1/6/13

Mileage: 3
Weather: Clear, Temps in single digits and low teens, Wind light early, gusting from SW in the evening.

Rides today were errand and meeting rides inside of town. I was surprised by how well my tires gripped on the polished snow on most roads. Narrow smooth tires are no good in any sort of loose snow, but they work great on the polished residential roads in my town.

My wife K took her 1980s Raleigh Sprite Mixte out during the warmer part of the afternoon. She had received a Brooks B66S for Christmas and had been itching to try it out. (Early review: "It's awesome.")

This was only the second time that she had gotten to use her new(old) bike. Previously she had rode a newer Giant Cypress which demonstrated all the bad characteristics of a hybrid bike. (Climbs like its made of lead instead of aluminum, requires constant shifting through an overabundance of gears, uncomfortable despite suspended fork and seat post, etc.) The Sprite is a five speed, but those five are perfectly suited to our rather flat town. The mixte's combination of light weight and better geometry means that it runs circles around her former ride.

K and I are parents to E and O. E's nearing three and rides a balance bike. Before the weather turned cold she would declare "Ride own bike, need heymont!" As often as she falls, I'll take having a safety obsessed toddler. Now most of her mileage is of the two footed variety, and her primary ride is my back. O is a newborn, and I am grateful to sacrifice training ride time to be with him. He will be to small to ride in either the trailer or the bike seat for much of the summer unless I can figure some way to install his car seat in the trailer. It's not rollover and crash protection that worries me, its his inability to support his head and torso.

With the improved lighting on my bike I am hoping to find some small corner of time to start training, even if it means late at night, or very, very early in the morning.