The Adventure Errand

Ah, yes-- it's been too long since I've had the chance to bike to the grocery store and surprise a cashier. So when icy streets prevented my mom from driving to the grocery, I quickly volunteered to ride!

Rolling down the neighborhood streets, a woman calls out--

"You be careful out there!"

"It's okay, I've got STUDS!"

" !! Oh! ha ha ha!"

I carried a 12 pound turkey, another 10 pounds of potatoes, and while I was there-- I thought I might as well grab some winter ale, too.

And YES, all the parts of my Safire have been transferred to a Salsa Ala Carte and Surly Instigator Fork! More on that soon..

Instead of driving and stressing out about getting a car stuck or struck-- I just hopped on my bike and had a ton of fun!

..Though studded tires, hydraulic disc brakes, mountain gearing and a sweet steel mountain frame did make it EXTRA enjoyable. :)

Naked studded Surly Xtracycle goes for a ride!

I will come back for you Lincton Road.

MUSIC:

Modest Mouse, World at Large

Gear Review: Planet Bike Borealis Gloves

Planet Bike Borealis winter gloves

Approx. cost: $25-35

Cold hands, I do not like. These gloves, I like.

..I also like 

those SmartWool socks I'm wearing in these photos..

Features I like:

• 4-fingered style: dexterous yet cozy.
  
• Neoprene cuff: comfortable yet seals.
• Wind and WATER proof.
• TWO, count 'em, TWO places to wipe snot and spit on BOTH gloves. I like to keep my snot and spit SEPARATE, thanks.
• No pink flowers.

Temperature rating (according to my body):

• Teens- fingertips start to get cold after an hour if I don't move them.
  
• 20s, 30s- heavenly!
• 40s- a bit warm, but that's fine by me!
• 50s- too hot.

Downfalls:

• It's easier to get hot in these, probably due to their waterproofing.
  
• I find them still a little sweaty inside the day after a ride.
  

CONCLUSION: I love these!

Gear Review: studded bicycle tires

Nokian Mount & Ground studded 26" x 1.9" mountain bike tires 

(Note: NOT "Extreme" Nokian studded tires)

Approx. cost of a pair: $100

Unlike many of my gear purchases, I didn't 'over think' this one. It was snowing and I walked into my local bike shop and bought whatever studded tires they carried. I needed them then and there. I flinched at the price, but I reminded myself that I would be paying four times as much to stud a car.

On my ride home, I was initially a little bit disappointed-- but I shouldn't have been, I just had some misguided expectations. On that first day I was trying to bust through fresh piles of 6" snow. Busting through thick powder requires wider, fatty 4" tires or walking. The tires I had bought were barely 2" and certainly not meant for that.

However, once I started riding these tires on packed snow and ice, 

I really began to understand their benefits.

THIS is the kind of road these tires conquered:

(see photo to right)

I could ride on top of a sheet of ice and snow as if I were velcro. It made me absolutely giddy.

Also note that tire pressure plays a large role in tire performance-- I rode on the minimum tire pressure, if not lower.

In the end, the tires performed and I got great use out of them. Also, since I only need to use them for a short time period of the year, they should last a long time.

However, I did notice that Jill up in Alaska gave these tires a poor review. She's practically worn them out just in one season-- but Jill trains for things like the Iditarod Invitational (for BIKES), rides hers on asphalt and she lives in ALASKA. I use mine for about 2 weeks a year and hardly on bare road. From her blog:

Today I went ice biking on the frozen Mendenhall Wetlands. I've owned my 29" Nokian studded tires for about two months now and I can't say I'm real thrilled with them... full post here.

Conclusions

• Great for packed snow and ice
• Not great in powder
• Great for a few weeks a year
• Not great for long winters
• Perform better with lower tire pressure

a REAL snow ride

On my internet wanderings, I came across Jill's blog, Up in Alaska. Jill is a journalist and makes riding a bike in impossible conditions, possible. Perhaps her most intriguing accomplishment has been completing the 350 mile Iditarod Invitational in 2008-- and then writing an honest and intimate story on her blog and in her book afterwards.

If you're grouching, grumping or puzzling about riding in winter conditions where you are-- I recommend a visit to Jill's blog for a snowy perspective.

*Photo from a recent post by  Jill.

A Snow Ride

Walla Walla's winter coat.

BRING IT!!

This is me saying, "BRING IT!!" to the snow.

*(My satisfaction with my new studded snow tires has been increasing.)