The neighborhood streets were quite passable this morning- when they were just snow packed and not driven on too much yet. A few hours later that wasn’t the case. It was the opposite once I got to the trail, the second half of today’s first commute. Instead of the 50% more time I’d allotted myself to get to work, it took twice as long. I was glad to see that a couple of hours later another blade pass left the Billy Wolff in much better condition than it had been in. Still, there is some serious ice in places.
In my view, a good commuter is nothing if not an opportunist, taking whatever route looks best or is safest. I’ll admit to taking cleared sidewalks if the streets are filled with snirt or hard packed snow and ice, as I’m still studless. In conditions like these, you just have to hone your bike handling skills if you want to stay upright. In this light, for the first time in Trail Ramblings, I’m going to direct you to an article. It is a thorough discussion of riding on ice and I have nothing to add, so here goes. I can’t embed it so you’ll have to follow the link below the image.
