Faux spring again

Groundhog day has come and gone. Punxsutawney Phil did whatever and we laughed and said "Who cares? We live in Michigan,  we have six weeks more winter."   We plugged along smugly feeling the freedom of our studded tires safely leading us though the icy streets and trails. 

Six weeks have come and gone the snow stopped,temps warmed. After trudging through snow on the abominable snow tires for months.

the streets let us back on the regular treads. But not only that, I put new shoes on Yves Gomez.  After the winter, 38mm Rsne Herse tires feel like floating on soap bubbles, quickly!  You can run out of superlatives talking about these tires, they are just the best,  unless you buy the extra light casing, then they are bester

Then, of course, there is this.  I did say it's Michigan

Winter takes a scornful glance over its shoulder on its way out the door. 

I did it again!

    Some people have noticed I writ me another book.  Well, really, it's more of a booklet. It'll only be an e-book.  That makes it cheaper and easier for more people.  this one focuses on the the experiences I've found urban cycling over the past 50 years and the hows, whys and whynots to use a bicycle rather than slump into a sedentary lifestyle around town. Like the first, it'll get under the skin of a few people (hopefully a lot), but if you don't piss somebody off, you're not being honest. 

 

NBD

 New Brompton Day!  

    I'd been toying with the idea of upgrading my Brompton with a 6 speed model for quite a while.  I was in the Chicago dealer (JC Lind) a few months ago and mentioned that.  The owner, Jon, told me to do it in the following six months because Brompton is changing the drive train specs and the six speed would not be an option for long.

    After looking at the new options, I decided the 6 speed was what I wanted.   I kept an eye on their website and snatched up a bargain before it disappeared. 

It's the six speed model marked down $200 with $300  in accessories thrown in.  I would have liked a different color, but red and black is OK.  In fact it looks pretty sharp for the strange bucket of bolts that is Brompton. Any way it's January,  so the first business was replacing the tires with studs, then rust proofing the frame with Cavity Coater, change the grips and give it a once over with turtle wax.

 

The first ride was on the snow but I like it.  I took it with me to Chicago, 

a few days later and the extra range is a real pleasure.  The six ratios are reached by way of a 3speed IGH with two external cogs. So. It's a 3 speed hub with a high and low range. The range is selected with this curious derailer. 

  With the 6 speed the range is 33-100 gear inches compared to the 3 speed range of 47-85.

Although the gear selection isn't really needed in Chi-Town, I leaned to the lower range riding the heavy, slow studs in the heavier icy sludge on the streets.  

    It was a sunny winter Saturday in the Loop and people were out and about making use of the cold at the Millennium Park skating rink.  

    By the time I returned home from the city, it was a dark winter night for the ride home and the optional light I'd gotten for free proved itself.  Not only is the 500Lm light (made for Brompton by Cateye) penetrating on a totally dark icy street, Having it that low to the ground over the 16 inch wheels provided details that really enhanced the safety for the few miles home.

    A new bike in January is tough to deal with, it just looks at you like a puppy waiting to go for a walk, but it will be held to grocery-getting until I take the studs off.  "It'll only be a few weeks, I promise."

 

Baby, it's cold inside!

 So we had a cold snap a week or so ago. It's Michigan, it happens, like for months sometime.  Temps were down in the teens, wind chill in single digits. Schools were closed one day but not the next. I went to work and back without any discomfort. Winter jacket up top and base layer under my slacks and was perfectly comfortable.

After work, I had an appointment and two quick errands to run.  The streets were still frozen, icy and rutted, the temps in the teens and it was getting dark early. I decided to drive my car in the evening.  Sitting in the car, in the same clothes, I was freezing and shivering.  In and out of the car, bundled up as I was while riding my bike, I was totally uncomfortable while I was perfectly comfortable riding my bike in the same temps and clothing. Sitting to go places ain't good. Biking is the warm cold weather sport.