After much threatening, promising (it’s not a threat it’s a promise), pondering, planning, excuse-ing and otherwise stalling I plunged into semi-winter riding this week. I say semi because, thankfully, the vast majority of my commute is on nicely brushed and/or plowed pathways. The most treacherous part of the ride is the beginning, and conversely, coming home, it’s the end.
The weather has been pleasantly mild with above-freezing highs during the day which has made the journey a little easier each day. This is reflected in my ride time as it slowly climbs back towards summer speeds. This however is impacted by my continued use of summer tires…because I am foolish, or in the words of Adam, stupid. Actually I’m cheap and lazy.
It’s not that I haven’t purchased winter tires – I have, I just don’t have them. I received an unexpected Amazon.com gift card recently and while normally I’d gleefully spend it on numerous books, I took advantage of their marketplace and ordered some studded winter tires. Referring back to my previous statement espousing my Scottish ancestral stereotypical economic behaviour, I opted to go with the basic freight which means no actual tracking other than “it’s shipped” and “it’s arrived”. So far I know they’ve been shipped and should arrive sometime between the summer and winter solstice of 2012. Maybe.
Shortly after buying the X-Fire, I pulled off the very light, very quiet and very soft Clement PDX cyclocross tires and replaced them with heavier, noisier but more durable (and 1/4 the price) Kenda commuter tires. The Clements are amazing and fast but the paved path was chewing them down in record time and at $40 a pop I figure I’ll save them for proper ‘cross riding. The Kendas are not winter tires and don’t claim to be. The tight tread packs with snow and their grip on ice is akin to my 3-year old’s grip of string theory. This creates an adrenaline-fueled, butt-clenching commute.
The thing about an old, established neighbourhood with quiet streets is the combination of tall, mature trees and reduced traffic mean a lot of snow on the road. My route happens to be downhill, in the dark, through just enough snow that it’s more of a relative-trajectory experience than a navigated one. Both ends of the bike pick their own path and the complete lack of any meaningful traction means speed builds at a frightening pace. I aim for the occasional patch of pavement where a judicious application of the brakes scrubs off some speed before we’re back on the ice and snow again. An accidental yet liberal application of aerosol chain lube to the rear brake disc only adds to the excitement of it all.
The more sage among you might ask why don’t put the Clements back on – they look like they might work in the snow. Laziness and Murphy’s law. It’s a catch 22 actually. I figure if I pull the wheels off the bike, pull the tires off the wheels, put the other tires back on and put the wheels back on the bike, I will get precisely one ride on them and the studded winter tires will show up, necessitating a repeat of the entire performance. On the other hand, if I don’t change them, the tires will stay in postal limbo, arriving the day after I finally succumb to the lack of traction, fall down and break my other wrist thereby ending the season all together. You see – I just don’t have a choice.
Remember, remember, the 10th of November