Interview: Tom Scott – Waiting for winter

Sun March 04 2012
Posted Mar 4, 2012
2,837

Tom Scott is an independent auto mechanic who specializes in
Mercedes Benz repairs. This interview started in November
2011 and needed some snow scenes to make it come together.
It really never happened. Tom did quite a bit of commuting
over the winter, but not much of it was on classic snow-
filled Des Moines streets.

So you commuter through this winter. Have you done much
winter commuting in the past? I did some cold weather riding
last year before the snow hit. Once it snowed, I packed it
in for the season. I didn’t understand how to dress like I
do this year. I just used street clothes and while it kept
me from freezing I wasn’t very comfortable. This year I’ve
invested in proper clothing with some of it being “cycling”
clothes and other bits designed for cold weather outdoor
running which translates well to cycling in the cold. I also
have a better understanding of what the bike needs and have
the bike better prepared so that I hopefully won’t have the
mechanical issue I did last year when it was below freezing.

What type of bicycles do you have? I have a few bikes but
only ride three of them. My main ride is a 2009 Cannondale
road bike that I put the most miles on. I have 1996
Cannondale hybrid that I use to just kick around on and ride
to the store. I ride it to work sometimes too because it is
such a nice fun bike to ride.

For this winter I picked up a used 2008 Scott MTB that I’ve
put fenders and studded snow tires on along with a rear rack
and trunk bag so I can haul extra clothes since the weather
can change so fast in the winter. This was my first winter
commuting in the snow.. okay… some snow days.. so I’m sure
there are going to be some lessons learned.

Attending the Des Moines Bike Collective winter riding
clinic was a big help. When one of the presenters said there
are no prizes at the end for being able to say I rode to
work every day, you need to have a “Plan B” for those really
nasty days. I’m a little hard headed at times and
needed to hear that. As long as it is still fun I plan to
ride as much as I can. If it ever stops being fun and
becomes work I’ll quit doing it. Riding is supposed to be
fun and not work right?

How far is your commute anyway? Are you travelling on trails
or streets? My commute distance varies depending my route.
My most common route and the longest is 7.3 miles one way
and is a mix of streets and trails… about a 50/50 spilt on
each. I only have to deal with heavy traffic for about a
mile at the most. After that it is all residential side
streets or 25MPH main roads. It took some time but I’ve got
some pretty safe routes now and the trails can shield you
from the heat or high winds. I can do it in just under 30
minutes if I really hustle but for the most part it takes
about 35 to 40 minutes.

Some commuters, especially winter commuters, get a lot of
flack from family and friends. What about you? My friends
are very supportive of my cycling. And actually I’ve got
many customers who ride too. Even one of my Harley riding
buddies hasTom Scott is an independent auto mechanic who
specializes in Mercedes Benz repairs. This interview started
in November 2011 and needed some snow scenes to make it come
together. It really never happened. Tom did quite a bit of
commuting over the winter, but not much of it was on classic
snow-filled Des Moines streets.

So you commuter through this winter. Have you done much
winter commuting in the past? I did some cold weather riding
last year before the snow hit. Once it snowed, I packed it
in for the season. I didn’t understand how to dress like I
do this year. I just used street clothes and while it kept
me from freezing I wasn’t very comfortable. This year I’ve
invested in proper clothing with some of it being “cycling”
clothes and other bits designed for cold weather outdoor
running which translates well to cycling in the cold. I also
have a better understanding of what the bike needs and have
the bike better prepared so that I hopefully won’t have the
mechanical issue I did last year when it was below freezing.

What type of bicycles do you have? I have a few bikes but
only ride three of them. My main ride is a 2009 Cannondale
road bike that I put the most miles on. I have 1996
Cannondale hybrid that I use to just kick around on and ride
to the store. I ride it to work sometimes too because it is
such a nice fun bike to ride.

For this winter I picked up a used 2008 Scott MTB that I’ve
put fenders and studded snow tires on along with a rear rack
and trunk bag so I can haul extra clothes since the weather
can change so fast in the winter. This was my first winter
commuting in the snow.. okay… some snow days.. so I’m sure
there are going to be some lessons learned.

Attending the Des Moines Bike Collective winter riding
clinic was a big help. When one of the presenters said there
are no prizes at the end for being able to say I rode to
work every day, you need to have a “Plan B” for those really
nasty days. I’m a little hard headed at times and
needed to hear that. As long as it is still fun I plan to
ride as much as I can. If it ever stops being fun and
becomes work I’ll quit doing it. Riding is supposed to be
fun and not work right?

How far is your commute anyway? Are you travelling on trails
or streets? My commute distance varies depending my route.
My most common route and the longest is 7.3 miles one way
and is a mix of streets and trails… about a 50/50 spilt on
each. I only have to deal with heavy traffic for about a
mile at the most. After that it is all residential side
streets or 25MPH main roads. It took some time but I’ve got
some pretty safe routes now and the trails can shield you
from the heat or high winds. I can do it in just under 30
minutes if I really hustle but for the most part it takes
about 35 to 40 minutes.

Some commuters, especially winter commuters, get a lot of
flack from family and friends. What about you? My friends
are very supportive of my cycling. And actually I’ve got
many customers who ride too. Even one of my Harley riding
buddies has a vintage 1972 Fuji that he bought new and just
rebuilt . So now we cycle together too.

My friends have seen the impact it has made on me
physically. I started riding mid summer of 2010 because I
was staring 50 squarely in the eye and for the first time in
my life I was over 200LBS. Plus I hate the gym.

Now at 50 I’ve lost a solid 20+ pounds and 40 or 50 miles
rides are just a matter of hopping on and heading out. I’ve
put on just shy of 4,000 miles in that time. Nobody even
questions it anymore. In fact I’ve had two friends buy bikes
this spring because they seen how much fun I was having and
one of them is 60! They’ve all learned that I really enjoy
cycling and it is just as much fun now as it was in my
childhood. a vintage 1972 Fuji that he bought new and just
rebuilt . So now we cycle together too.

My friends have seen the impact it has made on me
physically. I started riding mid summer of 2010 because I
was staring 50 squarely in the eye and for the first time in
my life I was over 200LBS. Plus I hate the gym.

Now at 50 I’ve lost a solid 20+ pounds and 40 or 50 miles
rides are just a matter of hopping on and heading out. I’ve
put on just shy of 4,000 miles in that time. Nobody even
questions it anymore. In fact I’ve had two friends buy bikes
this spring because they seen how much fun I was having and
one of them is 60! They’ve all learned that I really enjoy
cycling and it is just as much fun now as it was in my
childhood.