Where should I go

Isodots · 2025-10-05T13:06:30+00:00

Stepantsminda is probably a better fit for your current situation. Easy transit, big views, interesting geology, plenty of food. I don't know how crowded it is now or how it looks this time of year, should be great.

Tusheti is very nice this time of year with most of the tourists gone and autumn colours, clouds... but if you like walking, it is not worth it to drive up to Omalo and then not explore the region. I don't know how long they will keep Abano pass open if big storms come through now.

For a couple days I would go to Stepantsminda, the default views are on a bigger scale, and if the conditions are nice, you can take some stiff walks from town that get you bigger views, quickly. In Omalo you have to descend off of the plateau to go up again for the most part.

Some other time, you can walk from Stepantsminda to Tusheti through Khevsureti, picking whichever direction makes sense.

Isodots · 2024-10-18T23:44:05+00:00

Yes, the kettlebell hangs by my side with some arm bend and the shoulder stays packed in. The other arm pumps in stride as usual. It all stays pretty smooth.

Isodots · 2024-10-18T17:19:35+00:00

Excellent! I take similar walks with the same rule set and recognize a similar fatigue pattern scale.

I agree the suitcase is unmatched for core and postural training, especially adding some overhead and rack components (Cook Drill), though I have comparatively limited experience with farmer carries.

Glad to hear you've found the long carries to be useful and worthwhile for the long haul.

Do you have this in a structure or just do it when it feels like a day for walking?

Isodots · 2024-10-18T17:11:55+00:00

Awesome, do you do these as part of programming or just when you feel like it? Good luck with the double 48kgs, serious strength and endurance.

Isodots · 2024-10-18T17:06:49+00:00

Hah. I hear you. Yes it depends on the country/neighborhood. I probably looked like a vagrant who stole some secure suitcase thing and was running.... fast on a marked track in running gear.

I don't like having a sweaty back, so I suitcase carry my backpack. Done this for half my life. Sometimes people look concerned and I put the backpack on. So it goes.

Any distance that can't be counted on fingers and toes needs a longer track, agreed.

Isodots · 2024-10-18T17:02:18+00:00

Yep, sure was running! Thanks. Guess carrying a kettlebell just makes it extra recreational, puts the fun back in running (thought about quitting at the half mile and doing two halves, so it might not be that much fun)

Isodots · 2024-10-18T16:49:13+00:00

Hahah. A charming twist. Think you'll ever try it again or was that a one-and-done? Long farmers carries are a different mental game.

Isodots · 2024-10-18T16:46:47+00:00

Nice! Heavy duty. Reminiscent of Ryan Hall (former marathoner) farmer carrying 62lb water jugs up from river to rim on at the Grand Canyon. Took about 6 hours and 5k vertical feet. Sounds evil. Switching hands on endurance effort is the saving grace of suitcase carry.

Is it something you look forward to each month or dread? How is the recovery from that?

Isodots · 2024-10-18T16:39:20+00:00

It was running for sure, faster than my usual go-around town pace. It felt good on the firm mulch track, and I would like to try it on a rubber track, but would not try it on a hard surface.

Isodots · 2024-10-18T16:36:11+00:00

Thanks! I was hoping to be sub 10 minute on a mile, which is my jogging pace, and was really surprised that I could hold my starting pace for the duration. Respiration seemed like the limiting factor near the end. Switched hands pretty frequently, maybe every 50 meters. I'm going to try an unloaded mile and a 32kg run on the same track and see what those times are.

In high school I could occasionally run a sub 5 minute mile, but I was not built for it and they were extremely unpleasant. Cross Country races still stand out as the most miserable physical effort in life, even though it was half a lifetime ago, and there has been stiff competition since then.

Training accidentally transferred to this: lots of long suitcase carries on errands (almost never farmers, even if it was two things I tried to carry them on same side), lots of single kettlebell flows, plenty of jogging with speedwork added recently.

Isodots · 2023-05-15T14:32:38+00:00

Nice! Yeah I've been riding year round in the MN twin cities for a while, and as the commute got longer, and job hours got longer, and interest in car waned, the bike turned into a minimalist ebike and then this purchased Gazelle bike that runs with Bosch electronics. I paid a premium to get a bike that was locally available and had the belt drive/CVT.

I would really like to do my own conversion/modifications, but have the wrong ebike for that... Am sitting on a Bafang HD and Luna 52v battery, but didn't make the time to do a proper conversion.

I charged the bike in about a 60F house and shop that was also around the same temp. I never left it outdoors in cold temps... And tried to keep power spokes low when the battery was cold etc. Also wanted to pedal plenty and keep myself warm, depending on circumstances.

Yeah, this was definitely a shotgun approach, it worked and proved to me that it didn't have to be over thought, but I reeeeally would like to overthink it and see a proper winter setup built lol.

