Hesitation
Sick of crap results from following the instructions on the side of the can of waterproofing spray the last three times I decided to spray the gloves relentlessly until it finally started to take a while to absorb repeated sprays. Screw the “do not saturate” instruction. I haven’t tried them yet, but there was a promising sign this evening. While the bricks and concrete all around my house had dried after this morning and afternoon rain the very porus bricks where I sprayed the gloves had a big blob of water just sitting on them.
Unfortunately, it was this morning and afternoon’s rain that I had re-sprayed them to better survive. I was going to ride up to Maine to visit Gabriel and family, but when the time to leave came I was filled with misgivings about the ride. I had bad vibes about riding the bike three hours up into Maine with a hurt back*, in probably constant rain, with tires I’m just not happy about. The logical side of my brain said I’d probably be fine, but over the years I have learned to trust my instincts. Something said taking the trip yesterday would be a Bad Thing (TM) so I listened to it. I feel bad about not going, and I’m sad I didn’t get to see Gabe… but I’d rather not take unnecessary chances when the universe is telling me not to.
This evening I read up on the tires that are currently on my bike, and people seem to like them, and claim that they’re good in the rain, but I’m still not thrilled, and mine are somewhat worn. While they’re probably OK (finger quotes) trusting your bike is almost as important as having a bike that is able to be trusted, and I simply don’t trust these tires that much. Tires are important on a car, but on a bike your life is utterly dependent upon that tiny little patch where the base of the carcass actually meets the road.
* Re. hurt back: Believe it or not the position I have to sit when riding is actually very comfortable on my back. I had to make a couple short rides, and was surprised to find that it actually felt better after a ride. The combination of the nice relaxed and stretched position plus the vibration seem to be a nice helper, but pushing the bike is not fun, and I’d be in a lot of hurt if it started to fall and I had to try and stop it, or I needed to do any dramatic fast movements.