Stomach bug kept me off the bike (and home from work) on Friday.  I started coming down with it on Thursday afternoon, but was able to ride home, although it was a bit of a struggle coming up Lawyers Hill.  It was an unseasonably warm 50 degrees out, so I dressed down quite a bit compared to the morning ride.

Due to a very well-timed MLK holiday tomorrow, I have an extra day to recuperate and fully expect to be back on the bike Tuesday.  Based on the 5-day, looks like I might need the rain gear next week.

Took a 15 mile ride in today, and the roads/trails have improved enough that I was able to stay clipped in for the entire ride.  That doesn’t happen very often in January.  Weather conditions were almost identical to yesterday morning, except with a bit more of a breeze.  I switched back to clipless pedals with two layers of socks, and my feet still got a little cold, but I think the extra layer of socks kept them warm a little longer.  On the top I wore a long sleeve “Under Armour” shirt, PolarTec top and windbreaker.  This was still just a touch on the warm side.  I think I need something slightly lighter than the PolarTec to wear when it’s in the 20s, I’m just not sure what yet.  It might be as simple as just taking off the windbreaker.  The combination of windbreaker and PolarTec top seems better suited for temperatures in the ‘teens and lower.

I switched footwear for the ride home today.  Instead of hiking boots, I wore an old pair of suede high-top lined shoes that I had lying around the office.  They fit in the toe clips a lot better than the boots, so the ride home was more comfortable.  They’re not weatherproof, so I wouldn’t want to wear them in deep snow or really wet conditions, but they worked fine in a pinch.

I forgot what a PITA it is to get into a toe clip with the bike moving.  It’s even harder on a fixed-gear with the pedals moving.  I’ll never complain about my Look pedals again.  They’re an absolute dream in comparison.  I’m hoping the Power Grips will be easier to use in this department.  I’ll report back when I get around to picking up a pair.

For the long term, I may want to consider getting some cycling specific boots too.  Shoelaces and bike chains are not always the best combination.

I may switch back to the clipless pedals for tomorrow’s ride..  other than River Rd, there’s not much snow left in the park, and it’s supposed to warm up into the 40s, which will melt more of it.

Part of the fun of winter biking is experimenting with various combinations of clothing and equipment, to find out what works and what doesn’t.  No two rides are the same in winter.  Riding in the summer is boring by comparison.

Today’s experiment was riding the fixie with toe clips and hiking boots.  This was a mixed bag.  On the plus side, it was great having the boots to walk through the snowier sections in the park.  With boots, I’m more inclined to take the bike into the park in snowy weather, because I know that if I have to, I’ll be able to walk longer distances in the boots than if I were wearing cleats.  I also felt more confident riding through snowy and icy sections, even with 700x23c road tires.

The downside to this setup is that the boots don’t fit into the toe clips very well.  Even with the straps set at their loosest setting, I felt like I was pedaling on tiptoes, and I had the tendency to want to jam my toes as far forward as possible, which needless to say, was uncomfortable.  The straps kept my feet on the pedals at high cadences, but they didn’t hold the boots in very well on the upstroke, so I wasn’t able to pedal very efficiently.

So the verdict here is that I like riding with the boots, but I need a different pedal retention system.  I may try out a set of Power Grips straps.

ObClothingNotes:  NWS said it was 24 when I left and 30 when I arrived.  I wore 2 layers of socks under the boots.  Feet stayed warm.  Top: short sleeve, arm warmers, PolarTec, windbreaker.  This was a bit on the warm side.

ObRoadNotes: In the park, the Grist Mill Trail was clear except for a few icy spots.  River Rd was mostly snow covered, but rideable with caution.  Outside the park, roads were completely clear but salty.

The ride home today was around 10 degrees warmer than the morning ride.  I shed the extra layer of socks, PolarTec top, and head band.  It was a fairly comfortable ride.  I rode into the park to check the road conditions, with the expectation that I would have to hike the River Rd access road.  The roadways inside the park were more-or-less clear, but down to one lane in spots.  The access road had about an inch of snow covering it.  I was able to bike a good bit of it, thanks to the fixed-gear, which gives me a lot better sense of control on slick surfaces.  I did have to hike the uphill section.  Not surprisingly, the Look cleats don’t work too well when packed with snow.  I could get them to clip in, but I had to tap some snow out of them before they would stay clipped in.  Not great, but better than my old Wellgo cleats, which I had to clean out with a screwdriver before they would even engage the pedals.

