snowcyclist

Summary: Feb tire decision tree

2010-03-10T16:02:00.005-06:00

February was full of falls- all minor in the grand scheme of things, but enough to cause some days of limping. With the privilege of 2 bikes to choose from, here's my school-of-hard-knocks wisdom on when to use which type of tires.
1. Take pictures of road ice to remember what characteristics to avoid next year.
Oops.

2. Slicks or studs?
a. studs only when roads are almost all ice, even intersections
i. move to sidewalks if the ice there is compacted
ii. move to icy side streets as ice diminishes (1st St)
b. slicks once there's not enough ice to cover all roads
i. stay on more-traveled roads (2nd St)

3. Slicks on mixed conditions: fell ~ 6 x
a. ledges of ice parallel to road
i. trying to merge = probable fall
ii. stay parallel off the ice!
b. ledges of ice perpendicular to road
less common but no problem
c. Fresh snow okay - never slipped
i. but if it's deeper than 2-3" go on plowed streets (Cherry)
d. Note: couldn't get studded tires that fit this bike

4. Studs: never fell. Performed beautifully. Tires were costly, though.
a. Often switched to this bike if I fell within a quarter mile of home
b. Lots of malfunctions on this bike
(mostly due to its ramshackle, jimmy-rigged condition)
screws on paniers loosened and fell off half a dozen times
c. The carbide tips look like they've survived a winter.
I was loathe to ride on anything but 95% ice coverage
(mostly asphalt at busy intersections)
Which is more costly, the tires or my safety?

BIcicle Racing at the Art Shanty Project

2010-01-17T07:12:00.006-06:00

My first ice bike race! There's no better place for it to be than at an Art Shanty Project of course!!! A spontaneous search for something to do this 3-day weekend resulted in finding out about the Art Shanties and the terrific activities there. After securing a great Priceline hotel deal and borrowing a bike rack (thanks Kara!) we drove 5 hours to MSP. Brought art to swap and the mtn bike, donned my finest mirrored Tienda Ho jacket ;) (yes, the one my dad used an I statement to say "I would be ashamed to wear that anywhere" !) and stepped up to the starting line for my first bike race ever. This was a qualifying race, where the winners of each Sat or Sun race compete on the last day (Feb 7) for the title and trophy. Last year's winner was amongst the 7 participants of my race. Not sure who came in first, but I was the last winner :-) Phew, I am a 10 mph commuter, not a sprinter! Nevertheless, I had the time of my life! I'd like to thank my sponsor and trainer, A, for his expert guidance ("start in a low gear"). I've gotta get Michaels to sponsor me next year so it'll be an ArtBike...hmmm...

Temp: 21 F
Road conditions: snow-covered ice
Bike/tires: Mtn bike/studded
Clothing: Lowe Jumpsuit, polypro undershirt; lined mirrored coat for fun. Fleece hood. Wool socks, snow boots, mitts
8 min ride.
Assessment:
1. Exhausting! Do more practice sprints... NOT! Breathing that hard had me coughing much of the afternoon. Bring lozenges.
2. Good thing we took off the paniers. The bike is heavy as is. Theodora would have been easier to pedal, but I think I'd have slid.
3. One of the funnest things I've ever done!

Frosty Danger

2010-01-07T16:38:00.004-06:00

Rough day. First day commuting after 2 weeks in California. Misread the weather report: -3 was the predicted high, not the current temp. Was actually -14 with a strong north wind, probably below -30 w/ wind chill.

Temp: -14 F to work
Road conditions: mostly 2" of soft snow on top of frozen snirt.
Bike/tires: Mt bike, studded.
Clothing: Lowe Jumpsuit, thin merino sweater; shell jacket and pants. Knit hood, face mask, helmet. Wool socks, snow boots. Down mitts.
45 min ride.
Assessment:
1. Within 3 blocks my head was freezing. Remembered I had a hood so I put it on over the knit hood and under the helmet. Still cold but kept going. Forehead (exposed) in particular was freezing. Did a lot of face muscle "exercises" to keep them moving (raising and squinching eyebrows, grimacing). In addition to blinking often, I alternated closing each eye. What a sight I must have made.
2. Arrived at work with a headache- forehead was red and pounding, eyes hurt. What's worse, there was a blister under my right eye, about a half inch across! I consulted w/ a colleague who RUNS long distance daily in this weather because I recall that he had 2 big blisters under his eyes last year. He said these are pre-frostbite blisters! Apparently these are signs of superficial frostbite. He puts Vaseline on exposed skin now. Well, I think I got lucky that the blister is gone now.
3. OK. Must cover face completely, incl. eyes. Maybe I will look into mountaineering ways of dealing. Meanwhile, it's back to goggles.
4. Read full weather reports carefully!
5. Glad I took up an offer for a car ride home. I am beat.
Will do more careful prep tomorrow :-)

Our holiday break in California: Ted's Tall Bike!

2010-01-06T19:53:00.001-06:00

How's this for an utterly cool bike?! Ted created this tall bike, welding 3 frames together. It's a real beauty. (Yes, Theodora is named for Ted!)
He's riding down my parents' street in the East Bay of the San Francisco area. I, on the other hand, am a Schwimmbeckenrandschwimmerin, an amazing German word for "one who swims along the side of the pool." Honestly, I was afraid of falling and landing on my shoulder or something!

Holiday break: Surrey bike in Santa Barbara

2010-01-05T09:43:00.000-06:00

Nothing like a Pedalina along the Santa Barbara beaches to bring out a vacation mood. As we pedaled leisurely, S and I discussed ways of adapting one of these for snow cycling & commuting to her school w/ other neighbors. She suggesting enclosing most of it in bubble wrap. I think we could pull it off, don't you?

