Winter Cycling - Putting the H, T, F, and U in Winter Commuting

:)

This thread is for the hard core, for those who will not let the weather stop them no matter how cold and icy it gets, those who will keep riding when their loved ones threaten to call the men with the little white coats to take you away because riding in this weather just has to be insane.

This is for those of you who do not fear the thought of experiencing -40... the place where C and F come to meet.

It will be a balmy -18 F tomorrow and the roads have just became passable... I'm actually stoked to be able to get out and ride and will be helping film a short piece on winter cycling.

So... how was your winter commute ?

Saturday, we had precipitation, and the temperature hovered around the 32ºF mark, so it looked like snow, but it felt like rain half the time. I had some errands to do by car, so I didn't cycle in it, but I thought to myself that this is the type of weather that can be more discouraging than when it's colder and snowier. I am challenging myself this winter to brave tougher weather on the bike than before. We'll see how it goes. So far, I haven't had to ride in anything difficult. I'm looking forward to it.

That damned Alaskan air is moving in to our area, too. (Normal temps here are cold enough, I don't know how those who live in Alaska deal with the extreme cold all winter long.) Our high is to be 9F tomorrow, but we'll have 20 MPH winds gusting to 31 MPH so the windchill will be around -40F. I'm not planning on riding the bike tomorrow. I don't have that kind of fortitude. This cold front is going to be lodged over us most of this next week, ugh.

Winter has just started to show its face around here. Maybe some snow Tuesday and Wednesday with highs in the teens (F) toward the end of the week. Nothing that will stop me from riding though.

I do have a problem with my goggles icing up once it gets below about -10 F but I've ridden when it's as low as -21 F. We don't see that mythical place where F and C meet in the Twin Cities like they do in the Northern part of the state but I know I'd have to figure out my goggle problem to be able ride when it's that cold.

I've never experience anything like a Twin-Cities winter. I want to, one day. To me, your winters are legend.

And just like your stereotype, you speak as if your winters "aren't really that bad."

I've gone camping at 40 below in the N.H. Whites. The coldest commute was a very rare 20 below wind chill.
Normal commute is in the teens. Snow&rain forecast for Wednesday and I'm looking forward to it.
The challenge is part of it. Getting by a bunch of cars is pretty cool too.

It has warmed up to -17 F / -27C already and we are supposed to warm up to 0F / -18 C this afternoon... I have a bunch of errands to ride today but it should be pretty pleasant.

The worst thing about the winter commute here is the roads... thankfully... there is no snow in the immediate forecast and the city is supposed to have all the main routes finished today.

I live on a bike route and only saw one guy riding this morning... at these temps a lot of people have reached and exceeded their personal cutoff point for riding... at -25 C the combination of temperatures and road conditions generally result in people looking for other travel options.

I have no cutoff point at which I won't ride and -46 C / -50 F is my personal best... if we see -50C I'll have to see what riding in that is like... that is -58 F.

I've never experience anything like a Twin-Cities winter. I want to, one day. To me, your winters are legend.

And just like your stereotype, you speak as if your winters "aren't really that bad."

Call it climate change or just a misrembering of my childhood, but winters (and summers for that matter) have been quite a bit milder than those of my youth. Rain in January was a very rare occurrence when I was kid (as opposed to snow) but now it happens all the time. So to me at least, our winters aren't as legendary as they used to be. In fact, "useful" winter is rather short. Outdoor skating rinks for example are open for two months at most. If they're open anytime in December, it's a gift and the city quits maintaining them by mid February because it gets too warm. I can remember skating on the lake outside my childhood home right around Thanksgiving.

But I digress. I understand that our winters are colder than most of country's. However, we're located in the middle of the continent. There's plenty of land (and people) in the Great White North where it's colder than it is here ;)

Oh, and I should add that Minneapolis and St. Paul shouldn't be confused with places like Ely or International Falls, MN that frequently make the news as having the "coldest temp" in the lower 48. They are quite a ways from here up near the Canadian border. It's practically tropical in the Twin Cities by comparison :) For fun, those folks like to cut a hole in the ice, jump in, get out, sit in a sauna for a while, and then jump in again. Generates a strange feeling of euphoria. Having experienced this on a winter camping trip last year, my contention is that the feeling of euphoria comes from having survived it.

