In Which I Ride In Comfy New Shoes

New shoes, last week. I rode my mountain bike to campus. For some reason, the slight variation in angle makes it look like I have two different colors of shoes on, but I don't.

The past week of bicycling has been surprisingly good. After an extended early winter cold snap, some pretty autumn weather came for a visit just before a wet and cold Thanksgiving break.

Well, it could be worse. We have chilly rain to deal with, and may see some snowflakes in the morning, while north and west of here, they’re seeing much more than “some” snowflakes.

My riding Monday and Friday—both pretty, cool, sunny days—was on my hybrid bike, my usual work ride. Clarence is fine. I’ve been on edge riding that bike a bit lately—I broke a spoke a few weeks ago, and the bike shop mechanic warned me that it could be a sign of things to come. So far, so good.

Monday--much of this week, when it was damp, I parked in the hall by my office. Nice to have a sunny day to park the bike outside.

Half of my rides were on the Fancy Beast mountain bike—there were a few dampish days where it was not too wet to ride, but if the weather is not nice, I switch to my winter bike. And my wife was kind enough recently to pick me up some comfy new sneakers. When I ride the hybrid bike, I usually wear my bicycling shoes, but there are no bike clips on the mountain bike.

Which is fine. I’ve either enjoyed sunny, quick rides or slower, comfy shoe rides. I drove today due to forecast afternoon rain, which indeed showed up, but all in all, I’ve thankful this Thanksgiving for, among other things, a nice fall to enjoy the outdoors as I cycle to and from work.

In Which I Try the New Computer

New computer on road bike. It comes with two holders, so I'll use it on hybrid bike, too.

My wife kindly purchased a GPS computer for my bike for my birthday. I had delayed using it, because it involved installing a new app on my phone, and my phone intimidates me too much.

But Saturday I decided I needed to get out and enjoy the fine, cool day. So after an afternoon nap, I unpacked the computer, installed the app and put the computer on my road bike.

It was after 4 p.m., so the ride was destined to be a fairly short one. I headed out to the Cedar Valley Nature Trial, thinking I might do the run to Lafayette.

No, I didn’t get that far. Darkness was closing in as I got near the cutoff to the Robins park, so I decided to head over there—but the bridge was so snowy that I decided riding in the potentially slick woodsy trail as darkness fell was probably not a great life plan, so I instead designated the bridge as my turn-around point and headed home.

View from bridge as I turn towards home.

Looking west on trial as sun slips below horizon.

Deer beside trail.

What caused me to second guess my route choice.

The new computer is very nice. I like being able to see my speed as I go, and the display even lights up automatically as light fades. I still have to figure out the app—I don’t know how to record rides, yet.

But I’ve entered a new era of GPS biking. And I got more than 11 miles in on a cool Saturday. A few more images of the ride (and the computer):

End of the ride (blue glow is from lights on my bike).

Another sunset image.

Another picture from bridge as I head home.

In Which Here Comes the Fall Sun

Morning Ride, pond on C Avenue at Collins Aerospace covered in snow and ice, but pretty morning sun, and dressed OK, it was an OK morning for a ride on The Fancy Beast.

Hold my beer. Well, I wish I had a beer for you to hold. Did I do something crazy? I wrote earlier that this week was a total loss from a biking point of view—and I am pleased to report that I have been proven wrong.

It was hazy yesterday, and the quiet residential streets (I checked my bike route driving in) were too icy for an old man on a bicycle. But by the afternoon commute (checked again) the day in the 20s had started to work its magic. If nothing falls from the sky and there is any sun at all, a day in the 20s, while still below freezing, will warm pavement enough to reduce the snow and ice on it—at least where it has been cleared.

There were a few icy, dicey spots—the streets south of Kenwood School on my commute, between the school and Zach Johnson Drive, are always the challenge in winter--I think of it as The Land Snowplows Forgot. Indeed, there was snow and ice there, but in patches.

And early this morning, the sun was just too tempting. I got out the mountain bike, put my work in a backpack, and rode The Fancy Beast to work.

Oh, Fancy Beast. Gift of Microsoft to my oldest son more than a decade ago—you’re still quicker than your clunky looks suggest, and I appreciated your wide tyres this morning as I navigated those icy spots.

The winter parking lot, Warde Hall, Fancy Beast old bike locked to an old  microwave.

There were no mishaps, I'm happy to report. For the most part, the ride was fine. Of course, I was all bundled up for winter—and I may put the long johns in the backpack for the ride home.

It should be in the 30s. Heat wave! Take it, fab four:

In Which We Watch The Big Moon Biking

Monday, Nov. 11--a garden at MMU. Not exactly a biking day.

Biking season is on hold. I usually call off biking for two weather conditions: Rain or snow.

Snow has been the theme this week—that and bitter cold. It’s November, but an Arctic air mass has moved into North America and we’re white and cold. Honestly, without the snow, I still would be biking—there is a reason I own long underwear, but we’re getting close to that rarest of lines when even I would say it’s just too darn cold.

The snow is pretty. But snow fell Sunday night into Monday, and it’s been very cold since. Normally in winter in Cedar Rapids, it takes about two days for the pavement to get back rideable condition. The snow plows have to make a pass on the residential streets I ride on, and a day of sunshine with temperatures at least in the 20s is needed to really dry out the pavement.

That means that this week, I would have a shot at riding maybe by Wednesday or Thursday.

Except that snow is in the forecast for Wednesday.

It’s looking like this week may be a complete loss for biking for CR Biker. Well, weeks like this happen in Iowa in winter.

Except usually in January. And right now, it is still fall. Shucks.

I remember the light of summer, and as the season turns dark and cold too soon, I miss it. Want to cheer up? How about a whimsical UK indie band singing about “your light” while riding bicycles?

In Which the Long Underwear Appears Early

Cedar Lake looks pretty Nov. 2 during a late afternoon ride to and from the MMU campus.

As a bicycle commuter, I’m not all that unhappy with the Iowa winter. Sure, on snowy day or a day when the wind-chill gets below 10 below, I won’t ride. But in the absence of slick roads or extreme cold, I’m willing to dress in warm cloths and keep on biking.

In the past two weeks, it’s been a bit dicey, but that’s because I don’t ride on days of cold rain or snow falling from the sky. Today, the morning air temperature was in the teens (Fahrenheit, any European friends, I don’t know that is in Celsius except it’s well below zero).

It was cold. Long johns cold. I was not really very uncomfortable—in fact, I wasn’t really in full winter outfit, yet. I did have two pairs of socks on and long underwear, but if it had been colder, I would also have had an extra shirt layer on, and a scarf to go with the headband, hood and gloves.

But still—it’s early November. It’s pretty early in the cold biking season for the long underwear.

It will be even colder next week, with some snow in the forecast. I may yet have the three shirts and the scarf on, for those days when I can bike.

We’ll see.

C Avenue Pond in 5:15 p.m. darkness Nov. 7, 2019. Getting dark early, riding with lights.

Despite the chill, recent rides have been pretty. I can dress for chilly temperatures, and I don’t mind the lack of bugs at all. I just hope the early onset of arctic air isn’t too much of a sign of what’s coming this winter season.

Some views of final bike rides of October last week.