3+ hours to get home in 27ºF/-2.8ºC weather. Why? I was riding with Alex, who is… not in the best shape. On top of that, Alex had his studded tires on, and like most people who aren’t used to studded tires, believed that it would automagically help him forge a path of least resistance over whatever surface we were riding on. Newsflash to anyone thinking of trying studded tires: They add a bucketload of resistance, and are heavy. Ergo, 6 mph for the first 75 minutes, 10-12 mph for the next 45 minutes, or an average of 6 mph.
Alex also refused to catch the bus. Because conditions were bad enough, I wasn’t comfortable with the idea of just leaving him behind and going home at my own pace…
… which ended up being a good idea not to do that, because he bonked and needed some guidance to the closest Starbucks for food and drink.
Eventually after pounding tires against snow and ice, he and I split. I averaged 18 mph until the last quarter mile. I was running CX tires @ 45 psi & misjudged a curb, dinging the rim hard on it and instantly deflating the tires. The rim itself is damaged badly; I bent it back, but while it is ridable, you don’t want to use the brakes on it. DT Swiss R450 rims are pretty easy to come by, not sure if I want to swap out the hub for the size that SHOULD be used with my frame (current: 135 mm, should be 130 mm) but I probably will, so this will likely be a $100 fix.
Walked the last quarter mile in shoes not designed for walking, over slippery ground, down a reasonably steep hill, because why change a tube a quarter mile from home in below freezing weather when you can walk for 5 minutes and change the tube in complete comfort?
The only good thing about this commute was that I had a lot of fun in the snow.