127911Been doing the same 16 mile commute for so long that I feel like a rented trail horse at a tourist stable.
I use mostly side streets,sometimes I turn back if I feel the plow and traffic conditions may be too iffy.
Unless I'm leaving work. Conditions never seem too bad then.

I seem to recall that the winters of my youth had much more snow and stats support the fact our climate has been getting drier and drier... perhaps that explains why more people are winter cycling here and as far as that goes, it is considered to be one of Canada's best cities for this.

The city keeps the MUTS cleared so some routes are just about always free of snow...

Saskatoon sees lots of winter commuting, too... wet is way worse than cold, and we're too cold to be wet. I had -31C this morning, so I got out my winter coat and helmet... too warm! I was sweating. -41 is my personal best, although the headset bearings were getting dangerously stiff at that temp. New grease this year, where possible.

By the way, when talking temperature, do you consider windchill or not? I don't; windchill only matters for people standing still... when you're on a bike, the windchill is a pretty consistent effect, so I find the 'real' temperature to be a more reliable guide than the 'windchill' temperature.

There were 3 other cyclists that made it in to work before I did. Down from our typical summer numbers of about 15, but that's still a pretty good ratio of die-hard to fair-weather cyclists!

Gotta give some points to the folks in Saskatoon... I was the only cyclist on the road today save for the fellow I saw this morning although my friend might ride over to pick up her new winter tyres this afternoon.

She's as hard core as anyone I know.

tjspiel, there you go again, talking like it's not so bad. You're comparing your current winters with your past winters or with winters in the northern part of MN. All I can focus on is how cold it gets there. The stories I've heard are amazing.

It's 38ºF here (3ºC), with 59% humidity. It's really humid in this area, ten months a year, from November through August. So I do understand the point about dry extreme cold being better than wet moderate cold. I just rode two miles each way to see a client. Most people around here find it very uncomfortable.

Edmonton sounds nice. How windy is it? I bet it's not as bad as Minneapolis.

We get a ton of grey sky days in the winter, too, because of our high humidity.

Yeah, we never have to debate here in Saskatoon about whether to put studded tires on our bikes; ice ruts on unplowed streets are guaranteed. We don't have much ice yet, and cold is easy enough to deal with... just add layers. Pile on the snow like Edmonton just got and I guess winter cycling becomes (a little) less attractive. It occurs to me that, with the this combination of clear streets and cold weather, it's entirely possible that getting dressed/undressed is taking me more time than the commute itself. Well, it's a special kind of crazy I guess, but I always smile a little when I see someone else with the same affliction.

Edmonton sounds nice. How windy is it? I bet it's not as bad as Minneapolis.


A picture is worth a thousand words... :)

http://www.ravingbikefiend.com/bikepics/09winter4.JPG

A picture is worth a thousand words... :)


Right on.. :thumb:

Colorado low blows into town here soon.. plenty of snow, rain then a flash freeze!

Really not looking forward to putting away the clipless shoes, but the last thing I need is a soaking wet slush-puddle foot.

Do you have any trouble with your freehubs at that temperature?

Today was pretty intense. Lots of snow. I really like my studded tires. totally worth the money :)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/joemo9801/th_Picture010.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v257/joemo9801/?action=view&current=Picture010.jpg)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/joemo9801/th_Picture014.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v257/joemo9801/?action=view&current=Picture014.jpg)

Right on.. :thumb:

Colorado low blows into town here soon.. plenty of snow, rain then a flash freeze!

Really not looking forward to putting away the clipless shoes, but the last thing I need is a soaking wet slush-puddle foot.

Do you have any trouble with your freehubs at that temperature?

In years past I have always ridden my fixed gear through the winter and started using the longbike last winter and had no issues although it hasn't seen anything colder than today's low of -27 C... when it gets truly evil I will break out the fg bike just in case things might freeze up on me.

