Winter conditions, FINALLY!

[ricoyam]

Woo Hoo,
Finally got some great winter conditions out here in NorCal. This is what it's all about. Zero dust and abundance of wet dirt. Even some Adobe mud. Downside is now I gotta clean everything up......

[NZMarkb]

Just a distant memory
The ground down here is as hard as rock and dusty as hell

[ricoyam]

Just a distant memory
The ground down here is as hard as rock and dusty as hell

Well you guys are in summer now!
They're even saying we may get some snow on the local mountains. It's been a couple of years since we saw that.

[Willis7864]

hi lads,
i wish it was dry and dusty here,we are so feed up with rain the mountains a soaking realy bad with water,we have had rain every day since October 31st,roll on the summer if we ever get one.

yes I live in the uk.

[Clearvu1]

Ya'll are a bunch of whiners. Come on out to the American Midwest for a year and see what we have to deal with. They say we have 4 seasons but 2 of them are almost the same. We're in winter now, it's highs in the 20's (talking Fahrenheit here, not Celsius), lows in the single digits and 7 inches of snow this week. Better have Mitas studded tires or just stay home. Spring and fall are similar to each other with the exception that one brings renewed life and the other signifies another time of death but both are plagued by mud with some areas promising almost certain emersion and suffocation if not approached just right. I think we only lost a dozen riders this year so not too bad, comparatively. We have some of the best dirt in the world which is great for feeding the masses but add just a tad too much water and it's big sticky blobs of organic magnificence. And it sticks to everything, every little nook and cranny on your bike, your gear, your helmet, visor and goggles, may as well just jump head first into a big ol' pile of shit before you start your ride. Been looking for ways to cut weight on your bike? Forget about it, you can't win. Start training with Fat Albert on the pillion cause that's what your bike is going to feel like after 10 minutes of ride time. Traction? HA! Forget about it.
Eventually summer wins out over spring and for the next 3 months you'll have some of the best riding anywhere. That beautiful black dirt takes form and tacks up nicely. There is no feeling in the world like a new 140/80 hooking up on firm black top soil....it's heaven on earth. Of course it feels like hell on earth because summertime temps rise into the 90's with 80-90% humidity which yields a heat index (you know what that is?) of about 190 degrees. Better fill your camel pack to the top to ward off those pesky heat strokes, cramps and heat induced hallucinations. Mine tend to feature Betty Beta and Katie M so I guess they're not all bad but my Doctor says I'm getting old and can't take too many more...but what does he know.
Before you know it fall has arrived and everything turns to crap again overnight. The only difference from spring is now you have all of that dying vegetation added in with the extra 200 pounds of mud on your bike and body. You know how to make bricks? Mud and straw. Go for a ride on Sunday but wait until Wednesday to wash your bike...congratulations on your new Italian boat anchor. Best to figure about a 2:1 ratio ride time to prep time.
For most riders It works out best to have a very flexible job because there are about 30 days in the year when the riding is just absolutely primo and you need to be able to get away to enjoy it. For some it's a little difficult to call in sick on an 80 degree, no rain in sight, the dirt is absolutely perfect weekday morning, but I'll do it anyway. Life's too short to miss it.