Finally a snow commute! 16°F. I had shoveled before leaving so I had a chance to warm slightly. I took one core layer off and was very comfortable.

This was the first drop-bar snow ride since Nov 2024 when the '97 Nishiki Blazer's frame broke. I bought a '97 Specialized RockHopper to replace it, but left the straight bars on till after winter to avoid any complications that would keep it out of commission.

I had swapped out the smoothie wheel set with the studded set yesterday in anticipation of the predicted snow. I pumped the tires to the max which is is best for dry pavement. I forgot to drop the psi from 65 to 35 but the bike was doing okay until I took a turn a little too quick and almost lost the front. I let a generous amount of air out and all was good after that.

On my the way home most of the snow had melted except in shady areas. There was also quite a few curb-to-curb ice fields which felt like nothing with the studs.

The winter tires have a higher rolling resistance, especially when running lower pressure...so the stupid-low gear ratio of the front granny cog and the rear bail-out gear was appreciated on my heaviest bike on the bigger hills.

All in all a great and memorable day!