Bike Forums

Bike Forums (https://www.bikeforums.net/forum.php)
-   Living Car Free (https://www.bikeforums.net/living-car-free/)
-   -   What is it like where you are? (https://www.bikeforums.net/living-car-free/1042632-what-like-where-you.html)

Machka 12-24-15 12:01 AM

What is it like where you are?
 
We have a "Where Do We Live?" thread, which we can continue posting to as well ...
http://www.bikeforums.net/living-car...o-we-live.html

But for this thread, I'm thinking more in terms of weather, environmental conditions, road surfaces, etc. to describe your local area.


What is it like where you are?

Does it affect your ability to be car-free or car-light?
Does it have an effect on your cycling?

Machka 12-24-15 12:06 AM

Hobart weather - local weather forecast

Today, Christmas Eve ... it reached a nice warm 29C today, but has cooled down to 26C now. Quite warm on the bus, but beautiful day for walking around outside.


We are finally experiencing some decent summer weather ... for a day or two.


[HR][/HR]
Incidentally the climate here in Tasmania is quite similar to the Pacific Northwest area of North America. And summer here runs from December 1 to February 28/29.

350htrr 12-24-15 12:13 AM

-9*C here right now, 6" if snow, supposed to go down to -18*C on the 25th... My son rides his bike with studded tires all winter, I stop riding my bike at 5*C generally but have ridden in 0*C weather...

Dave Cutter 12-24-15 12:19 AM

This thread reminded me of the old tale of two travelers.

With that said (posted).... I like the Midwest but think I would enjoy more water around me. We have about 10 days a year around here where the weather outside is as nice as the conditions inside. Yet I truly enjoy the outside here... most of all.

Machka 12-24-15 07:02 PM

Christmas Day! Merry Christmas!

It's noon here, we've just had heaping plates of waffles with whipped cream and berries ... and we're getting ready to go to the beach and visit family.

The temperature is 32C already, and still going up. It's beautiful! I love the heat and sunshine. :D

Tomorrow is supposed to be cooler and rainy again, but meanwhile we will enjoy today.


I mentioned earlier that December, January, and February are summer but I'll add this ... here in Tasmania and on the mainland in Victoria (where Melbourne is located), December's weather can be quite variable like this. 33C and sunny one day, 18C and raining the next. You just never know what you're going to get. I suppose it is kind of like the June weather I've experienced in the parts of Canada where I have lived (all over the west).

tandempower 12-24-15 08:13 PM

1 Attachment(s)

Originally Posted by 350htrr (Post 18411694)
-9*C here right now, 6" if snow, supposed to go down to -18*C on the 25th... My son rides his bike with studded tires all winter, I stop riding my bike at 5*C generally but have ridden in 0*C weather...

I wear one of these when it goes below freezing http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=494965
The covered nose with mouth hole is an ideal configuration. I need to figure out a better glove system, though, since double-layering garden gloves leaves my fingertips hurting. I'm thinking something with reflective material built into it along with insulation might be good, but since it's not cold that often I don't really want to invest a lot either. Maybe I should just wrap my fingertips in aluminum foil before putting on the garden gloves.

2manybikes 12-24-15 08:49 PM

Still Christmas eve right now. It's 58f it was mid 60f today. I'm in New England. Very unusual weather.

Rollfast 12-24-15 11:15 PM

It's calm outside like it's going to snow soon at 10 PM Mountain/US Ontario, OR

10 Wheels 12-24-15 11:21 PM

75*F with No Wind.

Machka 12-26-15 12:35 AM


Originally Posted by Machka (Post 18413079)
Christmas Day! Merry Christmas!

It's noon here, we've just had heaping plates of waffles with whipped cream and berries ... and we're getting ready to go to the beach and visit family.

The temperature is 32C already, and still going up. It's beautiful! I love the heat and sunshine. :D

Tomorrow is supposed to be cooler and rainy again, but meanwhile we will enjoy today.


