Mooo

Too much variation to make a large generalization. I've seen some of our local CAT2/3 types out pretty far from home in January.
Roadies all too often appear to be (not necessarily are, but appear to be) extraordinarily vain. Whether this comes from being a grown man wearing brightly colored spandex with no visible means of support, who can say. This makes the stereotype an easy target.
Vanity does not mix well with other than benign temperatures.

Riding alone and safely in bad conditions really means fenders, racks, lights, reflectors. A great many roadies would rather spend monotonous hours on a trainer than subject themselves to such humiliation (! See earlier snipe about brightly colored spandex).

So tougher? I don't know. Mentally in some way, maybe. Certainly unhinged about a different axis. I find that in the spring, if I know the day's going to get warmer, I can go out with shorts & 2 t-shirts down to about 40. Can't do that in October/November though.

ghettocruiser

^^ Sorry, but why is a bike rack safety equipment? Are we supposed to be carrying emergency camping gear these days?

.... Not that I haven't been tempted to do this

flipped4bikes

You should check out the roadies that motor around Central Park at night when it's cold (below 30F). A lot of them are strictly shorts and short-sleeved jerseys. The wimpy ones have arm and leg warmers.

flipped4bikes

I'm pretty sure that image is real. Check it out on icebike...

Mooo

If I head out alone for a 6 hr ride and it's below freezing with a chance of light to moderate snow or rain later in the day, I feel like I ought to carry more stuff than can be conveniently strapped to my person.
EG enough dry, warm things that I don't have to be too concerned about hypothermia should I overexcert (perspire) then spend some extra time fixing a flat twice, cause my fingers were numb and I pinched the tube. Feel free to add your own list of things: brief rain + collision with dog = extra tools or extra clothes or an extra long wait for a ride home.
As the margins get progressively finer, the penalties for imprudence rise exponentially. When venturing out in temps below 20f, I always try to have enough with me that I can walk 2-3 miles. Not everyone does, and that's probably OK, but I spent some time thinking about the whole risk/reward angle and concluded that when it's cold and/or cold and yucky, I need some extra margin. For me, this means a rack.

sauerwald

You have a mattress? - Wimpy Yak!

Gojohnnygo.

Both can be tough in cold conditions. I worked with a roadie (CAT 1-2) that would do 50-60 mile training rides at below zero temps. Because he hated the trainer and he just had to get outside. I would also get that crazy look from him. Like your crazy dude! When I arrived at work during a snowstorm with howling winds.

marqueemoon

I don't own studded tires for the same reason. I could have used them the other day though.

DataJunkie

There is something to be said for knowing your limits and sticking to them. Having a large ego and low limits is laughable at best.

bike2math

I am a wussy wussy man. I have to bundle up with the fleece and the wool when it drops below 60. I have to wear multiple socks and plastic bags on my feet below 50. I've tried to act tough a couple of times and wear shorts at 50 but my knees end up aching and my thighs and calves get sore.

The thing that keeps me commuting is cheapness. I'm to cheap to scrounge up the buck fifty I need for the bus. Also I guess I'm a little bit of the germaphobe and want to avoid the bus for that reason as well. But being tough has very little to do with it.

I've seen plenty of roadies on the MUP wearing alot less clothing than I. Often they have red faces from the cold wind, while mine is covered under the Balaclava.

Also when I do I have to wake up early it is a struggle (and without my wife complaining about my alarm clock going off every five minutes for an hour would be impossible). So I certainly don't have any more dedication than your average person (and probably less). No I would say it is entirely a myth (in my case) that commuters are tougher, I am one wimpy commuter.

fat biker

Two weeks ago, riding to work, 23 miles, temp in the mid-50's (San Francisco Bay Area).

I stop at the stop light with about 6 riders from a local club on their Wednesday AM ride. All but one of them had on long pants.

I remarked "It's not really that cold, is it?"
We all laughed.

Jeff, still fat

chephy

I agree with other posters: most bike commuters know better what works in inclement weather. Having said that, for some a lot of bulky clothes is what fits the bill. Their commute might be so short they don't have a chance to warm up and really "get rolling" or they might be so slow that they don't really warm up any more than from walking. I told a story on these forums once about how I was sitting in the office trying to cool off after biking pretty lightly dressed and another commuter walked in with many many layers of very warm winter clothes all over him and complains about how he "froze his ass out there". Generalizations like this don't work so well.

