Melting
I left for work a little early yesterday. I was up, it was sunny and just above freezing and I wanted to experiment some more with the snow tires before the snow all melted away.
The ride to Jim’s Restaurant was uneventful. The roads were clear and dry, as was the parking lot when I stopped at the grocery store and bank. Locking up outside of Jim’s, I turned just as the door opened. Another middle-aged guy stepped out and said to me, “Aren’t you cold?”
As I was replying, “Nah. It’s not like I just sit there and do nothing,” a second guy follows him out, wearing a neon lime-yellow windbreaker and winter cycling tights. “You gotta be nuts riding a bike in the winter,” he laughed.
It was at this point I noticed the Pearl Izumi logo on the first guy’s jacket. “Only as nuts as you guys!”
I hope they had a good ride. I sure did.
After breakfast I tooled around the Browncroft neighborhood This presented a variety of conditions from polished glare ice, to hardpack, to melting slush, to dry pavement. Just in case I’d been hallucinating the day before, I tried to lose traction, slide and crash. It just couldn’t be done. I am totally impressed with the Nokian Hakkapeliitta W106 tires. Highly recommended.
Even so…
I took the snows off last night and remounted my Specialized Armadillo Infinity summer tires. Both the 10-day forecast from weather.com and the 15-day forecast from accuweather.com are calling for temperatures above freezing—even for overnight lows—for their entire forecast periods.
The Nokians are broken-in and tested, so there’s no point in just putting wear on them if there’s not going to be any snow or ice for at least the next two weeks. At the same time I desalinated the bike and gave it its regular maintenance.
When I got on the bike to ride to my nephew’s birthday party this afternoon, it was 50°F (10°C) and sunny, which I’m finding is just about perfect weather for hammering along. The snow had all melted and the roads were dry. Traffic was light. These condtions too are perfect for hammering. So I dropped it.
The bike practically leapt away from every stoplight like a caged animal through an open gate. Climbs were fun again and it felt nimble, lively and responsive in traffic.
I can attribute only part of this to the tires. The other part comes from the additional workout I’ve had in the past 11 days riding on the snow tires. It was tougher pedaling the Nokians. The same attributes that make them great in the snow and ice, give them increased rolling and pedaling resistance and make them feel sluggish in the dry. But I knew it would pay off.
I’d budgeted 45 minutes riding time and arrived in 26:39, all charged up, lightly sweating, but not breathing hard in the least, and wishing the ride had been longer. I’d even ridden a ways in the big ring and the small cog.
Coming home tonight, it was 39°F (4°C) and there were very few cars at all along the whole route. And it was quiet without the studs. It didn’t sound like I was being chased by a swarm of angry bees.
I took it easy on the way back. I owned a house around the corner from my brother for nine years, yet I don’t get to that part of town often any more. I looked around at all the changes that have taken place in the ten years since I’ve lived there.
Along the way I found the trailhead for the new, north section of the Riverway Trial. It’s at the Driving Park Ave bridge, about a third of the way between downtown and the lake. Someday, it will come all the way downtown and connect with the southern section of the trail.
Arriving downtown, I decided on Main St so I could look at all the lights along there and on the Liberty Pole. Coming out Main, just as I did coming home from my parents on Thanksgiving, I was just so into the ride that I almost missed my turn.
I’m finding though, that it’s good sometimes to end the ride while still wanting more. Makes it easier to headout the following day.
