38. Dave's Almanac

First commute of the month had me looking for ski gloves with 16 degree temp. Last commute of the month (and year) saw me pulling off my light gloves with a balmy if wet 45 degrees. Doesn't that mean an early and wet spring?

37. Dave's Al

36. Congrats

Seattle's light rail transit--"Link"--has finished its first primary line: a circuitous route from downtown to the airport. During stop-and-go rush hours, the "Link" avoids congestion by going over, under or around I-5. And it's bike friendly (bikes can hang from built-in handles; that's mine in the picture).

35: recycle

Green commuters recycle Christmas wrap!

34. Frostbite, part 2, the Experiment.

So I found a left ski glove, inspiring an experiment. Ski glove on left hand, winter cycling glove over a latex glove on the right. The weather was a balmy 22 degrees, an extra few degrees perhaps offset by a greater wind chill factor (I was late so had to cycle fast to catch the bus--the ride involves an approx 200ft drop, so I'm going at a good clip by the end of the final hill). Result: cozy warm left hand and chilled (but tolerable) right.

I was tempted by the "lobster" gloves recommended by Master All-Weather Cycler Reuben, but then I found the right ski glove.
Final solution: ski gloves for temp less than 30, above 30, regular winter cycling gloves.

Oh, I did miss the first stop for the bus, but took a short cut and caught up by the third stop. All's well that ends well.

33. Frostbite

The official low was 22, but when I got up yesterday my rooftop weather station said 16, record-setting lows for this part of the country (I know, we're whimps; we also complain for any temp above 90 like we're going to melt or something). So I just layered up and kept warm on my bike commute, with one exception: my fingers felt like they were going to break off. My winter cycling gloves just aren't up to this. I tried flexing my hand while riding hoping that the ensuing circulation and heat generated by the muscle activity would keep my fingers warm. Nope.

I'll see what REI can offer, but I may just go to Costco and buy some ski gloves. Problem with that, though is that I have lots of hills coming and going so I need to shift gears a lot, which may be difficult with ski gloves. Vamos ver.