Winter bike trails in northern Virginia

[kevin lindsey]

A question for those few fellow Rivendellers in northern Virginia:
I'm currently commuting from Mount Vernon to Tyson's Corner on the
Mount Vernon and W&OD bike trails. Is it possible to continue doing
so all winter? Do the trails become icy and unmanageable? If so,
when? Are they ever cleared of snow? What tires do you recommend for
winter conditions here? (FYI, I ride a Bleriot that currently sports
41cm Fatty Rumpkins.)
Thanks in advance,
Kevin

[kevin lindsey]

Sorry - I meant 41mm Fatties, not 41 cm.

[Tim Whalen]

Kevin,

C. 1995 I bike commuted pretty much year round from near the Braddock Metro station to the Pentagon.  So that was a mile or so of streets through Old Town and then the path along the Potomac.  As I recall it was usually pretty doable; I certainly remember riding on many cold days (and still use the same windproof tights).  I don't remember what tires I used but probably studded.  For sure that is all I would use now in the cold because even if roads and trails are clear, there is always the danger of black ice in the shady spots.  My Nokian studded tires roll right over that stuff even if I am late seeing it.

Hope this helps,
Tim

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[Steve Palincsar]

On Sun, 2011-10-23 at 09:46 -0700, kevin lindsey wrote:
> A question for those few fellow Rivendellers in northern Virginia:
> I'm currently commuting from Mount Vernon to Tyson's Corner on the
> Mount Vernon and W&OD bike trails. Is it possible to continue doing
> so all winter? Do the trails become icy and unmanageable? If so,
> when? Are they ever cleared of snow?

The trails are never cleared from snow, other than by Mr. Sunshine.
Figure the worst spots can be blocked for as much as a week or even two
after a snow storm. While some might have fun riding through the soft
powder the day after the snow, after a few days of freeze and thaw
cycles those bicycle tracks are going to be come treacherous ice
grooves.

There are some spots that are chronically worse than others; on the Mt.
Vernon Trail heading north to DC, some major trouble spots are the
overpasses near National Airport (bridges freeze first, remember?) and
the deeply shaded places where the trail goes under the Potomac bridges
near 14th St.

[PATRICK MOORE]

See, Steve, that's when you need a trike.

Old timers in England speak of tying sections of rope at intervals around the driving wheel for "ribs" for traction in snow. Me, I hope we get some snow this year -- the last two or three have been very dry. I want to see if the trike is as good a bad weather rider as it is a grocery carrier. One cyclocross tire on the left rear and bob's yer uncle. Maybe.

Patrick Moore, who can corner faster on a coaster bicycle than on a trike (for now), but faster on a trike with 20 lb + of groceries than on a bike.

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[Steve Palincsar]

On Sun, 2011-10-23 at 14:50 -0600, PATRICK MOORE wrote:
> See, Steve, that's when you need a trike.
>
>
> Old timers in England speak of tying sections of rope at intervals
> around the driving wheel for "ribs" for traction in snow.

When it gets difficult it's been a long time since it was "snow" - now
it's more like crusty ice or frozen slush with deep tire ruts in it.

> Me, I hope we get some snow this year -- the last two or three have
> been very dry. I want to see if the trike is as good a bad weather
> rider as it is a grocery carrier. One cyclocross tire on the left rear
> and bob's yer uncle. Maybe.

Be careful. A couple of years ago a friend of mine riding on the W&OD
Trail thought no problem, there are the tracks across the bridge, where
one bike has gone another may easily follow, but those tracks were
ridges of ice and she skidded out, crashed into the guard rail, and
broke her arm in two places, one a compound fracture. Spent some time
unconscious on the frozen bridge, too.

You may not fall over on a trike, but you sure can spin out or roll
over.

[dweendaddy]

Studded tires. What you lose in rolling resistance you gain x10 in safety and stability.

Edwin

[Steve Palincsar]

On Sun, 2011-10-23 at 19:01 -0700, dweendaddy wrote:
> Studded tires. What you lose in rolling resistance you gain x10 in
> safety and stability.

Trouble is, there are only a few days each winter when they'll be of any
value, and only a few places.

[Joe S]

After 8 years of commuting on the W&OD, the last 4 daily, I finally
invested in studded tires this year. While it is true that the number
of days when studded tires are absolutely necessary is limited, those
days tend to come in blocks of 3-4 days or a week at a time. It
doesn't take much to feel 'stale' by not commuting.

