Roody

Today I rode in significantly icy/snowy weather for the first time of the season. I slipped and slid a bit (experimenting with new tires was part of it), and it took me longer to run my errands than usual. I have fallen on ice a few times in previous years, so I know what that's like. For a few minutes this morning, I had a headache from the cold wind. My glasses fogged up badly, and my hands froze when I stopped to adjust my stupid saddle again.

I remembered that one year ago, on the day before Thanksgiving, I borrowed a car and drove 200 miles through a snowstorm to visit my dad. I stayed warm and dry through the entire trip. At one point I did a 270 degree spin and was certain I would die. I almost slid off the road several times, and I am an excellent driver. We saw more than 300 cars stuck on the side of the road during that trip. A few months later, my stepson and my best friend were driving and slid out on black ice and hit a tree. They were only going 25 mph, but both almost died, and my son has not yet fully recovered. He did stay warm and dry, even while pinned in the car waiting for the paramedics.

I was just thinking that it is sometimes annoying to get cold and wet on your bike. A nice warm car seems pretty attractive sometimes. Bikes are slippery at best, but most falls on ice do not result in injury. The differnce in speeds etween bikes and cars is less of a factor when roads are slippery. All in all, even on the worst days, I prefer my bike.

What do you think?

chipcom 

I rode home in the snow, wind, ice and rain last night...this morning I drove to work. Monday I will probably ride again, but sometimes you can get too much of a good thing!

humancongereel

i don't mind the cold. i figure it's a western thing, all about being "rugged" and "tough" and, well, i feel that way riding in some of our cold winter weather here. 27 degrees the other night. 31 right now, in the middle of the day. what does worry me is when the roads freeze--cagers are dangerous enough, put 'em on icy roads...now THAT's what worries me.

jharte

I agree. If it wasn't for having to bike in traffic, I wouldn't mind biking in snowy icy weather so much. I did it last year quite a bit but I will admit, I had quite a few close calls.

Slippery, snowy weather is kind of fun.....if not biking to work!

Nightshade

The older you get the less attractive cold gets. Then
there is also that old enemy called.......Frost bite.

pedex

today's work results

xyz

Do you spend an hour cleaning that bike every night or just buy a new one every few weeks?

pedex

Only time it gets cleaned is when something breaks and needs replaced, and Ive been riding that one for 3 years and about 35,000 miles so far. It stays outside too. Bikes are alot more durable than many people give them credit for because most folks never ever ride enough to even find out.

It gets a new chain about every 4-5 months, new front wheel about every 8-9 months cause the brake eats the rim on days like today. Rear wheel lasts about 18 months to 2 years. The rest of it lasts quite awhile.........there isnt much to break. This weekend the rear fender comes off and a fixed cog gets put on. The rear fender wil be replaced with a MTB type clip on plastic fender........snow/ice gets jammed in the one thats on there on days like today and makes it impossible to ride. I gave up on front fenders cause none of them will keep my feet dry or handle ice/snow getting packed in there.

This is what it means to ride for a living in the snow belt and be car free, the bike is just a tool to get a job done, I dont get sentimental about it, it can be replaced. That one cost me $100 3 years ago.

It isnt rec riding, and most rec riders do not understand till you show them pics, even pics really dont tell the story. I rode 51 miles today, made 34 stops, and hauled about 140lbs of paper. Its brutal work somedays, most people will never know that either, no way to describe it, its something that has to be done to understand it. Some commuters probably get a decent glimpse of what its like, difference is, I commute all day, it doesnt end till I go home.

AlanK

I've never had to ride in ice, and don't think I'd ever try it. Snow is a different story. I've ridden in snow a couple times without any problems, as long as you can put wider tires on. I have a cyclocross I put 700x38 tires on during the winter for better traction. It takes some getting used to, but I think it's generally easier than getting around via car.

ViciousCycle

As I biked to my El stop this morning ,I saw the beauty of the snow in the trees,
then I crossed the bridge and saw the logged-jammed
reverse commute on the Ike expressway. And I knew that unlike
anyone else down there, I was smiling from my commute.
* * *
Winter driving can be dangerous in that one starts taking risks the moment conditions seem clear. If the highway doesn't seem icy, one may try to start speeding along at 70 mph -- and then spin out when they next hit an ice patch. But with winter cycling, there is not the same tendency to take risks. If the road suddenly seems clear, I am still only travelling at the speed of a bicycle. And if do skid on the ice, I can stomp my feet down on the ground to help balance me or to brake. You certainly can't do that in a car -- outside of a Flinstones cartoon.

xyz

I use to do some winter riding but have been down south for the last six years. I got a little nasty but my bike never looked like that.

Thor29

Man, I really miss snow. You should be grateful that you actually get to experience real weather on your bike commute. All we get around here (San Francisco) is fog, rain, or sunshine. Heck, over here on the east side of town we don't even get much fog. Its pretty much 9 months of mild mostly sunny weather and 3 months of off and on light rain. Boring. If I didn't like this damned city so much I'd move back to Denver where I could enjoy those nice cold weeks in February when the gulf stream would dip down and bring some nose freezing below zero days. Aaaaahhhhh.

cerewa

I'm feel pretty confident cycling on snow and black ice. I don't ride fast (so I don't need to brake or accelerate quickly) and I don't take very many turns, and when I do turn i do it very slowly.

I've had a crosswind take me out while riding on an icy road, though. And there's no guarantee that motorists know how to control their vehicles.

All in all, I'd feel I'm more safe driving than cycling, but I don't intend to buy a car, or take a taxi, for that reason alone.

