Cold and grey this morning for my weekly ride into Saint’s Cafe where I attempt to keep a creative flame alive — if only a flicker. The 35F temperature provided another opportunity to try the new First Gear jacket and test my Gerbing electric gloves to make sure they’re working. The jacket was great and has a little more room making it much easier to manage the wires to the gloves which must be fished through the sleeves. Cold riding requires me to embrace a gear ritual that at the beginning of each season seems unbearably tedious. Here’s the ritual I have to learn (again) to be tolerant of:
- Layer, layer, layer. Depending on the temperature it can be up to five not counting the jacket and thermal liner. It’s a damn nuisance.
- Overpants. I hate fussing with the pants, those long zippers and then trying to get the Velcro secure at the ankles to keep the air from rushing up towards my bellybutton.
- Wires and jacket. I have to say the new jacket is much, much easier to manage the wires though they still hang up at times.
- Balaclava. Think ski mask. This thing keeps the frigid air knife from my jugular vein. Absolutely essential when the temperature nears freezing and below.
- Earplugs and helmet. I like riding quiet and want to continue hearing birds sing hence the earplugs. Foam, -32dB contractor plugs. Then the helmet. I hate getting this out of order by doing the gloves first only to find out I can’t secure the helmet with gloves on. I’ve tried many, many times. (Insert appropriate curse word)
- Gloves. After securing the ends of the sleeves and having the wires in the right config, I attach each glove and then pull them on and make sure they are securely over the sleeves to make sure no cold air rushes up the arms.
I think I’m now ready to ride in the cold. I do this every ride when the temperature is below 40F. That’s a lot of rides. This ritual requires about 10 minutes time. After months of quick departures it is the longest 10 minutes of my life. Luckily for me, it fades after a few weeks and seems simple and easy.
I have all three riding jackets hanging in the garage. From the left is my mesh Triumph jacket, old First Gear, and new First Gear Kilimanjaro. I’ve been considering the fate of the middle one. Someone suggested I give it to Junior to lay on and soak up some daddy mojo. I was leaning towards the landfill option. I mush note a saw a comment on a forum about how much trouble Hi-Viz is to keep clean. My first reaction was, “What?”. After a moment to think I realized not everyone is like me and never washes their riding jacket.
Junior is going to love my old one.
Gordon and I had a fine conversation on our collective creative trauma and entropy. Neither of us had any solutions on how to flame the photo fires but it is nice to know you’re not alone. He brought a new book produced by one of our graduate school advisors who has remained remarkably productive his entire career. I suppose it’s how you get your work in the Whitney, MOMA, and receive Guggenheim Fellowships. The book was a collection of photos made at proms and titled “Prom”.
The new jacket is brighter than the neon Public Parking sign across the street. Chalk one up for modern pigment and textile technology.
Hi-Viz changes the riding experience — take a look at the glow in the headset reflection. It’s like riding a Day-glo scooter.
Wasn’t a lot of time for riding but I did manage to find some dirt and gravel roads to play on. The little street tires are not ideally suited for this kind of riding nor are the shocks but it’s still fun to see what sort of trouble you can get into. More on trouble in a future post.
Yep, takes me about two minutes + to layer up and gear up but it does work. Do I sometimes think of trying a snowmobile suit one steps into and is good to go? Sure! But really, the gearing-up rituals just prepare my brain for riding.
As I cruise along in sub-10F temperatures, feeling not the cold, and enjoying the white coating of snow on everything, it’s worth it. Snow makes everything look so clean…..
Our recent snow is melting fast, no snow in the near weather forecast…..now that’s depressing.
Two minutes!? You must have it down to a practiced art. I’m not sure how fast I get later in the season but right now it’s just terrible.
I agree, snow does make the world look clean, at least until the salt and cinders muck everything up.
Take heart, I’m sure you’ll get more snow.
“The snow doesn’t give a soft white damn whom it touches” E.E, Cummings
That’s a fantastic quote!
LOVE this quote 🙂
It is pretty cool.
Have been watching the weather radar in your area, that white stuff should be on the ground. Had some three inches of wet soggy snow this morning here at the west end of Lake Ontario. Temperature is below freezing so the roads are slick. Morning commute (thankfully no longer part of my existence) has been horrible. Numerous accidents as drivers relearn how to drive in the winter. Given the rural nature of your existence suspect you take the backroads to work rather than the main highways.
So did Junior bounce out into the snow this morning for the firstfew run and chase the
b all workouts or did he simply curl up and sleep after doing his morning pee?
Now as Mr. Dressup for the first chilly ride into Saints Cafe, the firs ttime every first time always takes time, By winter’s end you’ve got the process down to a science and then, it’s over for another year.
My 14 year old rescue cat stuck his nose out on the back deck this morning when I checked the snow covered
temperature weather station. He was quite happy to sit beside me and watch me take readings. I used to let a computer do the readings however much prefer to do so my self, which gets me up in the morning.. Then a French press coffee and bloodwork taken
as well as bring the gas up under the porridge. By the time the porridge is hot, am dressed and more or less functioning .
BTW the short video presentation on the Vespa makes mewish there was such as device
(Vespa) more my size however know darn well that is never going to happen. Was invited out last night (Sunday) for a meal at a friend’s house. He’s the local Lincoln dealer and with all the Lincoln vehicles for North America built in next door to me Oakville, had a new top of the line 2015 in the drive. Suggested I try it (as if Ill give up my Honda Ridgeline.). No way could I even get myself behind the wheel of this monstrous SUV. Even with the seat back it was way too tight for my legs or for my headroom. Told hm to build a real SUV for real sized people…. Mind his wife had a scrumptous stew prepared. She works forthe local GM agency, drives a proper vehicle, a ten year old GM pickup, with lots of room. Her boss want to give her a new pick up and she flatly refuses.
Wonder why, eh?
Keep riding…as best you can
No snow yet — just a few flakes in the air. Junior has nothing to bound in but doesn’t seem to bother him. When it does snow and I find myself on the road I have plenty of backroad options to get where I need to go. Usually anyways. Snow and light traffic are a good combination when traveling on two wheels.
Mr. Dressup. That’s funny. You’re the only one in this Solar System that thinks that.
I used to have more food related morning rituals but they seem to have evaporated as I feel more rushed. Need to think about that.
If you win a lottery or inherit a fortune from an unknown relative, your then have to approach a custom chopper shop and have them build you a right-sized Vespa from the ground up. Then you can do those meandering rides through the Canadian countryside.
Have you given any thought to replacing that fly screen windshield with a larger windshield that provides not only protection for your core area but also protection for your hands?
Bill,
No, haven’t considered that. In part because I don’t like the looks of the bigger screens, but mostly because my hands are really the only big problem. The muffs should fix that better than a windscreen.
How about Hippo Hands? Since getting a pair for my ride, I no longer fumble with wires, or tax the electrical system of the bike. Sure, I can’t see my hands any more, but I shouldn’t be looking at my hands anyway, and they’re warm.
— Patefermente
I have a pair of muffs here that are similar to Hippo Hands — Tucano Urbano Scooter Handlebar Muffs. I just need to install them after I install the heated grips. And right now it’s too cold for me to tinker in the unheated garage.
I think I’m whining…