Lost, and Found Again

Brand New Pearl Izumi "Ride Thermal Lite" Gloves with Decade-Old Gloves a Saint Returned and my Orange Hat
While the Orange Hat is "Just a Hat," its Color Probably Helped Find the Gloves

Nearly ten years ago, in a post, here, I related how I bought a pair of good winter cycling gloves (Pearl Izumi Softshell Gloves) at a bargain price at the Hotter 'N Hell 100. Unlike the shoe covers I also reported on at that time, I've gotten almost constant use out of the gloves in colder weather. They're good from about 25 degrees (-4C for any Canadian friends that use French temperature units) up to about 55 (13C). Outside that range and things are either a bit chilly or a little sweaty. For $15 gloves (they sell for about $60 on Amazon), they have proved exceptionally durable and versatile. While they no longer look new, they remain in good overall shape, with only a some of the extraneous rubber non-slip dots falling off through the years. The gloves are a size too big, which turns out to be perfect, since they're easier to get on and off; pretty much mandatory at coffee stops.

Well, they WERE until all this Coronavirus stuff cropped up. You see, as things started to ramp up (while the NYC Mayor was still working out at his local YMCA), people got confused. Even I, grumpy as I sometimes am, elected to purchase groceries for an entire week rather than my usual every-couple of days routine. Well, to make a long story short, that entailed using a shopping cart, and I left my cherished gloves behind, along with an orange hat I frequently use to keep my head warm.

I rode back to see if I could find them, or if they'd been turned in. Alas, I was out of luck. I even looked in the store garbage can in case someone had taken it on themselves to dispose of items that might be contaminated. No luck there, either. Sigh.

Later, at home, I was resigned to purchasing another pair as much like the originals as I could find. I was somewhat dismayed to find the "non summer HH100 price" was $60. In an attempt to be frugal, I bought a pair of lighter gloves, figuring I could always use a liner with them. The cheaper Pearl Izumi gloves were still $20, and, as we will find later, work more in the 50-60 degree range.

The day after the new gloves arrived, I inquired one more time at the grocery store lost and found. Hallelujah! They had them and the mention of the orange hat helped them pick them out of the pile. For the remainder of my ride home, I put those new gloves in the pouch of my hoodie and thought kind thoughts towards every one and every thing. What can I say, I'm not grumpy all the time.

Still, the new gloves were not a waste of money. They do work in the warmer ranges of what we see in Ocean Shores, Washington. Now that we're headed towards May, I can see myself using them frequently. They are called "Pearl Izumi - Ride Thermal Lite Glove" and the blurb on Amazon claims "A top seller, these lightweight unisex gloves are ideal on their own when the weather gets cool. Or use them as liners under our P.R.O. Barrier WxB Gloves in truly cold temperatures." More importantly, the new gloves gave me hope for a brief period that Pearl Izumi made good "not quite so cold" gloves.

Well, they certainly ARE lightweight, but there is no noticable insulation on them. They're just another pair of non-waterproof, full-finger cycling gloves. While I've not tried it yet, they might work well as liners for my softshell gloves for those rare "really cold" Ocean Shores or North Texas mornings. We shall see. OTHO, such mornings also seem to work well with ski gloves.

Orange and Black

It's that time of year:

The video is about 4 seconds long, but I think my loyal reader will get the point...

Doubling Down in Texas

And More Winter Gear Arrived Today!

In my last post about rainwear, some commenters noted that during summer, getting wet isn't so bad. Mostly, I agree, but I take a longer view when I'm "doubling down." Illustrative of that is my tendency to stock up on winter wear round about this time of year. And this summer, I'm looking at feet and hands above all else.

You see, I have dual motivations. The first is the never-ending quest to "expand the riding envelope." In Texas, summer is the affordable time to stock up on winter and wet weather gear. The second motivation is that I DO plan to go back home (Washington State) again. Home gets a LOT of wet and chilly weather. It won't happen tomorrow or even the day after, but to be a Texan, really, you not only have to be born in Texas, but you ought to be placing flowers on the grave of your confederate ancestors. My own ancestors fought on the other side - the side that called it "The War of the Rebellion."

But I digress. Right now, Showers Pass has a "half off closeout" going on to sell off touring shoe covers. These puppies are the sort of SERIOUS rainwear that Burley once offered, but doesn't any more. I'm not sure my feet would stay dry in these covers in the pool, but they'll work for pretty much anything short of that. Even at half off, they aren't cheap, but they aren't ridiculous.

Next up - more rain jackets and, even perhaps handwear...

All Washed Up

Lightning - From Wikipedia

In North Texas, we have to take our opportunities for inclement weather when they arrive. While we get lots of practice with "hot and dry" in the summer, wet don't get a lot of opportunity to explore the finer points of cold weather. It DOES rain around here, but it isn't the kind of rain I grew up with. In Seattle, the rain takes a week or more to accumulate to an inch or two. A little drizzle and a lot of gray clouds is the rule around this time of year.

Around DFW, on the other hand, the rain REALLY lets you know it is serious stuff. Lightning, thunder, flash floods and more. And then, as quickly as the rain arrived, it is past and drenching Louisiana or Oklahoma. I think the term around these parts is the rain comes down as a "frog strangler," but I'm not from around here. Regardless, it'll come down as several inches in an hour.

Last week, however, we got lucky. It actually rained THREE DAYS IN A ROW! Multiple rain days tests a cyclist's ability to not only stay dry on the commute, but also to keep stuff dry over multiple days. Any fair weather cyclist can ride ONE day in the rain. After all, the shoes and gloves and stuff can dry out and things will be back to normal. I was doubly lucky, because, after the first rain day, on Monday, my new "waterproof winter boots" showed up.

