Saturday, January 03, 2009

I'm back ... sort of

When my plane landed tonight, the temperature in Anchorage was -8F. And from what I hear, that almost constitutes a heat wave when compared to recent days.

The winter bikes await, but how will my brain and body adjust to sub-arctic riding after more than two weeks in the southern hemisphere?

Faa'a, Tahiti
12/19/08

Downtown Auckland, New Zealand
12/22/08

Wellington, New Zealand
12/29/08

5 comments:

The Old Bag said...

What a great trip! Best of luck with your reentry.

bikegirl said...

yeah... sorry about the cold. there was really nothing any of us could do about that.
(did someone say 20 below at the science center!?)

KB said...

Hey, I get the impression that you love the sub-zero temperatures! In fact, you've been a huge inspiration in getting me out into the cold on my mountain bike this winter. I used to think that it was simply impossible to stay warm at temperatures below 20 deg (above zero). I know - what a wimp. But, you've set me straight so I've now ridden in zero deg for hours.

One question: How do the wide endomorph tires do on icy roads? I'm about to get a Fatback. I've got great confidence in how it'll do on the trails but my worry is about the sections of sometimes icy road that I ride between trails. Any insights? Any word of studded endomorphs coming out?

Thanks for the inspiration!

Tim said...

KB, the Endomorphs are pretty sketchy on ice. Many of us have long fantasized about a studded version, but I doubt we'll ever see one.

I keep a studded bike for ice, and the Pugsley for snow. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be one perfect bike for all winter conditions. You'll have a ton of fun on your Fatback, though.

Tim said...

Hmm. On the other hand ...

http://epiceric.blogspot.com/2008/12/serious-studs.html