The fg is also a much lighter and faster winter bike.

How hilly is your area, Sixty Fiver? What effect on control does the fixed gear have? I can imagine it helping in some conditions and hindering in others.

That's a heck of a lot of snow in your picture. When did that fall? Is that the same snowfall that caused the traffic problems? The pictures of traffic seemed to show only about three inches of snow.

I have been disappointed by the small amount of snow fall here in Great Falls, MT. Today it was -19F with windchill reaching -40 to -50.

Tom - This is from the same snowfall except this hasn't been packed down and there is a little drift build up (it's my back yard)... the road you saw the other day had probably been plowed at least once during the night and before the road carnage began and then it just kept snowing for the rest of the day and into the night.

I love the fixed gear as it offers some excellent control, especially when touching the front brake will result in an instant skid... the FG never hinders me when I am riding unless I decide to tackle some monster climbs.

Our city is built up around an old river with steep banks... there are 17 bridges that cross it and if one wants they can avoid any extreme climbs while dipping in and out of the valley will get you grades ranging from 8 to 22 % depending on where you enter and exit and most exceed 12%.

I have been disappointed by the small amount of snow fall here in Great Falls, MT. Today it was -19F with windchill reaching -40 to -50.

You are insane.

Welcome to the club.

:)

This thread is for the hard core, for those who will not let the weather stop them no matter how cold and icy it gets, those who will keep riding when their loved ones threaten to call the men with the little white coats to take you away because riding in this weather just has to be insane.

This is for those of you who do not fear the thought of experiencing -40... the place where C and F come to meet.

It will be a balmy -18 F tomorrow and the roads have just became passable... I'm actually stoked to be able to get out and ride and will be helping film a short piece on winter cycling.

So... how was your winter commute ?

Here in Spokane, WA the weather is cooler than normal, about -14C / 7°F as of 9PM. No snow yet :( so my commutes are boring.

Last winter we did have exceptional snowfalls starting ~Dec. 18th and I shot some video of one city + highway commute for the heck of it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfG1kjwVgi4 The city was overwhelmed and had to work hard just to keep a skeleton of arterial streets open. I resorted to using Google Maps' satellite photography to locate the storm drains on our street so I could dig them out.

Last winter we did have exceptional snowfalls starting ~Dec. 18th and I shot some video of one city + highway commute for the heck of it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfG1kjwVgi4 The city was overwhelmed and had to work hard just to keep a skeleton of arterial streets open. I resorted to using Google Maps' satellite photography to locate the storm drains on our street so I could dig them out.
I enjoyed your video. I'd say you'd qualify as hardcore IMHO. I'm surprised none of the passing motorists honked or yelled encouragement (or obscenities) while driving by.

I enjoyed your video. I'd say you'd qualify as hardcore IMHO. I'm surprised none of the passing motorists honked or yelled encouragement (or obscenities) while driving by.

It's too cold and it takes time and effort to roll down the windows... motorists are lazy and most aren't that commited to abusing cyclists. Winter is great that way!

The motorists are probably afraid that if they breath the same air as me, they'll be infected with Crazy :) Actually, on that ride, there was one car driven by a ?20-year-old? who did bother to roll down his window and yell what was intended to be an insult, but was simply amusing... I can NOT remember the exact word he called me, but it gave me a chuckle :D

When I stopped by the Italian market today I parked right in front of the windows and the young guy bagging the groceries said my bike was the coolest thing he'd ever seen and that I must be pretty hard core to be riding in this weather... it is usually the old Italian guys that stop me and ask about the extra cycle but I guess it was too cold for them to be out.

I have never seen this market so quiet as it was today... there is usually a lineup at the deli 10 deep and today one did not even need to take a number.

Note to self... grocery shop when it is -30C.

