Winter Cycling - Anyone else excited about winter?

I find myself digging through old winter biking pictures actually really excited about winter coming up. I really am hoping we get a few good snows this year, especially since I moved here before last winter ready to finally see snow again and getting cheated. We hardly saw any snow here in Colorado Springs even when Denver just an hour north got hammered.

Is anyone else crazy enough to be excited about the coming winter?

I'd be more excited if my LBS started to get the parts for my new winter bike. So far I've got a frame and fenders.

Yes and no. Part of me is looking forward to riding around in the snow, but all the "bad" stuff that comes with winter outweighs that. We got cheated for snow last year in Ontario as well, so it was pretty much all bad and no good.

Yes yes yes. Im waiting for that first snow to come so I can leave tracks everywhere I go on my bike. Im like a little kid at a candy shop when it comes to riding in the snow. I just hope I'm ready I havent bought any new cloths for this year. Every year I get a little bit more stuff. this year I'm thinking about getting sport hill winter running pants. Also this will be my first year with a real 200 lum front light. I cant wait. Im going to make some shoe covers now hehe

I am looking forward to finding out just how bad rim brakes are in the wet.........and the Winter X Games!

No. Not really. But when it does come, if there's snow, I enjoy it. :)

A quality light makes a huge difference for me. I think the only thing I will get getting will be a set of poggies, my hands get cold very easy and I do not like thick gloves. I had a set for drop bars and they worked great although I do not have a drop bar bike anymore so time to get a new set.

Rim brakes actually work decent in the rain if you have quality pads, kool stop salmon pads work really well in wet.

I was pretty excited to do my first year of winter biking last year and looked what happened: the warmest winter weather in Wisconsin history. On the plus side, it provided a good learning experience without painful consequences like frostbite, but in some ways I felt cheated because it was so warm.

I was pretty excited to do my first year of winter biking last year and looked what happened: the warmest winter weather in Wisconsin history. On the plus side, it provided a good learning experience without painful consequences like frostbite, but in some ways I felt cheated because it was so warm.

I know your pain, it is starting to look and feel more like winter each and every day here. I am really hoping to not be cheated this year. I actually am hoping for a blizzard or two, plus we need the moisture anyways!

I haven't yet gotten myself to buy some of the recommended clothes for winter biking, and this year that is going to change. I keep saying I want to ride in winter, then I go out a few times and get fed up with how cold I am or how stiff my muscles feel and how much faster I get winded. I end up letting the bike sit, and then in March I say why did you do that? Especially this year, because we had such a warm winter and I feel like I wasted it. I like snow but have never biked in it.

I haven't yet gotten myself to buy some of the recommended clothes for winter biking, and this year that is going to change. I keep saying I want to ride in winter, then I go out a few times and get fed up with how cold I am or how stiff my muscles feel and how much faster I get winded. I end up letting the bike sit, and then in March I say why did you do that? Especially this year, because we had such a warm winter and I feel like I wasted it. I like snow but have never biked in it.

Proper gear makes all the difference in comfort. Also do not forget it takes a couple weeks to really get your body used to riding in really cold temps. If you ride daily you will adapt rather quickly. I also believe in the "ride cold" method when getting ready for winter riding. In the fall as temps slowly start to drop purposely ride a with a little less clothing than you would to help get your body ready for colder temps.

Proper gear makes all the difference in comfort. Also do not forget it takes a couple weeks to really get your body used to riding in really cold temps. If you ride daily you will adapt rather quickly. I also believe in the "ride cold" method when getting ready for winter riding. In the fall as temps slowly start to drop purposely ride a with a little less clothing than you would to help get your body ready for colder temps.

Very True about how your body adapts. I lived in wisconsin and when I biked in the winter. I noticed about a month of cold weather in and I took off the ski goggles. I was like "why did I even wear them to begin with" when I took them off. But I still ride with a ski mask.

