Day one of snow riding

I'm really inspired to see so many of my friends also attempting snow riding this season!  Today I left a few minutes early for class because I knew the roads would be bad, but was immediately roadblocked by a frozen U-lock, actually just about everything was frozen on my bike.  Fortunately I had a can of de-icer in my car, so I grabbed that, hosed down the lock, components, chain, and brake cables.  A minute later I go to make a quick turn onto a main road and all of the sudden I'm sliding across the road!  I wasn't hurt because it was such a smooth fall, but it was a bit scary thinking how lucky I was there weren't any cars moving, it was a left turn arrow or something.  When I got up, nonplussed of course, I probably fell again because it was literally just a sheet of ice on the road.  The rest of the ride was fine, except the wind and cold, and the de-icer stained my pant-leg (I got most of it out by first using soap-- no water-- and a paper towel, then water).  And I was still late to class.

Essentials of the day were de-icer, helmet, thick mittens and boots (also useful for skidding when brakes freeze), and goggles + scarf to keep my face covered.

Also, don't forget to let some air out of your tires = less PSI's = more surface area = more friction (=more mu for the physics geeks).  And don't carry anything that can't be broken! (wise words from a friend)

Cheap Living Tip: Winter Biking

There's nothing quite like spinning through the streets before sunrise, lit only by the full moon.  Campus is empty, cars are sparse, and it's just you and your bike.  Oh, and the cold.  Seeping through the seams of your clothes until your toes and fingers are frozen and your face feels like its about to fall off.  I get cold really easily but am not ready to give up my daily bike commute for some crowded bus, so I've learned quickly how to stay warm, but not too warm.  Even so, by the time I reach my destination (2-3 miles usually) I still am hot and sweaty around my core (hence the importance of sheddable layers) and a little cold around my ears and toes.  There's no perfect fix for the uneven heat distribution of winter cycling.

As my promise to stay on a budget this year, my winter gear is comprised of clothes I already own, plus a few items mooched from my parents.  Of course the most important thing, my bike, is an old French steel road bike, emasculated with cyclocross tires and Planet Bike fenders and lights.  It's in pretty good condition (though I replaced the brake pads) and the main reason I'm riding it this winter is because I don't want to junk up my mountain bike, which I may use for touring next summer and is my usual commuter/workhorse.  And obviously, the carbon bike is staying inside for the next few months.  The most important thing for a winter bike is to have something safe/sturdy and with knobby tires.  I'm tentatively keeping the components on, but if they get too salt-encrusted/frozen I might remove them.  Also I've got stem shifters which I think are less likely to freeze up.

Finally, don't ever underestimate the importance of safety when doing winter riding.  Staying visible (lights, bright colors), wearing a helmet, using turn signals, watching for hazards (potholes, traintracks, cars), and constant vigilance/situational awareness are all crucial.  I ride in the road/bike lanes as much as possible because I've had too many close calls on the sidewalk with cars pulling out of driveways, and in the winter it will be harder to make quick stops.

So now my favorite part: OMG FASHION!

Or not...

Leather hiking boots (Keen, note awesome reflectiveness); ankle warmer-sock combo (Urban Outfitters) that may be replaced by wool socks or layers of socks plus ankle warmers; cotton/synthetic blend leggings (Meijer, any thin base-layer will work); and normal pants on the outside.

Rain jacket outer layer to keep out the wind (Novara brand from REI, I may switch to a Northface shell if it's really cold).  The nice thing about my rain jacket is that it's fit for cycling, with long sleeves and it covers my butt.  Also, awesome reflectiveness again.  My Timbuk2 bag is worthy of its own blog post, waterproof, small (you can get larger ones), and perfect.  For gloves I have a pair of glove liners from EMS with a thick deerskin mitten lined with a synthetic sheepskin layer (unknown brand).  This combo works will because if I need to take off the mittens for dexterity, my hands are still not exposed.  With the large mitten over my cinched sleeves, no wind can get in.

 

My favorite piece of clothing ever is my Arcteryx knit fleece jacket.  It's also long in the butt and sleeves and is thin enough to fit under a jacket and over a sweater.  Right now this is warm enough, but I might start wearing a merino wool base-layer t-shirt under my normal shirt (note: cotton is the enemy of all bikers because it doesn't wick sweat).  From the neck up I have a fleece neckwarmer (or if it's warmer out, a thin scarf), a wool skull cap (Kangol), helmet (Bell), sunglasses and my latest addition, regular lab goggles.  They are perfect for keeping the top part of my face warm and I can wear them at night too, without the sunglasses obviously.  A balaclava might be necessary when it gets frigid to add an extra layer around my ears, neck, and nose, but for now when I pull up my neckwarmer very little skin is exposed.

A few final random thoughts are to always stay moisturized (esp. face, lips, hands) and you might want to keep on hand a rag (for the bike), a hankie (for the inevitable snot drip), extra batteries for lights, bike tools, and a patch kit.  Stay safe and happy riding!

Cheap Living Update: November

Sorry I'm not updating this more often, but I'm living a rather boring life right now.  No crazy adventures into the boonies of Bangladesh or biking across the country, just reading, writing, and teaching.  Oh, and applying to grad school.  The time has finally come.  On December 1st (or sooner, actually), I'll submit my first application.  I'm narrowing it down to 3 or 4 schools, because I've found at least three that I really like, and I'm a pretty competitive applicant.  To be honest though, I'm not going somewhere that doesn't pay me.  Which brings me to...

CHEAP LIVING UPDATE!

I have spent so much less money this month than the past 2.  Sure, there have been less school supplies, and yes, I've been eating leftover pizza from a meeting since Sunday, but I'm just learning to be more thoughtful in general about what I spend my money on.  A huge success was putting together my Halloween costume with clothes I already owned and an apron for $2.64 (I was Julia Child).  But since I've vowed to bike all through the winter, I'm envying some nice warm mittens, another pair of long johns, and some wool socks.  I may have to shell out for these.  I realized that my two most-used pieces of clothing were the most expensive as well: my Archteryx fleece and Keen hiking boots.  Though my current leggings were $10 from Meijer and worked pretty well.  But what if I end up in Arizona or California next year?  What will I even DO without winter?

Anyway, have a happy Thanksgiving!  In the most non-denominational non-colonial non-carnivorous way possible :)