NEW SHIMANO DEORE LX CRANK SWEET! Saturday, December 19, 2009. Yesterday I had my new crank mounted. That thing is nice. Can’t wait for the final phase of replacing the rear wheel. I replaced the front wheel last week with a brand new Velocity rim with a Shimano XT hub. Real nice. 4am, I broke the new crank in by riding in our first significant snowfall of the season. Woke up to about 1 ½ inches of a wet heavy snow. The side streets were slushy and slick. Steady snowfall. The main roads were good. First day of the season for using the Snowstuds. 31f in the morning, I overdressed with the Wickers Expedition balaclava and the mittens. I stopped to change gear. I was getting hot with the mittens. And changed to the lighterweight balaclava and cotton gloves. Much better. 35f in the aftn. The roads were better in the aftn. Altho the rolling resistance from the Snowstuds was substantial. But it doesn’t take long to get used to riding with them. It’t all up to the air preassure. Pump em’ up harder for the clear roads. And softer for deep stuff.