Saturday, November 13, 2010

Winter Riding

well,

it's been a while since i updated this thing at all, and i consider that somewhat of a fail on my part, since it means i haven't been riding that much. part of the reason for this is due to working a lot, and part of this is due to the weather. it's the weather part that bothers me.

now, let's clarify the title of this post for a minute. i am 100% talking about seattle winters here. those are the winters i know, and probably the most severe winters i am actually willing to ride in. there are a few things that will make me cut the riding no matter what, specifically: snow and ice.

snow, well that's just a bad idea all around. i don't mind driving in the snow, to a point, but i've also had my fair share of bad experiences in a car. i've spun out on the freeway (granted, i wasn't going freeway speeds, but around 40 or so), i've slid backwards down a hill, i've been stuck in the middle of a 5 lane boulevard unable to move as i slowly slid into the oncoming traffic while people just went around me. and all that was in a cage with 4 wheels. not happening on a bike.

ice is basically the same. bad news all around. especially on a bike. when i was at willamette, and my trusty triumph was my only transport i spent a semester working the closing shift at the bistro, which meant going home at 1:30am most nights. getting into november and december in salem, that meant freezing temperatures and ice. black ice. now, the temperatures i didn't mind so much, since i can always ride slowly and bundle the crap out of myself. but the ice, there isn't much i can do about. i didn't like it. it was that winter i realized that, as long as i lived in salem, i probably needed a car (especially since i was about to start commuting to portland the next semester). that was when i sold my beloved triumph. all because of black ice.

so anyway, a couple of days ago was veteran's day, and while i am thankful for those who have served, for me the day meant a double shift at the lego store and the theatre. it also meant off-site parking at the mall, which i am none to fond of. so i decided to ride my bike. since i don't take up a space, i didn't have to park off-site (another advantage of bikes). but, since my shifts were so close together, i didn't have time to go home in between, which meant riding to ACT. no big deal, i've done it before, and i save on bus fare (again, easy street parking).

thursday's weather (as those of you in the area may recall) was anywhere from drizzling to raining, with temperatures in the 40s mostly. not ideal riding weather, but actually not bad riding weather either. as it turns out, my commute was actually the most enjoyable part of my day, though this could also be credited to the craziness that was holiday shopping at the lego store. i'm not looking forward to black friday. but the commute was fun. i bundled the crap out of myself, keeping warm and dry, and got to ride across the 520 bridge on a cold, grey, wet seattle day, and it was quite lovely. there is a different kind of beauty in that weather, something it's harder to appreciate through the window of a car. the air was fresh (except for the exhaust) and crisp, the lake was a nice blue-gray (the two colors i associate most with seattle), and i could focus entirely on the ride, letting the rest of the day slip away. even the traffic wasn't that bad.

now, here's the thing: i really don't mind riding in the rain. i'm from seattle, i should be used to getting wet. plus, i literally learned to ride in that kind of weather. when i took the rider's education course, it was cold, wet and gray. not a problem. as long as you don't have oil slicks to worry about, you can really just ride like any other time. you don't want to push things, obviously, but other than that, you can all but ignore the rain. plus, i have a little squeegee on the thumb of my snowboarding glove (my winter riding gloves) that works great for my helmet.

the only downside, i found, was the amount of time it took to prepare myself for the elements. not counting my usual clothes for work, here's everything i was wearing: a long underwear shirt, extra socks, a fleece, riding boots, chaps, leather jacket, balaclava, rainsuit, snowboarding gloves and a helmet. it took me about 5-7 minutes of constant putting things on to get ready, and i kind of looked like a ridiculously bulky sci-fi character, but i was warm and dry the entire ride home, going 65 (OK, more like 70) in cold rain.

my conclusion: winter riding (seattle winters, remember) is perfectly OK, and while i still probably won't get out as much, i'm certainly not going to be skittish about jumping on my bike when i have the time. or it suits my parking needs. or i just get sick of cars.

ride fast, take chances, stay dry (mostly),

scott