this is a shortish set of pics since the morning conditions precluded destroying the camera (too wet) and the evening conditions weren't optimal (too dark).

yipeeee! this morning when I woke up, we had about 4-6" of freshies in my locale. Have I mentioned I've not driven my car to work since sometime in March?

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lonefrontranger/280360422/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/103/280360422_ef6c6cc203.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="latebus" /></a>

Didn't see any reason to start now.

So, I grabbed the Schwinn (mutt MTB), the ski bibs and parka (I have endless amounts of high-tech cycling gear but when it's 34 degrees and snowing anvils and doorknobs, guess what? waterproof trumps stylish), snapped on the fenders and grabbed some extra lighting.

Now, before you Seattle wanks all chime in, I'm totally aware that those plastic toys I've got clipped to the bike in that third picture do not, in any way, resemble <b>real</b> fenders. With three hundred sunny days a year in CO, wet conditions are more of an inconvenience than an actual hazard tho, so just keep yer hats on.

Now, despite that I loves me some snow like nobody's business, this was no Colorado champagne pow-pow. More like mashed potatoes with a crappy attitude, and despite copious evidence to the contrary, I'm not entirely insane.

I <b>had</b> planned on doing a combo commute, using the J bus for the main leg. Unfortunately the regionals in this town get kinda cluttered up when it snows. Must be all the Ohio transplant drivers <small>ahem...</small> So, after I stood there for about ten or fifteen minutes past the normal pickup schedule, I started to worry I'd break out in spontaneous glaciers, or worse yet, be late for work, so I said 'eh, wtf', decided to suck it up and rode the whole thing. Since at that point riding was gonna be warmer than a theoretical bus anyways.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lonefrontranger/280360420/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/106/280360420_252dd9b2a1.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="slushbombing" /></a>

that pic pretty much says it all - its the sort of day when the plows throw twenty-foot slush tsunami. Ideal conditions for primo slush bombing.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lonefrontranger/280360428/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/102/280360428_eac9d931f9.jpg" width="500" height="379" alt="mutt" /></a>

the mutt, on the MUT, shot when conditions were decidedly nicer on the way home. This bike cost me all of eighty dollars, mainly cos the wheelset had to be purchased outright. The rest was a combination of mad networking skilz, petty larceny and fervent prayers to the Oh, Schnap! god of Dumpster Diving. <small>the ghetto gangsta brotha to the Oh, God... of Hangovers.</small>

See, here's the thing about the weather in Boulder. it can suck at the drop of a hat (i.e there was little warning of this morning's shenanigans), however it usually de-sucks just as fast. Meaning: it was sixty, sixty-five and sunny yesterday afternoon, snowed anvils and doorknobs all morning, rained hammers and pitchforks until about 14.00, at which point Ma Nature decided to go torture the Midwesterners instead, the sun came out, and it warmed up to about sixty again.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lonefrontranger/280360424/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/84/280360424_245b194b4b.jpg" width="500" height="311" alt="mut" /></a>

the other nice thing about Boulder? the MUTs are in better condition than the roads on days like these. the Parks & Open Space dudes are all over this stuff from about 4AM on, with those nifty little Bobcat plows of theirs.

kindly note that by 18.00 there's not a cloud in the sky... thank buddha the ski parka has pit zips tho cos the temps were still in the mid-fifties. I think more cycling gear should come with pit zips, personally.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lonefrontranger/280360427/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/99/280360427_8bc4d9cbe6.jpg" width="500" height="346" alt="blurryflatirons" /></a>

a blurry pic of the Flatirons, because what would a Boulder commute post be without them? (shot over my shoulder, at speed for that hipster-esque <i>je nais se quois</i>).

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lonefrontranger/280360426/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/91/280360426_61b290ae11.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="commuterpanda" /></a>

and last but not least, a blurry, helmetless selfportrait of me in my Jay n Silent Bob ^(tm) tocque, simply to annoy all the selfrighteous wankers on the board.

Snootchie Bootchies!!

.....and last but not least, a blurry, helmetless selfportrait of me in my Jay n Silent Bob ^(tm) tocque, simply to annoy all the selfrighteous wankers on the board.

Snootchie Bootchies!!

The C/T Forum is all about love; and boy do I love this post.

MB1
Can't wait till it snows!

Thanks for the post. F-I-F-O's. Regarding the f-'n idiots from Ohio. Not to say they all are that would be rude but a disproportionate number of the drivers on the highways of KY get this tag from me.

Great writing by the way. Anvils and doorknobs, and slush tsunami's oh my!

[QUOTE=lonefrontranger]..... Have I mentioned I've not driven my car to work since sometime in March? .......