Daughter braves a -13 F (-24 C) day

2009-12-12T19:03:00.007-06:00

Woo hooo!!! S, our 6th grader, did her 1st ice-biking commute! Congrats, young woman! She picked a chilly day to start. Her ride was about 6 min. She wore snow pants & a face mask over her clothes.

Temp: -13 F
Road conditions: mostly asphalt and snirt
Bike/tires: Theodora cruiser/regular
Clothing: Lowe Jumpsuit, silk T-neck and felted merino sweater; shell jacket and pants. Knit hood, face mask, helmet. Ski socks, snow boots. Signal mitts
40 min ride.
Assessment:
1. Again, face mask great.
2. With no eye protection, I consciously blinked more often - seemed to help. No sore eyes later. Cold toes even w/ warmer socks. Wear thick wool instead.
3. Enough sand on ice that regular tires worked fine.
4. Got lots of looks from motorists on the way to middle school :) Yay! Go green and pedal!

-8 F Degree day

2009-12-09T19:17:00.005-06:00

Not 20'from our driveway on Theodora I wiped out on the street - the ice was too slippery. Went back for my mt bike with its new tires like these on the left. "Now we're cooking with Gas!"

Temp: -8 F to work, -4 coming back
Road conditions: mixed patches of snow, ice, asphalt and sand
Bike/tires: Mt bike, studded.
Clothing: Lowe Alpine Expert Jumpsuit, more thrift shop silk knit T and merino sweaters; shell jacket and pants. Fleece hood, face mask, googles, helmet. Thin socks, snow boots. Very stylish and warm mitts :-)
40 min ride each way.
Assessment:
1. Face mask great - warm ears and face. Goggles kept fogging despite anti-fog solution. Removed half-way to work. Had to wiggle toes to keep them warm- switch to warmer socks.
2. Studs are starting to earn their keep (confession: the 2 tires cost me $140, so they have a ways to go in paying off). Walked the bike across a few stretches where there was no ice/snow, in the hopes of preserving the carbide spikes.
3. My eyes are irritated- not sure why. Anyone else have this issue while riding in these temps?
4. Batteries on all mounted lights need recharging (please buy only rechargables! I use the Michaels Craft store 40% off coupons to buy rechargeables there). This cold saps their energy faster.

Bruised hip and leg aside, great riding day!

Saw another snowcyclist today with a picnic basket on the back rack, with holiday lights!

Theodora

2009-12-08T14:18:00.002-06:00

Theodora is my Goodwill $25 find of the year. Named after my darling brother who gave me my first Cruiser 15 years ago, Theodora is a delight to ride. A pink bike is cause for smiles in this sometimes dreary place. How do cruisers handle in snow and ice? Is a heavy bike a + or - in these conditions? Will having only back brakes matter?

4 degree day

2009-12-08T14:10:00.003-06:00

Temp: 4 F
Road conditions: mixed patches of snow, ice, asphalt and sand
Bike/tires: Theodora (cruiser), regular.
Clothing: Lowe Alpine Expert Jumpsuit
Thrift shop silk knit T and merino sweater; shell jacket and pants. Fleece hood, helmet. Thin socks, snow boots.
40 min ride each way.
Assessment:
1. Ears and face cold. Try headband and balaclava (bomber as they say here). Consider face mask.
2. Wheels performed well overall. Fishtailed just once, so maintain caution. Roads not covered w/ enough ice for studded tires, though. Likely to slip before conditions are right for studs. Hmmmm.

How do you decide on each day's clothing?

2009-12-05T08:46:00.000-06:00

What have you found works best for what temperature range? Do you have a system to your layering? I'm curious to hear what best practices you folks have devised, what mistakes to look out for, any tips you have!
Looking forward to sharing ideas!

Links

2009-12-03T06:22:00.000-06:00

I'm surprised by how many more sites have helpful tips on ice biking, compared to last year! Yay!
http://www.dirtragmag.com/blogarific/category/tech-tips/

I like how this site normalizes falling on ice...

2009-11-29T18:31:00.002-06:00

Hi folks - welcome!
Do you prefer natural wool to the polypro-type fibers, yet cringe at the prices of merino underlayers?
Here's a way to stay warm & be green while saving a bundle of money.
1. Get to your local thrift store and head to the men's section.
2. Keep a sharp eye out for Merino wool sweaters like these, at least 60% wool - surely these were once gifts that someone rejected because of the picky care instructions. No matter! You can shrink them to fit you.

Get at least 2 sizes bigger than you wear, if you can.
3. Pop them in the wash machine, warm cycle with laundry detergent to felt them down a size or two. They should come out aboutt a size and a half smaller and thicker. They do their shrinking while agitating in warm-to-hot soapy water, not in the dryer.
4. If they're not quite small enough yet, throw them in again. Don't go to hot water unless you really want them to shrink many sizes down. No guarantees.
5. Hang dry or tumble. They are easy to care for (now that they've shrunk) by washing in warm or cold water.

I get Merino sweaters for $3-4.50 at thrift stores - I ruined one washing it in hot, but I cut it up for mittens (a future post) so nothing's lost. I get 8 or 9 of these for the price of 1 discounted merino wool underlayer!
I do buy thicker wool sweaters too (at least 60% wool or else they won't felt - if the label says wash in cold water or dry clean only, it'll probably felt for you)
Let me know how your trials go.
Happy bargain hunting and felting!

Getting ready!

2009-11-29T10:20:00.001-06:00

Another wonderful season of winter bike commuting gets underway!