Frozen Water Bottle Season

   During the Turkey Trek ride, a couple of my friends and I were reminiscing about a summer evening ride out to Philadelphia many years ago. The event sticks in our memory for three reasons: 1. remnants of a recent hurricane had caused severe flooding in Manayunk, so on Main Street there was a coating of thick mud, which stuck to our tires, 2. our group was accidentally split in two at the Cynwyd train station (the start of its namesake trail) when a trio of participants dropped off the pace and missed a turn (they quickly figured out their mistake and doubled back), and 3. when we reached the Pennsylvania Railroad bridge back to Manayunk, the gates were closed and we had to take the spur of the Cynwyd Trail down to Belmont Avenue and take the Green Lane bridge instead.

   I mention this because the PRR bridge has had lights installed along the deck for about three years and is now open to cyclists 24 hours a day. I had always meant to take a ride out there on some balmy summer evening, but the plan always slipped my mind.

   During a beautifully clear day last week when the sun still felt warm, I considered riding into the city, and then the bridge popped into my thoughts. I looked at the forcast and saw that there was some light snow/sleet in the forecast and that the temps were not going to climb out of the low 40s anytime soon, so I knew that I wanted to get out for a long ride that day, before the weather turned sour. My idea then turned to enjoying some of the Christmas decorations by bundling up warmly, attaching the head and tail lights to my bike, then heading out into the city in the late afternoon, so that the sun would be setting by the time I reached Penn's Landing. On the return leg, I would finally get to ride the PRR bridge at night!

   I sometimes struggle with chosing the correct clothing, especially when I know the temperature is going to swing ten or fifteen degrees. I definitely didn't want to get sweaty by wearing too much, then end up having a layer of wetness against my skin later in the ride when it got colder. I had selected a lightweight longsleeve jersey to wear under my winter cycling jacket, which allowed me to leave the front zipper open and effectively vent my body heat without getting a chill from the cool air hitting my chest. I had also stuffed a pair of glove liners in my jersey pocket, as I knew my fingers would need the extra protection as the temperture dropped into the 30s after sunset.

   We had actually seen some of the holiday decorations hung during the Turkey Trek, but it was entirely different when lit up at night! Many of the businesses that line Main Street had dozen of light strands cascading down their storefront, creating walls of alternating colors:

 

   Instead of making the usual connection near the Wissahickon Transportation Center to ride the trail along Kelly Drive, I continued straight on Ridge Pike through the Falls Bridge area. I was surprised that traffic was a bit light as I rode on a short stretch of street without a marked bike lane, right near Laurel Hill East Cemetery. Soon I was back on the bike lane on 33rd Street, which I enjoy because it runs parallel to the old mansion properties of Fairmont Park (read here about a bike tour I took in this area years ago) and there are only a couple cross streets in this stretch that runs a little over a mile, winding down to Girard Avenue.

   After bouncing over the trolley tracks there, I continued straight on Poplar Drive, made a left on (confusingly-named) Poplar Street and then a quick right onto 30th Street/Pennsylvania Avenue to reach the art museum area. I find this wide boulevard, with its lanes strangely divided by parking slots, to be a very pleasant ride, as most of the traffic is diverted to nearby Kelly Drive and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.

   I made a left on Spring Garden Street and followed the bike lane out to the fantastic road-separated bikeway along the Delaware waterfront. Penn's Landing is a really hopping place most of the year, and the RiverRink Winterfest had been set up, including a Ferris wheel with pulsating lights.

   I rode a little over a mile then crossed right to Spruce Street, opting for the smoother brick-paved walkway instead of the cobbled street. This area of Society Hill, near the New Market and Headhouse (also known as "The Shambles") may be my favorite part of the city. I turned down 2nd Street and, because the stalls were empty on a weekday, I had the opportunity to ride under the full length of the gabled roof, which was beautifully lit with hundreds of bulbs:

   I returned to the painted bike lane on Spruce Street to make my way across the city back to the Schuylkill Trail. Unfortunately the sinkhole derour was still in effect, so I had to take the protected bike lane on 22nd Street and zigzag over Cherry Street towards the trail's access point on Race Street. There is a "black hole" of one way streets here, so I cautiously (and against my principles) took to the sidewalk for a block.of 23rd Street.

   Back at the art museum, I weaved up the path up to Spring Garden Street, where, until recently, the detour for the MLK Bridge took trailusers over to the west bank of the Schuylkill. From here I could see across to Boatlhouse Row, beautifully lit in holiday colors:

      Right turns on road-separated bikeways along Mantua Avenue and 34th Street had me soon pedaling past the Philadelphia Zoo, which currently has its own holiday light spectacular on display:

   I took a left turn at Girard Avenue, using the relative safety of the sidewalk near the sketchy interchanges with the Schuylkill Expressway, and made my way to the fantastic bike lane that runs along Parkside. I'm guessing that the high winds we've had lately had swept away the leaves and garbage that are unfortunately such a common presence on this path, because I'm pretty sure the parks department didn't take care of it...and they certainly wouldn't have done such a thorough job!

   From here it was the connection up Bryn Mawr Avenue to the Cynwyd Station. I usually enjoy the couple miles of downhill coasting to the Manayunk bridge, but the windchill wasn't particularly pleasant at this point. I was excited to ride across the bridge, though a photo from the deck (below) isn't too spectacular. I was hoping to find that someone had contributed a nighttime broadside shot somewhere online but no luck so far.

   There really weren't too many surprises on the familiar route back from the city, though many of the deer that always come out in the early evening now had impressive racks of antlers! Their occasional presence definitely led me to the decision to stop while adding the glove liners when my fingers started to get a bit numb from the cold. I was certainly capable of managing a no-hands-on-bars glove operation while riding, but having the ability to brake seemed the much wiser choice.

   This week I was able to finish off both customer build projects I had in my shop, including Brendan's fantastic Daccordi 50th anniversary bicycle:

   ...as well as the flatbar conversion of the Pinarello FP3. I had a good idea that the Shimano Deore 10-speed trigger shifters, despite the as-advertised "road bike compatiblity", were not actually not going to work with the Dura-Ace rear derailleur. I was correct - the shifters provided too much pull, and gears were being skipped. The purchase and installation of a Deore derailleur, which is actually meant for mountain bikes, did the trick!

   I'm taking my usual blog break for the holidays, so I'll catch up with you sometime in early 2026.