Oh, and I should add that Minneapolis and St. Paul shouldn't be confused with places like Ely or International Falls, MN that frequently make the news as having the "coldest temp" in the lower 48. They are quite a ways from here up near the Canadian border. It's practically tropical in the Twin Cities by comparison :) For fun, those folks like to cut a hole in the ice, jump in, get out, sit in a sauna for a while, and then jump in again. Generates a strange feeling of euphoria. Having experienced this on a winter camping trip last year, my contention is that the feeling of euphoria comes from having survived it.

I thought Fargo ND was on average the coldest city in the lower 48

randy - I just got my nightly PDX update...sounds like you folks aren't having any fun what with that arctic front blasting into the PNW and if you can, could you order some nicer weather for the 21st ?

the coldest ive ridden in was last winter. just a mere -15 F or so.

you guys are hardcore. much respect.

In my opinion, anyone who will ride when it's near freezing or when it's raining is hardcore. That's pretty dedicated, and I respect that. Not all of us have the privilege of enjoying a 6 month Canadian winter, after all. Those who live here have simply invested in more winter clothes. Speaking of which, I tried out my new pogies this morning, and had toasty hands in the -33C/-28F we had here today! And my co-workers all bailed :( Maybe they need pogies, too.

I need to make some pogies... it is supposed to be -34 C on the weekend and I have many things I have to get done and quite a few miles that have to be ridden.

I thought Fargo ND was on average the coldest city in the lower 48

Fargo might be the coldest on average or they may only count cities of a certain size, I don't know. I just know that when there's a cold snap and a national weather forecaster says where the coldest reading for the nation that day is, you'll often hear International Falls, Ely, and the unfortunately named "Embarass", MN.

Mountainous areas consistently win the battle for coldest temp though. As far as frequency of lowest recorded temps goes, Minnesota cities don't even rank in the top 10.

But here's an interesting little stat:

Out of 250 major weather stations in the continental US, these five have an annual mean temperature below 40 °F (4.4 °C):

Mt. Washington, New Hampshire 27.2
International Falls, Minnesota 37.4
Marquette, Michigan 38.7
Duluth, Minnesota 39.1
Caribou, Maine 39.2

I wouldn't have thought Duluth would be in that list. It must get dragged down by it's low temps the rest of the year.

Regina and Winnipeg see colder average temperatures than we do despite being farther south and our normal average high for this time of the year is -10 C... I think I mentioned that the temperature on the weekend is supposed to plunge to -34C

We are not unaccustomed to seeing weather like we are having now and it is pretty much expected to have cold snaps like this during the winter... outlying areas get a little colder than we do and I have had people report seeing -50C at specific locations... or not see... at -50C most normal thermometers stop reading any temperature.

Yahoo Weather (http://weather.yahoo.com/canada/alberta/edmonton-8676/?unit=c) says that Edmonton seeing -20ºC (-4ºF) right now, with cloudy skies and snow in the forecast.

Where are people seeing -50ºC?

bionnaki, where are you? I don't think I've ever been anywhere below -5ºF.


In my opinion, anyone who will ride when it's near freezing or when it's raining is hardcore.

Thank you for saying that, hshearer. You made me feel better. I suspect 0ºC and raining is really harder than -10ºC and dry. We get a lot of 0ºF and raining around here. Plus it can be windy at the same time. That's when the weather seems downright malicious.

You nailed it there. I've been on the train in the mornings. I need to work on my winter gear before i attempt a -36 morning. I have been out a bit in the evenings. Here's a shot of my bike locked up outside my girlfriend's place. My lockup is just about buried now!

http://i.imgur.com/A2xL9l.jpg


It has warmed up to -17 F / -27C already and we are supposed to warm up to 0F / -18 C this afternoon... I have a bunch of errands to ride today but it should be pretty pleasant.

The worst thing about the winter commute here is the roads... thankfully... there is no snow in the immediate forecast and the city is supposed to have all the main routes finished today.

I live on a bike route and only saw one guy riding this morning... at these temps a lot of people have reached and exceeded their personal cutoff point for riding... at -25 C the combination of temperatures and road conditions generally result in people looking for other travel options.

