I realise it’s winter, but tonight’s cold snap surprised me: I got changed, got gloves on, and got the bike out, and then when setting off had a surprise: the front gear mechanism literally would not move, and investigation found that it was frozen mud, rather than any mechanical failure. It seems this time I strayed too far the other side of sensible cleaning, and was foiled in my attempt tonight by the fact the outside tap had frozen too…<\/p>\n
The ride itself was “bracing”, but it was a lovely still, crisp night, and the cold means fewer disturbances on the towpath: two brave souls fishing, and on the way back, one fellow cyclist, one deer, and a pussy cat that bolted and was about to consider trying to jump the canal at the narrow bit here<\/a>, but reconsidered, and happily didn’t try to cross the ice<\/a>, as it didn’t look that thick.<\/p>\n Getting to Chasewater, the gears had re-frozen partially, making the climb to the dam hard going, but a shove freed it, and the park itself was deserted: I would have stopped a while and enjoyed the peace, but the cold was also knackering the batteries in my lights, the front one of which doesn’t last long on full brightness (which would be very antisocial on the road) on a warmer night. Thankfully they lasted out, and I got home, then having to heat the shed padlock before I could lock it…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I realise it’s winter, but tonight’s cold snap surprised me: I got changed, got gloves on, and got the bike out, and then when setting off had a surprise: the front gear mechanism literally would not move, and investigation found that it was frozen mud, rather than any mechanical failure. It seems this time I … Continue reading Chilly Out<\/span>