Snootchie Bootchies!![QUOTE]

March of what year?

BTW Snootchie Bootchies!! right back at ya.

MB1
Hoping Snootchie Bootchies is something PG rated.

Well done. You have the pre-flame FUs down. Why people pick out things like two different types of bottles cages or lack of valve caps is beyond me.

I went down in that slush yesterday morning near a busy intersection and felt like a total dork, then I realized people were probably too busy text messaging, eating breakfast or putting on make-up to notice.

cover those ears!

Hoping Snootchie Bootchies is something PG rated.

it's a Jay n Silent Bob reference, from the Kevin Smith films. the 'Jay' character plays the neighbourhood weed dealer, and that (and variations thereof) is Jason Mewes' (aka Jay's) code for 'dude, roll a fattie and chill out!'

google or imdb search on Kevin Smith. all will become clear.

P.S. hope that's PG-13 enough for you...

cover those ears!

the temps were in the mid 50s on the way home and I was overheated as it was in all that gear, hence the pit zips remark. I had Swix earmuffs plus the parka has a hood, both of which I wore on the trip in. I just didn't need them at that point.

I dont care what you say, LFR... that second pic looks strange to me... like its a painting or something... Maybe the colors or the pixellation or something... who knows. Thanks for the post, it is funny. However, I really think you should stop complaining about the peculiar weather there. You got nothing on Missouri. Seriously.

Plus... Im just jealous really.

....P.S. hope that's PG-13 enough for you...

If it isn't, we will just pretend it is.

MB1
Don't know nothing. :cool:

I tried to get enough pics to make my own post, but really at Oh-Dark-Hundred I couldn't get much without a flash, and we all know what flash pics look like when it's snowing...total bunk!

Anyway, here's another Schwinn. :D

EM

Legend:
#1 Side view of the post ride snowy bike
#2 Front view, including the new snow fork - crazy lightweight!
#3 What used to be a Giro Pneumo helmet, I dumped A LOT of snow off it, LOL
#4 Mr. Fierceness - with chilly toes.

Wouldn't be right to have a forum without a ride report.

And if you are going to have a ride report it might as well be hard core!

I wanna ride in Alaska.... ok maybe after all the eskimo gear and all, but then i'd not be able to pedal.. or not...

out of curiousity do they make road bike tires with studs like they do for mountain bikes? If not, do you use cross tires or just use the mtn bike? I saw the road bike which is why I ask. And this forum drew me out of the lounge. I think its a great idea!

Cross bikes are the answer :) I mean, cross tires.

Of course there's the more relaxed, one hand position, upright, mountain bike. :mad2:

haha

Where do you plan to go anyway?

out of curiousity do they make road bike tires with studs like they do for mountain bikes? If not, do you use cross tires or just use the mtn bike? I saw the road bike which is why I ask. And this forum drew me out of the lounge. I think its a great idea!

Not very skinny tires, but here in the front range studded tires are not necessary the vast majority of the time. I'd say they would be a good investment maybe 5 days of the year. The roads are usually clear the next day, and in all but the rarest occasions, the day after that. On the day in question, there was no ice whatsoever, and I just rode on the same tires I usually use. We had 2 inches of total slush with snow on top. It was great fun!

EM

...here in the front range studded tires are not necessary the vast majority of the time.

i've never seen worse ice storms in my life than the ones we used to get in southwestern OH. oh my god... I remember one year when it rained for 2 days straight at like 28* steady temp... and then it went down to below zero. we couldnt ride for close to a month after that and i think our power was out for like four days.

it rarely snows in that region. ice, rain and crap. that's all you get folks. my fave southern OH weather is the extended weeks upon weeks of 35* and rain and neverending overcast penetratingly cold gloom. somewhere between groundhog day and lent you'll be ready to slit your wrists. back when I was running the spring racing series we called this 'hypothermia weather'.

friction shifter: yes, you can get studded tyres for the roadbike from places like icebike.com but the question is: why would you want to? I mean road tyres are so fiddly and high-pressure and low volume you're risking blowing the whole thing out by putting studs thru anyways. besides the fact that the handling on a cross or MTB is going to be more what you're wanting in dicey conditions. i've ridden fixed gears on ice btw, and it is truly not worth it.

speaking of fixed gears on ice... my friend frye busted his collarbone on black ice Sunday night :( poor dude. skinny tyres on slippery stuff is just generally a Very. Bad. Idea.

a good heavy cyclocross tyre with plenty of thickness to the rubber or even better big fatties on the MTB are truly the way to go if you're considering getting (or best of all making homebrew) studs.