Test packing

The bike is packed for the beer overnighter. The forecast lowest night temperature is -14°C (7°F).

Childish

It might be childish get exited over snow and cold, but in that case I am a little childish. This is a fantastic start of the winter. I went out for a ride with the Pugsley just before sunset and probably looked stupid with the big smile. We now have 10-15 cm of snow and the temperature is safely below zero.

More winter

I'm away for a few days at the Pyhäjärvi lake some 60 km from Turku, unfortunately without my bike. Currently it feels like winter. Yesterday it was around -7°C with a strong wind from the north.







Today everything looked different. I took a few pictures just before the snow storm started.

Winter?

We got a few cm of snow a few days ago and the ten day weather forecast promises fairly cold weather with day temperatures between -6°C and -13°C and nights that are a few degrees colder. Is it possible that the winter is already coming? I am hopeful, but it would really be quite early.

I did go out and ride the Pugsley both yesterday and today. There is still no real benefit to the fat tires in the snow. The grip was good, but narrow tires with large knobs would have cut through the snow and given equally good grip. On the occasional half-frozen mud the fat tires did float well without sinking down. When we get more snow the fat tires should be quite nice to have.





Compare this picture with the one from a week ago taken in the same place. A little snow really changes the landscape.






It is really hard to take self documenting pictures with the DSLR. Incredibly enough, the self timer still is as primitive as it was on my SLR:s 15-20 years ago: Just the choice between 2 and 10 seconds. Compare that to my compact camera, which offers a delay of 1-30 s and after that 1-10 pictures. Implementing this would not take more that maybe one work month to program and test. I guess Canon wants us to buy a remote release costing almost 200 bucks. Fortunately, there are cheaper third part alternatives and I have one on the way already.

New camera

I've been somewhat reluctant to upgrade my DSLR, since I don't use it very much. For most of my excursions a DSLR is too cumbersome and heavy, since I prefer to move with lighter gear. The compact camera Canon S90, which I bought this summer, is one of the absolute best compact cameras when it comes to image quality and it is truly pocketable. I've been very satisfied with it. However, a DSLR gives better image quality, especially when it comes to dynamic range and high ISO images. The sharpness is also better, though this depends heavily on the quality of the lens. I've been photographing with Canon EOS cameras since 1990, and have some nice lenses. I bought the 6 MP EOS 300D, the first consumer priced DSLR, when it came in 2003. While its image quality still is better than the best compact cameras of today, it is somewhat slow. To replace it I bought a second hand EOS 40D. With its 10 MP it has a lot less pixels than the newest ones, but the pixels should be very good. It also has a lot more direct controls than the 300D and a very nice viewfinder. If I had more money to use, the natural choice would of course have been a 60D, but for most practical purposes, the difference in image quality is marginal, though the 60D has some ergonimical advantages, most notably the tiltable back display.

I also contemplated the Sony NEX series as an alternative. The concept is great, but the lens selection very limited and to replace my current lenses would be very expensive and they are not even available yet for the Sony NEX. The mirrorless design does seem nice, but in practice the cameras are still not small enough to be truly pocketable.

It remains to be seen how much I will use the camera when riding my bike. I would probably need a minimal backpack for it. The Lowepro Slingshot 100 AW seems nice: small enough and quick access to the camera.

Below are a few test shots. The first one would really need a HDR technique for optimal result, but this photo still shows the difference against the S90: There are lots of details in the highlights (sky), while the foreground is still not too dark and noisy. This would not be possible with a compact camera (except for HDR imaging).









The Pugsley got a front rack, and hence should be ready for the beer ride next weekend.

Snow!

We got the first glimpse of snow last night, around 15 cm (5-6 inches). During the night the snowfall turned to rain and by the morning the snow was very wet . The evening snow was very refreshing. In combination with the wind, the icy felt like needles in the face. I had to do a ride with the pugsley in the morning before work as well and took a few pictures.







The snow will probably be completely gone in less than a week, but it still was refreshing.

A short Pugsley overnighter

This is the worst time of the year. This year the fall has been quite dry, but the lack of daylight imposes some restrictions. Currently sunrise is at 8:08 and sunset at 16:21. When we get snow this changes and the darkness no longer bothers.

I went on a short overnighter with Toni Lund to Piikkiö. The goal was not to cover a lot o miles, but rather to enjoy a night at a lean-to. "En skikkelig kosetur", to quote the Norwegian writer/adventurer Lars Monsen. There is not much point in doing longer rides in the darkness, besides training, since you don't see anything else than the few meters in front of you illuminated by the bike lights.

I left at 19.00 and had two hours to get to Piikkiö to meet Toni Lund. The direct route would probably take around 45 minutes, but I found a fairly nice route using mostly forest roads and singletrack, starting in my home forest.



This is what you see when riding in the darkness. Good bike lights make it possible, but you still don't see much, unless the ground is covered in snow.


Lake Littoinen, with some lights from the the village Littoinen in the background.




Toni Lund. After we met in Piikkiö we rode for a short while to the lean-to.


We arrived at the lean-to maybe around 22.00. I rode about 22 km this evening.

After some initial troubles getting the fire started (wet wood and just a multitool knife for the firewood), we grilled sandwiches and sausages. Nice.




View from the lean-to. The light pollution comes from a nearby greenhouse. We went to sleep around midnight.


We got up at 7:00 in the morning. At some point during the night it rained a little, but in the morning the weather cleared up. Toni looks forward to his coffee.


Shortly after we woke, Matti K came by on the way home from his morning ride. I had mentioned the lean-to location on Facebook, and actually guessed that he might come by.


Matti K...


... and his new cyclocross bike. He had some troubles on the roots and rocks with it.


The lean-to and Toni's bike.


Parked and ready. We got started around 8:10.


The last part of the climb up to Linnavuori is not doable on a bike.


A nice view from the top of Linnavuori.






On the move again.




Around 9:20 we went in separate directions. I had about 1,5 hours of riding left to get home.


Some easy singletrack was included.


Lake Littoinen again. Almost home.


This morning saw around 22 km of riding.

I don't consider this a real shakedown ride for the Pugsley. For that I need real winter conditions, though it works well also outside the winter. It provides an alternative to the full suspension bike for trips on singletrack. The big tires provides the same comfort as suspension in sustainable touring speeds and the large frame bag and racks enables riding without a backpack, which is really nice.

A few more picture are here.

Check out Toni's write-up as well.