If summer seems too short (and it does), then fall is even shorter. So the pleasures of autumn are always fleeting. When Our Readers Write last went to press — if this antiquated phrase has any meaning in the Age of the iPad — summer was waning fast. Now fall is little more than a memory. But this doesn’t faze In the Same Boat readers, who have the knack of making the most of whatever Mother Nature sends their way. Happily, they also find time to write to us. And what’s their favorite topic now that winter is fast approaching? Food, that’s what. This makes sense, too. Winter is a good time to dream about future trips and make plans for the day when the sun once again frees the waters from their icy prison. Drawing up a menu is only one small step in the planning process, of course, but trying out new dishes is perhaps the most enjoyable part of the job. So let’s get cooking, and we’ll begin with tips for new Trangia owners… Read more…

Send a Comment

This winter’s first snowstorm was all the reminder I needed. The unseasonably temperate weather we’ve enjoyed lately is bound to come to an end very soon. So it’s high time I geared up for winter cycling. I’m sure I’m not alone. If you live in a part of the world where you can expect sub-freezing temperatures and sloppy weather—and if you plan to keep on riding through the winter months—then you, too, will need to be prepared.

The essentials aren’t hard to enumerate:

• • Dress in layers, striving for a healthy balance between warmth and ventilation
• • Guard your extremities: ears, face, neck, hands, and feet all need extra protection
• • Carry a cold weather survival kit

The last essential can be safely ignored if you live someplace where the buses run 24/7 or the kindness of strangers can be relied on. But if you don’t—and let’s be honest now, such places are few and far between in the States—you’d better get a survival kit.

Your bike will also need attention. If local roads can be expected to be snow-covered and icy, even now and then, studded tires are a very good investment. The won’t work miracles—you’re still relying on something like two square inches of contact surface when you turn and brake—but they do make a real difference on icy parking lots and at sloppy intersections. And be sure to light up. With the hours of darkness now outnumbering the hours of daylight, you’ll need a good headlight and taillight, both to help you see and to help drivers see you. I went even further, mounting a blinkie on the back of my helmet for extra visibility. And it works. But I still assume I’m invisible, especially when drivers have the winter sun in their eyes.

You’ll need to spend a lot more time cleaning your bike, too. If you don’t, salty slush will make short work of bearings, chains, and rims. So plan to spend about as many hours cleaning your bike as riding it. Is this a nuisance? You bet it is! But unless you’re happy buying a new bike every spring, you really don’t have much choice.

The bottom line? There’s nothing wrong with being a summer commuter and a sunshine cyclist, of course. But you can extend the riding season right through the winter if you choose, even in the frozen latitudes. And that’s a good thing. But the freedom of the road isn’t free, and that goes double in winter. Is it worth it? I think so. What about you?

For more tips on gearing up for winter, check out the articles in the “Winter Bicycling” archive.

Send a Comment

On the scrap heap. That’s where I found this neglected wheel with its five-speed freewheel. A lot of effort went into making this wheel. Someone had to lace the hoops with 36 steel spokes. Someone else packed bearings into the hubs. And the freewheel is a masterpiece of engineering. Now it’s rusting away. At one time, this wheel was mounted on the bike of someone who, I bet, enjoyed many happy hours of riding. But the bike is gone, the wheel will spin no more, and the gear cluster will never again know the bite of a chain.

We love our bikes, right? And we never tire of looking at them. At least I don’t, and if I’m to judge from what others tell me, I’m not alone. So each Monday I’ll publish a bike-related picture. Most of the time it will be a photo, but don’t be surprised if a few drawings and paintings get added to the mix from time to time. I might even include a sculpture or two. (OK. A photo of a sculpture.) Anything, in short, that evokes the world on two wheels. And don’t be shy. If you have a picture you’d like to share, just email it to me. I’ll do the rest.

Send a Comment