Earlier this week, while it was still cold, I had a wonderful winter rider that was enhanced by some key equipment. On my ride into work, I took by Bianchi Axis cyclocross bike on a zig zag route to avoid the paved roads. During the ride, I experienced nearly every know riding surface. This was perfect because I was testing studded 700c tires for the first time. I wasn’t sure if 700c tires would be too skinny for our snow conditions.
It was about 25 degrees Fahrenheit, and I began my ride on some of the interior farm roads where I rode sheer ice, plowed snow, pavement, and gravel. Then, I headed up Igo Lane to the Archery Range Trails. At the gate, I had to dismount and shoulder my bike because the snow was 8+ inches deep. I trudged up the hill hoping there would be some rideable tracks at the top. Sure enough, cyclists’ best friend (the automobile), had been down the road and I was able to remount and follow a track over to Owsley Canyon Road and into town. On the way home, I backtracked on the same road. This time, I was able to ride down what I had walked up before, which was a wild downhill in the powder. In the spirit of final exam week, I’m giving 700×35c studded tires a PASS grade for valiantly handling a myriad of winter conditions. (I may talk more about these tires and the model once I get more miles on them.)
Another piece of equipment I was using for the first time was Lake MXZ 301 winter cycling boots. I knew they would keep my feet warm, but I was unsure how they would do walking in the snow. The combination of these with Mountain Hardware Trail Gaiters did a marvelous job keeping the snow out during the 15 minute trudge up the mountain in snow that was more than ankle deep. The gaiters are made for trail running, so they are less bulkier than regular gaiters. This helps avoid interference with the crank arms. Zipping waterproof tights over these creates an effective moisture shedding arrangement. On this ride, I gave the winter boots and the gaiters each a PASS grade.
During the ride I was wearing Pearl Izumi AmFIB tights. I’ve had these a couple years, but haven’t been on many rides where the waterproofness had been tested. I was able to test this even though the skies were clear and blue. While walking with my bike on my shoulder, I realized my water bottle was open and dripping down my leg. It had taken quite a while for me to notice this, and I can now verify that the AmFIB fabric is definitely energy-drinkproof. Thus, the fabric gets a PASS grade.
I did fail one piece of equipment on the ride. While trying to hoist my bike on my shoulder my Tacx water bottle cage snapped off all too easily. I had this about a year, and thought it was a sturdy cage, but on this day it FAILED.
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