Brrrrrr

[acc]

I go into my utility room and stare at Sparky (my WSD Trek 1.something or other, I don’t speak “bike.”) and apologize for cheating on him with a spinning bike. I tell him it doesn’t mean anything to me, it’s just exercise not a relationship. I offer to clean his chain but he won’t speak to me. Sigh. It has to go above 35 by Tuesday.

[CCrew]

@acc 2099 wrote:

. It has to go above 35 by Tuesday.

But you’ll have to disappoint Sparky again if we get the mixed bag rain/snow currently in the forecast for Tues/Wed!

I keep telling myself that doing the Metro thing is too much like Wall-E……But I know my toes are going to disown me.

[CCrew]

Ok… I just have one thing to describe the ride this morning.
Let me see if I can find the right word…..

COLD!!!!

If anyone finds a set of fingers and toes on the W&OD about Falls Church or so they’re mine! That’s about where they snapped off.
Left the house this am and the bank up the street was rocking 5 degrees displaying on the sign.

[acc]

Seeing as I am attached to the idea of keeping my fingers and toes, I’ve been looking around for spinning bikes that are not under lock and key. The rec centers only allow access to the bikes during classes.
Desperate times call for desperate measures.
George Mason has three spinners out and available for use in their RAC during normal business hours.
If you don’t like classes or your schedule doesn’t accommodate classes, this is an option.
The facility is not free but it is open to the public. More information is on their website.
I don’t think I’ll mention it to Sparky, my bike with a jealous streak.

[CCrew]

@acc 2102 wrote:

If you don’t like classes or your schedule doesn’t accommodate classes, this is an option.
The facility is not free but it is open to the public. More information is on their website.

Great info, thanks. Unfortunately for me I live in Winchester, so GMU is just a bit inconvenient.

[Tim Kelley]

@acc 2102 wrote:

Seeing as I am attached to the idea of keeping my fingers and toes, I’ve been looking around for spinning bikes that are not under lock and key. The rec centers only allow access to the bikes during classes.
Desperate times call for desperate measures.
George Mason has three spinners out and available for use in their RAC during normal business hours.
If you don’t like classes or your schedule doesn’t accommodate classes, this is an option.
The facility is not free but it is open to the public. More information is on their website.
I don’t think I’ll mention it to Sparky, my bike with a jealous streak.

Get an inexpensive indoor trainer off of Craigslist and you and Sparky can be reunited AND stay warm!

[PrintError]

6.8°F at the house when I left this morning at 0545. Roughly 5.2°F out on the W&OD trail via. my Kestrel meter, and 12°F according to the bank clock in McLean at 0700.

When I arrived, my helmet straps were ice, my facemask was white with ice, and for the first time ever, the INSIDE of my jacket was ice. That’s right, my sweat froze to the inside of my jacket. Winter commuting is like a daily science experiment isn’t it!

That all said, I was roasty warm due to very careful planning in my winter gear. Even after 20 miles, I was just fine.

Today ties a 6° ride from Winter 2010 as my second coldest ride ever. Coldest was 4° in the Winter of 2009. Brrrrrrr!

Mercifully, NO WIND!

Stay warm!!!

[acc]

I am bike illiterate. Sometimes when I read the posts here I get the same feeling I get looking at a menu in a French restaurant, there I usually resort to pointing and mumbling.
The combination of two nouns; Craig’s List + trainer added to the adjective, cheap — well makes me nervous.
I glanced at trainers in LBS just before Christmas and the choices seemed broad.
Any suggestions as to brand and/or type?

[Tim Kelley]

@acc 2108 wrote:

I am bike illiterate. Sometimes when I read the posts here I get the same feeling I get looking at a menu in a French restaurant, there I usually resort to pointing and mumbling.
The combination of two nouns; Craig’s List + trainer added to the adjective, cheap — well makes me nervous.
I glanced at trainers in LBS just before Christmas and the choices seemed broad.
Any suggestions as to brand and/or type?

A quick Google search provides this primer which has some good pointers to get you started: http://www.ehow.com/how_14092_buy-bike-indoor.html

A couple brands worth checking out would be: Cycleops, Kurt Kinetic, and Blackburn.

[CCrew]

@PrintError 2107 wrote:

Today ties a 6° ride from Winter 2010 as my second coldest ride ever. Coldest was 4° in the Winter of 2009. Brrrrrrr!

Same here on the record. Not really sure if I want to break it

But no wind? Ya weren’t pedaling hard enough !!! LOL

[PrintError]

@Tim Kelley 2109 wrote:

A quick Google search provides this primer which has some good pointers to get you started: http://www.ehow.com/how_14092_buy-bike-indoor.html

A couple brands worth checking out would be: Cycleops, Kurt Kinetic, and Blackburn.

I’ll second Tim. I had a Cycleops trainer a few years ago and warmed up on it before winter rides. Traded it for a set of shifters though… it was one of those long days.

[PrintError]

@CCrew 2110 wrote:

Same here on the record. Not really sure if I want to break it

But no wind? Ya weren’t pedaling hard enough !!! LOL

I did the math this morning… 7 degree air temp + 25 mph bike speed = -15 wind chill. Booyah!

BTW: Are the rumors true of another deer culling this week? I haven’t seen any signs, because it’s pitch black when I’m out there.

[CCrew]

@PrintError 2112 wrote:

BTW: Are the rumors true of another deer culling this week? I haven’t seen any signs, because it’s pitch black when I’m out there.

Another? Like it looks like they actually got any the first time? LOL. Haven’t seen any signs.. I’ll look.

Had to laugh the last time. Was on the trail the next day and about broadsided a 8 point buck and 5 does. They might have been shooting at them, wonder if they actually hit any?

[consularrider]

I saw some signs on Sunday west of Vienna saying the trail would be closed, but didn’t stop to look at when or what for. It was 10 degrees warmer at National than Dulles this morning.

[acc]

@PrintError 2111 wrote:

I’ll second Tim. I had a Cycleops trainer a few years ago and warmed up on it before winter rides. Traded it for a set of shifters though… it was one of those long days.

That’s the trade-off. I want to upgrade some things on Spartacus i.e. “Sparky” but probably won’t have the money to do that if I get a trainer. But I am enjoying reading about them, thank you for getting me started. Meanwhile I’ve almost learned all the words to Celine Dion’s “I’m Alive,” apparently a popular spinning song. Sheesh. Poor Spartacus, his paint seems to get bluer all the time.

[Author]

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