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Trails were wet this morning.

You’re welcome.

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I’ve had “What the f$%’d you expect?” by Against all Authority in my head lately.

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@Judd 172982 wrote:

I switched to Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires on the commuter and haven’t had a flat since.

Knock on wood, throw salt over shoulder etc..

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@TwoWheelsDC 172874 wrote:

I’ve been deemed essential, so no time off for me, regardless. But I will still be riding more than the last couple weeks because I’m finally over my respiratory infection.

Join the party… I’m not doing blazing saddles so my existential, er, essential status doesn’t really matter in that regard.

During the Clinton shutdown I was a seasonal and missed the party. I took advantage of the 2013 shutdown though. All of October through to after Veteran’s Day with the help of some annual leave. It was a beautiful autumn too. I don’t think this one will drag on? Wouldn’t mind having the office to myself for a few weeks if it does though.

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@streetsmarts 172779 wrote:

More like – $20 – learn to change your brake cables (The Bike House Coop – with whom I volunteered last year – teaches such a class). However, it only holds 10 people, and their classes fill up quickly. The one they posted this week filled up overnight.

What kind of learner are you? I am a fairly slow one! haha Seriously though, I am very hands on when it comes to figuring stuff out. I’ll look at all the parts, maybe watch a video on FaceTube and give it a try. There are some excellent videos online about how to do almost anything to your bike. I like the Park Tool channel. If you’re not afraid to tinker with something and careful enough not to do anything unsafe, just dive in and figure it out. Plenty of us can help bail you out if you get stuck.

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The fog was really cool. I plunged into Jones point park with my helmet light on high and couldn’t see a damn thing!

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A good shop example. I was in a shop once when a young dude came in and dropped off a wheel with a flat tire to have it fixed. The mechanic/owner said “hey ‘kid’, when are you going to let me show you how to patch tubes so you can fix this yourself instead of buying a new tube and paying me to install it?” Did they go out of business for being so generous? No. They grew the shop so successfully it was purchased by a chain.

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Random post to derail your thread mostly.

Over the holidays I was back where I grew up in rural Western North Carolina. Didn’t take a bike but I went driving around. When I was young I would put together a ride of all the gravel sections I could string together into a big ride on Paris-Roubaix race day. Gave me something to think about while I waited for the next issue of Velo News to arrive in the mail.

I was bummed to see that “the last” road has been paved. I have been watching them all get paved over the years, just like the one I grew up on. Still great roads and probably a huge improvement for the folks that live on them and the county roads budget. Must be cheaper in the long run to pave a road. But…all just memories now.

I’ve done some other types of cool gravel rides just west of here.

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It’s slick as balls outside my place near Huntington metro. Just went out and checked. Ride studs if you’ve got any. I’m taking the train…

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@Emm 171138 wrote:

From the MVT South facebook page:
“The trail was in very slick shape this evening, as the temps hovered around 32 with freezing rain. With forecast temps of 28 at 7:00am tomorrow, I predict it will NOT be passable, unless you have studded tires.”

My driveway and front porch near the Tulane exit off the GWMP is already a sheet of ice, so I’d trust Adam’s prediction.

Could someone go out to the real shady spots between the marina and the airport tomorrow morning between 530 and 6 and let me know if I should ride regular tires, studs, or fat bike?

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@Raymo853 170815 wrote:

I am down in RVA today and staying with my in laws. Hope to get a sleaze ride in sometime Saturday.

I am 99% sure I moving closer to the Freezing Saddle home territory in just weeks to Chesterfield VA. Hope to get a sleaze ride in each state (CO, KS, MO, IN, OH, PA, WV) on the drive back. May be even to host FS folks coming down for the Monster Cross Feb 18th.

You should nip Illinois on that route too, after St Louis. I like the Nebraska/Iowa route better but it would add ~100 miles. Nothing like a good winter road trip.

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@dbb 170788 wrote:

MVT about a third clear (thanks wind) from the Crystal City Connector to the 14th St Bridge. Remainder had less than an inch of snow with no ice. I was on 35 mm Schwalbe Marathons (no studs) and had no trouble. Wind is ripping down the channel so bundle up.

Let’s hope that is a massive tail wind on the way home! I rode the fat bike and it damn near killed me.

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Lube, less is more, in cold weather. It will just add to whatever sludge is in your brake cable housing and exacerbate the problem. The rear shifter on my regular commuter is susceptible to this.

I would put on new housing and cable and clean all the pivot points on the caliper and brake lever with 90% (or more) isopropyl alcohol. If you do lube any of the pivot points use a very thin oil sparingly and don’t lube the cable. Actually, since I am cheap I would probably try cleaning the housing out with alcohol before I replaced everything.

Taking the bike outside and letting it freeze before you start riding can help avoid a nasty surprise a couple minutes down the road too.

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The best thing I have found is having shoes large enough to accommodate heavy wool socks and a liner sock. If you add winter shoes to that and you should be good. I used that combination in Alaska… Same for booties, make sure they aren’t tight fitting, just snug enough. I bought a pair of Gore socks that are amazing. Pretty much replaced booties in a shoe that accommodates them and a thin wool liner sock. I also put duct tape over the vents on those shoes (fashion police will not approve). It’s looking like I might break out my winter shoes this year, mine are only useful in the single digits or below. The duct tape only cuts it down to 20-25F or so. Gaiter’s can help add a few degrees too and you might have some already. The weird area for me is a 10 degree morning and a 30 degree evening commute…I’m going to struggle one way or the other. On a longer ride you’ll sweat out something that is too warm and freeze, a change of socks helps.

My cut off for riding up north was -20F, where frostbite becomes a serious issue, but my record ride of any distance was -37F. If your feet get cold while riding, hop off the bike and walk or jog until they warm up. And there is a difference between my toes are cold and “I am going to lose a toe if I keep this up” cold.

Bottom line, shoes that are a couple euro sizes too big with heavy socks with liner and snug but not tight booties. Or, winter shoes for heavy socks combo if that’s not enough.

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When it’s really cold I break these out.

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