It is a December Sunday morning following 16 inches of snow in our Upper Left-hand Corner of Illinois, and as I read my morning email, I receive one from Jilly.
“Are you riding today?”
“Are you serious?” I reply.
“It’s 33 degrees, and I wanna play.” She replies.
Now she has me thinking. Why not? Here’s a promise of fresh air and time to try out two new acquisitions from Rivendell Bikes.
Form most definitely follows function at rivebike.com as exemplified by their ST gloves and possum wool bicycle hat. The gloves are like a lofty down sleeping bag for your fingers, and the “possum” tea cover fits nicely under a helmet, shelters ears entirely, and has a nice little bill to shade your eyes on a bright winter day.
So we’re off on Salsa cyclocross through slush and salt. As I ride behind the Meadows Mall, I’m surprised to find that the ice has nearly vanished, and Fairground, Park, and Becker School Roads are clear as well.
I meet Jilly, and we get in an invigorating twenty mile ride. Only our feet feel the chill.
The ST gloves are like riding barehanded in June. Forget handlebar muffs and lobster gloves; these do the trick for $30 plus shipping. And the possum bill stocking cap is light, soft and warm. Maybe by keeping body heat from escaping the lid and fingertips, we’ll get extra miles from tootsie toes. Bravo, Rivendell. Best fifty eight bucks I’ve spent on winter wear.
So, I guess this is not so much about Jilly and Dave’s excellent December 13th ride. After all, trying new winter gear nudged us out the door in the first place. Nevertheless, a glorious ride, Jilly!
Now, what about winter après cycling? Today’s ride was full of salty sand and wormy road guts, calling for a Salsa scrub afterwards.
Out comes Linda’s watering can to wash Salsa in frigid winter quicker and easier than a garden hose. I dribble warm water over the bike, and rub down lightly with a fleece mitt. Than we dry with an old towel and re-lube from a spray can of Boeshield T-9—another Rivendell miracle.
I first learned of this friction fighting wonder from David Bell at MelloVelo in Santa Fe, New Mexico and rediscovered it on Rivendell’s site. Boeshield is a great all purpose lube for bikes, and slicks up our garage and Chevy Blazer doors when WD40 and lithium grease leave the squeak. Google “Boeshield T-9” for details.
And about our feet; our cold numb feet after our winter ride? No matter! We pull on Keen’s new Winterport II boots while cleaning Salsa. This is truly our acquisition of the season. We feel Birkenstock support inside these warm dry light weight slip-ons which grip the ice and snow like Blizzaks. These boots are it. Unfortunately, they are not available in women's sizes.
And so, this is a Sunday December story (perhaps too commercial). Winter riding brings the joy of outdoors after a stormy confinement. Inevitably, sunlight will clear the roads, and all will be well again.
