I went for a ride last Saturday -- it was neither long, nor fast, nor
scenic, a little trip to a neighboring town. On the way back it was
about 25F (-4C), below freezing, but hardly frostbite weather.

The sun was shining, the wind was blowing, the crows were singing
merrily to keep the seagulls in their place. The streets were mostly
clear, at least in the travel lanes, but were damp with melted brine.
We haven't had much snow this year, and local governments are dealing as
best they can with the dire prospect of a road salt budget surplus.

The brine tends to get tracked into the mean right tire track, forming a
dark stripe, which is where I rode a great deal of the time. To the
right were piles of ice and snow, patches of crusty salt, dog**** popsicles
and cigarette butts. To the left it was already a bit hard for drivers
to pass.

Two blocks from home, having not touched the brakes in quite a while, I
meant to slow for a left turn, and applied the brakes. Just perceptible
slowing obtained, even when squeezing hard. This was a little
disappointing, not what most would expect from brakes at all. Unlike
rain, the problem didn't go away as water was wiped from the rims -- it
stayed crappy until I almost missed my turn in the neighbor's front
yard.

When I got home I looked at the rims. They were coated in white frosty
stuff that looked a lot like snow, but stuck much more resolutely. Not
normally much for washing bicycles, I spent a few minutes cleaning off
the frost and salt.

To be clear, the brakes are not modern equipment, but Weinmann Vainqueur
centerpulls, albeit with Kool Stop cartridge pads. I do find them more
than adequate ordinarily.

If I ever buy a new bicycle, I believe I'll favor those fashionable disk
brakes.

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