For tomorrow, I switched the Looks out for some toe-clip pedals, and I’m going to see how it goes riding these with my hiking boots.  At least I know the snowy sections will go better.  Next year, I hope to have a cross bike that I can ride in the snow.

19° for my ride this morning.  I rode down Lawyers Hill with the intent of riding into the park, but found (not unexpectedly) that the River Rd access road was still snow covered.  Not possessing snow tires, and not feeling like hiking it in road cleats, I turned around and detoured onto U.S. 1 to get to South St.  While never my first choice, it’s only about a quarter-mile stretch and there is a decent shoulder the entire way, so it’s not all that bad.  It does make for a very short ride – only 7.5 miles.  I think my best option is to switch one of my bikes over to toe clips while the park access road is snow covered, so I can hike it.

I totally overbundled for this ride.  I had 4 layers on top: short sleeve with arm warmers, long sleeve jersey, PolarTec pullover and windbreaker.  Next time it’s like this I will try it without the long sleeve jersey.  I tried something new this time, and wore two layers of socks.  I’ve avoided mulitple layers in the past because I don’t want to make the shoes too tight, which would restrict circulation and make my feet even colder.  To avoid that, I kept my toe straps really loose, and my feet stayed warm.  The real test will be to try this on a longer ride.

Unfortunately, last week’s blissfully salt-free roads are a thing of the past.  The salt is back with a vengaence and will probably be with us for the rest of the winter.  Fortunately, the fenders keep most of it off the bike.  I guess I can hope for a warm-up with some more rain to wash all of it away again..

Wow, it’s supposed to get all the way up to 37 today.  That’s going to feel downright balmy on the ride home.

Did the same ride as yesterday with the same clothes.  There are still 4 or 5 icy spots where I need to unclip and walk/slide myself and the bike across/over, but I’m getting more comfortable riding through some of the others.  It’s not a problem as long as I don’t try to brake or steer and can maintain my momentum.  If I can do that, I ride through; otherwise, I walk.

The bolt holding my rear fender to the brake bridge came loose near the end of my ride.  I probably didn’t tighten it enough when I put the fender on.  Need to keep an eye on this and maybe check it before each ride.

The ride home this evening will probably be my last ride this week, as we’re supposed to get one of those “Alberta Clipper” systems tonight that are famous for dumping just enough snow to mess up the roads and close schools.

Not too much to say about yesterday’s ride home. Uneventful, around 30 degrees. Wore the same stuff as the morning ride minus the head band, and was comfortable.

This morning, I switched to the fixie, with a couple of new twists. The first addition was fenders, which I put on last week, to see how they would work. This was my first ride with them, and it worked out pretty well. The fenders don’t rub the tires at all, and they are pretty quiet. 3 observations:

• On bumpy roads, the rear fender rattles a bit against its mounting clip (behind the brake bridge).  I expected this, and I think I can fix it with a bit of electrical tape on the top of the fender.
• “Toe strike,” where the front toes touch the back of the front fender, is a bit more of an issue on this bike than the other. This wasn’t a problem while riding, but it could be an issue with track standing or low-speed turns.  I don’t think it will keep me from using fenders on this bike, as long as I can take them off when I don’t need them.
• I still need to figure out a good way to attach the front of the back fender, as the bike lacks a chainstay bridge. Right now I’m using zip ties to attach it to the seat tube, but this isn’t an ideal long term solution as it allows the fender to slide back and forth.  Also, I want the fenders to be easy to remove and replace, so I’m trying to avoid using zip ties.

All in all, I think this was a successful proof of concept.  With a few tweaks, it looks like the fenders are going to work out.

The second novelty this morning was my use of a side pannier, facilitated by the pannier adapter I got for Christmas to go with my Topeak “Beam Rack” system.  I’ve been using a side pannier for awhile on my road bike (which has a traditional rack attached to frame eyelets) but this was my first time with one on the fixie.  It worked out fine, and the rack stayed in place.

Nothing else noteworthy about this ride.  I did an 11 miler which included a loop through the park.  River Road, while not completely clear, was bikeable all the way out to the swinging bridge without the need to dismount and walk.  With temperatures pushing freezing, I wore the same clothes as last night and was pretty comfortable.  No cold feet today.. yay.