Surly Bikes
I decided to work from home yesterday, because a snow storm was looming large over my 'hood. I've done plenty of 2+ hour, 16-mile snowy slogs to and from the office over the years. It can be fun, but I wasn't in the mood to play that game. Shoveling snow, alone, would be enough exercise for the day.
Today was a different story, however. Most of the storm has passed, many of the roads and paths have been plowed, and most of the metro-area schools are closed...meaning breeders are at home taking care of their kids, instead of being on the roads. It's a perfect day to be a bicycle commuter on a Stoke'd, Large Marge'd Big Dummy.
Minneapolis and the surrounding areas have seen about 30cm (12 inches) of snow from this last storm. The snowplow crews have been anticipating Old Man Winter's blustery money shot, and they've been working throughout the storm to move the snow off the main roads and bike paths. Most roads are in surprisingly good shape, overall. I got to work in 65 minutes. That's faster than my average winter commute.
I attribute my speed to a tail wind, the aforementioned good roads and lack of traffic, and a little snow under my tires. Most of you know what it's like to roll knobbies on the road. Aggressive tires tend to add resistance to a vehicle and slow it down a bit. The thin layer of snow under my tires dissipated the pressure to more of the area between the knobs, diminishing my rolling resistance. Or, maybe, I was just pedaling a little harder because I was enjoying my ride a little more than usual.
There was postive energy in the air, today. People were shoveling and blowing snow from their driveways and sidewalks as I rode along my route. Neighbors were helping neighbors. Kids were playing in the drifts and snowbanks, building snowmen, and packing down the runs on sledding hills. It brought back fond memories of my childhood...when snowstorms were a regular part of a Minnesota winter. Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.
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Minneapolis and the surrounding areas have seen about 30cm (12 inches) of snow from this last storm. The snowplow crews have been anticipating Old Man Winter's blustery money shot, and they've been working throughout the storm to move the snow off the main roads and bike paths. Most roads are in surprisingly good shape, overall. I got to work in 65 minutes. That's faster than my average winter commute.
I attribute my speed to a tail wind, the aforementioned good roads and lack of traffic, and a little snow under my tires. Most of you know what it's like to roll knobbies on the road. Aggressive tires tend to add resistance to a vehicle and slow it down a bit. The thin layer of snow under my tires dissipated the pressure to more of the area between the knobs, diminishing my rolling resistance. Or, maybe, I was just pedaling a little harder because I was enjoying my ride a little more than usual.
There was postive energy in the air, today. People were shoveling and blowing snow from their driveways and sidewalks as I rode along my route. Neighbors were helping neighbors. Kids were playing in the drifts and snowbanks, building snowmen, and packing down the runs on sledding hills. It brought back fond memories of my childhood...when snowstorms were a regular part of a Minnesota winter. Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.
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