Fortunately, Chandra has a DIFFERENT Salomon Shoe

On Monday, rain had been forecast, but I was prepared with my yellow rain outfit, and the blue booties I carry along to cover my cycling shoes. Things went pretty smoothly. On the way home, to keep my "not too cold" full fingered gloves dry, I rode barehanded. Wet gloves are not a lot of fun, but puckered up fingers dry out quickly.

Early the next morning, before I realized theyd snuck onto my doorstep the previous evening, I received a text from Chandra. THAT is shown at left. Chandra put up a post about HIS Salomons, but took it back down. Perhaps it'll be back up by the time my loyal reader reads this.

Well, as it transpired, I had gotten Salomon boots. I picked them over the North Face Snow Sneakers because I wanted something a little higher cut than the North Face product and I'd read quite a few good reviews.

Half way through this text exchange, I went out and the shoes were there, in a giant box. It wasn't as bad as Jon's box, but it WAS pretty big. And it was raining. HARD. It turned out we got three or four inches that day. It was a good test of new boots that claim to be waterproof.

Well, they WERE waterproof, as long as you do not try to emulate a powerboat while riding your bike. I do not recommend riding through deep standing water in Salomon Deemax 2 Winter Boots. The water will splash up and under your rain gear and come in through the top of the boot. Or at least it happened to me with my right foot. The left stayed nice and toasty and dry. Even the right didn't get very wet. It was dried out during the day and suffered no further dampness. In my own defense, there were a couple of lightning strikes on the way to work and that was a bit distracting. The closest one was about a mile away. That seemed a little cozier, but reading up on lightning again from Wikipedia reminded me that lightning can strike ten miles away, and it was also a bit disconcerting to hear about DFW flight delays because the ground crews were not allowed out when potential lightning conditions existed. Of course, by THAT time, I was more than half way to work and there was nothing to do but complete the journey and plan on some further lightning research.

Salomon Deemax 2 Winter Boots with Canari Rain Pants

To futher test out the rain stuff, I wore my Canari rain pants that I'd bought last summer at 70% off. The Showers Pass pants seemed entirely too overkill. The Canaris worked well enough, though cold hard rain created the illusion of wetness, while the reality was that they stopped the rain and I was feeling the coldness of the drops.

I also tried using plastic grocery bags to keep my gloves dry. It didn't work real well the first day, but some fiddling gave better success the second. I really can't bring myself to put those tight latex gloves over winter gloves.

Unfortunately, by Wednesday afternoon, things were drying out, so I only got three wet days, but it was a lot of fun, except I felt a little sorry for my coworkers who had to walk in from their parking lot without proper weather protection. I also discovered on Wednesday afternoon that 60F is about as warm as you'd want to cycle in the boots. Rumor has it they'll be good down to zero with wool socks. Maybe even a little colder with shoe covers. Our all-time record cold in North Texas was -8, so I think these puppies will work VERY well for the half dozen times I need them - and being cleatless, they'll also work well for walking in cold or wet weather.

Boots Have Sealed Soles and Tongue, with Thinsulate Insulation

Imelda Marcos Rides a Bike

Skiing Shifted My View of Expensive Footwear

This post isn't really about Imelda Marcos, though it turns out the lady who was famous for her collection of over 2700 pairs of shoes DOES have some bike connections. For one, David Byrne (yes, the one who rides around on a bike and makes observations about what he's seen) wrote about Imelda. For another, there is at least one bicycle dedicated to her. However, Imelda, or at least her interest in shoes, IS the inspiration for this post, and both Cafiend of Citizen Rider, and Jason of The Plano Cyclist, pushed the shoe fascination into full blown flower. The always excellent Cyclelicious Blog provided inspiration for the title.

Found on the Internet

Some of this shoe frenzy was prompted several years back when I learned to ski. At that time, I weighed about 90lb more than at current, but I still wanted to learn how to ski. As I told the ski instructor, "I want to learn to ski well enough that I can ski down the blue square slopes with my kids." Well, that's a whole different saga and a lesson in unintended consequences involving terms such as "tucking trees," but I found that the second hand boots I'd bought made skiing almost impossible. So I doubled down and went out and spent $300 for the rather ordinary boots you see in the photo above.

Back to the subject at hand, Cafiend piqued my interest in the linked post above when he talked about "Snow Sneakers" that were made by North Face. Well, as it turns out, there is a whole subculture of what purport to be waterproof shoes, some of which are also insulated. The old wheels started turning and it occurred to me that such a beast would be PERFECT for my commute, because it really doesn't get really cold, or really wet all that often here in North Texas, and even in Washington that is true (it DOES drizzle a lot there, but it doesn't pour very often at all).

First, I perused the North Face Snow Sneaker. These beasts run about $100 and LOOK a lot like the Chrome shoes that Justin recently blogged about except they don't accept cleats. For a dozen or so rides a year, I'll forgo cleats. My pedals work as platforms OR with cleats anyway.

Then, entirely by coincidence, Chandra called. Pretty soon, we were chatting like Imelda and her friends about shoes. It turns out Chandra has another variant on the "Snow Sneaker" called "trail runners." His were made by Salomon, though I initially thought he'd said "Solomon." Salomon! Why they made the bindings on my skis! Pretty soon, I was coming across many different kinds of shoes that might work very well for the unusual cold and wet days we get on occasion around here.

I don't think I want a full on hiking boot, because I value ankle flexibility when I'm riding my bike, so I've ruled out some of those. I'm also thinking I want something a bit on the big side, as well as waterproof and comfy with regular socks down to about freezing. My theory is those would work in many conditions and I can still add wool socks and toe warmers if it ever actually gets down to zero Fahrenheit ( a real rarity in both North Texas and in Western Washington. In addition, while I might have paid $300 once for those ski boots (and it was money well spent), I think these shoes should be more affordable. Like in the $100 ballpark, though I've looked at $200 shoes that have spd cleat mounting. Those come from Shimano, Lake, and other manufacturers.

