Just a skosh warmer this morning...8F vs Friday's 6F. (I drove yesterday due to schedule logistics). I guessed the streets would be mostly clear by now so I took my main commuter with its 700x35 smoothies. The new snowbike is about 10lbs lighter than the old one with less resistance in the drivetrain, but the studded snowtires with lowered psi for snow and ice still up the effort needed to ride. (When inflated to max the Suomi Nokian W106's are pretty easy rolling on dry pavement, but the design makes the studs ineffective on ice at full psi) There were still a few isolated stretches of curb-to-curb ice, but luckily the adjacent sidewalks were dry. And as I hit the halfway mark all was clear as it was on Friday.

I dressed the same as friday with my max layers, double gloves and double light balaclavas, but it had warmed to 11F and in the sun my head and upper body began to get warm. I unzipped my shell and all was okay.

This was the second day biking in to work since the lower level entrance was closed for construction. So I entered in the front door, rolled through the main floor cubicles and carried my bike down the steps. The head of HR said I could leave my bike in an unused cubicle by the front of the office. It's secure and out of the way, but I like having the bike behind my desk. I'm not sure how long before the lower level door is back open.

The only other employee who bikes (but not to work) said he doesn't like to ride at night when there's the possibility of ice because he won't see it. I can understand that, but I've been riding home in the dark in winter for 32 years and I haven't had a problem yet, although at 63, I'm sure my night vision isn't what it once was. Luckily my average pace has slowed with age and bike headlamps have gotten better.