I mentioned earlier that December, January, and February are summer but I'll add this ... here in Tasmania and on the mainland in Victoria (where Melbourne is located), December's weather can be quite variable like this. 33C and sunny one day, 18C and raining the next. You just never know what you're going to get. I suppose it is kind of like the June weather I've experienced in the parts of Canada where I have lived (all over the west).


Christmas Day hit 36C (97F) ...

Boxing Day (today) reached a high of 14C (57F)

That's Tasmania in December for you. :D

Roody 12-26-15 01:34 AM


Originally Posted by tandempower (Post 18413146)
I wear one of these when it goes below freezing http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=494965
The covered nose with mouth hole is an ideal configuration. I need to figure out a better glove system, though, since double-layering garden gloves leaves my fingertips hurting. I'm thinking something with reflective material built into it along with insulation might be good, but since it's not cold that often I don't really want to invest a lot either. Maybe I should just wrap my fingertips in aluminum foil before putting on the garden gloves.

Some fleece type gloves with Thinsulate added should serve you well, are lightweight, and not too expensive. They will not be waterproof, however.

poormanbiking 12-27-15 09:33 PM

2 days after Christmas and unusually warm so far. No measurable snow this season yet! I should mention I'm in Toledo, Ohio.

B. Carfree 12-28-15 10:47 PM

Everything is so awesome where I live, weather included, that I have to hunt high and low for things to complain about. Lucky for everyone, I'm pretty good at finding all our local flaws so we can all see where improvement is possible.:lol:

Seriously, our weather is almost perfect. Sure, it's a bit warmer in SoCal and even in most of NorCal, but we have less traffic and generally better air (although our cities still allow burning, so the winter in-town air is bad). Winter lows tend towards 35-45F, with occasional forays into freezing. Summer highs tend to be between 75-85F with occasional days in the 90s and very rare days of 100F. Unlike many other places, we rarely do the dreaded double triple (west coast version: triple digit temperatures with triple digit AQI/PSI (smog). (L)east coast version, add humidity), so there really aren't very many days one would choose to not ride for external reasons.

Besides, where else can I live in a city and still ride off onto logging roads with zero traffic any old time. Added bonus: we have rivers galore and they all have water every day of the year. I'm a happy grouch.

cooker 12-29-15 10:28 AM

Last night I walked about 4 km to my sister's condo for a family get-together. It was -4C with blustery snow. Quite a lot fell. I drove home with my wife and the conditions were a bit slippery. This AM it was 4C and there were puddles and slush piles everywhere to scramble through on the way to and from the public transit to work.

cooker 12-29-15 10:32 AM


Originally Posted by tandempower (Post 18413146)
Maybe I should just wrap my fingertips in aluminum foil before putting on the garden gloves.

I only bike down to about -5C and even so I find it hard to keep my fingers warm, especially on my left hand for some reason. So I wear a winter glove on my right hand and a winter mitt on my left hand and that seems to work.

Sangetsu 12-29-15 09:34 PM

I live in Roppongi, in central Tokyo. It is a rather crowded and busy place, well known for it's shops and stores, as well as night life. I live in a tower apartment building next to a shopping center, and I have a view of Tokyo Tower, and the Mori Building. I can also see the Rainbow Bridge over Tokyo Bay, and Mt Fuji in the distance. Next to the shopping center is a large Japanese style park. The park has a pond, very modern and clean restrooms, a traditional-style building where one can sit and enjoy the view of a large pond. On the other part of the park they are installing an outdoor ice skating rink, which should be open for new years day.

The area has many very good shops and restaurants, including some with Michelin stars. The best way to get around is on foot, or by bicycle, the streets are very congested with cars.

Tokyo has four seasons. Winters are cold, but it seldom snows, and not so cold that you really need a hat or gloves to go out. Summers are rather hot and humid, but nothing like Miami, which is where I am from. The cost of living is rather high, food costs nearly four times as much here as it does in America. Clothes and other goods, if they are good quality, are also expensive.