I've commuted, through office moves, between Leesburg and Reston/
Vienna and there are areas of the trail where there are micro climates
(mainly because they are sheltered and the sun doesn't reach the trail
over the banks or through the trees). Some of these are as long as
50-60 yards. Then there are bridges and also underpasses where snow
blows and doesn't melt. So, even when it warms up enough to melt the
snow, melt/freeze cycles and shade make studded tires useful for a
longer period of time than you might expect.

Another factor that pushed me to studded tires is the freeze/melt
cycle. It always killed me not to commute on a really cold, sunny
morning after a freeze the night before because the snow that melted
on the previous day had set up ice patches on the trail. This happens
everywhere. The thing is that it would then warm up during the day
and be perfectly fine for the evening commute, just puddles
everywhere. I sometimes commuted on these days but it was a drag in
the morning having to dismount and push my bike over and around the
larger patches of ice. It was necessary to build in extra time on the
commute.

A problem with the W&OD and ice is after the ice after snow. I've
commuted perfectly well on mountain bike tires in fresh or recent
snow. However, once pedestrians start on the trail, it's all over as
frozen foot steps are about the worst to navigate, IMHO. I'm
expecting, but haven't tried it yet, to be able to better navigate the
frozen foot steps. Studded tires have got to work better than not
having them. The only cost I see is a slower (and time-wise longer)
ride.

[KenP]

Hi,

   I've commuted to DC from Alexandria in very cold dry weather without a problem.  Just had to bundle in layers, especially the hands and feet.  Put vinyl gloves under.  And shoe covers over the running shoes.  Rode in show few times.  Once was scarry because the breaks were slipping.

Cheers

Ken P.

[NickBull]

I've commuted daily on the Custis Trail -> Mt Vernon Trail ->14th
Street Bridge -> Maine Ave -> Capitol Hill route for the last seven
years, missing only about thirty days when the snow has just been too
deep to be able to push my bike through.

As others have noted, the biggest problem comes from the partial
thawing during the day, when tire tracks and footprints create ruts
that then refreeze overnight.

My initial attempt at studded tires was Nokian 700x35 Hakkapeliita
W106's. The lack of studs except along the centerline means that the
first re-frozen tire groove you hit can easily take you down. Then I
got 26" Nokian Extreme (for the front) and Mount and Ground (for the
rear), thinking the the M&G would be a compromise that reduces rolling
resistance. But again, the lack of sidewall studs means that it has a
hard time climbing out of ruts. So the front end would go where I
steered, but the back end would get stuck in the rut and slide along
it until it was close enough to perpendicular that it could climb out
of the rut. It was a delicate balance to stay upright. Eventually I
bought a WXC 300 for the front and moved the Extreme to the back.
That combo works pretty well, but cannot handle deep snow because the
tires are too narrow to float on top of the snow. Maybe in fact there
are no tires that would do the job, but if I had the money it would be
great to try something like a Surly Pugsley with studded Endomorph
tires.

FWIW, I also tried some 700x40 Hakkapeliita W240's that have four rows
of studs. They're basically like an Extreme but just a little bit
narrower and of course bigger diameter. I found these to be
considerably more hairy to ride on the usual horrid conditions around
here. Because they're a little narrower, they just were a little
harder to keep on course when the ruts and footprints are grabbing
them. At the same time, the bike I was riding with those (my
Rivendell Rambouillet) has down-tube shifters, so part of the extra
difficulty relative to my MTB was that I had to take a hand off the
handlebars to shift, instead of just using the handlebar-mounted thumb
shifters on the MTB.

All of that said, one day as I was riding down the Potomac on a mildly-
grooved icy/snowy surface a week after the most recent snowfall, I saw
that coming the other direction was a middle-aged oriental woman on a
"Flying Pigeon" style bike with regular rubber tires. I have no idea
how she stayed up, but she did.

Nick

[EricP]

First off, only visited DC area, but am impressed you ride the Custis
trail in winter. Especially the couple of big climbs (or downhills,
depending on direction). Coming from a somewhat cold climate,
realized that could be, um, interesting in winter.

No, you don't want studded Endomorphs. A friend did that. She has
since sold the Pugsley and purchased a different bike to try more
normal 26" studded tires. Her tires were incredibly heavy. As far as
I can tell, there aren't any studded fat bike tires (yet). 45North
(another QBP brand) may have something in the works. Don't know, just
guessing.

Funny thing, since getting back to riding and using studded tires in
winter, can't see how folks can stay up without them. However, am
willing to bet most winter riders in the Twin Cities just use regular
tires. It works for them.

Eric Platt
St. Paul, MN