A fixed gear bike with fenders is a good choice for riding on a day like today!

Fixed gear bike with fenders

Last weeks snow is finally melting off of the roads. This is the second day in a row with temperatures in the upper 40s to mid 50 degrees. The snow is mostly melted off of the roads, but there are several inches on the sides of the road. The melting snow is making the roads mostly wet.

On a day like today, I enjoy riding my fixed gear bike that has fenders on it. Riding fixed is an efficient way to get in a workout without pushing the speeds. The continuous pedaling required of a fixed bicycle also keeps you warmer in cold wet weather.

Whenever I ride a fixed gear bike in January  it brings back memories of bicycle rides back in the late 1980s and early 1990s. In those years most cyclists owned at least one steel framed bike that had horizontal dropouts in the rear. This type of dropout enables you to slide the wheel back to create proper chain tension for running a single cog. It was traditional with many riders to use a fixed gear bike for the first thousand miles of the calendar year. I've been on many group rides where we were all riding fixed.

A saddle cover is a good idea to protect leather saddles on a wet day. My "Path Racer" has a nice Brooks B17 saddle that I find comfortable. I want to take care of this saddle so I can enjoy it for many years to come.

Borrow a friends bike, if possible, to try riding a fixed gear bike. Just be aware that you may become addicted!

A road bike with fenders

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Monday is my day off from work and really the only day lately I seem to have a chance to get in a ride. Lately we have had a lot of rain on Mondays. This week it cleared up around lunch time. There's always some places on the road where the water hasn't dried up completely. It's nice on a day like today to have a road bike with fenders. The large saddle bag on this bike contains my flat repair kit and a rain jacket, just in case. 

Is this bike slower than a modern carbon fiber racing bike? Maybe, but does it matter? I think I will be able to keep up since I'm riding by myself. Besides this is a fixed gear bike anyway.

When I started out it was sunny with a slight breeze blowing. My plan was to head south towards Davidson County. As I headed that way it started to look Stormy. I changed my course and headed towards the back gate of Tanglewood Park in Clemmons, NC. At the back gate I looked at the sky to decide which way to go. To the south the sky looked very stormy and to the north the sun was shinning brightly and the sky was clear. So naturally I headed for sunshine.

 Sunny and clear skies heading into the back entrance of Tanglewood Park. I added a lap around the traditional "Mill Loop" and made it back in without any rain. There were a few places that the roads were still wet. The fenders on the bike kept spray from the tires off me and the bike. Thank goodness for a nice dry ride.

Poor ole' Joe kept me company as I cleaned up my bike after the ride.

In 1968 The Classic IV performed a song titled "Stormy".

What a difference a day makes!

Path Racer

What a difference a day makes? Saturday, 2/18/12, it was almost 60 degrees and sunny in Winston Salem. Of course I was stuck inside working all day. Sunday, 2/19/12 the temperatures were in the 30s and the day started out with rain and then that later turned to snow. We only had an accumulation of approximately an inch or so of snow. Monday, 2/20/12, started out in the 20s and then quickly warmed up to almost 50 degrees. The snow quickly disappeared and since I was off work that day I was able to sneak in a short ride. I rode my "Path Racer" fixed gear bike with fenders. There were only a couple of places that water from melting snow ran across the road. Fenders were nice to have since I didn't want to get myself or my bike wet and dirty. The large seat bag is nice this time of year to carry a jacket or cycling hat.

The fenders on this bike are Planet Bike Cascadia Road fenders in size 700x35 in silver color. They are also available in black. They are long and have really nice rubber mud flaps attached to the ends of each of them. I thought I heard something rubbing during my ride and stopped to see what it was. I thought maybe the rear wheel had shifted and was the tire was rubbing against the frame. After a quick check I rode on. Towards the end of my ride I heard the rubbing sound again. I couldn't be sure because despite high gas prices there were lots of noisy cars on the road. After stopping again I found what was making the noise. When I got my bike out to ride I had, without noticing, bumped the rear mud flap and it had gotten folded under against the tire. The damage was done at that point. The rear mud flap now has a worn place and a hole in it. I un-wedged it from the tire and rode on home. While riding home I was wondering if I would have to replace the whole fender or if the mud flap might be available. I checked out Planet Bike's web site and was delighted to find that I could buy a pair of mud flaps and the quick snap connectors to attach them to the fender. The mud flaps are only $5.00 and there is no charge for shipping. Now that's a good reason to buy these fenders! Buy your fenders from a local bike shop. They will get you a good price and will install them for little or nothing. If you need replacement mud flaps you can buy them from Planet Bike.

The worn mud flap on my Planet Bike Cascadia Fender.

A Nice Day To Go For A Ride On The Path Racer

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Path Racer

 A Path Racer is a bike with track drop-outs that is dual purpose for both road and track racing, angles not quite as steep and bottom bracket lower than a pure path (track bike). Normally has the front fork crown drilled for a brake. Can also be built with mudguard clearances and mudguard eyes.

The weather was unusually mild today and I was fortunate enough to get out for a ride of approximately 35 miles. I rode my "Path Racer". This is a bike similar to the bikes that were popular in the UK before World War II. It has fenders and is fixed.(A fixed-gear bicycle (or fixed-wheel bicycle, sometimes known as a fixie) is a bicycle that has no freewheel, meaning it cannot coast, as the pedals are always in motion when the bicycle is moving.

The sprocket, or cog, is threaded or bolted directly to a fixed rear hub. When the rear wheel turns, the pedals turn in the same direction.)

I was glad I had the classic seat bag on this bike today. I was able to stow a jacket, my camera, cell phone and some tools in it. A great day for a ride!

These photos were taken leaning up against a fence on, NASCAR team owner,  Richard Childress's property on the side of Hampton Road in Davidson County, NC. The cows in the background also belong to him.