Extreme bikers brave ice, snow to keep riding> Local riders eschew studded tires, ignore slick trails to bike in winter

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At this point in the winter, most mountain biking enthusiasts have packed away their bikes, moved on to a different winter sport, given in to the cold and ice.

But not hard-core mountain bikers.

These curious athletes appear normal, yet are twisted. They work among the masses, yet are difficult to find.

There are dedicated mountain bike riders who compete in the summer and train indoors through the winter. These devotees give up on the slick roads and trails – but not on their mountain bikes.

Yet they are not the most die-hard riders.

There are still others who embrace the coastal winters and colder inland climate with studded tires. They persist in the outdoor sport they love through the cold-weather months. They trade trails for snowmobile tracks and pray for freezing weather to keep their path smooth.

Yet even these crazed riders are not the most extreme.

No, somewhere behind back roads, usually after the sun has gone down, the most wicked winter riders are sailing along snowmobile tracks without fear.

Pat’s Bicycle Shop co-owners Scott Seymour and Troy Dean are two such mavericks.

They brave slick, snowy trails in the dark with a simple mountain bike tire, the same kind they might use in the summer.

To see they use head lights. To keep from crashing they rely on their love of speed. One reason Seymour prefers the snowmobile trails to the roads is because you can go faster.

“You cruise right along. You don’t have rocks and roots to make it technical,” Seymour said. “Occasionally, you hit ice patches, but as long as you don’t do anything stupid, it’s fun. If the trails are ideal, it is definitely better to get away from the traffic. It’s just funner.”

While Pat’s Bike Shop carries studded tires, Dean said they are a waste of money.

“To get two good pair of studded tires is $100. You can get them for less than that, but I can’t see the point,” Dean said. “It’s tough to justify leaving them on. When you go on the roads, you wear them down.”

As crazy as the Pat’s bikers seem, at least they don’t expect the average rider to brave the trails.

“Pretty much, it’s hard-core riders,” Seymour said. “People who race. The general recreation rider I don’t think rides in the winter.”

Jim Rose, who owns Rose Bicycle in Orono, rides all year long. But he said studded tires are necessary.

“It’s tougher without studded tires. You have to be very, very cautious if you get on a patch of ice, your bike goes right out from under you,” Rose said.”When going along at 15-20 miles an hour and if you’re riding at night, all of a sudden you hit a sheet of ice, you crash, even with studded tires. And so you don’t like to take a chances.”

But tell Dean and Seymour they are foolhardy for riding without studs and they laugh.

“Ooohhh, no, it’s not so bad,” Seymour said.

Dean said the only time you need studded tires is when you’re on lakes with glare ice. He said if you ride with a very consistent peddle stroke and stay on the trails, skidding is not a problem.

Rose said he has been out riding on the snow this year without studded tires. But, he said if he didn’t have them last winter, he wouldn’t have been able to ride.

Rose estimates his shop sold 20 pairs of studded tires last year. He feels there is enough of a demand for his shop to make studded tires. The cost is $89 a pair.

Joe Minutolo seems to get the most business for studded tires at his coastal shop, Bar Harbor Bicycle. The shop carries the top-of-the-line version made by Nokia that go for $200 a pair. But Minutolo said those aren’t as good as his shop’s home-made version.

“I bet I sold 20 pair already this year,” Minutolo said. “We make them ourselves. Ours run $70 for a pair. The ones by Nokia are not as good. The studs aren’t quite as deep.”

Minutolo is another maverick who rides without studs.

He doesn’t race, but he trains all the time, through all seasons. A New Year’s Day ride up Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park is a store tradition. Mostly, Minutolo rides on snowmobile trails.

Yet Minutolo said there are some conditions where you need studs, like a section of Park Loop Road in the park that becomes a sheet of ice in the winter.

At the Ski Rack in Bangor salesman Don Sparkman said most of the riders he knows pack away their bikes, but the winter riders he does know use studded tires. He estimates the Ski Rack sells only two or three sets of studded tires.

“The typical customer is well rounded and goes from biking to snowshoeing and skiing. They’re pretty OK with not being able to ride,” Sparkman said.

However, at Pat’s Bike Shop, the riders ride when they can. If the conditions are right and the snow is thick and frozen, the riding is just right for them.

Seymour said people don’t ride in the winter just because they don’t want the bother. There’s the extra layering and you have to pick and choose your trails.

“I’d rather go outside then inside and ride on a stationary bike,” Seymour said. “It needs to get cold for it to harden right up. It takes the right weather for it be ideal. If not, they go city biking.”

The Pat’s crew prefers the trails along Interstate 395 in Brewer, and those that go down 1A to Lucerne-in-Maine. The trails along the pipeline in Bangor are also good. When local streams and bogs freeze, they ride on those.

Given ideal conditions depend on the traffic on snowmobile trails, Seymour said this year could be another good one for trail riding, since snowmobiling has grown in popularity in recent years.

The only big drawback to riding in the snow, according to most of the local winter riders, is you have to have perfect conditions.

If there is too much snow, it’s too soft. If it’s warm or wet, it’s just slush. But when it’s bitterly cold out, the trails are just right.

You either have to have a wet snow fall, decent snowmobile traffic and cold nights or powder snow, warm days, and then cold nights.

“The key is keeping the snow hard packed. As soon as you break through the trails, it’s better to stay on the streets,” Dean said. “When it gets soft, the front wheel could break through. You could get thrown over your handlebars.”

The Pat’s riders say they have perfect conditions only for about three or four weeks in the winter. The riders in Bar Harbor say the winter riding there lasts longer.

Rose is often torn in the winter because he loves to cross country ski. But the fact is, when it’s too cold to ski – he said it’s perfect to ride.

“Riding on the trails is so different from summertime riding,” Rose said. “It’s a lot different. It’s a lot of fun. I get anxious to get out there.”