Some that look intriguing include:

• North Star Snow Sneaker II or III
• Salomon Contragrip and Deemax 2
• Merrell Winter Moc
• Koling AIR Hiking Shoes (like hiking boots, but cut lower)
• and a WHOLE HOST of others! Adidas makes 'em, Nike makes 'em. Keen makes 'em.

What's a poor, shoe-addled cyclist to do? It seems that when you admit you don't need cleated shoes, the world can be a many splendored thing...

Blogsy Post and Cyclist in the Dark

I've gotten a bit of a "view from behind the windshield" this week of a cyclist in the dark while I'm up here in Quebec. It has put me into a bit of a quandary. The cyclist in question has the legally required equipment and, in addition, wears high vis clothing.

Despite this, and despite the fact that I am FAR more attentive to cyclists than are most motorists, I found it difficult to judge closing parameters and how best to pass. Perhaps this is due to a combination of snow alongside the road, lights from other traffic, and perhaps a far, "off to the right" lane position.

My best photo of the situation is shown below. And in case you were wondering, my training kicked in and I made a full lane change when it was safe to do so in order to pass. A couple of motorists followed my example instead of cutting the guy close. Perhaps occasional ice contributed.

I'm not suggesting things would necessarily have been helped had he been riding in a more assertive lane position (though I believe it likely), but I was surprised to see what little help any of that high vis stuff is under the right (actually wrong) conditions.

Just sayin, be careful out there in the dark, snowy conditions. AND, if you often drive and encounter cyclists in the dark with other traffic on the road, how do YOUR experiences compare. Back in Texas Tarrant suburbs, I rarely see cyclists in such condition, though I ride in them daily. Hmm...

UPDATE - The cyclist had a reflector, reflective stripes on his panniers and a high vis vest. The red spot on his helmet is a blinky - looked like a Planet Bike Superflash, though not as bright as mine. I don't recall there being any other light - the low red is a reflector and wasn't very visible until I got close. I do not know if it was a CPSC or SAE reflector. My own reflector is an SAE which reflects better than a regular bike reflector in the lane position I usually am riding on similar roads. I shall have to do a future post comparing reflector types. I did not note it in the original post, but, while I'm far from being an uncritical fan of bike lanes, this might be one situation in which they might really pay off because there are no crossing conflicts and a "to the right" cyclist is difficult to assess and act properly with as a motorist. I do not know if a cyclist assertively controlling the lane would have made it easier - I have never seen one in such conditions.
 

Temperature Twenty to Forty

Top of the Photo - Attire for Temperatures Around Freezing for the Ride to Work
Bottom of the Photo, Attire for the Ride Home on the Same Day
You'll Note Wool Socks are Carried on the Way Home. They are TOO WARM for 50F Conditions!

Mostly, what I wear for my commute depends on the temperature and conditions when I leave in the morning. I'll bring along added items to make things comfy on the way home as well, but the morning is what really counts because that is usually the low temperature commute and shedding clothes is an option for the ride home.

The morning temperature ranges of interest in North Texas are (Fahrenheit):

• over 60
• 40-60
• 20-40
• under 20

In 2011, the coldest morning was 15F and the warmest was 86F. This time of year, it is rarely over 60 or under 20. Even with wind chill, I've never experienced morning temperatures under 8F, but even that is a perfectly manageable temperature.

Today, I'll talk about what I wear on my morning commute when the temperature is between twenty and forty. Unlike the 40-60 range, one needs to start seriously considering the cold, but extra measures are limited, and most North Texas cyclists have got the items they'll need.

Head and Neck

For headwear, I wear one of two balaclavas, though at the top end of the 20-40 range and with tailwinds, I often simply stick to my headsweat and pull it down over my ears a bit. Even when I wear a balaclava, I'll bring the headsweat for the ride home. I have a "winter cap" I got on sale last summer, but haven't used it yet. In addition, I accessorize with safety goggles in order to avoid watery eyes due to tears caused by wind in my eyes. Those stay in the trunk on the trip home. For those without a balaclava, a good cap and a neck warmer works as well. I'd wear my dinosaur hat, but it won't fit under or over my helmet. Still, dinosaurs ARE rather chic...

Core Warmth

Moving down, I really don't pay a lot of attention to the "layering" advice you often read in bike blogs. Frankly, it is simply more trouble than it is worth. I found that to be the case even when my commute was 20 miles rather than the current 7. Instead, I find that my "high vis black" cycling jacket in combination with a sweatshirt works just dandy. It is a simple combination. At the upper end of the range, I sometimes swap to a long-sleeved cotton tee shirt. In this range, I typically wear my "high vis black" soft shell gloves. These tend to be too warm for the return trip home, so I'll carry regular, full finger cycling gloves in the trunk. I really like the soft shell gloves, but if I didn't have any, a pair of windproof work gloves in combination with the cycling gloves cut the chill nicely. The LONG SLEEVES on the sweatshirt are an important ingredient, since they combine with the cycling jacket to keep my arms comfortable all the way down to the bottom of the temperature range. At the upper end of the range, I'll often eschew the sweatshirt in favor of a long-sleeve cotton t shirt.

Legs and Feet

For my legs, I wear work pants. I'll choose warmer ones when it is colder, but most work slacks work well even down to 20F. I also use reflective Velcro cuff bands which keep breezes at bay and grease off the pants. I have a few pairs of camo cuff bands, but haven't used them since the reflective ones seem to work just fine. To finish the outfit off, I use wool socks with shoes that work with the bike of the day. The wool socks are too warm for work so I carry a pair of cotton socks in the trunk. This is one area where my strategy changed. Formerly, I'd wear cargo shorts in combination with sweat pants, but my v3 commute (7 miles versus the v2 20 miles) makes that somewhat extraneous, particularly since I no longer drive on occasion in order to facilitate laundry exchanges.

