Back when I made my personal commitment to commute by bike throughout the winter, getting through January was my biggest fear. Early nightfall, wind, snow, ice, below freezing temperatures…January has it all. Looking back though, it wasn’t all that bad! There were a few times when the conditions were miserable, but I think they would have been just as bad in a car.

There were definitely some lessons learned this winter. There were some things that I did pretty good with, and some other things that I plan to do differently next year.

I did a pretty good job at keeping enough gear at home, with me, and at work. I almost always had the proper gear available for changing conditions. I never had to back out of a bicycle commute because I was unprepared.

Having an adequate night light was wonderful! Again I’d like to thank Jeff F for the Nite Rider. Being seen in traffic, and being able to look ahead for ice was a life saver!

Next year I plan to get studded tires before winter starts. By the time I really convinced myself that I needed them, it was getting too late. I didn’t feel like laying down the cash, since I knew it was only a few more weeks until warmer weather. There were plenty of times I could’ve used studded tires the last two months, and they would’ve added tremendously to my safety. Just last week, I had to get off my bike on one section of the Mills Park bike path to cross a sheet of ice. I still almost fell down using my bike to stabilize me while walking!

I’ll probably get some Pogies next year. I didn’t suffer from cold hands really, but I think they’d be a nice option to have. There were times when a thinner glove would’ve been nice.

My feet stayed relatively warm this year. Partly because of my thick Smartwool socks and higher quality shoes, but I don’t think I spent as long in the cold this year. Most of my rides were of shorter duration. Because of the nicer weather last year, I was able to do longer road rides. I think the longer periods in the cold were the main culprit for my cold feet last year.

NEWS:

• Sheldon Brown has passed away. If you’ve ever used an internet search engine to find info on how to fix your bike, you’ve most likely read one of Sheldon Brown’s helpful articles.

• The Sarge alerted me to this bit of news: Cannondale has been bought by Dorel, the owner of Pacific Cycles. Pacific Cycles is the company that supplies most if not all of the bicycles to WalMart. Cannondale has always been a little on the edge with their innovations, never afraid to try something radically different.  I’m not sure I like this move though.  I’d hate to see a Cannondale at a Big Box store.  It’d break my heart.  Having said that, I did see some Cannondale road bikes at CostCo a few years ago! The article doesn’t really lay out any plans, so we’ll just have to see what becomes of this company.

• Cycling Carson City’s Jeff P will be attending the North American Handmade Bicycle Show in Portland, Oregon. I’m not sure if he’s going to do any blogging from the road, or just save the news for when he returns. I saw the list of exhibitors, and it looks like this will be a very exciting show!

• The West Side of Carson still has a LOT of snow. I was hoping to be road riding by Tuesday this week, but there’s still too much snow, ice, and slush to make a road bike safe or worth the effort. Hopefully the warmer temperatures will dry things up for Wednesday!

• If you’re reading through the comments, and you start reading something that seems to be a bit off-the-wall, magniloquent, or a bit confusing, you are most likely in the middle of a Monty Python skit. Thank you Brian and “xd”!

Lunch Rides

We continue to get a daily dose of snow here in Carson City. Every day it snows, and every day it melts. Just a constant cycle of snow, slush, and ice. I had hopes of road biking through January while the trails are under snow, but unfortunately I’ve gotten very little time in on my road bike due to the conditions.

This January has been a stark contrast to last January. I checked the FBC Archives, and we had very little snow last year! It was definitetly cold last year, but it appears we rode the trails and road for most of the month. On the bright side, we will most likely have a much more normal water year. Last year’s early spring and pathetic snow pack seemed to throw off the whole ecosystem around here.

Commute Report

Last Friday I got a Big Gulp thrown at me on my way home. At least I think so. It took my brain a few moments to analyze the sounds and events. First there was the splashing sound of an oversized paper cup hitting the ground behind me, followed by a green pickup truck speeding off in front of me. I was in too good of mood to let it even bother me; however, do these people think that I will never see them again?

But why to people throw stuff at cyclists anyhow? I consulted uber hipster Mike Henderson of Reno. He suggested that it’s because I look like a bum. I must admit that I’m looking somewhat feral with six months of beard growth, but still…would a bum be pedaling around with a Chrome Messenger Bag and a Nite Rider headlight? I think not! Personally, I think hanging out with former first daughters has been going to Mike’s head. Mike recently rode his bike in slacks and a sport coat to a meeting with Chelsea Clinton. Still, maybe there is something to learn from Mike’s example.

But seriously…this incident got me thinking. I can’t think of any other group of people in town that get harassed like cyclists do. I surely wouldn’t have gotten something thrown at me for walking down the street, certainly not for driving. There is something about riding a bicycle that seems to set some people off. This is a topic worth exploring in the future.

On a good note… It is noticeably brighter outside at 5:00 PM! The days are getting longer, and soon I won’t need a light to find my way home. There is hope for springtime.

New Local Blogs

I’d like to call your attention to two new cycling related blogs.

Muscle Powered – One of my first tasks as the Muscle Powered publicity guy was to get a blog up and running for better communications. At first you will probably see some overlap between the MP blog and Cycling Carson City, but soon there will be some other authors on there too, focusing on local advocacy issues for a more walkable and bikeable Carson City. The MP blog will also help coordinate the many MP walks, rides, and events to be held this year.

Nevada Bike Coalition – Next up is the Nevada Bike Coalition blog. Their mission is to “make Nevada a Bicycle Friendly State”. It looks like this Coalition is just getting started, but they already have a few Reno cycling clubs on board. This should be another interesting blog to follow. It’s great to see cyclists uniting for common causes, and there has been a lot of growth in this area in the last year.