It's been cold, and I was ill-equipped to deal with it. Plus, my last commute left me with 3 days of lower back pain (due to riding with a very heavy backpack). So I haven't been riding to school.
In the meantime, I've made an investment in panniers and some Bar Mitts, and I'm in the process of setting up my Redline CX bike as a dedicated commuter.
Donnie from DAS is letting me borrow his Kona Kapu for use on the trainer/rollers so I won't have to switch the commuter back and forth from an indoor rig to an outdoor rig all the time. That will make life much easier.
Also, I made some discoveries on campus this week:
- There is a locker room in the athletic complex that anyone can use - not just athletes (this is in addition to the team-only locker room, and it is not really a well-known feature of ECSU which is why nobody told me about it when I was asking around). This means access to a locker for storage of "stuff" and the ability to shower.
- The spin bikes in the athletic complex are actually nice. I did an interval workout on them in between classes and work on Tuesday, and that's going to be a key training tool for me this semester until it gets warmer and the roads clear a bit (there's a perfect place to do hills on the road bike nearby).
So now I just need to figure out a way to store food on campus, and I'll be all set. I have permission to leave some items in an alcove of the biology department's office wing, but I don't want to leave anything perishable there. A refrigerator drawer would be ideal. I'll have to make-do with the gold mine I've found this week (lockers, showers, and spin bikes).
Now, I want to get back to commuting this week, but the forecast is looking like typical New England winter weather. Snow overnight tonight, and snow/rain all day on Thursday (Mondays and Thursdays are the days that I'm best able to commute right now). I might end up trying for Tuesday instead.
Despite whatever happens this week, warmer days are coming.
Panniers are a game changer for commuting. Let me know how those barmitts work out.
ReplyDeleteGary, I used them on my MTB ride on Sunday. We rode in the snow, and I was on and off my bike constantly. Plus, I forgot my gloves, so I used only John's spare glove liners underneath the bar mitts (with some hand warmers tossed in, of course). My hands never got cold. I'm sold.
DeleteI've used barmitts for commuting when temps were in the single digits, my water bottle was frozen but my hands were toasty!! They're the best invention since the bicycle!! :-D
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