February 20, 2012

We had to make a trip up near a larger Dick's Sporting Goods (which we laughingly call "Big Dick's") because I actually had a $10 off certificate from using my Score Card for bike stuff (I never thought that'd be the case!).  I ended up getting a new, nicer helmet.  We made it back home back by 2, but since it had decided to snow overnight (only lightly, but it made thing wet), it took until about 3pm to finally did get up to 40F.  With some prodding from my wife, I decided to bite the bullet and go out, putting on all my thermal gear: thermal compression shirt, layered socks, full gloves with liners, thermal bib tights, thermal skull cap, and a windbreaker.

No doubt, it was cold and a bit windy, but I made it through town to the green-way then back in again to make about 16 miles in the cold (it was 35F when I got home at a bit after 5pm).  My layering worked very well, and the new tires were awesome in the snow and ice, not to mention that it seemed that everyone in town must've found out that I had Kevlar enforced tires and wanted to help me test them from the amount of broken glass I had to dodge!

Unfortunately, I did reconfirm how hard the cold can be on my lungs and had to use the stupid emergency inhaler when I got home.  But my hands and feet were toasty warm!  And the rest of the gear kept the cold at bay...and I really like the new helmet; it's a little more streamlined and less bowl-shaped than the other one.

February 19, 2012

Well, it's been hovering in the low 40s, and between snow storms and getting a stomach bug and little one birthdays, I haven't been out for about three weeks (coincidentally, it was the day before the stomach bug hit).  It's funny: this time last year, I was still in the "haven't been on a bike in 25 years and couldn't care less" kick.  Now I'm itchy to get out on the bike for a little while just to get out.  Monitoring the weather, I don't know if we're always so much cooler than Denver this time of year or if it's just because I'm hoping for a day above 40, but I'm keenly aware now of the disparity!

So, I decided to bite the bullet today and got all decked out in all my thermal gear, went to the garage, and pulled my bike down off the rack.  But, lo!, it had a soft front tire!  Not a happy moment!  So I trudged back inside, changed back into sweats, and proceeded to tear off the old stock tires from both wheels and put on my new kevlar ones.  With all the practice this fall, it only took me about 45 minutes to pull off both the old tires (putting in one new tube), and put on the new ones.  Of course, by the time I was done, it was too late to try to take it for a spin on my new shiny tires.  I'm hoping that this does it to significantly decrease the number of holes in my tires!  If this doesn't work, I'll be trading in for the heavier-duty tubes.  In the meantime, yet another week will pass before I get on the bike again with snow forecast tomorrow and busy afternoons the rest of the week.  I used to love cold and snow, so I can't believe I'm thinking this, but I'm ready for spring!  The funny thing is that I put over 100 miles on the bike in January (and around 1000 miles since I started in July), but I haven't been out at all in the month of February....

Oh, the cold!

I've always been one who loved winter and all its trappings, not minding the drive in the snow or the chill.  I begin looking toward a white Christmas come Halloween.  It's amazing how much things change!  I feel cramped and cooped up without getting to go out on the bike hardly at all lately.  Simply: it's too cold and snowy.  We're finally get that much-needed snow, but it means I can't get out on the bike.  At least at this point, I'm not inclined to brave sub-freezing (it was 7 degrees F this morning!) to get out on the bike.  Plus, I don't have studded snow tires, and the latest near spills I took were because sloppy snow.  With the clipless pedals, I'm sure to fall over!

However, the few times I have made it out amidst various illness and inclement weather, I've done okay with the new pedals and shoes.  I did come to a stop at a stoplight and put my right foot down (I unclip ahead of time when I see I may stop and rest my toe on the pedal) only to start tipping to the left.  I righted myself, but that wouldn't have been fun!  I've only gotten to use the knee warmers a couple times, but I do like the warmth they add!  It's still hard for me to figure out the layering I need, and I'm right now resistant to taking the backpack if I don't need it.  The last time, I did have the sense to take the arm warmers with me to stop and put them on so I didn't freeze!  I liked the length of the knee warmers well enough to get myself some bib knickers for those cool but not cold days.  Hopefully, I'll get a chance to actually use them soon!

One cool new feature of the trails around here is that they added an underpass for the trail so one no longer has to try to cross a rather busy road to get onto the trail.  That's made life a lot easier, though the grading is rather steep.  Still, not complaining!

And for the next season, I did get myself some new tires with kevlar...they're Schwinn and were getting good reviews at Amazon.com.  I'm hoping that it's a way to cut the flats down.  I may also pick up some liners...Wal-Mart has some Slime bike tire liners...I may look into something like that for reinforcing the tire before the goat head bur season hits again in the fall!  Of course, as long as I'm going on the road, glass is always an issue.

So, here's looking forward to warmer weather and getting to go out again!  My hope for this summer is to have family outings of my wife and kids on the weekends...but to get through the snow!