What a difference a day can make! Yesterday cycling was pretty much out of the question with 12" of fresh, wet snow on the ground. Today enough cars have been over the surface streets to pack that down into a slick but rideable surface. Especially for a fat bike. I deflated Robbyn's tires to 6psi and set out. It took a solid 15min of cycling to convince myself that I wasn't riding on a pair of flats. The difference in ride feel is huge, even from 8psi. Tread is engaged across the breadth of the tire rather than only its center 1/3. Traction is noticeably enhanced, as is rolling resistance on dry pavement.
The going wasn't fast, but it was fun and I have definitely found the right tool for this job in my Ice Cream Truck. Those huge, low pressure tires may not be easy to push on pavement, but that matters not at all as soon as you hit the frozen stuff. All at once, everything is perfect. Good times indeed. I've enjoyed riding my touring bike in the snow for years and it's performed wonderfully, but such conditions aren't the bike's strength. They are the Ice Cream Truck's.
Nevertheless, street crossings were straight gnarly, with the various MUP and street plows turning the protected parts of several protected crossings into a blasted wasteland of hard frozen chunks spewed from multiple plow plades and deposited in piles of random depth. Not all were rideable. One in particular was thigh-high and frozen hard enough to walk over, half lifting half dragging the bike with me. That might have been fun to try had it been anywhere but right in the middle of a busy intersection. In another area, the MUP was plowed, but only 1/2 width, making for interesting times in passing others. Mostly, it was just awesome.
I learned the knobbies on my front tire make a neat rip-clatter sound when the tire breaks through thin ice and proceeds to ice-break its way through the rest of the puddle. It was a really good day to have on waterproof boots and hiking gaiters. Temps were hovering around the freezing mark, but there was enough sun for the melt to proceed anyway. Lots of puddles and slush ponds. Indeed, I had to change my route at one point after finding that my usual tunnel under the freeway was blocked by a puddle wide enough to imply foot-wetting depth.
My shoes were supposedly waterproof and I was close enough to home for it to be a good time to test. Alas, the puddle was covered by a too-thin skin of ice. I could tell that it would hold long enough for me to get fully out onto it and over the deeper portion of the puddle before it failed, but fail it inevitably would. I'd likely have tried it had the ice been thinner or not there. Alas, I just wasn't comfortable with the random break and drop into 12+" of very cold water, with no real idea of what the bottom looked like or exactly how hard it would be to ice-break the rest of the distance. Fortunately there were plenty of alternative routes and it was one of those days where no matter which direction you looked, there was something to enjoy.
Little breeze, temps hovering right around freezing, otherwise clear and sunny. Thick blanket of snow softening and brightening the landscape in that semi-magical way it can. Many trees were still heavily weighted from the storm while others showed sign of freshly broken limbs. All in all, a beautiful day for a winter ride. I picked the right bike and the right combination of layers. Boy, I love it when that happens. I had only to raise or lower my jacket's zipper to keep my core temperature in the range I wanted. I had extra layers, a hat, and heavier gloves if they were needed but my call there was good.
I didn't do as well with my food, which I brought but in my trunk bag, where it is stored at ambient temperature. I know from experience that my preferred Clif bars turn into rock-hard tooth breakers somewhere south of the 40*F mark. Throwing one in a pocket close enough to benefit from body heat fixes that, but I forgot to do it. Came home ravenous after 23 challenging miles. Almost a bad thing, but I never bonked.
The going wasn't fast, but it was fun and I have definitely found the right tool for this job in my Ice Cream Truck. Those huge, low pressure tires may not be easy to push on pavement, but that matters not at all as soon as you hit the frozen stuff. All at once, everything is perfect. Good times indeed. I've enjoyed riding my touring bike in the snow for years and it's performed wonderfully, but such conditions aren't the bike's strength. They are the Ice Cream Truck's.
Nevertheless, street crossings were straight gnarly, with the various MUP and street plows turning the protected parts of several protected crossings into a blasted wasteland of hard frozen chunks spewed from multiple plow plades and deposited in piles of random depth. Not all were rideable. One in particular was thigh-high and frozen hard enough to walk over, half lifting half dragging the bike with me. That might have been fun to try had it been anywhere but right in the middle of a busy intersection. In another area, the MUP was plowed, but only 1/2 width, making for interesting times in passing others. Mostly, it was just awesome.
I learned the knobbies on my front tire make a neat rip-clatter sound when the tire breaks through thin ice and proceeds to ice-break its way through the rest of the puddle. It was a really good day to have on waterproof boots and hiking gaiters. Temps were hovering around the freezing mark, but there was enough sun for the melt to proceed anyway. Lots of puddles and slush ponds. Indeed, I had to change my route at one point after finding that my usual tunnel under the freeway was blocked by a puddle wide enough to imply foot-wetting depth.
My shoes were supposedly waterproof and I was close enough to home for it to be a good time to test. Alas, the puddle was covered by a too-thin skin of ice. I could tell that it would hold long enough for me to get fully out onto it and over the deeper portion of the puddle before it failed, but fail it inevitably would. I'd likely have tried it had the ice been thinner or not there. Alas, I just wasn't comfortable with the random break and drop into 12+" of very cold water, with no real idea of what the bottom looked like or exactly how hard it would be to ice-break the rest of the distance. Fortunately there were plenty of alternative routes and it was one of those days where no matter which direction you looked, there was something to enjoy.
Little breeze, temps hovering right around freezing, otherwise clear and sunny. Thick blanket of snow softening and brightening the landscape in that semi-magical way it can. Many trees were still heavily weighted from the storm while others showed sign of freshly broken limbs. All in all, a beautiful day for a winter ride. I picked the right bike and the right combination of layers. Boy, I love it when that happens. I had only to raise or lower my jacket's zipper to keep my core temperature in the range I wanted. I had extra layers, a hat, and heavier gloves if they were needed but my call there was good.
I didn't do as well with my food, which I brought but in my trunk bag, where it is stored at ambient temperature. I know from experience that my preferred Clif bars turn into rock-hard tooth breakers somewhere south of the 40*F mark. Throwing one in a pocket close enough to benefit from body heat fixes that, but I forgot to do it. Came home ravenous after 23 challenging miles. Almost a bad thing, but I never bonked.