This is my first winter I plan to commute by bike. So far I've figured out that 15C (60F) is my low tolerance for a t-shirt, and 10C (50F) is my low tolerance for shorts. It's all in the testing phase now, what to wear and not to go too heavy. I also learned to F***ing hate windy days. :lol:

This is my first winter I plan to commute by bike. So far I've figured out that 15C (60F) is my low tolerance for a t-shirt, and 10C (50F) is my low tolerance for shorts. It's all in the testing phase now, what to wear and not to go too heavy. I also learned to F***ing hate windy days. :lol:

haha, windy days are the worst, not only does it make you colder but unlike climbing, you get no reward for the extra effort.

I've not really done much winter cycling to speak of. This year, though, I've been getting some gear that'll allow me to do some cold weather riding. I've got tights and some bibs, but am still looking for a jacket. I'm sure I'll identify other stuff too, which I'll get as I go.

I got a Surly Moonlander this summer so for the first time in my life I am looking forward to winter. That bike is so much fun to ride in the warm weather and I just can't wait to ride it in the snow.

I've been a year round commuter for a while but I have never looked forward to the winter half of the year. I endure it and I use riding as a way to give winter the finger. This year I'll try to lovingly embrace it.

I got a Surly Moonlander this summer so for the first time in my life I am looking forward to winter. That bike is so much fun to ride in the warm weather and I just can't wait to ride it in the snow.

I've been a year round commuter for a while but I have never looked forward to the winter half of the year. I endure it and I use riding as a way to give winter the finger. This year I'll try to lovingly embrace it.

Please post your experience with the Moonlander. They look like a ton of fun! Are you going to get studded tires, like the bad boy Dillinger from 45NRTH?

I was pretty excited to do my first year of winter biking last year and looked what happened: the warmest winter weather in Wisconsin history. On the plus side, it provided a good learning experience without painful consequences like frostbite, but in some ways I felt cheated because it was so warm.

But you got snow, right? Here in NJ, we sometimes have winters with no snow at all. And of course, last winter was one of them. I wanted to try riding on snow and ice with my knobby tires, but no such joy.

Looks like I get my first taste of winter tomorrow, 2-4cm of snow forecast. It will probably be slush and may not even be much accumulation. I'll throw the studs on tonight just in case there is some ice as they mention a risk of freezing rain. The studs will be on 2 days max as they are calling for +15C Fri/Sat then +18C Sun/Mon.

Instead of a Surly Troll I'm getting a Pugsley. I'm going to try getting a set of Dillingers for it. By tomorrow I'll know if my LBS can get them or if I'll have to order from the US. Ice is the predominate winter condition here, so fat knobby tires alone probably won't cut it.

Looks like I get my first taste of winter tomorrow, 2-4cm of snow forecast. It will probably be slush and may not even be much accumulation. I'll throw the studs on tonight just in case there is some ice as they mention a risk of freezing rain. The studs will be on 2 days max as they are calling for +15C Fri/Sat then +18C Sun/Mon.

Instead of a Surly Troll I'm getting a Pugsley. I'm going to try getting a set of Dillingers for it. By tomorrow I'll know if my LBS can get them or if I'll have to order from the US. Ice is the predominate winter condition here, so fat knobby tires alone probably won't cut it.

Go Pugsly! Once you get it make sure to let us know how the Dillingers do in ice!

Tom, I know your pain. I moved across the country in search of snow and better riding and found very little snow (luckily amazing riding though)

excited and apprehensive. this will be my first winter commuting to work. i rode in 20's-30's F , but that was just around town in March with almost no snow. my commute is partly a county route and i'm concerned about losing room on the shoulder and/or plows. we'll see.

that said, i've got the Nature Boy set up with fenders, 300 lumens up front and a spare snows wheelset. getting studs for at least the front to have on hand.

I have a Pugsley for snow and a Troll for ice. Bring on old man winter!

I am. I am getting my bike ready and said this is the year I will keep riding through the snow and cold of MI.

It's coming round.... we've already seen some snow here locally under 1,000 feet. no accumulation yet. Still want to squeeze in a day or two of surfing before the ice makes that impossible.

studded tires mounted on wheelsets for GF and my bikes, need to go thru and lube, adjust when i swap out the wheels but pretty much ready to go.

I'm looking forward to it. I like winter riding better than summer.

Though I'll have to admit that I don't ride much when the roads are covered with hard-packed snow/ice.

