Commuting - Should have checked the weather...

It was 30F and snowing on my commute home yesterday. Yesterday was one of those days where I didn't do anything after work. I didn't boot up the computer, turn on the TV, or call anyone. I curled up with a book and read until I was ready to go to sleep.

Today, Friday, was my "rest" day as far as my triathlon training, so I slept in until 7:00. I decided to wear street clothes on my ride to work. So I had jeans, shirt, wool socks, regular shoes, sweater, and a jacket.

I stepped out the door and realized I was underdressed. My upper-half was okay for the ride in, but the jeans were terribly cold against my skin. Once I got to work, I saw that the temperature was only 10F. :notamused:

I need to keep an eye out on the weather forecast from now on.

Sometimes you're better off not knowing. It was -15 in Minneapolis this morning. Jeans shatter in this kind of weather. ;) I wore my PI Amfib bibs for the first time this year. They're warm but they make a scritch scritch scritch noise when you walk.

Curled up with a book sounds like a great way to pass the time on a cold winter evening.

...I need to keep an eye out on the weather forecast from now on.

Sometimes you're better off not knowing...
This is not an I-told-you-so thread, but checking the weather is virtually a ritual for me. I'm up by 5:00 AM. After I brush my teeth and pour a cup of coffee, I sit and surf some selected cable channels (movies and entertainment, not news.) The last channel I hit is called Weatherscan. It's a continous local Doppler covering Metro Boston for a radius of about 50 miles, with weather data, e.g. wind speed and direction, and forecasts updated cyclically over about every minute. Since it's usually dark out, and all our windows face east (and weather changes usually come in from the West), I can pretty readily plan what to wear and which bike to ride; pristine road, or all-weather studded-tire beater. I also record temp and windspeed/direction in my log.

It's gotten to be a game for me. if I ride the appropriate bike I win: road bike on clear roads and beater on wet or worse roads; vice versa and I lose. Before I took up riding daily year-round, riding in the rain, or not riding when dry was a loss.

Weatherscan is a most convenient and informative source. The Weather Channel used to show local Doppler with current conditions every 10 minutes as "Local on the Eights," but they seem to have abandoned that when I watch it in other cities, and I don't anymore here in Boston. For locals around Boston with Comcast, Weatherscan is channel 245. :thumb:

You probably have a really short bike commute to be doing it in jeans in snow!

I have an outdoor thermometer mounted outside my window. It allows me to see what the temperature is and the relative condition I will be riding in.

I always check the weather. I use The Weather Channel's app. I even use it to send myself an email of the conditions before I leave the house. Once I get to work, I record the weather, what I wore, and how I felt. Now I can get ready in the morning and reference past rides to determine what I need to wear to be comfortable iin that day's conditions. Here's my sheet:

https://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=0AoLZesqSJ-3TdFRWSkVLUGJqNFduT3hLSGNtZWsyeGc&hl=en&output=html

I also make sure I check the weather before I get dressed. Half way into your commute, when you're good and warmed up, you decide if you over or under dressed for the given weather conditions. After a couple of Winters, I've gotten really good at picking just the right clothes based on the morning weather report.

I always check the weather. I use The Weather Channel's app. I even use it to send myself an email of the conditions before I leave the house. Once I get to work, I record the weather, what I wore, and how I felt. Now I can get ready in the morning and reference past rides to determine what I need to wear to be comfortable iin that day's conditions. Here's my sheet:

https://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=0AoLZesqSJ-3TdFRWSkVLUGJqNFduT3hLSGNtZWsyeGc&hl=en&output=html


this is a great idea!!

You probably have a really short bike commute to be doing it in jeans in snow!

I do. I moved into town to live the urban life and now live 3.5 miles from work. It used to be 16.5 miles.

I usually check the weather in the morning. Then I pack the laptop up into the pannier and head out. I hadn't unpacked the laptop last night. I have a TV, but it hasn't been turned on in months. Although it was snowing on the way home yesterday, it was about 30F. I assumed temperatures would be about the same. I was wrong. :)

When my commute was 16.5 miles one-way, I always checked the weather. With a shorter commute I'm not quite a worried about it. It was just substantially colder than I was prepared for.

...The last channel I hit is called Weatherscan. It's a continous local Doppler covering Metro Boston for a radius of about 50 miles, with weather data, e.g. wind speed and direction, and forecasts updated cyclically over about every minute...Weatherscan is a most convenient and informative source. The Weather Channel used to show local Doppler with current conditions every 10 minutes as "Local on the Eights," but they seem to have abandoned that when I watch it in other cities, and I don't anymore here in Boston. For locals around Boston with Comcast, Weatherscan is channel 245. :thumb:

Weatherscan is what I watch in the morning as well before I leave. It's also channel 245 here in Western MA.

Good job for pushing through the 10 degree weather! You're Army Strong!

Good job for pushing through the 10 degree weather! You're Army Strong!

Yeah, the time I did that it was in the low 40's. Which made me feel better for being a little cold when I got home.

Yeah, I check it almost every morning to figure out how to dress. The game for me is getting the delicate balance between overdressed and undressed just right.

Then there was the time I didnt notice the chance of showers in the afternoon...