your daily bicycle log

so, w/r/t softshells. i went out of the tech wear market in 98 (no joke...still have a marmot alpinist shell that will never die, but is mad overbuilt) UNTIL this last spring, when I got this:

http://mountainhardwear.com/Product.aspx?top=1426&cat=1465&prod=2330

slim cut, slightly drop-sear WITH a back pocket and little reflective bits. only 120, and perfect for brisk/winter cardio. if i layer it with lighweight capilene top under mid-weight fleece sweater it's mad warm. it's why i want to get that REI shell: light-weight and packable and only needs to come out when the shit really gets real

drop-sear = drop-seat

then i i've got a GoLite belay parka ("the parachute") that's slightly oversize (to fit over everything else) for stupid MN cold. it's a little *too* big for just wearing, but i don't really give a fuck. i'm warmer than you, judging non-parka wearer

these guys make great stuff: http://www.wildthingsgear.com/

no frills all business

i like the look of mountain hardware stuff, and fancy i could do with a soft shell. found a great soft-shell evangelism piece via wikipedia: http://www.psychovertical.com/?thebestsoftshell

(for 'shelled micro-pile' jackets in particular)

holy fucking fuck that pic on the homepage of wildthings

soft-shell evangelism awesome.

yah seriously, dude, i hope they're bivying there for long

er, NOT

Visiting REI was like going to church.

I like that REI jacket you posted it would make a fitting replacement to my now 12 year old spray-way technical gore tex whjich is still good windproofing for skiing and the like but terribly un-waterproof.

like 3 careers ago i worked at rei as a second job and predictably spent more than i made.

I rode to work earlier this evening in the dark & drizzle (I have to work a couple of evenings a week). When I set off I had a front light. When I arrived I realised I didn't have a front light any more. I have no idea where/when it fell off and how I failed to notice. Riding home was tricky.

today was 28 degrees and v. light freezing rain/ice, pretty invigorating. i fell down in my driveway while on foot-- it was a sheet of ice, but the roads were just wet. the rei one jacket is recommended, if its cold enough (below 40). no thermal layers underneath it, just undershirt/dress shirt.

24° F here!

BRISK

Wheels for my fixed-gear conversion of an old Armstrong frame arrived today.

Goldtec track hubs on Mavic Open Pro rims. 36h, black hubs, rims and spokes.

Waiting on a chainset now (Sugino RD).

I also discovered the limitation of the Tesco Value cycling computer: it maxed out at 9999.9 miles (though I can feel proud of my last years riding).

^^^^nice ridin^^^^

Goldtec track hubs on Mavic Open Pro rims. 36h, black hubs, rims and spokes.
i love style

Thanks.

The wheels are going on the 1950s Armstrong Moth frame that I bought a few months ago and had repainted in cream enamel.

http://krakow.zenfolio.com/img/v3/p629708722-3.jpg

I've been in touch with a local cycling club and said I'd go on their club run this Sunday. The forecast is now saying the temperature is going to plummet and it'll be snowing on Sunday morning, so I'm questioning the wisdom of my actions.

16° F when i left the house this morning yaaoooooow

i wore: sun records t-shirt, 10 year old midweight NoFace sweater, mountain hw tanglewood softshell, light wool hat

toasty!

i need new cold gloves. the planet bike borealis dont really make it below 30. actually, after about 30 minutes of riding, my hands DO warm up in them, but the frist 30 mins are kinda ow. i wonder if its just cause the index and middle fingers are too tight fitting. taking recommendations.

for temps above 35 i <3 <3 manzela N2S windstopper gloves. theyre uninsulated but warm. i dont know if they still make them tho.

Definitely felt cold on the way home tonight. But nowhere near gbx's 16° F. Ouch.

Well, that was an anti-climax. I'd been steeling myself for a heroic three-hour effort to cling on to the back of a fast-moving bunch in arctic conditions. I did 25 miles yesterday in preparation. I got up this morning and it was snowing quite badly. Normally, I wouldn't have bothered, but as I'd said I'd be on this ride I thought I ought to show up. So I dragged myself out and waited for the others to arrive. Nobody did. Obviously only an idiot goes out in this weather. After 15 minutes I set off on my own. Within ten minutes my fingers and toes were so numb that it didn't seem sensible to continue, so I gave up and came home after 8 miles.

rode to work for the first time in about six months this morn'; just under 5 km according to google map. great weather! coulda done without the faceful of sun as i went east tho, tbh.

riverside path turned to wooden boardwalk at the bridge this morning. i of course forgot about wood's inherent slipperiness, leaned into turn and found myself airborne at once and then sliding on a film of frost that covered the boardwalk. all's fine, but my saddle's akimbo.

http://www.ricesigns.com/pictures/W8-13.gif

yeah, that too.

