In a rut

[johnridley]

I figured out the main part of what makes the back roads feel so squirrelly when there's more than an inch or two of unplowed snow on them. I think that if my path cuts across car tire tracks at a slight angle, the front wheel cuts over, but the rear doesn't (probably because it has more weight on it); it just stays in the previous rut. So I wind up dog-tracking badly, back wheel sliding sideways, for a few feet until I pull it back upright. So I stay upright but I wind up all over the road.

This is only really a problem on the gravel road part which doesn't get plowed until much later, and as I only ever encounter 4 or 5 cars in the 4 miles of gravel, on the one day in 2 or 3 weeks that I have those conditions, I just pull over when there's a car coming, so that I don't run the risk of winding up in front of him as he's passing, or even falling. Once I get onto the paved road where there's more traffic, there's no such problem and I can hold a line fine.

I am sort of wondering whether I should think about a fat-wheeled beater bike with knobbies on it for those days; I think it would handle better.

Comments

[erikvolson.livejournal.com]

Knobbies do make sense in ruts. I'm wondering if you need that big-tired Surly bike, what's it called (Googles) oh yea, the Pugsley.

And funny, that picture almost looks as if they were trying to sell it to you.

[johnridley.livejournal.com]

A Pugsley would certainly eat this stuff up, but I'm not spending that kind of change on such a limited use (for me) bike. Not that I wouldn't enjoy the hell out of having a Pugsley, but a built-up Pugsley is pushing $2000 and more.

Honestly, I think just putting the knobbies back on T's 26" Kmart special bike would probably get me there. Or I could pick up an old 26" beater on CL - that's half of what's up there, I just need to find one for $50.