THE FEEL OF THE ROAD

Brrrr--it's cold today. The low is a frigid 15 degrees!!! Yesterday it was 63 and sunny. Something is just not right about that. I spent today training indoors. Call me a wimp, but I just don't look good with frostbite. But yesterday... yesterday was a different story.
I spent the majority of my day at work planning an early escape. I was fidgeting, twitching and gazing out the office window with lust in my eyes.  Around 3:00 the beckoning of the warm sun became too great to ignore.  So, when no one was looking, I shut down my computer and snuck out the basement door. (I'm in a position to kind-of play hookey as long as I don't abuse the option too often. As such if you attempt the same and get fired, don't blame me for the idea). Within an hour I was on my bike.
My last blog entry involved me hammering it all out on a partially closed course. It was basically a TT ride because that's what you do when you get a new set of race wheels. But on this ride I took my bike out for an easy, 90 minute spin through some heavily congested roads. 
A word about Pennsylvania roads: Each year truckers put out a poll judging which states have the worst roads in the union. You won't find Pennsylvania on this poll. It is not because our roads are smooth and pothole free. OH NO. Pa is not on the list because the Keystone state is barred is barred from the poll!! The roads here are so pockmarked and destroyed that there are more tarstrips and car-swallowing craters on the freeways than ashphalt. Since no other state comes close to being this bad, the state is now exempt from the polling and the vote now finds out which state in the country has the 2nd worst roads.
Anyways, it was nice to take it slow on the bike and work on my aerobic system. Pittsburgh gets a bad rep as an anti-bike town. And while that might be true of the city proper, I found commuters in the suburbs to be quite friendly to cyclists. One red minivan passed a little close for comfort, but other than that I melted right into the rush hour traffic. It's always a blast to fly though a busy intersection surrounded by two ton vehicles.  My flashpoints felt good throughout the ride. I have sometimes been accused of riding "heavy", in that I really like to push the crank hard up short hills. The FP60's never showed any sign of flex or distortion. I'm not sure what the suggested weight limit is on these wheels but I know they feel solid as a rock under my 160lbs. That said: I made a concerted effort to avoid the potholes.  My car got a flat from one less than a week ago. The tar strips, however, just can't be avoided.
I have read that carbon wheels soak up some rough road vibrations. If that's true it is by a marginal amount that I could not feel. Now don't get me wrong. The FP60's are not harsh by any means. But I did not notice any difference between them and my training wheels. Bumps still felt like bumps.  If comfort is really an issue for you I suggest the following: increase the width of your tires, decrease your tire presssure to 100psi. 
Near the end of my ride I was pleasantly beat. I figure about 31-33 miles total. My water bottle was completely drained and the sun was starting to set. I rolled my bike into the garage and am still surprised by how well the FP's spin.  I can not stress enough how much of an improvement these hubs are over stock wheels. 
But now it's cold outside. Single digits tommorrow. I'll keep you updated.