I recently put together a new winter bike. This is probably my last new Free Ride bike for a while. It is lovely. It is a tiny yellow mountain frame and I threw on a three speed coaster wheel that had been hanging for quite some time, which it is tolerating just fine. I took a while to find the right chainring, but I am very happy with the gearing. I had to buy a new chain and push rod, this is ok. I took a day getting used to the coaster brake but I’m quite appreciating it now. Riding other bikes feels weird already. I’ll have to get used to hand brakes again in the spring, I guess.

Winter riding isn’t all about getting sprayed with salt water by trucks that pass too close, or cautiously rolling down hills and hoping that the wet ground isn’t actually icy ground, or occasionally spending as long dressing and undressing as actually riding to get somewhere. It is also a good excuse to put together a new bike. Sort of. Winter is rough on a bike, all that freezing, the slush and salt. I like that this guy has internal shifting and braking (rear wheel hub) which gives it less chance to freeze if I ride through slush and then leave it somewhere cold. I also like the coaster brake on slippy ground, though I’m not sure if this is a real security, it feels more stable, though. I’m riding wider tires on this, and smaller wheels, than my most of the year commuter has, which puts me a little lower to the ground and with a little more connection to it. I believe that this makes me more stable. I also believe that this is mostly in my head, and feeling like I am more stable is a good chunk of being so.