I know normal people don't usually get excited about snow and cold... but who ever said I was normal?
It snowed this week finally, even though it was only a little bit and it is already gone. It is a good reminder to start getting prepared for winter. I am doing exactly that. I had posted my Nokkian Gazza Extreme 240's online for sale and sold them the next day which was nice because that put a good chunk of change in my pocket. I was going to use the money from those tires to buy the new Xerxes tire from 45Nrth but I didn't get around to it. I attended the Freewheel Fat Bike Friday which is a ride out of the Freewheel at Midtown and they spend a couple hours riding the river bottoms.The ride kicked my ass big time, not just physically (48 miles at a 15 mph pace) but it also served to show me, once again, that I am not equipped for winter.
So I went to Freewheel later that day and picked up a pair of Lake MXZ 303's which we had in a wide and it fit my foot perfectly. I also have room to wear thick wool socks with them. I took them out for a spin in about 30 degree weather and my feet were toasty the entire time. I know that at some point I will have to do something about the insole and I think the answer will be rabbit fur insoles. I heard a lot of buzz about them and Sunrise Cyclery carries them for like $10. Even with my employee discount the new 45Nrth Aerogel inserts would cost me more than that. So I feel like it is worth a shot. Besides that if it gets really cold they may not work as well but I did find out that I can fit my neoprene booties over the boots. This would create a pretty nice stagnant layer of air that might help on particularly cold or windy days.
I am still going to pick up those studded tires for the Cross Check, but other than that I think I am ready for winter finally. Those boots will be a wondrous boon. I may have to experiment with gloves as it gets colder but so far a good base layer glove and the Pearl Izumi gloves that have wind blocking properties seems like it is working well.
In other news Global Fat Bike Day is going down on December 1. It is open to anyone who wants to come and I encourage you to come. We are aiming to beat out both Wisconsin and England. If you are interested then you can click here for details. It is a link for Facebook, you don't need an account to view the details. It is going to be just a ton of people so it is not going to be a super intense ride or anything. Come out with your fat bike and have some fun!
I did another ride earlier this week as well. Went out for some really good Chinese food with some people from the internet. All in all I rode about 35 miles in the cold and it was super fun. I always have a good time when I get on my Cross Check. Starting this Monday I am going to start commuting to school every day. The first week might only be 2 of the days but then I will do it every day. I am sick of making excuses about how far of a ride it is. I just don't care anymore, it makes me happy and I am going to do it.
That is all I got for this week. Get out there and ride.
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