The Daily Grind
By Rob Manning

Winter Freeze

Motivation is a tough thing to be able to generate at this point in the season. Here in the northeast we've been frozen into the tundra for the past few months, and trails have either been covered in strength sapping snow or brutally draining frost heave. With temperatures dipping into the negative digits, it's tough to imagine any interest in throwing on the arm and leg warmers, the windbreaker, multiple layers of Under Armor and bundling up your head like you're going skiing. Then try tossing a pack onto your back and try to pedal, all the while doing your best impression of the little kid brother from A Christmas Story. Yeah, the one who's arms wouldn't go down. That's the one. Think about that.

Of course, there's the ever present necessity of product testing, and what better time to really put everything to the test than the brutal winter? Brakes fail (none recently though), drivetrains destroy themselves in a matter of miles, shocks and forks squeak and sqwak over every icy bump, and tires lose all semblance of grip on icy patches. We put our products and bodies through a proverbial meat grinder to bring you the best and most honest results we possibly can in each issue, but we sometimes have to ask ourselves "Is this really any kind of fun?"

Hell yes it is.

Sure, we've got frozen mud stuck to our crack through our spandex. Maybe we can't feel our toes even though we have 4 pairs of socks on. So what if our faces have frozen into a solid mask? At least that mask is a smile. You see, even though we're freezing our ass off, at least we're out there. It's a beautiful thing to see your favorite trail in a whole new dressing, be it snow, ice or frost heave. Clear ground is hard and fast; there's no mud to bog you down. Grip can be amazing at times, expecially if the dirt is frozen solid and the frost heave is gone. And to top it off, you're probably going to be one of the only ones out there. How sweet it is.

Suck it up, get out there and ride. You'll have the time of your life. We guarantee it.

Editor's Note: no guarantees extended in any way. If you actually believed that sales pitch, he's got a bridge in Brooklyn for sale too.

Questions? Comments? Love letters? Send 'em to Techeditor@mountainbiketales.com.