Quick Switch for Work and the Ride Home

Thusly attired, when I get to work, I simply swap out the sweatshirt for a work shirt and swap the wool socks for cotton ones. Pretty simple,and I'll usually wear the cotton socks on the ride home. More often than not, the sweatshirt works fine, with the cycling jacket relegated to the trunk.

Commute clothes are really, however, what works for YOU. I prefer the KISS approach, without buying a lot of "special" items, and without having to carry much extra stuff along.

Safety Goggles Really Help at Freezing. The Cyling Jacket and a Sweatshirt Works Down to 20F
Nowadays, I Usually Wear Work Pants in the Colde. One Advantage of the Shorter, v3 Commute

Bicycle Commuting Tips: The Truth and Myth of Blood, Sweat, and Tears

On my blog, I try to avoid simply regurgitating material I see on other blogs. However, other blogs do provide inspiration. One such provided the title for today's post. Well, almost, because I couldn't resist adding two words to John Romeo's excellent essay entitled "Bicycle Commuting Tips: The Myth of Blood, Sweat, and Tears." If you haven't already, go read it. THIS post is, however an entirely different theme. JRA's premise is that bike commuting really isn't something to get worked up over. He thinks cycling is, and I fully agree, fun and safe.

However, besides the myth of blood, sweat, and tears, there is truth in each of the items. What's more, a lot of the truth is different than a prospective bicycle commuter might imagine.

Even a Minor Impact Can Make a Lot of Blood if You Happen to be Taking Blood Thinners!
This Incident Didn't Even Do Much to the Helmet Other than Get Blood All Over the Strap

LET THERE BE BLOOD

You're More Likely to be Hurt HERE Than By a Car

I have experienced two episodes of this during my bike commutes. Contrary to commonly expressed fears, neither involved any sort of motor vehicle by any stretch of the imagination. In the first case, a deep vein thrombosis caused a pulmonary embolism. In the second, while I was away for a week on vacation, a construction crew dug a trench that I rode into on my first day back. During the same period, two of my friends DIED of chronic breathing conditions that would likely never have become serious had they done things like cycle regularly - and I know many more that are dealing with other, mostly avoidable chronic conditions. In my own case, cycling has helped me sustain a 100 lb weight loss and quit smoking. The blunt truth is that, while I have fallen a number of times during my commutes, these falls mostly occur on the small minority of miles associated with bike paths. ALL the objective evidence is that cycling is pretty safe and gets an order of magnitude safer with a minimal amount of instruction about how to operate the bike safely. Of course, Bike Ed will not protect you against DVT. Sorry. Of course, I am not the best authority on blood since I seem to draw it even on the rare occasions I need to use a stapler to complete an expense report. Is that really an industrial accident?

Sweat DRIPS From My Headrag as I Stop for Coffee

SWEAT
Sweating is a major way your body helps regulate its temperature. If you live around Dallas, and ride anywhere much over a mile, you WILL sweat. What's more, as I have discovered, after a ride of 5 or 10 miles, you will sweat again even after taking a shower. However, I was fortunate enough to read Effective Cycling by John Forester. What? Isn't he that "crabby old vehicular cycling guy?" Yup. But in that book, he also taught me stuff I didn't realize about sweat. Stuff I have since confirmed elsewhere. And, as it turns out, the presence of a shower at work, while nice, is much less relevant than people imagine. If you doubt it, take a good shower, then work up a good sweat. Relax and towel off after about 15 minutes. Now enlist reliable sniffers. You see, as it turns out, what makes sweat stinky is the bacterial culture associated with stale sweat. Your reliable sniffers will not be alarmed while you are fresh, but they'll be cranky by your stink the next morning. What this means is it really does not matter a whole lot whether you take your shower immediately before or after your morning commute. Either way, use lots of soap. Give yourself time to cool down, towel off with a fresh towel and apply deodorant. What's more, this is a good procedure even if you have showers at work since you'll otherwise simply sweat some more after your shower. From a personal standpoint, the ideal situation is an individual shower room, lockable from inside, with adjacent assigned lockers, in a location where you can work or relax for about 15 minutes before the shower. Like a cafeteria where you eat breakfast before your shower. But basic sweat is easier to deal with than most imagine. I sweat on my commute even in the winter. I have learned other sweat secrets, but there may be co-workers reading this. Still, if it is hot and you STOP sweating, worry about the first topic.

Men Like it Simple. Soap and Shampoo and No Messy Goo!

Safety Goggles Can STOP Those Tears
Sweat? Not So Good

TEARS
I think that JRA was "turning a phrase" with the tears item. However, those that commute in freezing conditions know this is a real problem. You see, going down a hill, the 20 or 30 mph wind in the eyes will quickly generate enough tears it can be hard to see properly. However, this problem has a solution that is simplicity itself. Simply pick up a pair of safety goggles. Most manufacturing areas make these freely available to employees. Much more stylish ones can be picked up at any hardware store. And safety goggles don't seem to work very well at keeping sweat out of your eyes.

North Texas Endless Winter

75% Off at LBS was Irresistible to Me. The stuff in the Photo Cost Well Under $100 - Total

Yesterday, I noted that we'll soon be getting 100F+ temperatures around these parts. My cycle computer thinks we're there already. What does all that mean in the larger scheme of things? Well, it means it is time to SHOP SHOP SHOP for winter gear!

