The Fat Guy In The Back
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Sioux Falls, SD
Posts: 2,532
Bikes: '81 Panasonic Sport, '02 Giant Boulder SE, '08 Felt S32, '10 Diamondback Insight RS, '10 Windsor Clockwork, '15 Kestrel Evoke 3.0, '19 Salsa Mukluk
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Consecutive bicycle work commute number 1576:
Unseasonably warm today at 35°F, which is about 25° above average. A light rain was falling, which should reduce our snow pack significantly, but given that the ground is frozen solid and all the storm sewers are clogged/blocked with ice and snow, there's nowhere for the water to go so it's just standing. Tonight when the temp drops back into the teens should make for a very icy commute tomorrow.
I took the winter bike with studded tires. There is still enough packed snow in places on the pavement that I didn't want to go with the thinner-tired hybrid. Sill, with the warm temps it felt like I was flying as I rode. Looked down at my speedometer and I was going 11 mph. After more than a month of 8 mph average that seemed smokin' fast.
As I arrived at the client's office I went to ride up the wheelchair curb ramp onto the sidewalk as I normally do to get to the door, but due to snow cover I misjudged where it was. Because I'm coming across a "T" intersection I approach this ramp at a 90° angle. I wound up hitting the curb HARD with my rear wheel. It made a startlingly loud "bang". I thought for sure I had blown my tire and/or bent my rim, but when I inspected it the wheel looked OK. My Ortlieb pannier bag, however, did not fare so well. The impact was hard enough to break the upper mount where it screws into the bag. I'll have to see if I can glue it back together when I get home tonight.