Note to self: Errands...

When running errands by bicycle -- particularly the 6-mile round-trip ones on busy roads after dark in sub-freezing temperatures -- It is wise to make sure that the place will actually be open when you arrive.

I guess Turner's Cycling & Fitness either changed their hours for post-holiday-shopping Winter or I've been lucky enough to stop by on days that they're open until 8:00 PM. My drivetrain has taken a beating in the grimy, slushy, salty, gritty conditions the past few weeks. I have to say that the Boeshield T9 lubricant has done better than I had thought for these conditions, but it still needs constant attention.

Last winter, I used FinishLine wax lubricant on my chain and cables, and it worked wonderfully. I am out of T9 as of this morning, and really wanted to switch to a dry lubricant that would flake off with the mud and salt that gets flung all over my chain. The plan was to pick up a batch of FinishLine this evening, but I arrived to find out the shop closes down at 6:00 on Wednesday.

I had to hit the grocery store as well, so it wasn't all a waste, but the grocery store was the opposite direction from Turner's. Oh well.

I polished off my first riding day of 2008 with 11.3 miles, an average of 8.3 MPH (woo hoo) and a top speed of 24 MPH where I dropped a semi while racing him on 87th street on my way to the grocery store. I also found some more apparently pristine snow to ride through but it was likely windblown drifts over trodden snow. The effect is the same, though. I got to ride through some nice powder. Anything beats rutted ice.

Temps fell from about 18 degrees to 15 while I was out. Now they're a notch away from single digits again. Most of the forecasts for tomorrow say the low is in the mid 20's somewhere. It had better warm up really quick, or some meteorologists' heads are going to roll.