Saw a guy on a bike fall down on the street adjacent to a bus stop—a combination of a steeply-crowned Jenifer street and an ice patch created by bus tires. Had to wait for a dual-unit, 30-car Wisconsin and Southern southbound freight to cross North Shore Drive, then rode sorta parallel to it as it faded gray into a wall of driving snow. Turned off North Shore into what seemed like a gale-force westwind. Sirens echoed throughout downtown as emergency vehicles responded to crashes. Watched a huge pickup truck pulling a skidloader on a trailer burn a half a gallon of unleaded spinning its way up a tiny hill, leaving a blue cloud of burnt rubber-smelling smoke in its .0005 mph wake. The Ford Escort behind it couldn't make it up the hill either. Long lines of single-occupant motor vehicles just about everywhere I went. Rode faster than many of them, even on the unplowed bike routes.
Typical snowstorm.
Shirley the Woodpecker performed swimmingly in his/her maiden snow voyage. A little squirrely, but confident overall. The only problem was Tokay hill number three, where I couldn't stand up to pedal because I'd lose traction out back. Had to sit and grind it out, which was fine today, but might become a problem on days when I'm not feeling quite as studly.
5 comments:
Sounds like a fun ride. Snow makes a daily commute special.
You might want to try some studded tires. A friend gave me a pair of Nashbar studs last winter, and I love them. Quite surprising how well they work.
Here there's snow on the ground, but the morning was spectacularly sunny.
I have a set of Nokians for this bike, but I haven't put them on yet. You're absolutely right—they're excellent.
Also, so nice to have a visit from a fellow Wendell Berry fan...
Shirley sure is purty. and peterwhite has several studded tires in stock.
I dig those bars on your cross check!
Heh, thanks Jeff, they're my faves. Got them from Rivendell. More pics of the bike here.
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