We've been getting snow for the past 4 days and I finally got out on the bike to enjoy it. I've been doing the obligatory parental stuff, building snow people, snow removal, pulling the little one around the yard in the sled.
Today was my day! I went out to brave the snow, or what was left of it. Actually there was still quite a bit of it, in spots. I rode from my house down Portage Path, to Peninsula, and back, by way of the Ohio Erie Canal Towpath. This route usually takes me around 35 to 40 minutes one-way when it is dry. Today, it took me 1 hour and 20 minutes. There were a few sections left where no one had been yet, and some sections were trampled to a crusty hard pack. For most of the 23 miles, I tried to stay on the packed down foot prints of the hikers, but I would occasionally venture off in to the powdery stuff. The sun was out, so the 20-25 degrees didn't feel too bad. I actually broke a sweat, which is normally a no-no when winter cycling, but I wasn't that far from any where, so I didn't care.
The "Fat Front" worked really well. The front tire would pack down the track and the skinnier rear would dig right in. This did make me wonder how much different the
Pugsley rides. With our weather around here, I could never justify buying one. We get snow, but its pretty iffy, and we don't have sand. I guess I don't really need a reason other than I want one. The Snow Monkey is a test mule of sorts, maybe it will persuade to get one in the future, but until then, I will " run what I brung"! As a side note, The
OR Water Bottle Parka works well at these temps, my water did not freeze!
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| I would hate to get stabbed by one of these! |
