Wednesday, March 04, 2009

For the next time I'm caught out riding in snow

So the other day found me riding home with thick snow flurries coming down and wet looking roads. Turned out, once I got home safe after some "worrying" that the road surfaces had indeed been too warm yet to freeze over and cause issues.

I found this out by taking my Raytek non-contact infrared thermometer from the tool chest and getting some readings from the street surfaces near my home. They'd come back in the low to mid 40s in terms of temperature so I was not in danger really.

So I bought myself a very inexpensive and small non-contact thermometer that I can afford to just carry with me in the inside pocket of my riding jacket's liner.



It's smaller than my first infrared thermometer so its more portable. Next time I am caught in snow, I'll at least be able to quickly measure the temperature of the road when stopped and perhaps not worry as much about it being cold enough to freeze.

I bought it at a local computer electronics store, Microcenter, for $12. It's available online as well at harborfreight.com. The company that makes it, ipsgproducts.com does not even list it in their website. Go figure!

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

That is a great idea. Fortunately, I don't need one very often down here. They have a lot of other uses as well. I had not realized they have come down in price so much. I've Got to get me one.

Ride on,
Torch

Stacy said...

I've been in the market for a small thermometer and this one might be perfect for me. Thanks for the post!

Doug C said...

I'm a gadget geek and I love this idea. And Microcenter is an awesome store. I could spend hours there.

Thanks for the post!

Anonymous said...

you shouldnt be on a bike if theres ANY chance of snow...

Jack Riepe said...

Dear Charlie6 (Dom):

I'm going to look into one of these tomorrow.

Fondest regards,
Jack
Twisted Roads