Originally Posted by
Skipjacks
Wet and sloppy the whole way. (Puddles and mud on the ground, rain had stopped 5 minutes before I left for work! Score!)
Gave my new fenders their first real sloppy wet test and they proved to be the best $30 I've ever spent on a bike part! Worked like a charm to keep me from getting disgusting.
I was absolutely astounded the first time I rode after putting fenders on my bike. I realized how much more moisture comes up from your wheels than falls down from the sky. The rain from the sky is relatively clean. The stuff thrown up from your wheels is anything but. Having fenders actually makes riding in the rain enjoyable.
On a different note, I made an interesting observation this morning compared to yesterday morning. Most all factors (wind, bike, traffic, etc.) were identical. The big difference was the temp. Yesterday morning it was 23F, this morning it was 3F. I felt like I was expending the same or maybe slightly more effort this morning.
Yesterday's average speed: 13 mph.
Today's average speed: 10 mph.
More confirmation to my hypothesis that the colder it gets, the slower I get.