Winter Cycling - Snot

How do you guys deal with all the snot that builds up from cold riding. I close one nostril and blow out the other, but ..... lets just say it can get messy if you wait too long to do it. One guy in my club rubber bands a rag to his arm and uses that.

I close one nostril and blow out the other
That's what I do to. Some days it feels like I have to do it every 2 minutes, so it feels like it would be a pain to deal with tissues and a rag.

I've always wondered what it's like riding in a big group on a cold day.

How do you guys deal with all the snot that builds up from cold riding. I close one nostril and blow out the other, but ..... lets just say it can get messy if you wait too long to do it.

So what if it's messy. You're going to wash your kit after the ride anyway. Besides, it's just dust and mucus. Mostly it evaporates by the end of the ride.

I breathe around it as best as I can. I think my nose gets accustomed to me ignoring it and reacts by generating less snot.

That's what I do to. Some days it feels like I have to do it every 2 minutes, so it feels like it would be a pain to deal with tissues and a rag.

I've always wondered what it's like riding in a big group on a cold day.

You have a snot rocket contest!

Does this topic come up every year? I seem to recall a "snot rocket" thread from last winter. :lol: In any case, it doesn't seem to plague me, but I usually keep my commutes relatively short in the winter. I suppose that on a long winter ride it could become an issue. Perhaps a seasonal beard is in order to store snotcicles until the ride is over.

I love the title of this thread because I was going to post something more demure like "Runny Nose Problem." The rag-and-rubber band idea is a hoot. Must be a guy thing. I don't have rocket-launching capacity. Riding 9 miles each way to work this week, a pocketful of tissues was quickly used up, so I'm thinking of buying some old-fashioned hankies.

Google will set you free...

site:bikeforums.net snotrockets

You will learn more than you might want to know.

This is an excellent skill to learn. It is handy when you are out in cold weather with no tissue and wearing gloves.

Done properly, it is actually pretty clean.

Maybe it's just me, but I find the sound, similar to a large spitwad striking a forehead, very gratifying.:)

The problem with snot rockets: dark conditions, snot rocket, where did it land? Perhaps on me.

So what if it's messy. You're going to wash your kit after the ride anyway.

Slippery slope here, fellows.

the cycling-specific gloves I bought at MEC have a nice terry section for the back of the thumb specifically for wiping

It's not a huge problem for me, probably in large part due to my being a mouth-breathing troglodyte :)

It's been in the 30s here and it's definitely snot season.

I usually pull off a glove, blow my nose into my index, middle finger and thumb and fling it to the ground (kind of a snot grenade), then replace the glove.

This has always gone acceptably well until yesterday...

I was finishing up a ride, about 5 miles from home, heading up a hill and needed to clear my nose. As I attempted to pull off the glove, my other hand abruptly slipped off and struck a brake hood. The front wheel did a hard-over, I over corrected, went off the road and fell over into the ditch where I lay chuckling for a few seconds before I got up.

Due to the low speed, no harm came to me or the bike.

I may have to modify my snot-clearing technique in the future.

The problem with snot rockets: dark conditions, snot rocket, where did it land? Perhaps on me.

It's all in the tecnique. Besides, it's not hazardous waste: a little snot on you now and then while learning reinforces the proper habits.

I love the title of this thread because I was going to post something more demure like "Runny Nose Problem."

Me too, although I was going to call my thread "Calling all snot rocket scientists"

I must need work on my technique because the shoulder of my jacket definitely has some snot residue on it. I rarely wash my jacket.

Paul

How do you guys deal with all the snot that builds up from cold riding.

I just suck em back. Problem solved.

It's no fun when you're on someone's wheel, and they pull to the side to signal that it's your turn at the front. But no, wait, he's blowing out his snot! and then it hits you...

Slippery slope here, fellows.

Slick as snot, you might say.

I just suck em back. Problem solved.
Eww. That made me nauseous just reading it. :twitchy:

Snotrocket +1

When you get to be really good, you can start aiming 'em.

I close one nostril and blow out the other

Sounds like you got it down. That's what I do. Learn to blow out under your cocked elbow to avoid wearing your snot on the rest of your ride.

Used to work in an ice cream plant freeze warehouse and frostbit the edge of my nose one July, just on the front edge of my nostril. This part tends to get a little crack when the weather is dry and has been a problem for the last 40 years. A good terry cloth rag on the back of your mitt removes the offensive dripping and will prevent frostbite, especially on the longer rides. SNOTSICLES are not good for your nose and can form before you know it. Take it from Frosty the snoseman.

Google will set you free...

site:bikeforums.net snotrockets

You will learn more than you might want to know.



After postulating that it's a guy thing, I have to eat my words. It seems that Machka is the authoress of the foremost treatise on snotrockets. Now that I'm out of excuses I'll have to woman up and give them a go.

I just suck em back. Problem solved.

Yeah I think I might do this without even realizing it. I was reading this thread and thinking man snot isn't a problem for me until well below freezing. And then I was out riding tonight and I think I caught myself... I'm probably between the denial and acceptance phases.

semper ubi sub ubi.
This won't start a commando thread, will it?

This won't start a commando thread, will it?

I hope not. I'm riding a lot in jeans these days. If I lost a commando thread I'd be really uncomfortable :D

Clean your nose before you leave the house. You just have to do a few minor sniffles along the way to keep it in.

I second the lift elbow and blow snot rocket technique. I have soiled myself doing this, but I got over it.

I seem to need to do it every 5 or 10 minutes or so.

I snort alot of it back and spit it out instead. This increased spitting was the topic of one my very first blog posts, here (http://rantwick.blogspot.com/2008/12/my-spitting-image.html). The whole spitoon thing didn't end up working out after all.