Monday, October 26, 2009

Commuting - October 26

A few blocks away from my house this morning, my heated gloves stopped working. It was dark and cold (39F). I figured I would try and tough it out for a while which didn't last long. I only made it a few more miles before I pulled into a gas station. Was my battery dying? I pulled into the light to look things over. After I stopped, I looked down and found that the power cord had caught around my leg, and it must have tugged at the cord just enough at one of the stop signs and unplugged it. I finished my ride in with toasty hands. I will need to pay more attention to cord placement next time.

The clouds broke in the afternoon to let a little sun and blue sky out. The trees looked great, so I took the slow and scenic road home to admire the oranges, yellows, and reds. It was a great ride home except for the infrequent, impatient driver who was too busy on the phone to notice the great scenery. I probably should have taken a photo or two, but I was too busy smiling and riding as I turned a ten mile ride into twenty.

A friend was very generous today and gave me a pair of hi-viz pants to wear while riding. He bought them at a tent sale ($8!!) and said he just couldn't deal with how bright they were. Lucky me! I will wear them over my regular riding pants since they lack armor. They are bright yellow, waterproof, and windproof. The pants fit a bit big, but should match my new coat beautifully.

2 comments:

  1. Chris:

    I have an Olympia Hi-Viz riding jacket in Orange. in the sunlight you can hardly look at it without your eyes hurting.
    I also have heated gloves but I have heated grips and hand guards on my Wee (DL650) so I just wear regular gloves. It's surprising how much cold air is blocked by the hand guards.
    I had the same problem as you had with the cord being "disconnected" on my heated vest . I must have snagged it somewhere

    bob
    bobskoot: wet coast scootin

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  2. Bob,

    I'm liking my new hi-viz stuff too! I also have heated grips and the DL650 handguards on my SV650. They work well throughout the year, but heated gloves work much better when it < 40F.

    -Chris

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