scoatw

-7f/-21c this morning. I tried the dish soap trick on the goggles, that worked for about 5 mins. I don't know what made me think that that would work because I've tried it before back in the early days of winter commuting and it didn't work then either. Toes were getting cold toward the end of my 45 min commute. Everything else was good. The aftn was 11f/-11c.

PatrickGSR94

ughhh I hate this, haven't been able to ride to work since last Tuesday morning 2/10!

scoatw

We've been lucky this season to avoid the snowstorms that battered N.E. until today. We got hit with 7" today. I left at 4am it was 16f/-8c with snow showers. The aftn was a little bit of riding, a little bit of pushing, some handlebar wrestling. Had to bail to the side to let cars get by a few times. The main roads were rideable, the side streets were a quagmire. Over the years I've practiced riding a straight line. That comes in handy for riding in a tire track with 7" of loose, mash potatoey type snow all around you. Most of the time I maintain a pretty good line. I put the bike on the middle ring and up in 2nd or 3rd gear and try to maintain a steady cadence and the goal is to just keep moving forward. And that was on a side street that gets some traffic. For the streets that don't get enough traffic to lay down a decent base to ride on, then I was pushing the bike. All in all I pushed three separate times for a total of maybe 400 yds. Even your fat bike ain't gonna get you thru stuff like that. It was 30f/-1c during all of this so I was heating up big time. Had the jacket unzipped, vents wide open. It was a good workout.

randallovelace

I'm in Central Florida - not used to these freezing temps - did 25 miles from Winter Garden to Altamonte Springs last night (Friday night), I had on a t-shirt, work shirt, heavy jacket, and my reflective lined jacket, two pairs of gloves - and was still VERY cold.

buzzman

Plodding along in the Boston tundra. My usual route on the bike path is under somewhere between 6-8' of snow and ice so I'm doing my streets route, which is lined by 12' piles of snow at some intersections and rows of cars moving at roughly walking speed. The temperature was 34 degrees farenheit tonight, which felt like a balmy spring evening after a month of days where it seldom went above 15 degrees. But tonight was a sleeting freezing rainy mix that will be followed by a plunge to zero and below temps and another sizable snowstorm due on Wednesday/Thursday.
As far as alternate transport the MBTA has been about as likely to get you there as Congress is to agree on anything. So, I haven't taken the bus once this season- usually I bag it and just take the bus when it gets bad but this year it's so bad the bike is the best alternative even on the worst of days.

Rothaí

Some of these east coast USA temperatures are scary !!!
1°C here this morning....but sleety too. Couldn't do without my cycling balaclava.
Can't imagine what anything below -7°C is like !

mgw4jc

Last week was a whopping 17 miles as I did not ride to work at all and only rode from work twice, one of them a half-ride. Hopefully temps and weather will be better this week.

44F here this morning. That is also the high for the day, but it will only go down a couple of degrees during the day. Wet streets on the way in from overnight rain. And just a few drops falling in my last two miles. We've got it pretty easy compared to the north.

spivonious

I rode in today after taking all last week off due to the weather. It was cold but not too bad (about 20F when I left). I had a monster headwind for half of my ride. That coupled with a week off the bike made it very slow going. My bike computer stopped working, but I'd estimate I average about 8-10mph.

Hopefully I can get some more riding in this week. When's Spring?

RidingMatthew

that is crazy. be careful out there.

I hear you today was my first ride since 2/4 i could not take it anymore had to get on the bike. It rained a little but my rain coat kept me dry/ warm/ and bright. I love it.

i agree i am ready for some spring weather. i miss my cycling legs it was tough or seemed tougher than before. almost 40F when i left the house. I was kinda hoping for snow flurries but not cold enough.

oh well good to be on the bike!

Hypno Toad

This is stupid-cold any time of year, but it's almost March... it should be warming up. However, this morning was -13F (3-way tie for the coldest morning commute for 2015), 10 miles to the office took most of an hour on the Pugsley. The sun is out and that helps it 'feel' 'warmer'.

