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The joys of spring riding in Canada The joys of spring riding in Canada
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Photo by Paul Stewart, of Egle Gerulaityte - Must love Donkeys!

I haven't been everywhere...
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Must love Donkeys!
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  #1  
Old 21 Apr 2021
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The joys of spring riding in Canada
Greetings. I got my new bike April 1st, and rode it home....447 km. The coldest it got was -6 C with a 30km/h cross wind....About a week later it got to +20 C.

I need tools for my new ride, so I've been hitting up the used market - rode about 80 km one way to get a deal on a torx socket set (torx and allen for $25) in pouring rain. And today I picked up a torque wrench - it was snowing outside.

All I need now is a hail storm, and for it to get over +30 C and I'll have covered the weather in most parts of the world (not really hot countries) and that's a possibility in Canada. All in about 1250 km, that I've put on since I bought the bike.

Tested new warm gloves - they suck.....boots - not water proof - helmet - double visor still fogs when its really cold, but not too bad. And if you have any skin exposed when its cold like today, you know it immediately and have to pull over and adjust.

What a blast.
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Old 21 Apr 2021
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Yup. A lot of us go thru this--the non-waterproof "waterproof" gear, the need for infinite adjustability in response to changing conditions, the inadequate solutions to fogging visors...

(Yeah, I know I'm tempting someone to come on here and describe how they found the perfect solution to one or another of the above--their riding pants never leaked, their visors never fogged. That's ok; the point still stands.)

Remember when you were asking about financials and insurance, and other members kept trying to convince you that you didn't yet know as much as you seemed to think? What you're experiencing currently as you try out different gear is a good analogy. Eventually you'll probably get to a point where you've almost deliberately forgotten this stage, because you've developed an system which works reasonably well for you, at a minimum preventing frostbite, allowing sufficient visibility, and maintaining verticality.

The same will probably happen in other, related arenas. Eventually, the borders will open and you'll be off and running, maybe reporting back here on your trip. Salud!

Mark
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Old 21 Apr 2021
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Originally Posted by krtw View Post
Tested new warm gloves - they suck.....boots - not water proof - helmet - double visor still fogs when its really cold, but not too bad. And if you have any skin exposed when its cold like today, you know it immediately and have to pull over and adjust.
Excellent news! You're on the road!
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Old 21 Apr 2021
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Originally Posted by krtw View Post
Greetings. I got my new bike April 1st, and rode it home....447 km. The coldest it got was -6 C with a 30km/h cross wind....About a week later it got to +20 C.
Yikes - I try to stay off the bike once the temperature drops to less than about +5c....
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Old 24 Apr 2021
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For your double visor, or Pinlock, the pins on each side are adjustable, they are like an offset cam. The purpose is to make a good fit between the two shields which will prevent the fogging. Check the fit using a sheet of paper, if the paper easily slides between the two shields, then adjustment is needed.

Cold hands.....forget everything out there and get handlebar muffs such as Hippo Hands. I ride with summer gloves inside the Hippo Hands.

A neck tube makes a big difference for keeping you warm as well, you have major arteries running up your neck that are very near the surface....lot of heat loss.

Watch our for black ice in the shaded areas of pavement, even when its above 0C, the frost is still coming out of the ground this time of year.

Be safe
brian
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Old 24 Apr 2021
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Non waterproof boots in the cold are the worst. Learned this the hard way riding through Norway in +2C in pouring rain. My boots were advertised as waterproof, but a more honest description would have been water absorbent...

After the trip I ordered some Sidi Adventure 2's, they have kept my feet dry and I couldn't be happier.
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Old 24 Apr 2021
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Originally Posted by frameworkSpecialist View Post
Non waterproof boots in the cold are the worst.

Sealskinz sock are the most underrated piece of clothing. I have been wearing them for years and can't compliment them highly enough
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Old 24 Apr 2021
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Originally Posted by electric_monk View Post
Sealskinz sock are the most underrated piece of clothing. I have been wearing them for years and can't compliment them highly enough
I wish there was a Canadian reseller - very expensive to get here.
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Old 25 Apr 2021
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Maybe the BMW C1 could be a good place to start?

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Old 25 Apr 2021
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I WANT ONE! Just because its so weird...Not sure it would make it around the world....
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Old 26 Apr 2021
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London (among other places) seemed full of those things. Their operators looked less protected, yet not less encumbered, than the drivers of the little compact cars that surrounded them. And unlike an actual motorbike, they didn't look like they'd be any fun on winding mountain roads, either.
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Old 26 Apr 2021
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Spring doesn't really exist in the Rockies in Colorado. We get snow, followed by warm (warmish?), and repeat: September- May; and summer for 2-3 months.

Out behind my house a few weeks ago....


Today my wife and I went for a nice Sunday ride at 65-75*F.



Tuesday? More snow on the way.

Ride when you can................shu
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Old 2 May 2021
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Spring riding in Canada looks like summerriding in Norway. Photo taken 6th of June 2012....
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