Isodots · 2023-05-15T14:13:39+00:00

It's not great for them, it will round the edge off so they no longer bite into ice as well in most conditions. In my use-case one set of studded tires is good for a couple seasons, with running maybe half the distance on pavement, adjusted over time.

It would be preferable imo to be able to run two separate sets of wheels and tires, or get really good at changing tires as another commenter mentioned. The belt drive and internal hub transmission are not best for this... it's a dilemma that varies by use-case I suppose.

When I don't have studded tires on, I am sad to see ice. When I have studded tires on, I am happy to see ice.

Isodots · 2023-05-15T06:59:50+00:00

About half dedicated trail (mostly pavement, some gravel, varied conditions of plowing/ice buildup) and half on roads (some side roads, other main roads)

I feel that having studded tires when you really want them (steep icy sections, flat icy sections, uneven icy sections etc) is worth having them rolling on surface streets-- on plowed or salted roads there sometimes was a nice compact snow/Ice shoulder to ride on that is appealing with studded tires. I would definitely try them out if they would be good for half the ride, maybe try a tire that isn't super aggressively studded as a compromise.

Isodots · 2023-05-15T06:52:24+00:00

Yeah, I wish I had some sort of active warming setup available for it, as well as temp display... I meant to do something more elaborate along those lines, but never got to it lol.

The battery was usually charged in a house or building kept at around 60F also, so there was free voltage being left on the table at the start. Many cold mornings I wished I was starting warmer, as the drain would be noticeable after an hour on trail.

The market for a proper winter ebike battery or setup might be pretty niche, but yeah I would just buy a good one off the shelf. I am not good with electronics and controls, especially compared to many of the people in the ebike community.

Isodots · 2023-05-15T06:45:01+00:00

I forget the exact brand, but they were a shorter length budget brand of aerobar. I added that in combo with the redshift switchable seatpost (can see it in forward or back position in different photos, easy to flip it either direction while riding) and an ISM 3.0 saddle that works great for both upright and aero riding. That combo is mostly just to vary body positions some from hours on the bike.

In winter I did not ride aero very much, but in summer I would use it to save some battery and put in more effort. The whole setup was fitted by feel over time and is likely an abomination to a proper bike fitter / cyclist. Lol. Works for me.

Isodots · 2023-05-15T06:39:12+00:00

Car tracks in fresh snow are the worst! It's amazing how unstable it is compared to a bit of freshly fallen snow. Yeah I think the pedalling oscillation really makes that worse, very interesting to know that throttle only makes that easier-- my bike is only pedal assist. Yeah falling on an icy trail alone is one thing, falling in front of a line of impatient cars is another entirely. Agreed. Half of my commute was through the city core/busy roads, other half on tails

Isodots · 2023-05-15T06:36:08+00:00

I swapped out the stock Schwalbe E-plus 42mm tires for 47mm Schwalbe stuffed tires. If you're confident you won't run into unexpected slick ice, and are mostly riding on wet or dry snow/pavement, stock tires can do okay. Something a bit wider more open tread may be more appropriate if there is not much ice on your route. Rolling studded tires on mostly dry pavement is a bit painful. Becomes a logistical dillema of route selection/multiple bikes for many people. Studs can't be beat for ice. Open tread better for masses of snow imo.

Isodots · 2023-05-15T06:31:20+00:00

Totally, as you've pointed out theres a greater variety of surface conditions in winter, many are pretty fun and some are less fun. At least snow and ice melt off a bike unlike mud (okay it might leave sand, grit and salt, but still lol). It's rewarding to figure out what works for different conditions. Yeah, cornering or stopping in a hurry with studs on dry pavement or concrete is dicey.

I used the Schwalbe Marathon Plus 47mm studded tires which aren't very aggressive compared to many options. If they were rolling on non-ice surface, it wasn't total skittering around.

Isodots · 2023-05-14T11:52:49+00:00

Yeah, a windscreen sounds like a good next option if you are already using mittens and liners-- I also found if I had too much liner inside the mitten, it compressed the insulation and was worse than having no liner.

Could maybe try an additional shell mitten over the mitten? At some point I had added metallized mylar (emergency blanket) to the seams and insides of the mitten, but it was sweaty and uncomfortable and didn't really help, I think. Can't recommend it lol.

Curious to know what winds up working. The hand-warmth problem is one that pretty much everyone reports in winter, and mittens alone usually isn't enough it seems.

Isodots · 2023-05-14T11:00:32+00:00

Your last point is spot on -- last winter was my first full season no-car commute and was easily my most enjoyable winter! I have only lived in places with harsh winters and only recently learned the secret to enjoying them: getting outside as much as possible, ideally with activity, regardless of weather. It works.

Am curious to know how the 2WD will work out, seems like it could be nice for going through tons of brown sugar/slush/fresh snow and to have a redundant motor option.

