I rode just enough to reach my mileage goal for my new bike. It was pretty dark when I got home at 4:45. I need lights and some reflective tape.
There is a whole week of 2010 left, and I was dreaming of getting in 50-100 more miles — but then I saw that the National Weather Service has issued a blizzard warning for Sunday to Monday. The forecast is for accumulations over a foot with wind gusts over 40mph. Whiteout.
Tuesday was the winter solstice, so I did a couple of laps in the park just to get out. I set my alarm for 2:15 AM Wednesday so I could watch the lunar eclipse, then all I did was roll over because I’m a mammal who is supposed to sleep when it is cold and dark.
I woke up on Wednesday Dec. 22 to find the temperature was going to be 35° with no wind. So I took a double dose of oatmeal and did River Road, then turned at the base of the hill to Alpine instead of climbing back up to 9W. The last time I did River Road, I had to stop three times going up that hill, and I was afraid.
I saw only 3 other riders, and nobody else on River Road. They missed a good day.
I might be able to put 800 miles on my new bike by the end of the year, for a total of about 12oo since mid-July.
I’m at the limit of my cold weather riding experience and nothing bad is happening. I’m comfortable, but it takes longer to warm up and I want more protection for my fingers, toes, knees, and crotch.
Riding in cold weather is fun! Clear skies, few other cyclists, and new things to learn: how to layer-up quickly, how to look behind while every square inch of face is covered, and how to keep the bike lubricated and adjusted in cold weather.
New stuff on this ride: Loki Gear liner hat purchased at Paragon in NYC. It fits under my helmet and can be worn as a balaclava or neck gaitor. With glasses, I have no skin exposed anywhere. I like it.
Does your dog have dandruff? Try haunch and hackles shampoo.
Today the odometer on my new Trek rolled past 500 miles, as I rode through a bright 45 degree day. Up Riverside Drive to the George Washington Bridge, down the steep, leaf covered path past The Little Red Lighthouse. South on the Hudson River bikeway, then through Central Park for a hill workout.
Every week I add a new piece of cold weather clothing. Louis Garneau neoprene shoe covers really do cover mountain bike shoes. { Added Dec 22: The front bottom can tear if you walk on your toes. I want to see you walk uphill without doing that. Maybe I can patch the soles with electrical tape or a scrap of rubber. }
{ Note added a few hours later. } I visited the Louis Garneau website and found the shoe covers for $10 less than Performance Bicycle. I requested a credit under the “Low Price Promise.” Will I have to do this for every product I buy from Performance?
This Austro Daimler SLE was my first good bicycle. I bought it in 1982 (?) at Bicycle Renaissance in nyc to compete in the Pepsi Challenge 24 hour event in Central Park. After sitting in the basement for years, it is time to hang it up as sculpture.
You can see some interesting features from the photo. The Reynolds 531 frame has old-school geometry, with a long wheelbase, gentle seat tube angle, and long reach brakes. The frame is not stiff, and is not good for loaded touring. Over the years I replaced all the parts except for the headset and seat tube. I changed the gearing to the then-popular half step pattern, which is why the chainrings are 42/46.
I just bought a Trek 2.1 from Bicycle Habitat in New York. You’ll be hearing more about it soon. I’m worried about finding shoes and cleats that work with my flat size 13 feet that rotate oddly, and worried that I’ll run into the strong riders I used to know.
When I got to Athens, Ohio this summer, I borrowed a road bike and started riding after a lapse of many years. My endurance returned right away, at least in the flats. I was obviously meant to do this, and I mourn giving up the sport when I moved into my tiny Manhattan apartment.
If you’re interested, the bike has mostly Shimano 105 components. I’m used to a more aggressive, crouched riding position, but I can always change the stem and bars later. They tell me lots of guys my age are returning to bicycling after a long absence, and the industry has responded by building frames appropriate for middle aged backs.
I spent the summer in a rented house in Athens, Ohio. We were barely unpacked when there was a severe thunderstorm. There was a lightning strike near the house, and a popping noise from the direction of the router — so much for cheap surge suppressors. The dog ran down to the basement to get away from windows (smart!) and Kath went with her, while I went to the living room and saw nothing but horizontal rain.
The house was at a low point in the road, across from a small mountain. The overloaded flood drains gushed water up from a manhole cover in the street until waves from passing SUV’s were lapping against the front steps.
