I was just digging through some old boxes of my dad’s and discovered some really awesome headband/ear covers that are super crucial for this brisk air. I definitely ride with gloves on so my hands don’t go numb, but my ears are often still forced to endure extreme wind chill. These headbands should make a world of difference!

At least the rainy season has yet to begin. How do you protect yourself in the rain? Some sort of fender over the back tire to prevent mud splashing onto your back is a great idea, especially if you’re on the way to work in nice clothes. There are also numerous options for waterproof pants or shoes. There are even capes available that allow for ventilation to avoid the swampy humid feeling that arises when pedaling aggressively under several layers of clothing.

But more importantly, we must calculate the additional road space required to stop on wet asphalt. As I ride, I tend to assume that everyone else on the road is going to make a maneuver that endangers me. If that sounds paranoid, just this weekend I was riding with a friend, my buddy moved directly in front of me very suddenly and I had to skid a little bit to avoid a collision. It was nothing serious, and I made no point of it to him, but these little habits of caution are the type of action that avoid escalation into larger incidents.

One day after work last winter, I had to ride home in a sudden torrential downpour. Luckily, my house was only a couple miles away. Even so, I ended up completely drenched from my waist down. I had worn a waterproof jacket on top, but regular jeans and sneakers on bottom. My socks were literally saturated, which has to be one of the worst feelings. I was reminded of Lieutenant Dan from Forrest Gump, who was adamant about the necessity for clean, dry socks: “There is one item of GI gear that can be the difference between life and death: Socks.” I tend to agree with his sentiments, and love the feeling of a fresh pair of warm fuzzy socks. When I finally got home from my rapid ride though the squall, I was lucky my dad had a fire roaring. I immediately changed into dry clothes and made myself cozy by the fireplace.

Weather is an extremely powerful phenomenon, and humans have generally done a pretty awesome job of adapting to it in order to thrive in places like the Himalayas.

There are times, however, when an alternative route probably should be taken.

Like this:

So my last post was mostly me complaining about how I was going to miss my mountain bike. And I do miss her. In fact, it is only today that I seriously started shopping for a new bike to take her place. I’m planning to hit up some demo rides (Mike’s Bikes is having a Specialized and Cannondale demo this weekend) and see what feels good. I’m also considering the move from a hardtail bike to a full suspension.

The whole process has been taking time. Time to accept my loss of the Tassajara, time to to reflect on whether I want a women’s specific bike or not, time to think about the whole hardtail v. full suspension deal. And now, just 2 minutes ago, in the blink of an eye, the whole process zoomed to a tentative completion.

That’s because Chainlove, an amazing ODAT site (ODAT stands for one deal at a time) had a fabulous deal on a Titus Motolite Custom Mountain Bike. Orion said it was too good to pass up. And we could always return it, or sell it on craigslist for what we paid for it, because it was a great deal. Not to mention he could put it on his Delta credit card, and we could get our plane tickets to Wisconsin for free (we’re going back in May for a wedding). So I took the plunge. So now, we officially have a Titus to add to our bike collection.

*Gasp!*

It’s done. It’s over! The decision is made! I have a new bike coming to me in just a few days time! I will build it lovingly, I will give it lime green pedals and lime green water bottle holders, and it will be mine! And if I hate it, I may trade with Orion, who has a Klein Palomino. Or I can resell it. But really, I hope I love it. Here it is:

Do you love it? I’m not 100% sold on the shiny paint job. I’m not 100% sold on full suspension. I’m not 100% sold on getting a men’s bike. But I kind of love it just the same. Because now it’s mine. I think getting a new bike is sort of like having a child. You don’t really care if turns out to be a boy or a girl, or if it has blue eyes or brown eyes. You just care that it’s healthy and yours. At least that’s what I hear. We have no baby plans around here!

Of course, as I said above, this is a tentative completion of the bike search. I may really hate how this bike feels when I ride it. And that’s ok. I just need to get out there and ride. I’ve been feeling pretty lost without my bike, and I’m happy to be considering the prospect of hitting the trails soon. I’m still going to the demo rides this weekend, and I’m still shopping around. But my cyclist’s soul is a little more at ease now that it knows I’m on my way back to riding the trails on a bike that’s mine.