Today it's November 10th, and I'm still riding. And, weirdly enough, I don't really want to stop. Over the last few years of commuting I always seem to hit a wall where I'm just not emotionally invested enough in riding to keep going once it gets too cold. I would need to go back and look at my logs, but I think I usually crap out sometime in October. But this year I'm not feeling that. I'm thinking that hey, there's a chance of snow next week. How am I going to deal with that on the bike?
I was browsing craigslist.org today, and saw an ad for a Bridgestone 300 mixte for $30. I'm thinking that would be a good bike to build into a winter commuter. I was thinking about riding my Raleigh through the winter. But I don't know if I've got the heart to do it. It's already starting to rust in spots, and I think a winter spent commuting could easily be it's death knell.
The Bridgestone seems like an ideal candidate for a winter commuter. It's a 22" bike, so it would be a little small on me, but rideable. Keep my feet closer to the ground for those icy spots. It's a 10 speed with 4130 cro mo and all stock. I could flip the handlebars and ride it as is or single it out. But, would I get beat up by the big kids on the playground for riding a "ladies" bike? Or does it make me a daring iconoclast? Thoughts?
Thursday, November 10, 2005
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2 comments:
I vote for iconoclast!
I'd say go for it. Those frames are cool. And just being out there in the snow and sleet will show you are a man, if you are worried about that. Last year I rode my mountainbike and I had to clean and relubricate my derailers frequently because of the sand and salt, but this year I'm riding my dumpster bike which I turned into a single speed. It's totally a junker bike. I'm putting knobby 27" tires on it and will try to ride that as much as possible this winter. I think it will be better suited for the harsh conditions than my 27-speed mountain bike. I don't know, this will be only my second winter commuting, but it's only a couple months long. I can adapt if something doesn't work so well. During the blizzard last year, I rode my bike and it felt really sloppy, and I was sweating like crazy trying to stay upright, and I had to walk up the steep hill, but it was ok. I made it home only slightly slower than normal. It's never as bad as our mind imagines it. As I've said before, if we think of winter-biking as a winter sport and we prepare for it, it's really fun! We don't go out skiing without proper gear or attire do we? No. Biking in the winter here is no different. Although when the only place to ride is in a rut in the center of the road, then it's a little more tricky with the cars. But I've found ways to deal with that also. We adapt when we want to do it and it's all possible. Good luck on your winter commuting!
John.
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