Winter Cycling; My Bike

My Cannondale Classic Touring 

I've been commuting on my bicycle for some years now, and like many others, find it a very nice way of getting to and from work. Not to mention that you don't have to think about exercising later in the evening!

The winter, however, has been a challenge for me. I live in the North of Norway and we get long and cold winters. For some time I've tried to read about how others are solving the issue of winter cycling, but I've had to find out most of it for myself, and now I want to share my findings.

First I would like to emphasize that winter in my blog is when the temperature drop below zero degrees Celsius.

I'll start with the obvious: the bike! I'm using a Cannondale Touring Classic. I's a sturdy bike with cantilever brakes and space enough for both mudguards and studded tires. It also comes with a rack which makes it easy to bring along extra clothing and gear.

Everything works fine as long as it isn't too much snow. Normally the roads I'm using are normaly cleared for snow, but occasionally the snowfall is so heavy I'm forced to take the car. Sometimes that happens when I'm at work, so I have to ride my bike home, and then I wish I had disc brakes. It is just too much snow gathering around the brakes! It does not inflict with my riding, but braking becomes harder. So my next winter bike will have disc brakes.

Internet Shops and Bike Maintenance

Bike maintenance is both rewarding and challenging. My bottom bracket was worn along with the two larger chainrings; hence they had to be changed. So I ordered the parts I needed from my local Internet shop in England.

  Since this was the first time I would do this operation, I sat aside the weekend for the job. Knowing I had all the tools needed, I started. I like my bike, and take some pride in keeping it in order. But as I already have said, I do not know much about bike maintenance; I do, however, find it rewarding since it is quite simple and easy to understand.  I would never claim to be skilled, but I am quite handy.

  So, I was able to change all the parts and it worked fine on Sunday morning. Monday morning, on my way to work, I found that my left gear shifter no longer worked. After some time, I understood it did not have anything to do with my work, but it was all worn down. 

So now I am looking for a replacement. But truly I should have bought the groupset in the first place; that would have been less expensive and I would not have had to wait so long for the new parts. It turns out that my local Internet shop in England does not send this item out of England. It is probably some national secret they want to keep for themselves; just a shame it is Japanese. 

And we have started

Porsanger. (Photo: SMA)

The purpose of this blog is touring. It will also, however, be giving space to commuting, equipment, reapers and cycling in general. I will also describe how my project, the Cyclist's Home is coming.  The idea is to prepare a room in my barn for cyclists on their way to North-Cape. The plan is to make a simple but comfortable place where they could rest for the night and dry up if necessary. They would also have access to my workshop for repairing and adjusting the bike, and it will be free.