I've entered this sportive in Sussex in March. Sixty-seven miles with a nasty climb at the end. I'm sure I can ride the distance, but I'm not sure what kind of pace is exected.

The second-hand bike I bought a few months ago to replace my stolen bike is horrible to ride, and I have essentially stopped cycling. I'm now at that really annoying stage in my life where I am likely moving continents in nine months, so pretty much have to stop buying stuff I can't eat, since I'll have to throw it away or sell it in August. I get the impression that bikes within my budget (< £250) do not hold their value.

xp

The Sussex Downs are responsible for some of my greatest riding memories, from the time I lived in Brighton. Love them hills.

Good luck Mr. Hobbes!

caek, nine months sounds like a long time.

you'd think there'd be some half-decent beater you could buy for the time being. what about upgrading just the wheels and then taking those with you when you move?

I moved very close to work a couple of months back, so walking in isn't a major pain. Although I'm pretty sure I'm moving continent, I'm not sure I'm going to be moving somewhere that I'd get back into cycling, so anything I do by needs to be salable. But essentially, the problem is that I am idle.

I did a spur-of-the-moment extension to one of my usual loops yesterday, to take on a hill climb challenge. I was pretty certain I'd be forced to give up and walk up, but amazingly I made it all the way up (I ride singlespeed, to give it a wee bit of context), though it required proper slaloming across the full width of the road at several points and proceeded at a sub-5mph crawl. Nonetheless, definitely the toughest hill I've tackled on ss, so I was pretty happy.

that makes sense caek. xp

(I ride singlespeed, to give it a wee bit of context)

i've been thinking of setting up a fixed gear or singlespeed for winter riding, but am somewhat hesitant b/c of my temperamental right knee (aka patellar chondromalachia)....although, i must say, the knee has stopped complaining in the past few months, apparently strengthened by my near-daily commute.

anyone ILTRMBers with bad knees ride fixed or ss?

3 HOUR THANKSGIVING RIDE. YES.

i don't have awesome knees (skiing + bikes) and i ride fixed. if you ride in a low, spinny gear and use brakes, then fixed shouldn't really be a problem. but if you ride in some monster track-specific gear and go brakeless, you can be assured that your knees will explode.

that's helpful & encouraging gbx, thanks.

rode out to thxgiving dinner today....about 25 miles, a bit chilly (i didn't pack a shell and ended up having to improvise a windshield-bib out of a square of waxed canvas that i'd rolled my patch kit & tire levers in)....but a sweet ride nonetheless....hills, farms, bridges....and best of all: dry clothes & turkey were waiting for me at the end.

ah yesterday was a great thxgiving on the cx bike. blacktop to daniels park, singletrack climb to the ridgetop, dirt road and blacktop again down to the park, then a grand loop of the rolling singletrack through the scrub oak, then more blacktop home.

30 deg and cloudy, so hardly anyone to slow down for.

Ok 2 inches per hour whiteout on way home out of control shit.

Just got back from a just under 2 hour ride, during the course of which the water in my bottles froze as I rode! My drink & piss stop halfway round became an impressively tooth aching affair.

I put a thermometer outside about 15 mins ago and it's down to -2.2 C and still falling.

Where are you? Not so cold in London (compared to last weekend), but it poured down with rain the whole time I was out this morning.

Took a fixed wheel for a test ride yesterday, for the first time. Lovely riding, although can see it takes a bit of getting used to. But I have a question - SPDs or double strap toe clips? I've cycled with toe clips my whole life, but feel they might be a bit of a problem. What with not being able to track stand or anything.

Most fixed riders use clips and straps. Shouldn't be a problem. And track standing will come soon enough (although I still suck at it).

@The Resistible Force (Nasty, Brutish & Short): I'm in Glasgow. It's held steady at -2 to -3 C all day, not warmed up a jot. Some brutal fog too. Not riding weather, that's for sure.

I may live to regret this, but I've just splashed out and ordered this bike. It's more than I was intending to spend, but the discount is just incredible.

nice

An absolutely beautiful day yesterday, so I went for an extended 45 mile jaunt amidst snow and a wonderful winter sunset. I even somehow managed to avoid any slips or falls, despite the final 15-20 miles being on unlit country b-roads after dark with the temperature plummeting. Tired and happy last night soaking in the bath and digesting suitably epic amounts of pasta.