Sunday, February 1, 2015

small chainring ride

Between the snow last week and the snow that's expected for tonight & tomorrow, there was a brief caesura today, so after doin' the taxes I got out on a short ride (some of my friends were doing a ride in Philly, but it sounded like an hour in the car out and another back for 20 minutes of riding, so I decided to give it a pass). I have a huge, thick, warm pair of gloves from my motorcycle days, so I decided to try them today.

It turns out that I lose so much dexterity with the clunky gloves that I could barely shift the rear, and shifting the front took more forethought and planning than I was happy with (there's a major bridge closure on 514, and some of the overflow traffic uses roads I like to ride on; these drivers are already angry and disoriented, so an old guy on a bike is not a welcome sight on these snowy roads with no usable shoulders). I did the whole ride, almost, in the small ring.

Except for the traffic, it was a relaxing ride. On the part of the cogset I use with the small ring, the gearing is close, so I was able to keep my cadence steady, and got home less wiped out than I sometimes do (I haven't needed a nap today). Here's the results.

Bike needs a wash; it's all grit and road salt. Here's hoping for an opportunity to do that soon.

One of my unofficial goals is to ride in each calendar month; for 2015, I'm 2/2.

No comments:

Post a Comment