Ice, Snow, and...other frozen stuff

I have to think riding on ice will have some impact on my bike handling skills. Then again, it could just result in me crashing rather unspectacularly and laying on a bike path/side road waiting for someone to find my broken self.

Now that I have set the stage for third post, my first ride of the New Year was my 8 mile commute along the Indianapolis Central Canal and White River Trail early this morning. Beyond the crisp 8 degree temperatures, the ride started well. The Tow Path was perfectly packed down and fast. I used the Monocog 29er, and its 2.2 inch Nevegal front provided great traction while avoiding the annoying collecting of ice and snow in the chain rings and rear derailleur which occurs with a geared bike. Unfortunately the White River Trail was still covered in thick snow, ice, and frozen goose crap. This turned the commute into a bit of an adventure trying to stay on snow while avoiding ice (and to a lesser extent the goose crap which for some reason I imagined slicing open a side wall), all of which proved quite slow resulting in a ride that was 20 minutes longer than usual.

The way home was just as entertaining. While the Monon Trail was pretty clear, the side roads I use to cut over to my house were not. Several days’ worth of car traffic (residential roads don’t get plowed very often) had compressed the snow into a thick sheet of ice.  The photo at the top of the post is a represenative example of the ice I ecnountered. Notice that nice sheen?

The good news is that I made it home without crashing while demonstrating some fine bike handling skills in finding safe passage through the ice. When does spring arrive?