Snowbound single speed
Subtitle 1: as the crow flies
Subtitle 2: this ain’t no lightweight
Yesterday’s commute marked the first time that the new single speed was utilized after a significant snowfall. Granted, by that point most of my (David’s) routes had been cleared of snow, but nevertheless I had an opportunity to test it in more winter-like conditions.
The ride into work went fairly smooth but a bit slower than usual. Of course riding through slush has that affect regardless of the number of one’s speeds. For some reason, on the way up my first hill of the ride, I began thinking of Mark’s (a Saturday night regular) peculiar riding posture, and whether or not I had ever seen him stand up on his fixed gear bike(s) while ascending a hill. I attempted to mimic his posture and found that not only could I go further up a hill without standing, but I also got through the ride without a sore back, shoulders and/or neck that I would otherwise get when biking with a bag and a helmet. I think I may attempt to adopt this riding posture permanently.
The ride home was a bit less smooth. It would seem that the city’s park and rec. department neglected the possibility that a commuter might actually use the bike trail. Plowing the bike trail is much appreciated, but if one is not going to plow paths through the intersections, then what is the point? Rather than hopping the same snow bank along Shepard road that I had the night before, I thought I’d take the scenic, less steep-hill route home. As I traveled further along the river, the trail became more rough and snow-covered. At one point I even hit a bump so hard that my rear wheel slipped back into the dropout; stretching my chain and warping my front chain ring.
As I stopped to check over my slightly crippled bike, I glanced over at Carver’s cave and saw what looked to be a new set of stairs that had been laid into the face of the bluff. Seeing this, I thought that climbing a few flights of stairs would be a lot easier than my other options, so I lifted up the bike hopped over Shepard road, guard rails, and ditches. Unfortunately, just as I got to the other side, the train that had been passing me for the last mile came to a stop. Being stubbornly eager for a short cut, I hopped over the train as well. On the other side I discovered that not only had Park and Rec. neglected all of their fancy new recreational trails in that area (if one doesn’t accommodate commuters, and one doesn’t accommodate recreational-ists what are the plow people getting paid for – apart from finally clearing a years worth of broken glass off the trials that they do plow), but someone had also erected a fence along the huge new park area. -If I ever find a normal person’s way into this park, I’ll let you know where it is located.- Still being stubborn, and nearing the point of no return, I hopped the fence. When I finally got to the stairs on the other side of the tundra, it became obvious that after the first 7 or 8 steps, there was nothing but a wooded bluff. So I lifted the bike and decided to test my skills at one handed mountain climbing. It didn’t work out so well. But I discovered that putting the bike in front of me, perpendicular to the hill, and using it like an elder’s walker, progress could eventually be made. (sorry, the camera is still broken) By the time I got to the pedestrian bridge that crosses I-94, it was already 9:10 am. Definitely not a short cut.
With the single speed out of commission, I had to take the Sturmey sprinter 7 to the MN-BPA membership party/meeting last night. After going nearly a year without riding that thing, I had completely forgotten how fast it is. It is no wonder why I had deemed that machine the best winter bike ever. The single speed pales in compairison in every respect except weight (which isn’t a factor for that bike). Even when it comes to the one extra cable which requires one more step of maintenance, the trade off is inconsequential. Unfortunately, being a religious appreciator of Sturmey-Archer products, putting such a rare gem as the sprinter-7 through the same neglect and abuse that I have been inflicting on my single speed drive train, would be a sin. Despite their bombproof designs and reputation of never failing, testing such claims on an irreplaceable Sturmey can get one ostracized from the community.
Note: In looking though this last link, I found that if you squint, you can see both Heather and myself in photo # 20 on this page. Our bikes won “best in show” that year.
Note: if anyone goes out to play/climb on the bluff above carver’s cave, let me know if you find a tail light.
Subtitle 2: this ain’t no lightweight
Yesterday’s commute marked the first time that the new single speed was utilized after a significant snowfall. Granted, by that point most of my (David’s) routes had been cleared of snow, but nevertheless I had an opportunity to test it in more winter-like conditions.
The ride into work went fairly smooth but a bit slower than usual. Of course riding through slush has that affect regardless of the number of one’s speeds. For some reason, on the way up my first hill of the ride, I began thinking of Mark’s (a Saturday night regular) peculiar riding posture, and whether or not I had ever seen him stand up on his fixed gear bike(s) while ascending a hill. I attempted to mimic his posture and found that not only could I go further up a hill without standing, but I also got through the ride without a sore back, shoulders and/or neck that I would otherwise get when biking with a bag and a helmet. I think I may attempt to adopt this riding posture permanently.
The ride home was a bit less smooth. It would seem that the city’s park and rec. department neglected the possibility that a commuter might actually use the bike trail. Plowing the bike trail is much appreciated, but if one is not going to plow paths through the intersections, then what is the point? Rather than hopping the same snow bank along Shepard road that I had the night before, I thought I’d take the scenic, less steep-hill route home. As I traveled further along the river, the trail became more rough and snow-covered. At one point I even hit a bump so hard that my rear wheel slipped back into the dropout; stretching my chain and warping my front chain ring.
As I stopped to check over my slightly crippled bike, I glanced over at Carver’s cave and saw what looked to be a new set of stairs that had been laid into the face of the bluff. Seeing this, I thought that climbing a few flights of stairs would be a lot easier than my other options, so I lifted up the bike hopped over Shepard road, guard rails, and ditches. Unfortunately, just as I got to the other side, the train that had been passing me for the last mile came to a stop. Being stubbornly eager for a short cut, I hopped over the train as well. On the other side I discovered that not only had Park and Rec. neglected all of their fancy new recreational trails in that area (if one doesn’t accommodate commuters, and one doesn’t accommodate recreational-ists what are the plow people getting paid for – apart from finally clearing a years worth of broken glass off the trials that they do plow), but someone had also erected a fence along the huge new park area. -If I ever find a normal person’s way into this park, I’ll let you know where it is located.- Still being stubborn, and nearing the point of no return, I hopped the fence. When I finally got to the stairs on the other side of the tundra, it became obvious that after the first 7 or 8 steps, there was nothing but a wooded bluff. So I lifted the bike and decided to test my skills at one handed mountain climbing. It didn’t work out so well. But I discovered that putting the bike in front of me, perpendicular to the hill, and using it like an elder’s walker, progress could eventually be made. (sorry, the camera is still broken) By the time I got to the pedestrian bridge that crosses I-94, it was already 9:10 am. Definitely not a short cut.
With the single speed out of commission, I had to take the Sturmey sprinter 7 to the MN-BPA membership party/meeting last night. After going nearly a year without riding that thing, I had completely forgotten how fast it is. It is no wonder why I had deemed that machine the best winter bike ever. The single speed pales in compairison in every respect except weight (which isn’t a factor for that bike). Even when it comes to the one extra cable which requires one more step of maintenance, the trade off is inconsequential. Unfortunately, being a religious appreciator of Sturmey-Archer products, putting such a rare gem as the sprinter-7 through the same neglect and abuse that I have been inflicting on my single speed drive train, would be a sin. Despite their bombproof designs and reputation of never failing, testing such claims on an irreplaceable Sturmey can get one ostracized from the community.
Note: In looking though this last link, I found that if you squint, you can see both Heather and myself in photo # 20 on this page. Our bikes won “best in show” that year.
Note: if anyone goes out to play/climb on the bluff above carver’s cave, let me know if you find a tail light.
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