I have no cutoff point at which I won't ride and -46 C / -50 F is my personal best... if we see -50C I'll have to see what riding in that is like... that is -58 F.

My cut off has more to do with inches of snow than temp. It doesn't get to 50 below here. It is snowing hard right now and is supposed to get worse tonight. So I'll ride home but more than likely I'll be jogging to the train station tomorrow. Anything more than a few inches is too difficult and takes too long for me.

Winter has just started to show its face around here. Maybe some snow Tuesday and Wednesday with highs in the teens (F) toward the end of the week. Nothing that will stop me from riding though.

I do have a problem with my goggles icing up once it gets below about -10 F but I've ridden when it's as low as -21 F. We don't see that mythical place where F and C meet in the Twin Cities like they do in the Northern part of the state but I know I'd have to figure out my goggle problem to be able ride when it's that cold.

When you get the goggle thing figured out...let me know! I'm almost ready to do the goggles with a fan thing....
Oh yeah, just getting my blinking Christmas lights put on the bike....anyone else?

Do you Canadians and Minnesotans have dogs? The question came to mind yesterday as I gave my dogs a late-night walk. They're greyhounds and particularly ill-suited to cold weather. We had rain mixed with snow, and it was coming down pretty heavily, and I was thinking about those -40º nights you have and thinking it would be impossible for dogs to "go" outside without injuring themselves.

What do dog owners do in that climate?

I also have a crazy, funny cat who comes with us on our walks. He adores the dogs and walks in figure eights between their legs. He is thick-furred and doesn't give a hoot about snow or rain. He comes home soaking wet and happy. Just for fun, I pour water on him when he's inside, and he just sits there and looks at me. Oh, and his name is Booger.

http://whatexit.org/tommy/red-booger/red%20and%20booger%20009.jpg

Do you Canadians and Minnesotans have dogs? The question came to mind yesterday as I gave my dogs a late-night walk. They're greyhounds and particularly ill-suited to cold weather. We had rain mixed with snow, and it was coming down pretty heavily, and I was thinking about those -40º nights you have and thinking it would be impossible for dogs to "go" outside without injuring themselves.

What do dog owners do in that climate?



Sure, they are usually good for a short bathroom walk in cold weather even with a short coat...if going for a longer walk, a sweater and booties are in line for some dogs..others glory in the snow and cold! Many cats just look at you as though you are nuts or act as though it's no big deal...

I wore my winter jacket on the commute yesterday, it wasn't too bad in the morning when it was -27C. However, the afternoon commute was around -18C. I nearly died! At one light I completely unzipped my jacket to the astonishment of a few motorists.

Whoah... it is supposed to get up to -13C today.

We can wear shorts again. :)

My dogs love and hate cold weather... the Min Pin is like a greyhound with a single coat and she goes out handles her business really quickly before coming back in to lie by the heat register whereas my Shih Tzu loves playing in the snow, even in much colder temps.

Shih tzus are actually well suited for snow and cold... they have well padded paws and fluffy little coats to keep them warm and my neighbours have two of them that have been out playing in the snow as well.

But then again... Shih Tzus aren't the brightest dogs out there.

I would love to participate here but pretty consistently the most notable winter catastrophes always result in schools being closed so I wind up staying home w/ the kids instead.

We had a unique combo of high winds and temps around 20 this weekend followed up by single digit temps this week. So Monday there were 2 separate choke points where I had to carry my bike over downed trees, and it wasn't until this morning that one of those was cleared. Sometimes I wonder if it's the municipality that gets around to that, or other bikers who carry chainsaws with them.

...or other bikers who carry chainsaws with them.

Sounds like a good idea for a low-budget horror movie!

-10F or so here this morning on the Colorado front range. That is about as cold as it gets here. As they say, it wasn't too bad with the right equipment.

Kudos, to all you -30F and lower riders. Stay safe and warm.

Paul

I love the fixed gear as it offers some excellent control, especially when touching the front brake will result in an instant skid... the FG never hinders me when I am riding unless I decide to tackle some monster climbs.

