Winter cycling week three - 3426 Km
by Steve ~ March 3rd, 2008. Filed under: Riding the Bike.An easy week for the Bike of Doom. I was sick Wednesday and Thursday, missed the daily commute, so only 42 Km added this week. A fairly heavy snowfall resulted in tough riding conditions on Friday, an arduous 7 km slog to work along roads that felt treacherous at times. For the first time, I took the sidewalk in a couple of spots because I didn’t trust cars to travel in a straight line. I would have written a post about it if I hadn’t read about Jill and her Iditarod adventure. Yeesh! Think I’ll just shut up about my slog through ankle deep snow.
The SuperCycle SC1800 is holding up okay. I notice some oxidation around the bottom bracket spindle, and on the chain. Will need to take the bike in for a tune up, but perhaps not this week. Although I recommend weekly maintenance on a cheap ass bike like this, I found that taking it in, letting it warm, then putting it back out in the cold was harder on the bike than just leaving it outside. It’s a bit like a Husky, I guess. I’ve noticed a lot of salt on the route I travel, and gritty sand thrown down for traction. It takes a toll on any bike, which is why I’m glad it’s the Bike of Doom and not one of my good bikes.
And yes, in case you’re wondering, when I cycled my Specialized Hardrock one winter, it suffered, too, and required a $200 tune-up in the spring. Real winter is hard on a bike, no matter how good a bike. Unlike summer weather, winter weather sticks, and works on components and frame constantly.
Anyway, I still have a smile on my face as I pedal, so that’s good. And the bike keeps ticking along.
Related posts:
I survive my first week of winter bicycle commuting
How do you keep your passion for cycling over the winter?
March 3rd, 2008 at 5:03 pm
I have been wondering if you have encountered bike snobbery in your travels? I have a bike that I use as a spare - I call it The Red Hybrid - it is a Holstar Peleton Road, basicaly it’s a flatbar road bike. I think it is up there with the others that I have seen and with a good pair of tyres it could go reasonably well as a trainer for the serious cyclist. However on a couple of occasions I have copped a few interesting comments - mostly when I have taken her to a local bike shop.
The first occasion I had taken her to get a rear wheel trued and retensioned. For some reason the bike shop I took it to thought the frame was bent. I bought it second hand. I was worried that I would have to either get the frame repaired or scrap the bike all together strip the componants, buy a new frame and build a new bike. When I picked it up I was told that the bike was safe to ride and all was fine except they believed that the bike was welded in such a way that the frame looked bent (the blamed this on the brand). I was much relieved to take it for a ride later on and found it rides quite well.
The second time I encountered bike snobbery was when I went to a bike shop to pick up some tubes for my Trek Hybrid that I will be taking on a tour later this month. I was asked if the Holstar was mine, being the type of bike shop where dept store bikes are laughed at I claimed I had just borrowed it. The reply was “I didn’t think it was yours it is not good enough”. I am looking at writing a piece on bike snobbery on my blog because it is becoming a noticable issue. On another cycling forum http://www.sydneycyclist.com there has been debate about Cell bikes which are a bike brand put out by a direct wholesaler. The bikes have shimano componants and are reasonably good but the frames are considered cheap and nasty by serious roadies. I have considered getting into road racing and using a Cell bike to find out if they can produce the same results as a Giant/Trek/Pinerello/Colnago etc and it is just the rider that is the issue.
You won’t be the only bicycle blogger that I will ask about this.