[hozn]

@ronwalf 39185 wrote:

If you notice, vvill kicked off Freezing Saddles early with a ride in Sydney, Australia, giving him 15 extra hours (he’s gonna end it in Hawaii, naturally). Totally cheap, vvill, totally cheap

That is awesome, and a serious throw-down start to the competition. I had no hope of the morning KOM, it turns out

[hozn]

@GuyContinental 39120 wrote:

Sorry Ochos, I’m out of the country (lounging on a beach, logging swims)- just joined the team but won’t be riding until week 2… Hans will represent for me, I’m sure…

Yeah, I’ll ride at least a small section of your commute before you return. I had my alarm all set for 5:45 to [hopefully] KOM the new year’s day morning riding, but I made an executive decision around 4am that this was a horrible idea. We’re off to a slow start, I’m afraid

Enjoy the beach!

[hozn]

@ronwalf 39102 wrote:

I was initially against counting trainer rides, but I’ve come around:

• As Mark said, it’s just a different kind of suffering.
• It’s only significantly affecting the score of one person.
• I can’t programmatically distinguish between activity types, so any rule we set is going to be difficult to implement well.
• As a corollary to the above point, if you ice skate across the arctic ocean, that will count towards your score.

But most of all, this is a fun, low-stakes, friendly competition. If the winning team rusted out five bikes with sweat on trainers, or if Greenbelt’s team only won because he swam the English Channel, we’ll all have a good time heckling them on podium.

I agree with others that you can’t call the competition “freezing saddles” if someone can look outside at the foot of snow, get a top off on their coffee, and head to the basement to leisurely crank out 40 miles while catching up on missed TV.

But that’s just me. If trainers are allowed, I know that it’ll mean I can crank out some miles before the roads are plowed if it does dump a foot of snow on us.

One thing I think *would* be interesting for next year’s competition would be to integrate weather data using weather api (e.g. wunderground.com) and increase points for inclement weather — e.g. precipitation, windchill, etc. That would be more in the spirit, I think. I volunteer to help with the software.

[hozn]

My $0.02

HITS

• Rothera winter cap – I was skeptical, because I think people that wear cycling caps tend to look like tools. But damn if this isn’t the best $40 I have spent on cycling apparel. Helps with the bright lights of trail donkeys, keeps rain out of my eyes, and the ear covering is really warm (and fits snugly).
• SmartWool Gaiter Mask – Wool is great and the more-breathable mesh section that covers the mouth makes it possible to keep this pulled up for longer than traditional fleece gaiters.
• Gore Tool SO jacket. Found a half-price model end of last winter. This thing is incredibly warm, but the pit zips keep it from becoming a sauna. My go-to jacket for this winter. (And when it rains my Novara eVent is a great fallback.)
• Velocity reflective rims – I built up a commuter disc wheelset with the Dyad reflective rims. I feel that it makes a noticeable difference with cars stopping at street crossings, but that may be imagined — one tends to do that after spending hundreds of dollars on something. Oh and Bikehubstore has been a fantastic enabler for my wheel-building obsession.

OK

• Banjo brother commuter backpack. I know that several people have said how much they love it. I like the bag, but this thing is very hot in the summer and after 2.5 years of regular use the corners/seams of the bag (especially bottom) have numerous holes where it’s worn through and the liner no longer kept out water. The liner they replaced for free (and it’s not expensive to buy a new one) so I continue to use the bag, but I wouldn’t describe this as the most durable pack out there. My expectations may be a little high; it certainly doesn’t help that I have taken a few falls with it when riding Lake Fairfax singletrack on my commute home.

NOT SO MUCH

• Topeak Headlux light. Great idea (forward+reverse blinky for helmet) but what a piece of junk. Light turns off when temps dip below freezing and strap is worthless (zip ties work, of course).

[hozn]

@krazygl00 39036 wrote:

If your Ultra II’s feel not snug enough, then I’d lay dollars to donuts you are right, that the ones you have are a size too big. Mine are not only snug, but are the most elastic and stretchiest cycling shorts I’ve ever worn. In fact, I have had the opposite experience with “higher end” bibs…I have a pair of full-length thermal bib tights from Castelli and they are way too un-snug. I feel like I’m swimming around in them.

I second the rec for Performance Ultra II bibs (or shorts). I had been convinced that Pearl Izumi Attack shorts/bibs were the cheapest usable option, but then discovered these. I think the pad may be a little less sweat absorbing than some others, but I have found them very comfortable on multi-hour rides. And they are definitely very snug. The fabric and stitching/seams is top grade. I have several pairs of both the bibs and shorts, and agree that bibs are better, but the shorts compare very favorably to anything else I have tried. I can’t comment on longevity yet; I have only been wearing them for a season.

Hans

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