New Fenders and (Finally!) a Ride

Forty days, and counting, that we've been buried in snow, here in D-town. The roads are finally somewhat rideable today (snow is forecast for tomorrow, of course), and the sun is out, pushing the temps into the low 40's/upper 50's F.

So, I slapped on the "quick release" Planet Bike fenders I ended up with last month (I accidently got them for a customer who actually wanted the non"QR" version - more on that, later), and took off from the house.

While most of the neighborhood roads are in similar shape to the street in front of World Headquarters, the main roads are relatively clear. Very wet, though, due to the snowmelt.

Get off the main drag, and this is what you have to deal with.

The fenders did a pretty good job, though. My feet and ankles got wet from splashing though standing water, but my back and rear-end are skunk-stripe-free, and my toolbag and seat stayed dry. So, I'm happy with the fender performance.

The black fenders don't look too bad on L'Orange Peugeot.

The "quick release" designation on the fenders is a misnomer, though. The only difference between these and the standard version is that the fender stays strap to the fork and the seat stays, rather than bolting into the eyelets. Oddly, the bottom-bracket end of the "QR" version actually bolts to the chainstay bridge, while the standard version clips on, there. Both versions bolt to the brake bridge and fork crown.

I think Planet Bike needs to come up with a designation which reflects the fact that these don't require eyelets, and drop the misleading "quick release" nomenclature.

Quick-release, or not, the fenders did what I wanted them to do.

For those familiar with Denver: I left my house at Evans and I-25, rode down Iliff, then cut down Gilpin to Kaladi Brothers and had a cup of green tea. I then took Franklin to Washington Park, and made a loop in the park, then retraced my route home.

(For those familiar with how I feel about riding in Wash Park, this gives you an idea how desperate I was to ride a bike, today!)

Franklin is not in much better shape than my street, which surprised me. It's a fairly heavily travelled street, but it didn't look like it had been plowed since the snowstorms started.

I was sucking wind, pretty early in the ride. I have had a mental block concerning riding the rollers, this past month. I don't mind rollers as an adjunct to real riding, but I kinda despise them as a replacement for riding.

So, I am quite out of shape. At least I have lost some weight (12 pounds since New Year's). Hopefully, I can jump-start the fitness training, soon, and be in riding trim by Spring.

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