Francois_Dumas Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 .... my ears off on the bike. No, hang on, my toes. After all, I wear a helmet. And 3 layers of clothing underneath my riding suit WITH winter liner in it. Heated grips.... oh what a luxury. Running nose inside a helmet though is something technology hasn't catered for yet! So I took the tarpin off the bike after more than 3 months... how time flies! Figured I'd better get on the thing before I am too old. Rode it to Amsterdam and re-discovered that in fact in cold weather (it was very near 0C, but dry and sunny) one better takes the country roads than the highway. Cooling off at high speeds happens much quicker! No traffic jams, no lane splitting required, not too many potholes this winter, roads are clean, no salt .... so I had a good run to Nina's favorite 'cash-and-carry', bought two sacks of flour and got home with a detour. No camera, no GPS, nothing really to report... but GREAT riding again after so long !!! Wishing you all the same, especially my fellow 'snowlanders' ! Link to comment
Lmar Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 Sounds like you had a nice ride. I wish our winters were only 3 months long. We have been stuck here with 4 months of winter and spring no where in sight. -32 this morning and lots of snow on the ground. Link to comment
tallman Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 No pics? Who are you and what have you done with Francois? Link to comment
CraigT Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 Hi Francois, much the same here in Scotland, however the salt is still being spread across the roads and whilst I did put my wheels and bits back on the bike after winter storage on Saturday, (10C) I ran no more than 10 miles and put the bike back into the garage until the rain washes the remaining salt away. We've got a few plans for this years trips including Corsica and a few return trips to the north west of Scotland and at present we're making do with previous years photos and maps for this years trips. We may have the gulf stream to thank for some of the shorter and milder winters, but I;ve got serious withdrawal symtoms from being off the bike too long. Glad to see you're riding tall this early on in the season, but I would recommend a heated jacket and hand guards from the GS! :-) Link to comment
CraigT Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 Hi Francois, much the same here in Scotland, however the salt is still being spread across the roads and whilst I did put my wheels and bits back on the bike after winter storage on Saturday, (10C) I ran no more than 10 miles and put the bike back into the garage until the rain washes the remaining salt away. We've got a few plans for this years trips including Corsica and a few return trips to the north west of Scotland and at present we're making do with previous years photos and maps for this years trips. We may have the gulf stream to thank for some of the shorter and milder winters, but I;ve got serious withdrawal symtoms from being off the bike too long. Glad to see you're riding tall this early on in the season, but I would recommend a heated jacket and hand guards from the GS! :-) Link to comment
Francois_Dumas Posted March 2, 2011 Author Share Posted March 2, 2011 No pics? Who are you and what have you done with Francois? We've kidnapped him! He says 'Happy Birthday' from his cell..... Link to comment
flars Posted March 2, 2011 Share Posted March 2, 2011 "...Running nose inside a helmet though is something technology hasn't catered for yet..." A piece of soft material (I use an old tee shirt) 2 inches by 4 inches folded and rolled, then stuck up under the nose, trapped between the chin bar and upper lip. The effluvia still flows, but doesn't seem to be so irritating. And I don't lick my upper lip as much. Of course, if you use a flip up helmet, you have to open the shield and remove it before opening it up, unless you want to drag snot all over your face. Hi, Nina... Link to comment
RockBottom Posted March 3, 2011 Share Posted March 3, 2011 The big challenge in the winter here is the jagged, small gravel that the highway department puts on the roads during snow and ice, especially on inclined intersections. It accumulates in tight curves. I stay off of the rural roads where there isn't enough traffic to disperse it even though those are the most fun to ride. This has just been my third winter of riding and it's been the worst in terms of ice and snow. Link to comment
Francois_Dumas Posted March 3, 2011 Author Share Posted March 3, 2011 Yeah, that gravel problem is very apparent on our mountain roads in the Alps too, in Spring, and sometimes all the way into the Summer even :-( Link to comment
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