Come now, either winter up or get on with spring

This time of year makes me crazy.

Some years, like a couple of years ago, we get a terrific snow storm sometime mid November and it just snows like a mad thing all winter long. There is just so much to do when there is that much snow that I can often forget about the fact that really, I don't like winter much!

And then there is this year. It is simply refusing to winter up out there. Where is the snow? We had just enough for the city (bless their socks) to salt the roads up, and no where near enough for winter to feel like it has arrived. The sad part of that is, we have these nice clear roads which are perfect (if a bit chilly) for cycling on that are covered in salt! I simply refuse to put either my mountain bike or my cyclocross bike in the salt. The cross bike could probably put up with the abuse, and if I was a road rider, I would go for it, but considering the kind of distance riding I do, ruining my cross bike in the salt just does not make any sense. It is my defacto road bike, and I want to keep it running smoothly.


Which brings me to this little bit of news. I finally broke down and bought a commuter bike. The machine is still sitting at the bike shop awaiting a new fork, rack, fenders, and me to finish paying for it. I may upgrade the tires right out of the gate as well and put some much more puncture resistant rubber on it since the tires the bike comes with look sketchy at best.

I ended up with a Kona Dew City. It is a relatively bolt upright commuter designed for city use. It is also the absolute base bike in the Dew lineup (good thing as it is the machine that will get locked up and used like a car by me for urban riding - expensive does not make sense in this case.) The frame geometry is very strange looking compared to what I am used to, and the cockpit is very short relative to my current machines. I am used to a racing mountain bike and a cyclocross bike, both of which stretch you out a fair bit. This thing does not do that and instead forces you upright. In my opinion, that is a good thing for urban cycling as it will make monitoring traffic a lot easier. It reminds me to some extent of the old three speed I commuted with all over the place as a teenager.

Anyhow, seeing the weather outside is at least somewhat cycling friendly and seeing that I finally have a machine in sight that I won't mind getting all road grime mucky (mud is another story - either of my current machines can swim in the stuff for all I care - it won't ruin components like salt will!) is somewhat frustrating since I don't yet have it and therefore cannot take advantage of the weather!

Also, I have a rotten cold and feel like crap.

I will write up one of those annoyingly detailed reviews of the bike when I get it and put a few km on it.

Cheers for now.