While I've not mentioned it on this blog since I stocked up on winter stuff at the Hotter 'N Hell 100 last summer, I keep an eye open for clothing that "expands the envelope" for cycling. Mostly, I get stuff that will work here in North Texas, but eventually, it'll come in even handier when we all return home again. Not long ago, I got a pair of Showers Pass rain pants with my REI dividend. The immortal Tracy Wilkins swears by them.

This weekend, as noted here, a LBS has winter wear on sale for 75% off. Their Hurst store still has a lot of "M" wool socks. The "L" ones are all gone. Gloves and shoe covers vary. They have quite a few balaclavas and skull caps because I couldn't see buying a lifetime supply. The guys at the cash register told me that someone from Mexico came and bought $1400 worth of winter wear - and that was AFTER the discount. Apparently, on rare occasions, it even gets cold in Mexico...

First Tracks Through the Snow

More Ominous than Seeing Yesterday's Tire Tracks Was Seeing No Tire Tracks at All!

When I was first learning to ski, more recently than you might imagine, a Boeing engineer who had skied since he was a young child explained to me; “if you’re not falling, you’re not learning.” Later that year, the same Boeing engineer broke a number of bones while skiing. Well I did a lot of learning today on my very first bike commute in the snow/ice. First tracks, so to speak. It was GREAT fun! Fortunately, I was able to avoid breaking anything real important or even expensive. As you might suspect from the intro, I fell a lot and learned a lot. When I was growing up in Seattle, it would never have occurred to me to ride a bike in icy or snowy conditions. Who says Texas isn’t progressive? Besides, at LCI training, we were told that the SAFEST cyclists are those that ride every day, in all conditions. Apparently, they acquire skills that help them avoid crashes. Yeah, that’s it; I’m becoming a safer cyclist.



If You're Not Falling, You're Not Learning, Or So I Was Told

 When I went to bed last night, Northeast Tarrant County had a mixture of bare patches and slick ice. My commute strategy was laid out and even written down, here. However, our weather forecasters got it all wrong and, instead of a trace of snow and a few flurries, we got snow accumulation. Now, you have to remember this is North Texas, so our accumulation ranged from a couple of inches to about seven, depending on the particular locale. Had slick ice not still been hiding beneath the snow, it would have been very simple and almost trivial to pedal the whole way in. Simply start out carefully, don’t make rapid course changes, and leave lots of room for stopping. I’d have easily have beaten my pre-ride time estimate for the commute.

I Went Back for Rain Pants

As it was, things were more challenging. Leaving home, I rode without any trouble for most of a block. Suddenly, I was on the ground, conducting a test of whether my helmet would live up to its CPSC approval. At this point, I headed back to the house to get my rain pants. It was obvious that some water resistant layer would be needed to avoid soaking my pants if I was to continue as I was determined to do.

Snow/Ice Commute Pattern
In areas where the road had dried out before the snow, riding was easy and pleasant, though I found that, as in skiing moguls, you want to go the “right speed.”The right speed is “just right;” not too fast and not too slow. My “right speed” and your “right speed” would be different. On the other hand, in areas approaching intersections, and other places where slick ice underlay the snow, I found that it was sometimes problematic to stay upright. A WISE cyclist quickly learns to use extra caution when attempting to get back up AFTER a fall. It is one thing to fall, but it is quite another to fall a second time on top of your bike. OTOH, motorists, seeing such events, give an unusually wide passing margin if the cyclist managed to collect all the bits before they approach. Either that or they were amazed at bright yellow rainwear. Contrary to my test rides, each intersection posed a tradeoff dilemma. “Do I stay on the bike and fall down or do I fall down when I try to get OFF the bike?” For the record, in my current stage of expertise, I found that neither solution was entirely reliable. Intersections represent unusual problems for a cyclist, just as they do for our fair-weather brethren. About the only element of previous training I adopted is that I crossed wheel ruts much the same way as I would cross railroad tracks – at a 90 degree angle. That did seem to work. Maybe I was just lucky.

Toughest Commute Element
Surprisingly, I found that the toughest part of the entire commute was about a half mile along a separated multi-use path. Yesterday, I verified that the surface of the path was mostly bare and dry, and figured it’d be a snap to ride. Well, this morning, this being Texas, as you might guess, the path wasn’t plowed or sanded. In fact, I found that I was unable to tell where the path edge was and wound up walking my bike through scenic fields and eventually navigating based on recognizable landmarks. The path delayed my journey by about 15 minutes. It would have been worse but I finally encountered a stretch where I could tell where the path was, and that enabled me to make faster-than-pedestrian progress.

Surprisingly Nice Commute Element
I also encountered a pleasant surprise. Bedford-Euless road, a long uphill stretch, turned out to be the simplest part of the entire morning journey, obviating my planned snow route. I started up in the right lane and found that traction was reasonable. Better yet, all my motoring friends were unwilling to test the snow-covered surface in the right lane and stuck to the two ruts in the snow. No falls at all going up that hill in my twelve foot bike lane, and even had some motorist been braver than the rest, motorists are able to easily stop if necessary while going uphill. It is going DOWN the hills where they get in trouble.

Lessons

Helmets
I was uncommonly glad I wore a helmet this morning. However, I have a number of helmet suggestions for novice snow and ice bike riders. First off, learn with a helmet nearing the end of its shelf life. Second, ignore any advice to discard a helmet once you have crashed with it. Since it is impractical to carry a half dozen spare helmets along with you, wait until you get home again before retiring the helmet. I think I hit my helmet hard about four or five times. While it may not have saved my life, it certainly was a lot more pleasant and satisfying to hear that “whack” than to imagine a “thud” from my unprotected head. This is an argument in favor of using the cheapest and oldest usable helmet you possess in these conditions. I was glad I was wearing my “Wally World Special” and not my bike shop Giro helmet. I regret not wearing an older cheap helmet, but my Schwinn helmet got melted in the Land Rover last summer.

