Ah! Winter bikes. I always had one. Now two. (Yes, I live in sorta winter Portland but I spent 27 of my first 33 in Boston or Ann Arbor. No car the first 30.)

After the snows it was winter bike only. Late March or early April the good bike came out on good days. In a few weeks, the winter bike's wheels got re-rimmed. (I rode tubulars year 'round, both bikes. The dark ages. Good clinchers didn't exist. By the end of winter those sewup rims were irregular polygons.

Early winter on the winter bike was fun! Rims were still round and the bike was a good ride. Roads weren't very potholed yet so while there might be stuff on the road, I didn't have to worry about the road itself. Now the game for me is different. I have an old geared bike that can handle anything for tires and is a dream ride on the big sticky Continental ice tires. Nowhere near as fast as my sewup-ed fix gear but then, I am 64 years old, not 24. Spills have much greater consequence (in part because it hurts so much to land on those old places yet again).

Funny, I had a medical emergency Sunday/Monday. Went to the ER at the orders of my primary care as the swelling in my leg could be a clot and potential killer. Ultrasound identified the issue as Baker's cyst. Therapy? Riding the bike! Yesterday I went for a 40 mile solstice ride. (The ride of the gentle sun.) My leg loved it and still does today. Seems I have orders to ride seriously this winter.

Ben