The Frozen Tundra
Date: Feb. 4
Mileage: 16
Ride type: Road
Bike: Trek 401
Temp: 31 + snowing
February mileage: 46
Year to date: 335
after having blown off jueves and viernes, i knew that i had to make something happen today. the weather wasn't exactly cooperating, in that the temps are in the low 30s, with regular snow and a reasonable northerly wind. it didn't take me long to decide to get outside for a road ride, given that rollers would be a cop-out for two days of sloth. Penance. after reading jill's exploits at 5 degrees in Alaska, and all the cold-ass crap the Minneapolis folks deal with regularly, a 31 degree, snowy road ride is cake, right?
the decision then comes to which bike. yes, titanium won't rust, but how can you treat the #1 steed like that? and the LHT, well, i like that for commuter duty- snow or rain, etc.- but not for a weekend jaunt. so i decided to drag out the now 20 year Trek 401 Elance. this is the first road bike i had, before i sold it to my uncle ( and subsequently bought back). i outfitted it with some clip-on fenders and a back light, adjusted the saddle, and away i went. in some ways, rides on the Trek are fun b/c it's so damn old and unpredictable. this a Reynolds steel bike with 6-speed cassette (prob not a cassette actually) with a narrow range. the brakes are long-reach calipers that frankly i like better than brakes on other bikes i have now. they are strong but somewhat feathery, oddly enough. i have some leftover SPD pedals from some bike, who knows? and to top it off some classic cloth bar tape. it makes lots of creaks and pings, like a crankarm is going to fall out or that a hub is just going to disintegrate. most likely, what will happen is that a 20-year old Wobler rim (sponsor of 7-11 back in the day) is going to dicumbobulate (sp?) and there i'll be.
the ride was pretty uneventful, but sorta cold. the hands got wet after a while, and the feet too in the Sealskinz. i'm thinking the best footwear is good wool socks and booties, but i hate booties. one good though was the appreciation to my wife for a gift from this xmas. she bought me the '05 Paris-Nice with American Bobby Julich as winner. the first three stages are exactly like what's outside today- some snow, some wind, and some cold. i like seeing the cyclists all bundled up in every piece of kit they can find, only to roll it up (the jacket/jersey etc.) at the finishing sprint b/c they're too hot in the 25 degree cold. i'm SURE i looked just like that today. :-)
below is the Trek leaning on my garage on top of a hydrangea 'annabelle' that will look better in May. (it's below if it will actually upload, but it's being quite slow)
Mileage: 16
Ride type: Road
Bike: Trek 401
Temp: 31 + snowing
February mileage: 46
Year to date: 335
after having blown off jueves and viernes, i knew that i had to make something happen today. the weather wasn't exactly cooperating, in that the temps are in the low 30s, with regular snow and a reasonable northerly wind. it didn't take me long to decide to get outside for a road ride, given that rollers would be a cop-out for two days of sloth. Penance. after reading jill's exploits at 5 degrees in Alaska, and all the cold-ass crap the Minneapolis folks deal with regularly, a 31 degree, snowy road ride is cake, right?
the decision then comes to which bike. yes, titanium won't rust, but how can you treat the #1 steed like that? and the LHT, well, i like that for commuter duty- snow or rain, etc.- but not for a weekend jaunt. so i decided to drag out the now 20 year Trek 401 Elance. this is the first road bike i had, before i sold it to my uncle ( and subsequently bought back). i outfitted it with some clip-on fenders and a back light, adjusted the saddle, and away i went. in some ways, rides on the Trek are fun b/c it's so damn old and unpredictable. this a Reynolds steel bike with 6-speed cassette (prob not a cassette actually) with a narrow range. the brakes are long-reach calipers that frankly i like better than brakes on other bikes i have now. they are strong but somewhat feathery, oddly enough. i have some leftover SPD pedals from some bike, who knows? and to top it off some classic cloth bar tape. it makes lots of creaks and pings, like a crankarm is going to fall out or that a hub is just going to disintegrate. most likely, what will happen is that a 20-year old Wobler rim (sponsor of 7-11 back in the day) is going to dicumbobulate (sp?) and there i'll be.
the ride was pretty uneventful, but sorta cold. the hands got wet after a while, and the feet too in the Sealskinz. i'm thinking the best footwear is good wool socks and booties, but i hate booties. one good though was the appreciation to my wife for a gift from this xmas. she bought me the '05 Paris-Nice with American Bobby Julich as winner. the first three stages are exactly like what's outside today- some snow, some wind, and some cold. i like seeing the cyclists all bundled up in every piece of kit they can find, only to roll it up (the jacket/jersey etc.) at the finishing sprint b/c they're too hot in the 25 degree cold. i'm SURE i looked just like that today. :-)
below is the Trek leaning on my garage on top of a hydrangea 'annabelle' that will look better in May. (it's below if it will actually upload, but it's being quite slow)
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