Routing
I had a snow route. It worked OK for the trip home, but was completely inappropriate for the trip in. To keep this lesson short, I simply recommend being adaptable as you discover how the conditions marry up with your particular skills (or lack of same) and bike. Be especially wary of a bike path, or even a bike lane, unless you have past bad-weather experience with that path. Even in such situations, bad weather has many variations so what works one time may not work later. Just as motorists vary their route when it snows, it makes sense for cyclists to do the same. Unlike motorists, cyclists need to consider the capabilities of their chosen vehicle, as well as shortcomings of the motor vehicles that are usually so predictable.

Other Equipment
In my previous post, Justin cleverly commented about lowering the saddle and Big Oak mentioned good points about clipless pedals and handlebars. Well, while I’m not sure lowering the saddle would help avoid fall situations, it sure would have reduced the stress and wear and tear on my rain pants. “Best efficiency” is not the main objective when riding in snow and ice. Kudos to Justin for that one. Who’d have thought such wisdom about ice riding would come from Dallas?

Clipless Pedals Came from Ski Bindings

As for clipless pedals, Big Oak correctly provided the wisdom (of long Yankee experience) that locking feet in the pedals might avoid ligament damage in a fall. Fortunately, I avoided any such damage with my platform pedals, but a budding snow/ice biker should consider that clipless pedal systems are an outgrowth of ski release systems, which were specifically developed to mitigate skiing injuries. Also consider that ICEBIKE seems to favor clipless pedals, though they also talk about the Power Grip system that Velouria uses on her bike. In slippery conditions, these may be superior to more conventional toe clips and they certainly make shoe choice easier. In my case, I don’t think clipless was a real option, because I possess no cold-weather cleated shoes, and even heavy shoe covers would simply not last through “hoofing it” segments. In my mind, this remains an area for future investigation.

Big Oak also advocates keeping one’s hands on the handlebars when going down. I was fortunate in this regard, because I learned NOT to attempt to brace against a fall with one’s arm when I learned to snowboard. Snowboarders break wrists and skiers blow out knees. Roll with the fall. If you can do this, you are less likely to break bones and other valuable body parts. My take away from this is that learning to fall can be a useful skill for a cyclist. Once learned, it may also come in useful for a fall in more typical cycling conditions. Certainly learning to fall can do no harm.

Raingear is another area for attention. I use a yellow O2 rain outfit. It is light and compacts down well in a trunk bag. It is almost ideal for the occasional Texas rain storm. However, the pants are not going to work for you for snow/ice bike learning. Mine now look like they were run through a shredder. Between falling down and getting up and getting on and off saddles, these pants aborbed as much wear as they would in a decade of regular bike riding. If you’re going to learn to ride and fall, the pants better be able to take that. Shower’s Pass? The “High Vis Police” will NOT be pleased. My O2 pants are yellow and the Shower’s Pass replacements come only in BLACK. OTOH, I found no damage at all to my yellow O2 rain jacket. I think you want pants that can use suspenders. I found that mine would droop and then get ripped when I got back on the bike. Showers Pass will accept suspenders. REI sells Showers Pass and I even have a coupon. Hmm. Black it is.

My headlight was more or less irrelevant most of the time. While the mighty P7 was very bright, it wouldn’t show me where the invisible bike trail was any better than imitating a bike ninja. What’s more, I discovered that in cold and snowy conditions, one should not expect as much battery life as usual. My P7 winked out about an hour into the morning commute, even though I’ve only made two full commutes this week, along with several test rides (normally, my light will last for a full week of morning commutes). The old Cateye was more than adequate thereafter. In future, if I encounter days of ice/snow, I’ll simply turn the P7 down a notch so it can make it through a full week of commutes. Remember that if you ride in the snow and ice, you’ll be using your lights longer, which should be taken into account if you have battery-operated lights.

Last year, I found that at 11F, ski mittens were too warm. This year, at 17F, in the snow, ski gloves were too cold – and later they got too warm. Regardless, keeping the damp out was the main objective and they accomplished that. I have not yet found an ideal hand solution. I brought my cold weather cycling gloves, but they’re simply not designed to be jammed into the snow.

These Tires Would Have Kicked Butt in the Snow
Vittoria Cross XG Pro in 34c Width - And a LOT of Mud
The Tire Limit on this Bike is Generous

Despite their names, 28c Continental Grand Prix “4 Season” tires are not optimum for the snow, though I think they’re better than Armadillos. My Vittoria cyclocross tires would have made the snow almost trivial and probably would have helped with the slick stuff, but I really didn’t feel like changing all those tires on my single set of rims. Based on what I’ve heard, for serious ice, you want studded tires but in North Texas, we get conditions like this only rarely. Short of studded tires, probably the best setup would be tubular cyclocross tires such as Justine Valinotti talked about here. The advantage of such tires is they’re like snow tires for bikes and, being tubular, they can be run at VERY LOW tire pressure in the snow. Actually, if you are a cross racer with tubulars, just haul out your tubular cross rims and you’d be ready to go in the snow. While tubular are generally less puncture resistant than high quality clinchers, remember that there’s snow covering up many items that might puncture a tire.

Mounting and Dismounting
Over on Facebook, there is a thread about proper bike mounting/dismounting, with many amusing comments about me demoing ways not to mount a bike. Well, I wound up trying several different methods and found that “power position,” “scooter start,” “cowboy start” all had situations where they worked and others where they failed. All I can say is that one would be wise not to get overly enamored with any particular approach. Sometimes you’ll have to get the bike moving and then get aboard. Sometimes you’ll want to be aboard and then get the bike moving. Sometimes, you’ll test the conditions briefly via coasting along while you stand on a pedal. Sometimes you will be aboard and you’ll straddle scoot along a bit, trying to decide what the next action should be. In the snow, I vote for results over style or even what might be consistently successful in conditions where the bike wheels aren’t imitating sled runners.

