Perks and Quirks of Winter Riding

There is something special about riding a bike in the winter (in places that actually have winter).  I spent several hours spinning cranks alone on a windswept road today and came up with a list of winter novelties.

Hardy Souls
From about September to March the amount of trail and road bike traffic seems to drop by 90%. Those left are part of a select and generally cheerful group of hardy souls or fools who can't stop riding. Friendships are born from the fleeting encounters, because any company is good company on a cold windy bike ride.

Whiskey
No explanation needed.

Boogies
You know what I'm talking about, getting back to your inner four year old.  The constant torrent of boogers running down a cold face are like torture, eventually we all crack and begin wiping them on our arms, pants, anywhere just like the days of old. To be exact, the days of being a four year old.

Post Ride Festivities
Whether its 30 minutes or 3 hours in the saddle, winter allows for a quick transition to a local watering hole without the need for a shower.  How? There is no human-size sweat stain on your back or salt-lick on the side of your face after a winter stint in the saddle.  If the watering hole is not your thing, even better because you can head straight to the coffee shop and although you may still get the awkward lycra stare, at least you won't look and smell like roadkill.  What about the mud? If you encounter mud, you started too late, thus it was warm enough for mud versus the semi-frozen mud of sub 35 degree trail rides (frozen mud does not stick) and you no longer qualify for the showerless trip to the watering hole or you did sweat in the warm weather and look and smell like roadkill (I'd still go either way, I'm just saying).

Friendly Folks
Nobody is rolling down their window when its freezing outside to yell or throw their drink at you.  Unlike fountain drinks, Caramel-Mocha-Latte-Chai's are too expensive to throw at cyclists.  There also seems to be an underlying sympathy for the poor cold souls on bikes despite the fact that they chose to be out there.

Misfires
Whether its a loogie or a snot rocket, its inevitable that one will land on a shoe, a sleeve, or you'll have a complete failure to launch after which you are left with a chunk of spit-boogie on the side of your cheek. The split second from the misfire to removal is one of reflection on life's day to day failures and re-do's.

Long Legs
The best part of winter riding is by far the good legs for long rides in the summer.  No further explanation needed.

That's all for now unless I missed something, which I probably did because I'm an amateur. Get out and ride in the cold, or don't.

"You singlespeeders hate everything"...

The other day my father summed things up nicely with the statement, "You singlespeeders hate everything".  I would like to expand on this.

Suspension: Sucks
Gears: Suck
Bike Computers: Suck
Frame materials other than steel: Suck (Titanium is rad but falls into the suck category because I can't afford it.  It is exempt from sucking for those who can afford it.)
Arguing over wheel sizes: Sucks
Electronic anything on a bike: Sucks


A few notes on the above:

1) These statements only apply to those exclusively riding singlespeeds.
2) People who ride bikes with suspension, gears, etc. don't suck.
3) Two exemptions shall be granted.  For example, one can ride an aluminum singlespeed with a suspension fork and not be considered a sucker.
3) People who exclusively ride singlespeeds suck.
4) People who use their singlespeed as an excuse to ride slower or slow their friends down suck.
5) Lenz "Milk Money's" do not suck!

Road Revelations (On My Mountain Bike)

It occurred to me while riding for an hour in Phoenix to get to the trailhead (winter miles baby!) that I've had it wrong all these years. The folks that yell, spit, throw things and honk are the good guys. Why, because it means they see you on your bike. Considering the thrown things usually miss and they are yelling because their day or life sucks, and they didn't hit you or me, they are all right in my book for now.

The real villains are the folks on their phones or texting. I lost count of how many I saw, but it was enough to get me thinking, especially since I didn't have a security blanket (bike lane, A.K.A. false sense of security).  Wild to see so many heads down. Wild. The good news is I think I've found a better route. The bad news is its only better because there is a bike lane.

Ride safely this winter everyone.