Although perhaps generalizations don't apply here in Toronto where riding a bike, at least in the downtown area, is a relatively common and socially acceptable practice - so average Joe will do it. It's possible that in some other areas only the most fearless, eccentric and dedicated people bike-commute, and they are bound to be tougher in any way just by definition.

chephy

Great! I used to hunt roadies for supper, figuring commuters are too tough, but now that you say they are not and considering that I like gamy... watch out, commuters! *evil laugh*

Roody

Mmmmm.....commuters. Me hungry!

nukemm

I think there are several good points made, the biggest one is that you can't really generalize and put people into different categories based on the type of rider they "appear" to be. Personally, though, I'd say that we are a tougher breed than most, just because of the dedication and will power it takes to go ride in 35F rain with a 30MPH headwind through heavy traffic in the dark both ways (to and from work). That says tough to me. Anyone who rides in other than fair-weather conditions on purpose is a pretty tough customer...

Roody

I don't know...I've always found spandex to be very supportive.

cooker

That's a good system: using an alarm clock to get your wife up so she'll get you up.

cooker

ROFL!

But are they enough of a challenge? Maybe you should hunt tourers - they're rare, so they'd look pretty exotic over a door, especially with their huge racks.

PaulH

The tough guys are the cagers. They get up early so they can freeze while scraping ice off the windows, sit in gridlocked traffic for long periods, and wander about like a bunch of beggers as they search for a parking space. We cyclists are the wimps.

Paul

chephy

A tourer in downtown Toronto? That would be great capture indeed, something to tell grandkids about, but I think I'll dwindle away waiting for it if I don't eat something else in the meantime. Commuters are rare this time of year too but you can always find them on St. George (they *finally* repaved it!)

cooker

You're right, and I do have a lot more respect for those who kill to eat, than for trophy hunters.

ken cummings

I vote for adaptation from an early age like someone born and raised at high altitude having better lungs and blood chemistry. I grew up in an area with snow on the ground 5 to 6 month of the year. Now I live where it might have measureable snow once a century and I will strip to my T-shirt or Jersey when all my friends still have head to toe coverings on, and full gloves. Being a Clyde with 25% body fat and a four season commuter helps too.

Some roadies might want to peel off layers but have no where to put it. I can't count the times I've carried peeled off jackets for friends in the pannier I always bring along.

lhbernhardt

Well, I've been racing bikes for 35 years and commuting by bike for just as long, and I could never understand these bike commuters who'd be out in cold weather wearing shorts. Now I see that they're trying to show how tough they are. Poseurs. My first cycling coach told us to wear long tights anytime it got below 20 deg C (about 68F). Bad for the circulation to expose bare skin to chill (don't forget wind chill factor on the bike). And it looks unbalanced to wear short sleeves with long tights, so the long-sleeve jersey or the arm warmers go on...

Anyway, I had also understood that people who keep knees exposed at lower temperatures (40's or 50's F) run a greater risk of arthritis later in life. I really think riding in shorts in cooler weather is dumb, but it ain't my knees, don't let me stop ya...

But I also think that people have different operating temperatures. I'm really smokin' when I'm racing in Mexico or Guatemala, especially when we're at sea level and the temperature is over 90 deg F. But put me in a cross-country ski race where it's minus 0 Celsius and I'm way back in the pack. The guys in front aren't even wearing ski gloves!

So I've been known to be in long sleeves and tights even on warm (>20C) days, and I'm still comfortable enough to keep up with any bike commuter who tries to drop me. But I don't think it's a matter of toughness or who's a wimp. I'll commute in the rain, in fact I enjoy it. But I do not enjoy racing bikes in the rain. I like riding the track because they don't make you race when it starts raining. (I ride an indoor velodrome anyway.)

Oh, and someone was laughing at some bike racer wearing shoe covers in July? We wear them on the track all the time. It's some recent aero style thang. The covers are really thin lycra, they don't make your feet warm at all. Time trialists wear them too. They do keep your nice shoes clean, though, riding thru puddles created by people watering lawns in July.

- L.

DataJunkie

The statements you just made about tights are.... interesting . But to each his\her own. *shrugs*
I overheat while wearing tights at the temps you mentioned.
That and I have encountered a few studies related to arthritis that state the exact opposite. Believe what ever makes you happy but there is a study for pretty much anything that will back up almost any assertion.

Not one person is built the same and what works for one won't work for the other. Riding in the high 30s with shorts is quite invigorating. You really should try it sometime.

caloso

There's very little fat or muscle on the knee, so I have to think that covering them in the cold makes a lot of sense. From about 65F to 45F, I'm very comfortable with knee warmers. My shins just don't get cold. Below 45, I'm usually wearing full tights and toe covers.

Any thoughts about chapped facial skin? The other morning I smeared a little Bag Balm on my cheekbones and chin. It helped but was very greasy to get off when I got to the office.