Falling
I had some opportunity to contemplate the merits of falling to the right (drive side) versus falling to the left. Falling to the right puts expensive components, such as the derailleur, at risk of getting bent. On the other hand, falling to the right, in theory, puts you further away from any following automotive traffic, and the chain is less likely to pop off the chain ring. At my level of expertise, I found this is mainly of academic interest to one that uncontrollably falls in both directions often. If any expert readers have a preference, I’d LOVE to hear it. Chandra suggests carrying a latex glove to help rerail a chain, but I would not have used such a glove this morning. The ski glove will simply have some chain lube on it forevermore and the latex glove would certainly not have fit over the ski glove. Speaking of falling, on the way to work, I fell too many times to count. On the way home, I didn't fall at all. There's SOMETHING to be learned in THAT particular bit of trivia as well.

Walking

Better Choices Were Available
Than Costco Court Classics

Walking is not as reliable as one might imagine. Unless you are using clipless pedals, simply use the best traction warm shoes/boots that you possess. This is an area in which I could have done a lot better than the aging “Costco Court Classic” shoes I use to ride to work in most days, but hind sight is 20-20. If you are a lady, I suggest you forgo the stylish footwear for the snow ride and stick to sensible footwear. Remember, if it is too slippery to ride, it is probably not ideal traction for walking, either.











Wrapup
It was a good commute, and I took quite a few pictures that follow. Would I do it again? ABSOLUTELY, but I think some non-snow days next week are pretty sweet as well. I think I have to think about the rain pant issue in particular...

Entrance to the Bedford Path. I Was Shortly to be Totally Lost and Reduced to Finding my Way Via Landmarks
There'd Been One Pedestrian Before Me. I Lost His/Her Trail in My Own Wanderings

Top of the Last Hill Before Work. Going Up the Hill Wasn't Hard. I Did Fall Trying to Get to Here from the Arterial as a Pedestrian - Twice
As You Can See, Traffic Was Not Real Heavy

Motorist Wonders What the Crazy Cyclist is Doing Taking Pictures - Or Maybe She's Wondering if She'll Make the Left Turn

When You Turn Pedestrian, You Don't Worry About Newly Erected Signs Like This One
Interestingly, They Were Clearing Sidewalks at the Elementary School in the Photo, Even Though School was Cancelled
I Clipped an Amusing Earphone Story Associated with this Shot

A Plastic Bag Makes Sure the Saddle Won't be Wet at the End of the Day
The Lock Was My Mini U. The Lock I USUALLY Use Was Frozen



This Road was Difficult to WALK on in the Morning. I Fell Twice on It
By Afternoon, Riding it was Easy. Look, Ma, No Falls!





Treacherous Spots Remained in the Afternoon, But They Were Localized



Almost Home, Buddy Rests While I Get Some Warm Liquid



 

Even the Smooth Conti Tires Accumulated Snow



Enjoy the Chill While You Can

It May Not Seem Like it, but Summer is ON Its Way

Last week marked a seasonal milestone in the DFW area. Last week, you see, marked what is historically the coldest week of the year here. While we may still see some challenging weather in the weeks to come, ON AVERAGE, we’re on our way to those LONG HOT SUMMER DAYS. You know; the kinds of days that they grouse about (in a good-natured way) on blogs like this and this.

It also marked a milestone of a different sort. Last week marked the latest dawns of the year for the DFW area. Specifically, our latest dawn occurred at about 7:32AM. This is much later than early December when sunrise was at about 7:15. Even in late December, our sunrise was earlier than it was last week. Pleasantly, sunset is MUCH later than it was, occurring a full 28 minutes later than early December. That change is very noticeable. I no longer need to turn my lights on for the last part of my ride home.

January DFW Climatology from NOAA

I have quite a number of cold weather items I’ve not had the opportunity to test out this winter, when it’s been fairly mild. Items gathering dust so far, along with their “cycling specificity” are listed below.

If it Doesn't Get COLD SOON, All this Stuff Will Have to Wait a WHOLE 'NOTHER YEAR!

No Gear No Problem

I Use Proper Cycling
Pants Velcro on the Side
Motor Vehicles Will Pass

Those Work Pants Use a
Badge Lanyard to Avoid Grease

One thing that I like about cycling, and that has become more apparent as I've read various blogs on the subject, is the enormous variety of approaches. That was made apparent by the EXCELLENT post, entitled "Stuff..." made by Tracy Wilkins earlier today on his SpringfieldCyclist blog where he advocated cycling-specific stuff to become a more complete cyclist. A couple of hours later, Rantwick made a post on how he underdresses for the Canadian cold, with a mix of cycling stuff and, well, decidedly NON cycling stuff. Ironically, ONLY YESTERDAY, Dottie, of "Let's Go Ride a Bike," made a post on how to look elegant on her bike during a Chicago winter. Dottie tends to avoid cycling-specific items, though her use of toe warmers reveals that she isn't really ideologically "pure" in this regard.



I LOVE My Cannondale Cycling Jacket



Sometimes, It Isn't Wise to Mix!

Ironically, I found that I both agreed and disagreed with all of these posts. Now, as an engineer, you KNOW I'm going to work a table or math into this post somehow, but you'll have to wait a bit. As I read Tracy's post, I was wearing some non-cycling stuff, some non-cycling stuff with a token "high-vis" cycling item, and some real cycling stuff. That is typical for me. Witness a couple of past photos. I also find that my mix of cycling and non-cycling items varies depending on the weather and the details of my commute. There are some cycling items I own that I now rarely wear for my commute.

