Winter Sucks

The roads have been too icy to ride my bike, so I extended the rear bike rack and attached my shipping tote to the rack.The tote is removable and lockable. I will take off the tote when I transport the bike and I am able to lock the lid with two gun locks.

I used one 2”x 4”x 12’ cut into 30” pieces, three U-bolts, two hanger bolts, eight washers, seven wing nuts, one roll of duct tape (black) and four mending plates. It was too cold to paint, so I used duct tape
 

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yesterday it finally melted enough I could walk down our hill and ride the bus. takes so much time. then I had to go get groceries and that was another 1.5 miles to get them. so much time .I was not sure how it would be today it rained some yesterday evening and it was 32 degrees. but too slick this morning. but the time it was ok it was late enough it would be pointless to go to work. I would have to walk my bike down the hill till it was clear but the I usually hop on the train to work as the roads are better down there but the train is not running. so if it does not refreeze tonight I can go to work tomorrow. man way to many days not riding its been a7 days and I am going stir crazy.
 
down our hill
That is some hill. I can't imagine contending with it when covered in ice. It looks something like perhaps a 16% slope. The wind is going the wrong way now, from the S.E. due to anti-clockwise Coriolis of the front, it has started to rain and gulls have abandoned the coast to hunker down by fresh water. Large flocks of crows have settled into protected redwood trees. What is funny about redwoods is that they turn fog into rain under them but shed and deflect rain around them like an umbrella. I was able to get my business done early. Now it is time to stay inside and read books.
 
not that hill that would be really bad but our road is 7% grade. it does not melt well as the sun is blocked. but the rest of the roads will be pretty good. but it kept raining then freezing then melting for 3 days.
 
Freeze-thaw, freeze-thaw overnight and day is the worst. Just muck and junk with hidden black ice in the shady spots. With no way to reasonably bike! Please grant me either frozen or unfrozen conditions for ridding. My sympathies offered @fooferdoggie. It also takes a big tole on things like potholes and expensive roof dams.
 
not that hill that would be really bad but our road is 7% grade. it does not melt well as the sun is blocked. but the rest of the roads will be pretty good. but it kept raining then freezing then melting for 3 days.
people make that mistake a lot when planning a driveway or house entrance try to site these things on the southern or western facing sides,helps a lot in the winter.
 
I had to give up riding to work for now at least. though the temps didn't ot drop below 34 last night all the roads refroze. some roads are clear but not the bike lanes some are clear on one side only. so I just don't know if there are real clear enough to make my 10 mile ride. the good news is the skies are clear and the sun should really take care of the roads well. so maybe later today.
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I'd love to cycle on those paths/trails in the winter ... nice and smooth (well mostly) but icy surfaces are just fine with studded tires.

As for the other posters comments complaining about having to use 2 jerseys in under 65F weather .... just go away.
 
I'd love to cycle on those paths/trails in the winter ... nice and smooth (well mostly) but icy surfaces are just fine with studded tires.

As for the other posters comments complaining about having to use 2 jerseys in under 65F weather .... just go away.
but its not usually worth studded tires our snow last two or three days at most and no one plows the roads. this was really a oddball for us. 14 degrees and we had that froze ice that looks like snow. then 24 degrees and actual rain coated everything. started to melt the next day whole raining then it froze again. yesterday it melted some and was 35 degrees but all the roads froze over again. today is 40 so far and the roads are melting again. but dont know how far they will get.
 
I'd love to cycle on those paths/trails in the winter ... nice and smooth (well mostly) but icy surfaces are just fine with studded tires.

As for the other posters comments complaining about having to use 2 jerseys in under 65F weather .... just go away.
Hey, I reserve the human right to complain about anything I want, no matter how trivial.

Coastal SoCal is slated for 3+ days of rain at temperatures hovering around 60°F. Willing to ride in light rain only. Number of layers will depend on the wind.

Seriously doubt that it will actually play out that way. Thought weather prediction would be relatively straightforward here, but our weather events are almost always oversold.
 
but its not usually worth studded tires our snow last two or three days at most and no one plows the roads. this was really a oddball for us. 14 degrees and we had that froze ice that looks like snow. then 24 degrees and actual rain coated everything. started to melt the next day whole raining then it froze again. yesterday it melted some and was 35 degrees but all the roads froze over again. today is 40 so far and the roads are melting again. but dont know how far they will get.
Yeah, studded tires would be a waste 99% of the time in the lowlands in this climate. It's like telling someone in LA that they should walk around with an umbrella all winter.

The daily melting and refreezing is very different than winter conditions back east where I grew up. Also, the township of 2400 people there had more snowplows than the town of 42000 I live in now.
 
but its not usually worth studded tires our snow last two or three days at most and no one plows the roads. this was really a oddball for us. 14 degrees and we had that froze ice that looks like snow. then 24 degrees and actual rain coated everything. started to melt the next day whole raining then it froze again. yesterday it melted some and was 35 degrees but all the roads froze over again. today is 40 so far and the roads are melting again. but dont know how far they will get.
That sucks big time. I agree that studs would be a waste of coin in your neck of the woods for the brief time that you are subjected to those unusual conditions. Being cooped up isn’t fun either and I can totally relate to that when temps here were unbearably frigid for over a week. I guess we all have weather related issues to deal with. Chin up as things are bound to improve as they are here.
 
I did a rain ride today and met an eBiking friend for breakfast. I had pork belly. That's the stuff bacon is made from. That is the Sea Scouts' boat with a budding Chinese plant that blooms for Lunar New Year on the bank. That 22 year old book is a SiFi thriller that is very topical. It is about the horrors of AI.

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Supplemental edit: The roast pork was served with a fresh garlic retattoo and polenta. There is a friend who's mom is the French Chef. On Tuesday she and I will go to that field behind the waterfall to pick baby sprout mustard greens and she and her mom will serve it Wednesday with duck. It tastes a bit like arugula or spinach but the stems have some radish on the finish that is bold enough to stand up to free range dark meat duck.
 

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