The best thing about Tokyo is that it is a very safe place. I can walk on any street at any time in any neighborhood, and not worry about getting mugged. I can park my bicycle anywhere, and not worry about it getting stolen. Funny, but down in front of a nearby convenience store there is a Cannondale CAAD9 bike with a Shimano 105 groupset. The bike was abandoned there months ago, unlocked, and no one has stolen it. It will probably sit there until the tires start to rot, and the chain seizes up with just, then the city will haul it away as junk. A couple of years ago I got onto a subway train, but forgot my bag at the platform. In the bag I had a Leica M4 MOT camera and lenses, as well as a Macbook Pro and an iPad. It took me half an hour to get back to the station, but my bag was right where I had left it.

Right now it is sunny, but cold, about 5% celsius. The streets are full of workers, visitors, and tourists, you can hear many languages being spoken. It is an interesting place to visit, and even more interesting to live. I am lucky enough to be able to work from home, so I can enjoy the view most of the day, and I have free time to go out and do what I want to do.

Aubergine 12-29-15 09:44 PM


Originally Posted by cooker (Post 18421080)
I only bike down to about -5C and even so I find it hard to keep my fingers warm, especially on my left hand for some reason. So I wear a winter glove on my right hand and a winter mitt on my left hand and that seems to work.

cooker, I have trouble in cold too, but I recently got a set of Bar Mitts and they helped a lot! Not only were my hands warm using regular gloves, the rest of me was noticeably warmer too.

Aubergine 12-29-15 09:57 PM

I live in Seattle, where it has been VERY RAINY this last month. Today, though, it was about 2° C and dry. I enjoyed a long and hilly ride.

Seattle, like Rome, was built on seven hills. Unlike Rome, our hills were carved by glaciers. As a result, our hills tend to run north to south. Going those directions can be pretty easy, if not as flat as Florida, but east to west will send you up against one 5-600 foot hill after another. We Seattleites are very strong, with rippling quads and overstretched grippers on our shorts.

OR we cave and get e-assist for our bikes! Seattle has a huge community of people who use cargo bikes in place of cars and for family travel. We have shops that either specialize in family biking and cargo needs, or are happy to work with you to fit you with the right equipment.

Seattle is still working on its bicycling and walking infrastructure but it is already better than most places. We are all (except for the transplants) happy as ducks to ride in the rain, so it is a great place for bikers!

Machka 12-30-15 07:22 AM

It was an absolutely gorgeous day today with a high of 27°C. :)

We had blue skies all day, blazing sunshine, and a little bit of wind gusting up to about 46 km/h.

I'm a slightly reddish-brown hue from spending time in the sun. :D


BTW - that wind is quite common in the afternoons here. Sea breeze. There was quite a bit of sea mist around too.

2manybikes 12-30-15 11:12 AM


Originally Posted by Sangetsu (Post 18422628)
I live in Roppongi, in central Tokyo. It is a rather crowded and busy place, well known for it's shops and stores, as well as night life. I live in a tower apartment building next to a shopping center, and I have a view of Tokyo Tower, and the Mori Building. I can also see the Rainbow Bridge over Tokyo Bay, and Mt Fuji in the distance. Next to the shopping center is a large Japanese style park. The park has a pond, very modern and clean restrooms, a traditional-style building where one can sit and enjoy the view of a large pond. On the other part of the park they are installing an outdoor ice skating rink, which should be open for new years day.

The area has many very good shops and restaurants, including some with Michelin stars. The best way to get around is on foot, or by bicycle, the streets are very congested with cars.

Tokyo has four seasons. Winters are cold, but it seldom snows, and not so cold that you really need a hat or gloves to go out. Summers are rather hot and humid, but nothing like Miami, which is where I am from. The cost of living is rather high, food costs nearly four times as much here as it does in America. Clothes and other goods, if they are good quality, are also expensive.