OTOH, I agreed that both of the other posts made a lot of sense as well. Together, they ran the gamut from GOBS of cycling stuff to absolutely nothing. So how can I agree with them all? Really, it is quite simple. Go look at the table at the bottom of this post. Have a nice day!



Cold Weather Cycling Stuff Purchased Last Summer - I Have Yet to Use the Shoe Covers, But I Use the Gloves Daily

Thanks, Tracy, Dottie, and Rantwick, Even if Rantwick DOES Wear Oakleys

Gloves for Bicycles

Shooting Gloves - Good for Winter Cycling?

I have problems finding the right balance of warmth and flexibility in winter gloves. Ski mittens are plenty warm but awkward on the shifters and brakes - and they're horrible if one wants to take a swig from the water bottle without a formal stop. Work gloves even come in "high vis" colors, but the mesh backs leave my hands not much warmer than cycling gloves. Adding "convertible mitten/gloves" to the work gloves seem clunky and they don't stop the wind well enough on their own. The knit also seems like it won't wear well with shifting and handlebar work. It does look cute, however, to see my "high vis" work glove-covered fingertips sticking out from the knit mittens. This combo works best with the LH hand fully mittened and the RH hand in convertible mode - the better to work the shifter with.

Well, thanks to Andy, over at Carbon Trace, and his talk about his great coat from Bass Pro Shops, I decided to do a little looking of my own. Anybody use "shooting gloves" for cycling? Like shooting, a fold-back index finger would come in handy on occasion when cycling. Anyone have a theory about what insulation weight to use for cycling between about 20F and 40F? If I believe the Cabela's "Glove Guide," it'd be between 70 and 100 grams insulation. Below 20F, the Motorcycle Meter is too low for me around here anyway!

As described on the "Cabela's" website:
The sensitive tactility and amazing dexterity provided by the synthetic palms of these gloves make them a must for any hunter who demands technical performance and successful results. Hands stay toasty warm in 150-gram ArmourLoft™ insulation. Soft and comfortable brushed tricot lining. The fold-back trigger finger is great for squeezing off a shot or reloading. Water-resistant fabric repels moisture and wicks it away. ColdGear® liner cuff and adjustable wrist for a wind-tight seal. Imported.

Sizes: S-XL.
Camo patterns: Realtree® AP HD®, Mossy Oak® Treestand®.
 
Hmm, while I'm not a "high vis" fanatic, perhaps going from black to camo is a step in the wrong direction? On the other hand, I DO like green. Good thing I carry multiple lights...

Convertible Half Finger Mittens from REI

Warm but not Wind Resistant - and they Run Small

Before you know it, all this will be academic anyway. The days are getting noticeably longer already...

Stylishly Dark

Taking the layered look to extremes this morning, I tried ski mittens (black) which turned out to be a bit on the warm side. I also wore my balaclava (black), safety glasses (black frame) and neck warmer (black), cycling jacket (black), two long-sleeve shirts (one wicking, one not), and cargo shorts over sweat pants (neither black - my concession to visibility in the dark) over cycling tights (black). I finished off the ensemble with a regular pair of socks over my black ski socks. Other than the mittens, everything worked pretty well, though my toes were borderline. Putting all that stuff on, it wasn’t until I was halfway to work before I realized I’d forgotten my helmet, which is NOT black. Which is also why you don't see a helmet in the picture, taken at the warm Starbucks that is on my route home. Please do not call the helmet Gestapo down on me!

.
The search for the perfect hand cover continues. Right now, the leading candidate can be seen here. The link ensures I'll be able to find those candidates again and add them to my Christmas wish list. My wife has come to regret the old mantra of "you never tell me what you want!" I imagine that if I get some under the tree, they'll be - black, though I have specified no particular color on my list.

Over at "Rantwick, Eh" I notice that Rantwick also favors the safety glasses for temperatures around freezing. Clear ski goggles are a bit too warm at that temperature. He's foolish enough to go with a giant tub instead of the pocket heaven that may be found in cargo shorts. He might consider some form of mitten to avoid future tragedies.

Interestingly, there's a very good post over at CommuteOrlando about high visibility clothing. I may not do recipes on this blog, but high fashion is not out of bounds. Clearly, dayglo is not my primary fashion priority, though I DO try to pick light colored cargo shorts so I don't look like a ninja warrior. With two headlights, two taillights, and a rear reflector, I don't fill the "bike blog" ninja definition, though I may be a little truer to the original definition. If you're wondering, no, I DON'T go out of my way to pick dark clothes for night riding. But I KNOW, BEYOND A REASONABLE DOUBT, as demonstrated here, that motorists WILL see and respond to a cyclist operating his bike in a vehicular fashion. I do NOT accept the premise that I can't responsibly operate on the road with a dark cycling jacket.

On the other hand, riding to work in work clothes? I think not - I'd freeze my living behind off!

PS: No actual snow flurries this morning. I was VERY disappointed. I guess I remain just a fair weather cyclist...

SATURDAY UPDATE:
Contrary to Rollz's contention, I looked NOTHING like Randy in "A Christmas Story." HE had RED on. See Link for what I think he's recollecting. I also didn't fall down so we'll never know if I could have gotten back up on my own. The link IS an extremely amusing scene and I'm going to be looking to rent that movie. Oh, forgot to mention in the original post - my shoes were black, too, though they do have reflective stuff built into the heel. I also exaggerated a bit. My mittens were black, but they did have a little white piping on them, and my neck warmer had "Blackcomb at Whistler" embroidered on it with a gold colored thread. Yup, cycling with style!