This means that in most January's I only manage two or three rides. But that's pretty much okay. Driving (mostly) to work for just that one month doesn't make me feel very guilty. I think of it as a bit of rest time.

But from now until New Year and then from February onward, bring it on!

I got a Surly Moonlander this summer so for the first time in my life I am looking forward to winter. That bike is so much fun to ride in the warm weather and I just can't wait to ride it in the snow.

I've been a year round commuter for a while but I have never looked forward to the winter half of the year. I endure it and I use riding as a way to give winter the finger. This year I'll try to lovingly embrace it.

I picked up a Surly Pugsley this spring and do look forward to seeing how much fun it is in the snow, have the winter beast ready, and will be teaching classes on winter cycling early next month.

Am I excited ?

Right now the weather has been warm and sunny and we have been loving the season... I'll take winter when it comes as when it does it usually comes with a bang.

Yes - My winter beater is currently at the LBS getting fixed up for the season.

No - Because this winter likely won't be as short as last years.

Now I'm excited!

http://i969.photobucket.com/albums/ae176/gECHO/IMG_0026b.jpg

Had to get a little excited today as we got some snow overnight and it left some nice icy patches on the roads... pulled out the winter beast and after straightening up the bars and adding some air the tires we were good to go.

Got my new BM Lumotec mounted up so I will have light on demand... it works very nicely.

If we had more than a skiff of snow it would have been a good day for the Pug.

For me winter means mostly cold and wet and foggy - we don't do snow much here, and I likely wouldn't consider riding in it due to the strange things it does to all the PacNW folk that think they can drive in it.

Winter commuting is actually when I am most faithful (or at least it worked that way last year), since I don't get as much weekend or after-work riding in. Also fewer temptations to work in the yard, go fishing, etc., after work, so my commute day per week average is higher in the winter than in summer. I love my CX bike for commuting, and am shopping for another so I can actually ride CX without having to keep swapping tires, racks, etc. etc.

The Weather Service has predicted an El Nino winter this year, which means drier and warmer than normal around these parts. Was looking that way the first two weeks of the month - dry, clear, warm. In the last half of the month, we've gotten a ton of rain, so maybe the Nino won't be. Either way, am really looking forward to riding as much as possible this winter.

the snow has begun round these parts pretty strong but may not be holding just yet.
Today had me seriously thinking about the cross country skis but i had work to do.

as to those winter perambulations, can't tell what in the heck the jet streams going to start doing this winter yet. My observations are that the jet stream's trend of big dips south or staying predominately north strongly influences weather patterns and temperatures across much of the continental U.S. with the effects more prevalent in the winter.

The fat tires are quite awful on ice and polished snow. But this evening I had a blast riding through the park where the snow was less disturbed. There was about 5cm and I found my best bet on the road was to stay to the side where the cars hadn't been.

I'm looking forward to some deeper stuff. Its going to warm up next week so I'm going to need to wait a bit longer.

At this point, I've managed to do 3 or 4 cold weather rides. (40-50 degrees) I need to fine tune my gear. The biggest challenge is that I heat up climbing the hills and then cool down on the descents. How do most people deal with it? Zipping and unzipping my jacket is inadequate for temperature regulation.

At this point, I've managed to do 3 or 4 cold weather rides. (40-50 degrees) I need to fine tune my gear. The biggest challenge is that I heat up climbing the hills and then cool down on the descents. How do most people deal with it? Zipping and unzipping my jacket is inadequate for temperature regulation.

Multiple breathable layers works well for me. Even the thinnest shelled wind/rain jacket makes me start to sweat quickly. Zippered fronts and pit zips are great as well.

The forecast high for tomorrow is -9C with 10cm of snow. I had to go back to my ride log to remember what I wear on my feet for those temps. My Lake winter boots plus rain covers should be adequate. The velcro on the Lake boots is getting old so they don't block wind as well as they used to.

I also pulled out the winter gear tub and started pulling out some of the items. My mitt shells and wind pants will go in my pannier. I won't need the goggles yet or respirator yet, but I decided to give the boot warmers a charge.

Long weekend, so I'll get to play around in the snow with my Pugsley.