And for fun this morning, I found water on the floor of the basement. It appears a drainline from the furnace to the floor drain is leaking. I'd like to find the genius that built this house with the floor drain 15 feet from the furnace and water heater. drrrr, I know what I'll be doing after work.

arsprod 

Forecast called for -5F this morning and they were wrong, it was 1F with a windchill of whothehellcares. I do have to admit it's nice to have daylight at 7:30a. Only problem today was my glasses kept icing over - not fogging - icing

Hypno Toad

Same issue, I end up with bare eyes in these super cold conditions. This morning, I kept my glasses on, but pulled down my nose so I could see over the top of them. Need a minnie ice scraper.

arsprod 

twin sons of different mothers?! I did the same thing the last few miles. I have a friend who's basically blind and rides - I think these days are reminders for me to have sympathy for him!

Daniel4

This article ran on the Toronto Star website on Friday evening and appeared in the Saturday newspaper.

It's an article about commuting but profiled one family and how it went car-free.

Commuter life: We want to hear about your route to work | Toronto Star

Originally on Friday and Saturday, the on-line article allowed reader postings and man, were there a lot of criticisms against people who found their own solution to get out for their cars.

HardyWeinberg

Nice ride into blinding sun. Frost everywhere too. Might be winter after all. But it will probably get up to the 60s later...

spivonious

Car-less in the 905: One family?s quest for automotive freedom | Toronto Star

whatshertoes

I'm on the west coast, so weather is rarely an issue affecting my bike commute.

The biggest issue I run into is folding bikes...
I cannot express how much frustration and anger I have over seeing a folding bike taking up a space on the already limited bike rack. This morning, the bus driver was in a rush and wouldn't let me ask the person with the folding bike to please remove their bike and fold it, so I missed my bus into the city.

The next bus, had a full bike rack and were it not for the kind judgement of the bus driver to let me bring it on at the back, I would have missed yet another bus.

I just wish folks with a folding bike had more consideration for those of us who are commuting with a regular bike. Please just fold it and bring it on so you don't end up potentially causing someone to be stranded.


That aside it's 55°F and sunny, nice weather for riding.

Daniel4

Ha ha, in Toronto we get people complaining about taxpayers money being wasted on bike racks on buses when they never seeing them being used.

enigmaT120

They get used in my area. I've stopped bringing my bike with me when I'm working out in Stayton (about 50 miles from home) as I kept seeing people have to miss the bus due to a full bike rack. And if I missed my afternoon bus, the next one would be the following morning. Luckily I have a safe place to stash my bike where I get on the bus in the morning.

scoatw

7f/-13c this morning at 4am. Most of the roads had been plowed and were nice and clean. I only had to walk about 150 yards over the freeway pedestrian bridge because of the loose snow. That didn't take long. Hopefully they cleaned it off today. The City is usually pretty good about clearing the bike paths around here. The aftn was bright sunshine and 10f/-12c. I take a different route home in the aftn. All of the roads were clean and dry.

Hypno Toad

Holy weather change, Batman! This morning was -13F and now the temp is up to 18F... the PM challenge, which clothes go in the bag for the ride home and will they all fit?

Darth Lefty 

Finally got a chance to diagnose last Monday's blowout. The 1976 vintage Weinmann hookless single-wall rims have a little ridge on the inside wall where the seam was welded and cleaned up. It rubbed through the tire carcass.

These wheels came off my Paramount, I wonder if this was a normal problem back then.

dcb23

I've been wearing over-the-glasses ski goggles for the last couple of years, really does the trick.

12F / -11C Really not too bad, lack of a headwind makes all the difference. I did have to dismount down near the Smithsonian museums, looked like a water main break...lots of slush and ice.

Ky_Rider

No commuting miles last week. Record cold and heavy snow for this area. My wife couldn't make it to work in her car for a few days. Looking forward to spring time.

tarwheel 

My bike commuting through Feb. 13 -- 6 days, 187 miles. My commuting since then -- 0 days, 0 miles. I thought I would finally squeeze in a commute today but we woke up to a surprise in NC this morning -- snow across nearly the entire state. As typical for around here, this was not in the forecast. When they predict snow, it usually doesn't happen.