Winter

Well, it's not exactly winter yet.  Or, I should say, it's fall by the calendar but it's winter by the weather.  Our second snow of the year was a 15" tree snapping cold spell that drove us to the car for a week of commuting.  Kind of a rude awakening to the change of seasons.  The good news is I actually got my new tires mounted and won't be repeating last year's slog through the deep stuff in semi-bald semi-slicks.  I put the knobbiest widest cross tires I could find on the old surly and now I can ride down and up the hill by the house in the snow (they are Kenda Kross Supremes).  I've taken a hit on rolling resistance and I may change the gearing out because of that but it's nice to be more sure footed.  I've missed the mountain bike tires I used to run on my old commuter since switching to the cross bike and these new ones make a nice replacement.  Unfortunately I think they have been discontinued which will pose an issue when they wear out.  I'm thinking I may need to mount up a second set of wheels because once winter is over I'm not sure I want to run these.  Only catch is I had to muck with the fenders to get them to fit but there haven't been any issues otherwise.


Oh, so a couple of comments on the front rack.  It's awesome.  I've used it 2-3 times a week since I put it on.  I don't miss the basket at all.  The cam strap holds anything on I can carry and stows fine for everyday riding.  I've been putting a 20 lb box of apples on every Saturday at the farmer's market and have not had a single problem.  No sway or flex and handling is normal for a loaded bike.  I can't imagine a commuter without a porteur rack now.  I put my pack on it this morning after dropping my son at school and was reminded how nice it is to have the weight off my back.  I usually just throw my pack on after taking it out of the trailer but this morning it was cold and having my puffy jacket still puffy across my back and shoulders was awfully nice.  It's all about staying warm this time of year!

Staying warm has actually been our new challenge.  Last winter we just didn't ride when the temps dropped but this year we're trying to push that boundary a bit.  Yesterday was 19 and this morning was 22.  Hats under the helmets have not been accepted very well.  The discomfort has been the leading complaint.  I think my daughter's helmet is actually too small now for any extra layers.  Problem is that regular hats are so bulky.  The second problem is that the fancy thin and warm skull caps that the bike world has to offer are adult sized (and cost cycling world prices).  I'm on a quest to find decent under-helmet hats for the kids.  Might have to make them ourselves in the end but I'll look for a bit first.  Sewing hats isn't high on my list right now and I don't think a knit hat will do the trick.  My wife suggested just buying adult caps and altering them for the kids.  Not a bad idea except I'm not sure we can do it elegantly and in the end with the little ones that is sometimes more important.  If it fits them well and doesn't produce the "it's uncomfortable" comment that's worth more than you can imagine.