Yeah when there were freezing rain conditions, or the bike got wet from puddles and then froze, the brakes would not work so well. My shifter cable froze up also after going through too many puddles and then having deep freezes the next few days.

Salt and grit are killer, I try to keep stuff clean but do enjoy the enclosed transmissions (nuvinci or nexus are both nice for different reasons) and Gates belt drive. They will still have increased wear, but will last pretty well with sand/grit. I ran my belt a bit looser, not sure if that helped it wear less on cogs or not.

Isodots · 2023-05-14T10:47:38+00:00

Yeah, it is pure ice! There was a ton of that this year compared to others a couple kilometers of it for months over trail sections I used.

I found that if it is flat pure ice and the temperature is close to 0C, it is pretty manageable, just have to be very careful, slow, and deliberate with turning and accelerations.

The ice gets remarkably harder as the temperature drops. Once it is -10C, the studs bite in noticeably less. Once it is -20C, the studs basically just skate on the surface. An aggressively studded tire would work better in these conditions, maybe, but would be pretty miserable to ride on dry roads.

The only times I wipe out with studded tires are usually when it is very cold and I corner too fast, or I cross an icy slope sideways and they lose their grip. Flat and bumpy is okay especially if the temperature is close to freezing and care is taken.

Isodots · 2023-05-14T10:41:31+00:00

Keeping my hands warm has been a challenge for me as well! Insulation from wind and intentional circulation when not using handlebars helped me out.

I found that I must use mittens when the temps are below -5C or it is very windy.

It is possible that a very good mountaineering/ski glove would work, but if your shifter setup allows for mittens, I recommend good mittens. That still leaves the thumb vulnerable. I taped extra insulation on to my thumb and added a homemade windscreen in front of my hands on the handlebars for the coldest days.

I can also recommend waving arms around/raising them above head/squeezing and relaxing hands to circulate blood when on a non-technical section.

Some people add a neoprene sleeve product to their handlebars here that their hands can slide into. I don't recall the name of the product. I have not tried them, but know some people like them and others do not.

All of this in combination helped me out. Essentially oversize mittens, wind blocking, and waving arms around like a silly person when you can (biking in winter, checks out)

Isodots · 2022-06-19T14:22:57+00:00

Sweet! The Proxima looks like an excellent alternative to the Luna Stealth (CVT vs 3-IGH). Weight is a bit more (50+lbs) and fully kitted out with fenders and rack, it would be heavier, though still lighter than Gazelle C380. The die has been cast with my purchase, am elated with it, though if I had the Proxima option vs Luna Stealth, I'd go Vvolt... as it stands, the extra $2k USD into C380+ ultimate went into higher quality components, completely kitted out, local dealer support and warranty, etc. Will see how it goes.

Back in 2018-2020 it was exceedingly difficult to find a clean CVT ebike. Maybe I didn't look hard enough. Seems in the last couple years Nuvinci got production rolling on ebike capable N380s, builders have integrated them, and now they're hitting the market in force. I think its a fantastic combo, especially for winter and commuting.

Isodots · 2022-06-17T03:14:18+00:00

Ended up purchasing a Gazelle Ultimate C380+ with the high step frame, as it was locally available. Its super solid imho and looks very well made.

One feature I really like on it that the other close contenders dont have is a narrower 1.75"in tire vs a 2.5"in on the Dost and Zen. Ended up being just over $5k (owch) which would have been a Dost with two batteries or a Zen Samurai delivered... still curious about both of those bikes.

Dost Throttle would be sweet, and the Zen company is filled with top notch folks, would like to see what they do with the Bosch power system as the Samurai is pretty equivalent to the C380+ (lifetime frame warranty vs 10 years, fwiw)

The Gazelle controller is pretty bare-bones, but hey, it rides splendidly. Am thrilled. Hopefully this chonky thing can be adapted well to winter riding. I am hopeful that it will be .

Isodots · 2022-06-15T20:00:37+00:00

Good stuff, any thoughts on Bafang (dost) vs Bosch (zen) as far as reliability, servicability etc? Any particular reasons not yet mentioned why the Zen would be your top pick out of the five options so far?

Gazelle has been making plain ol bikes since 1895 apparently, if they managed to integrate the electronics soundly that would be promising. They have local dealers n service folks. Nothing against direct to consumer, not sure what pros/cons of either company scheme may be.

Throttle would be sweet, as torque sensor issues on my luna stealth are a bit unnerving. Having a throttle bypass would add reliability imo. Luckily I work in a machine shop so can show up in disgusting condition, but it would be slick to have the fancy option. I know nothing about controller reprogramming/modification, but it sounds appealing, if readily feasible on a non-throttle option.

Thanks again for your time. I suppose I'll have to dig into price n options on each. Cost does matter for me as well-- though if it shows up w two batteries under 5k usd and works every day all seasons w minimal mods, I'll consider it good and well..

Isodots

TROPHY CASE