FreezeRide

With the wind chill, it has been pushing -46°C in Whitehorse. I am still riding my bike 15 minutes to go to the public library and work on my thesis. There are a few problems that pop up when riding in such cold weather:

1) My studded winter tire on the front kept rotating on my rim and ripped the valve stem off the tube -- instant flat tire. Twice.
2) The pawls (teeth) in the rear hub freeze and do not catch, so I spin the pedals but no power is transferred to the rear wheel. The only way to get it to work is to push the bike backwards for a meter or so until the pawls catch, then pedal continuously once I get going. This means...
3) ...that as soon as I stop pedaling, the pawls disengage and I will no longer be able to propel the bike forward, even if I start pedaling again. So I must do all of my shoulder checking without stopping. This is problematic because...
4) ...to shoulder check while the hood of my down-filled parka is up, I must let go of the handlebar with one hand and turn around to look back and see if any cars are coming.

All is not bad though. I still get to ride my bike, and there are even other cyclists out and about!