+1

I ride in all conditions (no car) in the Colorado front range, which is not too bad. But we do get brief periods of deep snow (such as right now), and during those, I definitely love fixed. I've got a converted clunker MTB with a low fixed gear and studded tires specifically for the snow. On any other bike, I'm pretty nervous riding on ice or packed snow, and but on that one I'm looking for extra drifts to plow through or crawl to the top of. The extra control is awesome. It doesn't go fast, and it doesn't go up hills, but it will get through more snow than any car.

Co-workers are always saying things like "Wow, it must be rough commuting by bike on a day like this!" and I say "Yeah", but I'm thinking "Commuting in this weather really would suck, so it's a good thing I was at the office when I finished playing in the snow..."

Do you Canadians and Minnesotans have dogs? The question came to mind yesterday as I gave my dogs a late-night walk. They're greyhounds and particularly ill-suited to cold weather. We had rain mixed with snow, and it was coming down pretty heavily, and I was thinking about those -40º nights you have and thinking it would be impossible for dogs to "go" outside without injuring themselves.

Depends on the breed and how much time they spend outdoors. The greyhounds I see around here all wear coats, - seriously. We usually get lab mixes from the pound and they typically don't care about cold unless they get some ice wedged between their toes. Sled dogs where booties for this reason. They've all loved playing fetch and digging for tennis balls in the snow.

Speaking of sled dogs, if you want to see some dogs have fun in the cold, go watch the beginning of a dogsled race. They just go nuts. Sometimes they'll have the dogs pull an extra sled just to keep things in control. Anyway, I'm one of the few people I know whose worn a tux both while riding a bike and while riding a dogsled.

I've had to "go" outside myself while winter camping and probably every boy I've ever known has signed their name in the snow at some point or another. I eventually learned not to drink too much before climbing into the sleeping bag. Nothing worse than being semi-comfortable and having to get up to pee. My first night I awakened by wolves howling (kind of cool actually). and basically got no sleep after that. Would just get sort of comfortable, dose off then awake having to go. I'd lay there for awhile cause I really didn't want to but nature was calling.

It never got to more than about 20 below on the trips I've been on, but the same group has seen temps of 40 below a few times.

We just had a big winter storm pass through our area. I left at 5:45 AM this morning on my fixed gear bike with skinny (32mm) touring tires and 42/18 gear ratio. About half way through my commute I realized that I was in deep **** ,there was much more snow then I expected. I realized that the gear ratio was a little too high and it made the going really difficult at times. I wish I brought my other winter bike with gears and aggressive studded tires. But all I can say is that I love riding fixed , the control over the bike is amazing I didn't even have to use my brakes today I just skidded everytime I had to stop, I think I will gear down a little more next time I ride with that bike in deep snow. I was also surprised how well those skinny tires worked cutting through fresh snow, but I did have some problems in rutted half frozen slush, it was difficult to keep the bike going straight. Well, tommorow I am thinking of riding my studded tired bike because everything is supposed to freeze tonight.

We just had a big winter storm pass through our area. I left at 5:45 AM this morning on my fixed gear bike with skinny (32mm) touring tires and 42/18 gear ratio........ But all I can say is that I love riding fixed , the control over the bike is amazing I didn't even have to use my brakes today I just skidded everytime I had to stop


Same story here. Left at 5:55 AM on my fixed gear bike with medium 47mm studded tires. Didn't need brakes. Snow wasn't deep (until I went home at noon) but slippery.

What's the deal with narrow vs fat tires? 47 mm doesn't float on snow, except enough to slide all over the place. Do 35 mm tires make all the difference? Do 23s? Does no tire actually cut through slippery snowstorm snow better than a 1.75" with studs?

When you get the goggle thing figured out...let me know! I'm almost ready to do the goggles with a fan thing....
Oh yeah, just getting my blinking Christmas lights put on the bike....anyone else?

I got some new goggles. I let you know how they work tomorrow although it'll only be a little below zero.

Yes, I've got my x-mas lights on too. ;-)