Winter

Winter is one of four seasons that the world experiences during the 365 days that constitutes a year. Due to the tilt of the Earth (23.5 degrees) we, in the northern hemisphere, are further away from the sun. As a result, we experience colder temperatures, shorter days, and, in Colorado, snow.
Today we decided to skip a day of work (from our imaginary jobs) and get out on the snow bikes. A few days ago Littleton got a few inches of the fresh stuff and we wanted to get our “cost per tire” down a bit. Also, after pedaling so many miles outdoors on our big trip, we can’t get motivated to use the treadmill in the basement. Who really gets psyched to do that anyway?
We got started early since the temperature was supposed to rise above freezing today. Mud and studded tires don’t mix well – picture Fruita after it rains. Leading the way to our favorite trail destination, I rolled over a variety of frozen terrain. I encountered glare ice, frozen snow, and powder. The first two weren’t a problem but the last one was a pain in the you-know-what.
After riding a few times on our winter tires, we are very pleased with the performance. We’ve found them to be very suitable for almost all conditions. On pure ice they grip well and we can even accelerate. On the varied terrain like packed or frozen snow, the tires are still very grippy, but do slip laterally in some instances. Powder seems to be the downfall of the spiked-enhanced rubber; you spend the same amount of time going sideways as you do forward. What you lose in distance, you more than make up for in workout intensity.
Ultimately, we have really enjoyed the winter landscape. In the past we have spent our time hiking to hang on frozen waterfalls or driving to escape the snow. I kind of like this part of reinventing ourselves; it’s new, it’s challenging, and it keeps us outside on the bikes.
Life is good,
LK