Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Who Says You Can’t?

When I told some friends was going to try and continue to commute to work in the winter on my bicycle I was told, you can’t do that! Since I’m pretty hard headed at times I took that as a challenge and set out to prove that it could be done and I was going to do it.

Since I always rode my motorcycle until it snowed I knew how to handle the cold. But I wasn’t counting on was how much different it is just sitting on something blasting along at 60 something miles per hour and pedaling something at 18 mph or slower. The clothes I had for the motorcycle were too big, heavy and hot for bicycling in the cold. So a new wardrobe was in order. Funny how little it takes to stay warm when you are working at riding a bicycle at times in deep snow. Who knew at 10F a person could sweat?

I did know though that the summer road bike with it's skinny little 23mm wide slick tires wasn’t going to cut it so I had to get another bike (N+1) for the job. It was just pure luck that I found a used Scott (my last name) mountain bike at a second hand sports store. While I knew the knobby tires used for dirt riding would probably work in the snow I wasn’t so sure about ice. A little searching on the ‘net revealed they make studded snow tires for bicycles. Who knew?

Studded tires and fenders installed. Winter bike clothing kit bought and off I went.

We’ve had a rather mild winter here as far as snow goes. It hasn’t been all that cold with 2F being about as cold as it has been when I hit the roads for my morning commute. And you know what? It’s been a lot of damn fun!

2012-01-24_09-00-26_833 

Even as much fun as this is I’m like everyone else and can’t wait for spring so I can get the road bike back out. I miss going fast! With 40lbs of bike and gear there is no such thing as fast.

fasthair

4 comments:

mq01 said...

fasthair, you are seriously braver (or more nuts) than i! :) i have not rolled out this winter, not yet anyway. this is great!...sounds like you are having an excellent time! bravo!

Webster World said...

Not me!

Willy D said...

Exactly the reason I will never ever live where it snows. Burrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

fasthair said...

Ms. M: But you live in sunny warm CA! Get out there girl and go kill a hill or something :)

Mr. Webster: Why not? Beats sitting on the couch looking at the snow out the window wishing you could ride!

Mr. Willy: Actually we've had a very mild winter by Iowa standards. Right now it's 54 outside on 2.2.12. Of course tomorrow is suppose to be winter again dumping a bunch of snow on us so the weather guessers say. I'll believe it when it happens since they have had a very good record this season.

fasthair