Typical frozen January Commute

Ice.  A quarter mile of this.  In my CR-V I test the AWD and antilock brakes on this.  On a bicycle I hold it steady.

It's cold as fuck. Normally I try to avoid the use of profanity out of ancient superstition that certain words are inherently bad and could summon demons like a group of drunken horny teenagers playing with a Ouija board. But I believe that there is no better word to describe a cold Iowa morning when the temperature is +7*F with a 24 mph north wind that howled all night and a possible wind chill of -30*F. I feel voxish! Awful, awful it feels so awful. 

Glance at the weather app. Turn the radio off after they repeat the weather conditions for the third time, this time I actually listened. Coffee, the only reason to get out of bed. But I need to go sell my labor at work because the world is too overpopulated for me to migrate to warmer climes and eat off the land. 

Time to dress. Single digits above Zerex. Two pairs of socks. Upper and lower Under Armor. Work slacks, chef's coat. Second pair of pants over the first. That rain jacket that makes me sweat when I wear it in the rain because it holds and retains heat. A final outer layer is the warm jacket I got from Eric Crabb because he does not need it anymore. I cannot believe it ever fit him.  Warmest balaclava and ear warmer. The old pair of Performance winter bicycle gloves. Should probably have put winter boots on but I do not plan to be outside for more that 20 minutes max. Rule of 3--3 hours without heat. Yesterday it was closing in on 50*F. I grilled burgers outside without a shirt on. It felt warm in the Sun. The dogs were happy outside. But that joy was not only short lived but harmful. The snow melted. 

Today the surface of my part of the Earth was lumpy rough patch of ice. Very treacherous in the pre-dawn darkness. I ride a 2008 Trek FX 7.5 hybrid or as they advertised it, a "fitness" bike. Sole purpose was commuting to work. When the first winter arrived and I put studded tires on it. It became my winter bike. I used to take care of it. Clean it. But like that spider web that looked so cool and beautifully spun, I'd tear it down and the next season it was not quite as good as before. The front derailleur was the first to go. Got tired of cleaning and fixing it. When there's snow and ice, I just leave it in granny. Not going to race. Put it away wet in March and drag it out of the shed around Thanksgiving. Replace the chain and cassette and cables on a good year. just the chain most years. Clean the chain about once a month. Salt, sand and the freeze/thaw cycle are the enemy. The STI rear shifter was replaced by a Deore thumb shifter. My road looks like it was instantly frozen. Very few smooth spots. I ride very carefully like I'm walking through a minefield. One misstep, a sudden movement or jiggle or bad line into rough ice and I could be laying on my side in pain. To aid my vision, I use two NiteRider Mako lights, one on the bars and one on my helmet.  They are powered by 2 AA batteries each and put out 250 lumens on the first setting.  When the temperature is below 30*F we have discovered that NiteRider's USB charged lights run out of juice very quickly.  The Makos fit on the same mount as their USB counterparts, the 750 and 1000 Luminas.  Just a quarter mile until the right turn onto the clear street. 

Welcome to the SW 1st St Pedestrian Bridge!

I avoided this turn in the morning.

One of the better sections!

The exit/entrance of the trail leading to the Principal River Walk.  Hard snow and ice.  Need a sledgehammer to break that up.  Treacherous to walk over let alone ride over and make a hard turn.

Another quarter mile and I reach the safety of the bicycle/pedestrian path and bridge. But no quarter here. Last winter they replaced the snowplow person with a newbie who does not know where the trail in. The quality of the plowing dropped lower than a the ratings of the last two POTUS. To make matters worse, the pedestrian bridge was rebuilt and in order to keep Fisherman Bubba from driving his rust 89 Dodge van onto the bridge of for his hobby of torturing river aquatic life, large concrete blocks were placed on both ends of the bridge. the City cannot get their plow truck on the bridge. A Gator with a blade is used and normally only one good swath is made which is fine until the thaw and refreeze. Getting on and off the bridge requires a dismount or angels to keep oneself upright. 

Normally I would take the Principal River Walk to its northern terminus BUT that path lies low and all the refreeze collects om the bottom. I'm late so I go overland on Water St to avoid any surprises below. I do take the riverwalk from Court Ave to Wells Fargo.  On the climb out of the walk I push the shifter all the way up with the back of my palm almost where the wrist begins.  Big heavy ham-fisted shift like I was driving a T-34.  The only real climb is about to begin.  Despite my almost criminal neglect of this bike, it climbs well, much better than the single speed I ride in warmer weather.  The day before I rode up the sidewalk at Wells Fargo since Center St looked too icy. Today the street was clear. Then down 3rd to Park St and all the way to Principal's campus where I work. 

I use one the outside bike racks next to the building I work in. There is a covered rack station but it is on the other block connected to a different building. Taking advice from another PFG commuter, I remove my lights and computer. A few bikes have been robbed on campus. I believe a friend of mine had his bicycle stolen. Perhaps I should leave mine unlocked so I would be forced to get a better commuter. This process is painful because I need to take my gloves off.  Check my temperature was I badge in.  79.4*F. An hour after arriving at work I glance at my phone.  50% battery remaining!  It was at 100% when I left home BUT I placed in the rear pocket of my outer layer of pants and thus the cold drained it.  NOTE TO SELF:  carry phone closer to the body.

The ride home was better. Tailwind and I could see better. My new chain is starting to change color. I'll clean and lube it this weekend. I'll also put on the near bar grips I bought last week. The handlebars feel colder without them. The ice is visible. I am surprised I did not crash on the way in. One more full month of winter and then the possibility of extremely cold temperatures great recede. Then in March the winter bike will be put away until the next winter. At least my car had a day off.  One of the worst things a person can do to their automobile is to run it for less than a half an hour.  The engine and exhaust never truly warm up and water from the exhaust collects in the muffler and eventually that part of the exhaust will rust out.  Burnt some calories. Padded my yearly mileage.  It's a habit that I have a hard time breaking.

Ye old Trek FX 7.5.  This photo is a few years old.  Replaced the rear wheel after the brake surface was shot.