the Wrong Tool for the Job

I was kicking myself on the long slog/bike/walk home from work today. Kicking myself because I rode my studded-tire mtn bike to work in the morning over the packed snow/icy streets instead of the fatbike, not knowing it was going to snow 3-4 inches during the day. I gotta quit listening to the forecasters and go with my gut. After work, the streets I ride home had a layer of semi-packed snow over the ice, and the tires just cut right through it to slip around on the hard packed stuff beneath it.

I mostly walked the bike until I got to Maxwell Ave, which had some bare pavement on it. There was another biker riding west on Maxwell, and I detoured from my usual route and followed her till she turned off and then I headed up to Belt Street and some more squirrelly riding.  

For the last week or so I've been trading off between the mountain bike and Pugsley N/R, comparing how they handle the packed snow conditions on my route. So far, I'm giving the edge to the Pugsley, because the front tire doesn't get pulled in all directions by the bumps, holes and ruts on the street, but it also rolls with confidence over the slicker, packed sections. I'm not sure how it would've handled today's ride home, but I'm sure it would've been better than the mtn bike.

The forecast calls for a little more snow tonight. I'm taking the Pugs to work.