The best thing about Tokyo is that it is a very safe place. I can walk on any street at any time in any neighborhood, and not worry about getting mugged. I can park my bicycle anywhere, and not worry about it getting stolen. Funny, but down in front of a nearby convenience store there is a Cannondale CAAD9 bike with a Shimano 105 groupset. The bike was abandoned there months ago, unlocked, and no one has stolen it. It will probably sit there until the tires start to rot, and the chain seizes up with just, then the city will haul it away as junk. A couple of years ago I got onto a subway train, but forgot my bag at the platform. In the bag I had a Leica M4 MOT camera and lenses, as well as a Macbook Pro and an iPad. It took me half an hour to get back to the station, but my bag was right where I had left it.

Right now it is sunny, but cold, about 5% celsius. The streets are full of workers, visitors, and tourists, you can hear many languages being spoken. It is an interesting place to visit, and even more interesting to live. I am lucky enough to be able to work from home, so I can enjoy the view most of the day, and I have free time to go out and do what I want to do.

Sounds like a cyclists paradise!

tramptrade 12-30-15 01:52 PM

It's a balmy 2* C right now with clear skies and almost no wind. This is unusual for this area in winter. It's usually very windy and rainy this time of year.

There is no snow on the ground and none in the immediate forecast. We did have some flurries over the Christmas days, but nothing that stuck around or even accumulated.

We had a small earth quake late last night that caused my wife, my dogs, and myself to sit up in a hurry and take notice. No damage or anything, but gave our house a pretty good jiggle for a few seconds.

I have had my main bike down for re-and-re over the last couple weeks, so looking forward to taking advantage of the clear weather to get in a couple of rides.

Ekdog 12-30-15 03:24 PM


Originally Posted by Sangetsu (Post 18422628)
The best thing about Tokyo is that it is a very safe place. I can walk on any street at any time in any neighborhood, and not worry about getting mugged. I can park my bicycle anywhere, and not worry about it getting stolen. Funny, but down in front of a nearby convenience store there is a Cannondale CAAD9 bike with a Shimano 105 groupset. The bike was abandoned there months ago, unlocked, and no one has stolen it. It will probably sit there until the tires start to rot, and the chain seizes up with just, then the city will haul it away as junk. A couple of years ago I got onto a subway train, but forgot my bag at the platform. In the bag I had a Leica M4 MOT camera and lenses, as well as a Macbook Pro and an iPad. It took me half an hour to get back to the station, but my bag was right where I had left it.

I'd love to live in a place like that! Having to constantly be worried about someone stealing your bike or other belongings is such a waste of energy!

B. Carfree 12-30-15 06:20 PM


Originally Posted by Aubergine (Post 18422663)
We are all (except for the transplants) happy as ducks to ride in the rain, so it is a great place for bikers!

Interesting. In Oregon, very few of the natives will go out in the rain at all. However, the large transplant population, over half the people in the state, are much more likely to come out and play when it rains.

wipekitty 01-02-16 10:17 PM

We have seasons where I live. At least four of 'em - possibly more. Right now, it's Winter.

We got a little snowstorm on Monday, which left about 8". The plows had things cleared up as best they could on Wednesday, which means wet main roads with car snot in the bike lanes and side streets scraped down to about 2" of hard packed snow. Most of the off-road MUPs have been similarly scraped down (with the exception of a few that they didn't bother with.) Highs have been around 30F, lows around 15F.

That said, it's been beautiful weather for riding with studded tires. Bike travel would be more challenging but not impossible with regular MTB or cyclocross tires. A fatbike would be ideal for a few of the paths, but I've discovered some nice low-traffic alternate routes with ice but not deep snow.

Artkansas 01-02-16 11:14 PM

Where I live it's very hilly, we get about 50" of rain per year. In winter we get a few days of ice, but rarely snow. We get tornados but not as many as Oklahoma. Our weather is second-hand Texas weather.

It's a small city but a capitol city so things are convenient whether you want city life or country life. You can pedal between the two easily. And being the capitol, you get the bulk of the cultural activities.

The roads were made for cars. I think they were designed for Model Ts. They aren't that wide. They are patched and only smooth in the rich parts of town. There are few through streets. Only 4 go east and west for a significant distance. For the rest you weave back and forth through neighborhoods, or around cul de sac neighborhoods. Most of the bicycling facilities are clustered around the river.


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 08:30 PM.


Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.