Happy Holidays

I rode my bike last night up and down my street about four times. I was trying to get the feel of what to expect from the bike so I don't get myself into trouble with some traffic. Once I get through these next two weeks, I am going to bike commute twice a week. It has not been feasible with the holiday hours as of late. I am really looking forward to riding a lot this winter. It is a whole different experience to say the least. I got my "manvan" on the road and plan on making a rack system that goes in the back area with the seats removed. I am hoping that there is height clearance to make this possible. Enough jib jab for now. I will post some pictures of our wintry conditions soon.

Best Wishes!

TEST RUN!

Here is the winter rig!

It is complete, except I am going to put flat bars on it in a couple of weeks. I am looking forward to the rides this off season. Like I said previously, my goal is to do 300 miles before next season begins. I am hoping to trim down significantly. I will have to say that I didn't know what to expect my first time on studded tires. I was instantly impressed how well they work. I have to be careful not to become over confident with them and get myself into some trouble. At any rate, I buzzed around the neighborhood a couple of times to get use to them. Below is a few more pictures. Just because.

Winter riding

I got some studded tires for my fixie yesterday. I ordered them from Peter White Cycles in NH. I will be putting them on the bike this weekend and start riding on them monday, so I don't have any input on them yet. I will say that there was a plethora of information on his website to make it quite clear what choice of tire would best suit your needs. I highly recommend anyone to check out his website. http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/

700c Nokian Hakkapeliitta W106 35mm

I will post my opinion about this tire later. We haven't seen any real inclimate weather yet. Inclimate weather? Dictionary.com says that there is no such word as inclimate. Maybe there ought to be, though. Inclimate could become a new word to describe our current lack of inclemence (is that a word?). This is Vermont and it is Dec. 6th with little to no action with winter storms yet. Oh well, some would say, "careful what you wish for!" (of course I am wishing for inclimate weather because I just got some new tires for winter commuting.)

When it is dark and cold it is hard to be motivated to get out and ride. Some days are better than others, but it is still something I look forward to doing. I hope to log some where around 300 miles this winter. That is my goal. I would like to be in better physical condition at the start of next riding season so that I can kick some ass. My wife and I are planning on doing the Vermont 50 next year. It is a mountain bike race that my friend Bob has done and in his own special way has encouraged me to do it. I then in turn, in my own special way, encouraged my wife to do it. Long story short, I have a lot of training to do to prepare me for the demands that that ride will have on me. I will do as much winter riding as I can paired with some indoor bike training and any other winter cross training. This will be just what I need. More on this as it unfolds.

So, if nothing else, I hope that I have been inspiring to get out and ride a little this winter. These months ahead are sometimes depressing enough on there own. With a little effort, it is easy to lessen the burden.

Be nice, ride often!