I've driven many miles on snow and ice, and never had any trouble with that either. Like on a bicycle, accelerating, turning, and braking all have to be done very slowly. If you're always looking ahead to avoid braking too hard (especially on downhills) or turning too quickly, (especially if the road banks outward) you'll be one of the safest drivers or riders anywhere.

humancongereel

yeah, speed...it's really hard for me to ride slow. i have to remember to keep it, i dunno, under 20 these days.

attercoppe

Roody, it certainly is a lot nicer to be able to jump in the car and drive somewhere, and not have to worry about bundling up so much. Then again, last winter, when I was still driving, my beater truck didn't have heat. It wasn't much better than biking would have been. There's always the worry that you or another car will slide on the ice and you'll crash, or go off the road, or into a pole - especially if you have a decent auto and repairs would be expensive. I wouldn't fault anybody for choosing to drive over riding in extreme weather, particularly if you're commuting a fair distance. That's just another aspect of our modern society - not that many people live near where they work, or work at home, so not that many people have a short commute, or none at all.

I'm gonna pass on the driving this winter, at least as long as I can hold out - I've moved into the mountains and may not be as prepared as I think. But I live in a small town, so even if I can't bike I can still walk to every place I want to go.

becnal

Winter is no excuse for being cold and wet. If you're cold and wet on your bike, then you aren't dressed right.

ViciousCycle

By contrast, I find it much nicer just to be able to jump on the bike and go. For local errands, I can be there and back on my bicycle in less time than it might take to a snow shovel and clear out a path for a car. And when I'm done running errands, it's nice to just hop on my bike and go rather than have to go into the parking lot and clean and scrape car windows. In my experience, driving in the winter means spending time just standing outside getting cold, scraping windows, brushing snow off of car hoods, etc., whereas on a bike, I can just get moving and keep myself warm through exertion and through careful dressing.

weed eater

jeez ped! i didnt even see the rear fender until you pointed it out! all covered in ice.

how do you keep your feet dry/unfrozen, and/or your hands?

swwhite

In a better world, you would be able to ride your bike for any local trips, and then, when you have to go 200 miles, you could get on a train with a dining car, a lounge car, perhaps a theater car, maybe a day-care car, even a mini-dog-park car, still be warm and dry, and not have to worry about sliding off the road to injury or worse.

They could have a bike parking lot car, with an attendant.

With proper clothing, one can be warm and dry in all but the worst biking conditions. I myself have never been really cold or wet except once when I had a breakdown, although I have not been out in real extremes yet.

pedex

well, when its 26-32 degrees F and snowing/sleeting/raining that is as bad as it gets

waterproof or water resistant gloves fix the hand problem

for the legs and feet: rainpants over long johns, wool socks, and plastic bags or goretex socks layered over those with a second pair of socks, reason being I dont care how big your fenders are, the wet will run down your legs onto your feet anyway, and your feet will get sprayed too because nobody makes a fender that goes low enough........spray still comes of the front and hits your feet

the other issue with fenders is in weather like that they become a problem, snow/ice gets built up and rubs the tires.....in winter I take mine off for that reason and add just a mtb type plastic rear fender with lots of clearance

cooker

I don't have to limit my choice to bike vs car. I take public transit to work in winter. On the stormy blizzard days, I trudge to the subway faster than the car traffic. Walking in fresh snow is hard work, and good exercise. And lest some of my fellow Canadians scoff, Toronto gets more snow than western cities like Winnipeg or Edmonton, but far less than other cities in the east.

swwhite

There is a brand of socks called Sealskinz that seems to work well.

This might not apply, since the pictures suggest you use biking shoes that clip to the pedals, and biking shoes are not high, but it helped me because I wear hiking boots, which are high. I used some raincoat fabric from the fabric store to sew six-inch extensions to the legs of my rain pants. That makes them long enough to overlap the tops of my waterproof boots. That means that water runs down the legs of the pants, onto the boots and off, instead of down the pants and into the shoes.

pedex

Ive gone that route before too, for me exposure time is an issue as well, I typically am out there in it for 5-6hrs a day, so even "waterproof" gear isnt always all that waterproof !! The other thing is going with platforms and riding like 60 miles in that crap makes for a long day. I know Im not an average example, but I do know what works just from suffering thru it many times. Cold hard rain and snow around freezing temps can be a real bear to deal with, not just staying dry, but having a bike that works too, ive seen plenty of guys give up and call it a day when its like that.

Satyr

I swear by sandals and a good pair of synthetic socks, for most activities (up to certain temperature). Even when wet, a thick pair of synthetics keep you dry. I also like to wiggle my toes.

Personally, I have always viewed the cold as partially a mental thing. I always seem to be less comfortable when I am wrapped in multiple layers of warm clothing. Because of all the clothes, I EXPECT to be warm, but wind and chill always finds a way in. On the other hand, if I go in shorts, sandals, and a good fleece, I expect some measure of cold, so it does not bother me.

It helps being young, and not a complete social tool.

turtle77

I gotta get outta Minnesnowta. There are times, as my upper U.S. and Canadien brethren can attest, where it gets so cold (like -20 deg. F. with the wind chill) it literally hurts your skin to just be outside for longer than 5-10 minutes. On those days, it seems like no amount of clothing (I've had to layer three pairs of gloves, and my hands still HURT from the cold) will keep you warm against Jack Frost. However! It's always great to know you can actually get to where you need to go, albeit with a little discomfort, when I hear about others who, for example, can't get their car to start, cracked their windshield from the cold, or something important to the functionality of their car broke from the cold. Spend a little more for clothes, a lot less for the fuel-line freeze up I avoided? He!! yeah!