ...
8
Inflate tires to optimal pressure
Check Brakes
Hold handlebars and kick/twist front wheel. - Makes sure headset and stem aren't loose.
I think those are whats needed to make sure your bike is safe to ride. If anything else breaks while you are riding you should be able safely stop and deal with whatever situation arises.
There are some more things you ...
6
In general, the softer the ground, the bigger the tire should be. A fat tire will let you "float" over the surface instead of sinking in, like a snowshoe. If you're sinking, it takes tremendous effort to keep riding, and you can't really steer.
Gravels vary widely. Coarse-edged crushed rock locks together to create a firm, traffic-bearing surface. ...
6
My experience from last winter was that I could keep moving through falling sticky snow up to about 6" = 15cm but it took a great deal of effort, even more so if your tyres end up cracking through frozen puddles under the snow.
There were sections where I had to pedal hard just to keep moving even down some normally fast downhill sections.
It's great fun - ...
6
Whenever you pass a horse, whether walking the bike or rolling, make sure to stay well clear of the hind end. Horses spook easily and may instinctively kick if something approaches them from behind that they can't see or see very well. I'd suggest staying outside of 4 metres/yards behind, or 2 metres/yards to the side of any strange horse no matter how tame ...
6
Yes. If you put slightly wider tires then you can do packed earth or even gravel without too much trouble. Even 25 or 28mm tires give a lot of advantage over 18 or 23mm wide tires.
I did Col du Parpaillon on 25's.
From my trip report:
The hostel owner had said Col du Parpaillon was closed because of ice in the unlit tunnel at the top but we decided ...
5
Ay Up lights
I have two sets of these lights, one on my handlebars and one on my helmet. They are:
Amazingly bright, I've never seen a brighter light
Very light - even with the light and battery on my helmet it's not uncomfortably heavy
Long lasting - The battery lasts 3-6 hours on a charge!!
Incredibly rugged - There is a lifetime guarantee on the lights
...
5
This ultimately comes down to money, however there are plenty of other factors:
Form factor - a bike light with a battery held onto the frame with velcro is a PITA to take off the bike and put back on, not what you want to be spending five minutes on whilst you pop into Tesco's for a pint (568ml) of milk.
Beam focus - LED lights have came a long way but ...
5
One thing to think about - before a long ride, don't make any major changes - don't adjust your seat height or angle, replace your stem, or anything like that. Nothing like trying to fix something kinda minor the night before a long ride, to find out you made it so much worse the next day.
5
No one has mentioned it here, but horse owners and llama-packers and mule riders have ALL commented to me : PLEASE STAY BELOW THE ANIMAL AT ALL TIMES WHEN YIELDING OR OVERTAKING. These animals get more spooked by threats from above, (where the threat looks larger or looks like they can pounce) then from below (where the threat seems much smaller).
4
Has the tyre perished? Perhaps, it's just an inner tube that needs replacing.
Take the tyre to your local bike shop and I'm sure they'll be able to suggest a suitable alternative. I'd ask for a plain road tyre, something pretty standard should do, just as long as it's the correct size. You don't need nobbly or off-road tyres unless you're trying to get over ...
4
I've never had a pair of MTB shoes that are waterproof though I wouldn't doubt if they exist. Even if they were you'd still have water coming of your shin and into the shoe (this is what makes even waterproof shoe covers a bit wet inside).
I just tough it out. I have a set of neoprene shoe covers that keep my feet warm and maybe even dry depending on how ...
4
So far most of what have been suggested are handtools... some planning and design tools are important as well.
Get a copy of the International Mountain Biking Association's book, "Trail Solutions: IMBA's Guide to Building Sweet Singletrack." Find it here: http://www.imba.com/catalog/book-trail-solutions
I spent the last three winters designing and ...
4
For the most extreme conditions he'd want something like the Pugsley. For less extreme conditions any "mountain" bike should work fine.
In a way, the trailer is probably less critical than the bike. So long as the tires are large enough in diameter to not get caught in potholes, and so long as they are sufficiently wide to not sink into the soil (given ...
3
Recently introduced by 'Altura' (the poor British man's 'Endura') is the 'Pocket Rocket':
This jacket is distributed by Zyro and widely available in British bike shops. Visit a stockist and try for size wearing what you expect to be wearing underneath, i.e. more than a T-Shirt. Remember that when buying from the LBS you may pay RRP rather than 'online ...
3
I am posting this as a separate answer because it is so different from my commentary on planning and design...
We don't like to think of people as tools. Usually only law enforcement types think of regulations as tools... but think of both of these as well.
I have worked for four different land management agencies in the U.S. and have built or ...
3
I think there are three options to look at that meet all your requirements:
A touring bike
A Cyclocross bike
Build what you want starting with an old steel frame. (70s or 80s road, or hard-tailed mountain bike)
Note when shopping that a good rack is going to run you $50-$200 (and you want a front and back, so a total of two racks) and good panniers seem ...
3
You should be able to get a solid entry-level mountain bike or hybrid (or "comfort" or "fitness" bike for your 500 bucks. Likely not a decent roadster.
As well, there are a number of "city" bikes on the market now which are basically mountain bikes with smaller, street-tread tires. Very practical for many riders.
What do you want to do? Bash the trails? ...
3
I agree with the other answers, but think one subtle detail is important. It depends on the type of snow. Eskimos have 50 words for snow?
Well there really are different types.
Light and fluffy is easy.
Deep and heavy gets to be problematic. There comes a point, where each forward motion is wasted as the wheel spins, while sinking down through the ...
3
Depends on how heavy it is and what you want to do. For a light snow, below the hubs should be fine. For heavier snows and slush, well, you have to worry more about losing control of the front wheel.
Fatter tires or a mountain bike are easier to ride in slush and snow.
If you want to test the limits
go as fast as is safe
2.use a big gear
keep a light ...
3
I slow down and address the rider in a conversational, even sing-song, tone "Good morning, rider. There are two bikes behind you. Is it Ok for us to pass?" (They almost always say "yes" and thank me/us for alerting them, but it also gives them the option to ask me to dismount or hold back).
Note that despite your having addressed the rider, the ...
3
There are many horses in the area where I live. I often encounter horses on the trails, and I've had occasion to talk to the riders about proper procedure. Accumulated advice (so far):
Talk to the horse as you're passing. "Hi horsey! Aren't you a pretty horsey?" -- that type of goofy talk. It's (allegedly) calming and lets the horse know that you're human.
...
3
Road bike tires aren't suitable for riding off road. Anything rougher that stonedust screenings or light gravel will give you problems, as they aren't designed to be able to control a bike on those types of surfaces. Generally speaking:
they will sink into loose materials far more easily
will be more likely to get flats, but from pinching and from ...
3
Road tyres are suitable for some off-road riding. And it greatly depends on your expertise. You might want to read this Bicycling Magazine article.
Changing the tyres on the road bike can solve your problem if the surface is too rough for slicks. Semi slicks might work.
If you have a friend who has a road bike, try riding it on your commute to see how it ...
3
My only bike is a road bike which has 25mm tyres(Schwalbe Marathon at the back and Armadillo front). I expect that it would be fine on a tow path or most prepared tracks.
I used mine a few weeks ago on a flat and rather muddy offroad track through the woods and fields. I was towing my son on a tag along. I got round, but I did have to get off and push ...
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