Been off the bike for a week due to excessive ice and sub zero temps. Converted the bike to winter mode over the weekend. Installed the new studded nokoians [700c Hakkapeliitta W106 35mm ] from http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/studdedtires.asp and also hung on my panniers.

Wow, those tires are impressive even at the 60psi I rode them with today. There were numerous slick ice patches along the way where the snow had melted and the water had refrozen. I couldn't even spin the back tire while geared down. I don't think it would be wise to rip 25 mph corners, but I feel 100% comfortable on the ice now.

Hanging on the panniers instead of using a backpack made the bike feel much heavier and more sluggish. But then again, I was hauling a laptop and bag that I normally don't haul. The tradeoff was a much more comfortable ride without the pack on my back. That made it a lot easier to adjust clothing for riding conditions. I believe panniers are the way to go now...makes the ride much more enjoyable.

I forgot how cold it gets going fast down the hill. My ears were freezing off and I couldn't figure out why. I was wishing that I had a hat for those first couple of miles... then i remembered that I use the hood of my sweatshirt. DOH!

See what happens when you take a few days off... ya get out of the grove.

Temp this am....18F