At this point, I've managed to do 3 or 4 cold weather rides. (40-50 degrees) I need to fine tune my gear. The biggest challenge is that I heat up climbing the hills and then cool down on the descents. How do most people deal with it? Zipping and unzipping my jacket is inadequate for temperature regulation.

At those temperatures the key word for temperature regulation is breathability, the more breathable it is better the temperature regulation will be.
At 40-50F i usually ride with a single layer with a windproof front panel.
I have noticed a better comfort if i wear nothing on the top of my head and if the layer i wear is lighter on my back. Those areas are where the body release excess heat.
If it were me i would try to be cold before starting climbing the hill by removing a layer, opening all the zips available and wear a headband in place of a hat and cut my hairs

I love winter riding for all the challenges it presents. What I want out of winter is it never to warm up past -10C for daytime highs from November until March. I want good snow pack to form on the side streets. I dislike it when the temperature edges to freezing as the roads are wet and dirty and the snow pack turns into a greasy mess. There was a precipitation event last last week that dumped close to 35 cm of snow in two days, but daytime highs have not allowed for proper snow pack formation. Sad I am.

I live in a small enough town i can use skis for transportation. (I can ski thru the woods for part of my current commute on a x-c ski trail.)

I like 'white ice' i.e. compacted snow, on the roads for both studs, counterskidding turns without studs, and skis alike.

White ice is a winter travelers' friend-so long as you are self-propelled!

Excited about winter? heck yeah, except for the shoveling.

Thanksgiving might be the last 'nice' day for bike riding for quite some time, but do seem to get the road bike out once or twice a winter during real dry spells that leave the main roads dry.

It snowed yesterday and I hadn't swapped the studs on yet, but I still had loads of fun on my short commute, purposely locking up the rear, doing wheelies to see if I break my neck or not. I've got the studs on today, BRING IT ON! I prefer summer/road bike, but I'm always giddy when I pull out the XC bike with my studs and I can hop onto snow covered trails.

Yes indeed! I've always liked winter although living in the flattest part of Wisconsin poses some challenge since sledding was often a favorite past-time.

This is my first year that I will be giving winter biking the ol' college try. Ironically I tried it once in college and decided it was a deathwish. I didn't know about studded tires then.

Alas this winter is turning out to be like the last one. I hope something changes and we get a real winter this time.

am i excited... no. i suppose you could say i'm as excited for winter to be coming as i would be excited to piss out a kidney stone.

I'm excited about winter riding but if this winter is anything like last year, then I'll be disappointed. So far we've had only a couple of night/morning temps below freezing but the coldest daytime temps have only been in the mid 40s F. Even then just wearing a t-shirt, a fleece jacket, jeans and plimsoles still had me sweaty once I got to work... boo. I want snow to have fun on my folder with studded knobbies.

am i excited... no. i suppose you could say i'm as excited for winter to be coming as i would be excited to piss out a kidney stone.

Look on the bright side. The effort of passing a large enough stone could reward you with something that can be cut into a wonderful gem that you could mount in a nice band. It's all a matter of perspective.

Look on the bright side. The effort of passing a large enough stone could reward you with something that can be cut into a wonderful gem that you could mount in a nice band. It's all a matter of perspective.

:roflmao2:

They are calling for snow tomorrow night into sunday, I am doubtful but really hoping I am wrong.

Excited? Why, heck yes. Here's a little stoke from today's ride.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-aWMbT8Q9ak&feature=player_embedded

Excited? Why, heck yes. Here's a little stoke from today's ride.


Fun! Where are you?

...just south of Christmas!

I'll try to get some video this winter sneaking the bike out to the local ski hill if there's a sunny, cold day with good hard pack conditions.

Hey Bek, what camera are you using?
Hero?

Hey Bek, what camera are you using?
Hero?

an older 960 GoPro, and a 1080 flip camera on a micro tripod for trailside shots.

I should step it up to greater pixelation but am a little bit cheap and a little bit luddite.

Packed ice, or clear roads is fun. Loose powder or melting slush is not. I made some snow tires and I can get to work but I dislike having to slow down. I like it when the roads and paths are clear and I can ride as fast as I want to. Also my hybrid is totally useless in the snow - a pity because when it comes to commuting its my favorite.