Tuesday morning could be coldest day in D.C. in 20 years

[myoglobinologist]

Yes. It was a little brisk this morning…

[ATTACH=CONFIG]4436[/ATTACH]

[Terpfan]

@ShawnoftheDread 73830 wrote:

Time to exert the married-man corollary to Rule 5.

I failed, but I compromised by explaining BAFS and that I had to do at least some ride this morning. So I got in a small 2.5 miler. What sucks more is that she ended up having an early meeting (single car house), so i had to wait 15 minutes for the damn bus. I realized there is a marked difference between biking in the cold where you’re generating heat through muscle use versus standing still. Which after it was all said and done, made me just wish more I had done my original plan of breaking it in half and enjoying a latte at the midway mark. Plus side, didn’t totally screw my team over.

[dkel]

@jhr 73860 wrote:

I’ve heard of people using petroleum jelly for this.

I use Aquaphor, which is mostly petroleum jelly. I think it works great, and the stuff specifically says it protects against the effects of cold and wind.

[KelOnWheels]

@consularrider 73796 wrote:

But the Feds are open (so far). I guess that’s ok, my wife has to go to language class early since they are celebrating Ukrainian Christmas.

З Різдвом Христовим!

[KelOnWheels]

@cyclingfool 73805 wrote:

Z rizdvom Xristosa!

Slavite Yego!

[FFX_Hinterlands]

7.5 mile commute this AM. I was dressed OK, not too warm or cold. Bike felt gluey. I pumped up the tires a little when I got to work. I was happy to have a backpedal brake because the puffy gloves are a tight fit in my bar mitts.

Top: Smartwool t-shirt, Ibex Woolies zip top, Patagonia R-1 hoodie (has balaclava type hood), LLBean light fleece-lined anorak, thin beanie, wool buff, gloves + bar mitts.
Bottom: light long underwear, mid-weigh long underwear, nylon hiking pants with double knees, two socks and sorel pack boots

Having a balaclava hood was key. Safety glasses kept my eyeballs from freezing.

[Tim Kelley]

ProTip: Hard boiled eggs hold heat extremely well.

I made hardboiled eggs this morning before work. When they were done, I carefully wrapped them in a paper towel and put them in my BA drawstring bag.

I had a nice warm lower back during my entire ride, and a warm breakfast when I got to work!

[DismalScientist]

I decided to wear khaki-colored khakis today because I meant business.:rolleyes:

Used wool socks over dress sock in sneakers. Use a polypropylene layer under the khakis. Used a warm winter coat. Used ski gloves over thermal bike gloves. And used a balaclava and knit hat under my helmet. It wasn’t any less comfortable than last nights commute home into the wind.

[consularrider]

@DismalScientist 73888 wrote:

I decided to wear khaki-colored khakis today because I meant business.

I tried on my fleece lined khakis this morning, but I’ve got to lose some weight before I wear them again.

[slowtriguy]

I rode in from Falls Church City as normal, with an extra layer top and bottom. My feet are always my coldest spot, so I actually rode in my insulated hiking boots (complete with ceramic safety toes – wahoo!) and that worked. I swapped in ski goggles which didn’t work at all due to fogging; I kept having to wipe them clear, and the sun glare at 0800 wasn’t much help.

Now my bike, on the other hand, has problems: the rear derailleur cable stretched between yesterday morning and this morning to the point that I now have a two-speed. (I can still change chainrings, but nothing on the rear.) I shoved it into the middle on the rear and kept going. How hard a fix is this one, if it’s just a stretched cable?

The irony is my office is colder than it was on the ride today. I am currently sporting merino wool under my suit. (Does that count as two wool layers?)

[mikoglaces]

I wore an alpaca sweater between my winter cycling jacket and my cycling layers – a first. So same stuff I wore to work last Friday at 17 degrees F + the sweater. I was a tad warm and so eased back a bit so as not to overheat. I put packing tape over the top holes of my helmet. I added smartwool liners to my gloves, which are old and ripped up, and used chemical hand warmers for first time ever. Used chemical foot warmers for first time ever. Wore my old lake winter boots with toe covers on them. Wore my new Amfib tights. I was warm all the way (12 miles) at 730-830 a.m., including fingers and toes. In fact, my hands and feet were warmer than they are now as i type in my office.

[DismalScientist]

@slowtriguy 73894 wrote:

How hard a fix is this one, if it’s just a stretched cable?

If it really is just a stretched cable, all you need to do is put the shifter in the smallest cog position, loosen the attachment bolt holding the cable at the derailleur, put the cable taut and retighten it.
Also, you may be able to just adjust the adjustment barrels on the downtube to “lengthen” the cable housing relative to the cable.

Is the cable really stretch or did it come loose from the derailleur? I’ve never heard of a cable stretching that quickly and that much.

[dkel]

@mikoglaces 73895 wrote:

I was a tad warm and so eased back a bit so as not to overheat.

Not spitting infinitives is very pro!

[slowtriguy]

@DismalScientist 73896 wrote:

If it really is just a stretched cable, all you need to do is put the shifter in the smallest cog position, loosen the attachment bolt holding the cable at the derailleur, put the cable taut and retighten it.
Also, you may be able to just adjust the adjustment barrels on the downtube to “lengthen” the cable housing relative to the cable.

OK, so if it really is just a stretched cable, it seems relatively straightforward to try to fix this evening nicely inside the warm house.

@DismalScientist 73896 wrote:

Is the cable really stretch or did it come loose from the derailleur? I’ve never heard of a cable stretching that quickly and that much.

I’ll have to check, as I couldn’t really tell this morning. When I tugged on the table, the derailleur didn’t budge much, so now that you mention it, I wonder if the cable just came loose. There is still cable forward of the tightening screw on the derailleur itself (i.e., there’s still a pigtail), but I’ll have to look more closely to see what’s happening there. I don’t think the cable snapped, as it didn’t come completely out of the rear adjustment barrel even when I tugged on it, and the derailleur did move a bit. I was hesitant to be too forceful out in the cold. I’ll have to check that tonight.

Thanks!

[ShawnoftheDread]

@dkel 73897 wrote:

Not spitting infinitives is very pro!

I spit invective a lot, but never infinitives.

[Author]

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