It must be winter again
Originally Posted by
jollynut
Winter is the best season to ride :-)
Originally Posted by
wphamilton
I think it kind of sucks to ride in winter, but it's better than not riding.
Earlier today on this thread I posted:
Originally Posted by
Jim from Boston
…Late in September I bought a Giant Escape with flat handlebars which is an OK, but heavy ride, but is comfortable.
I have ridden my commute a few times, and
now I’m gung-ho for winter riding, with studded tires, to make up for lost time.
Originally Posted by
tjspiel
Winter is long enough here [in Minneapolis] that I mentally break it into segments.
- Late November through December
- January
- February to Mid March
- Mid March ->
January gets it's own segment because it can be so brutally cold and I mostly ride in the dark. By February I'm starting to get some daylight on both ends of the commute and though we can get really cold weather in February too, the temps tend to moderate and the side roads start to thaw...
Usually by Mid March (or not long after) we've had at least one extended thaw where a lot of the snow melts. We may get major snow storms and cold weather after that but those come in between warmer stretches.
April is often a mixed bag. 70 or 80 one week, then snow the next but it's possible it won't snow at all.
Originally Posted by
Jim from Boston
The above is a pretty good description of the winter progression here in Boston, though the temperatures and snowfall are less brutal than in Minneapolis.
I would add that the Christmas lights of late November through December along with the slightly higher temperatures, and some residual training effect from summer and fall make that segment enjoyable. The quick disappearance of Holiday lights in January further exacerbates the gloom.
Visits to Virginia and South Carolina in March and April have convinced me that Spring in Boston is about one month behind the South, particularly for an early morning commuter.
Originally Posted by
Jim from Boston
I dont’t think of a cycling season, but rather a cycling year with a cycle of seasons.…Not to sound religious, but I like to think of Ash Wednesday as my “New Cycling Year’s Day.”
It occurs usually still well into the Winter and I use that forty-day period of Lent as a marker to define a tolerable length of time to go into a rigorous dietary and training mode to shake off the winter blahs, even though I ride during the Winter anyways.
By Easter, Spring is making itself known and I’m particularly ready for it.
PS: I recently posted to this General Cycling Discussion thread, “The Annual "Put My Bike Away for Winter" Thread”:
Originally Posted by
Jim from Boston
I keep saying “
no mas” to replying to this thread, but winter commuting is a favorite subject.
Originally Posted by
Papa Tom
Jim: …As we've both noticed, even a tired old subject like this can draw a good-sized crowd, and it doesn't hurt to know that people are still thinking the same way they did at this time last year.
Last edited by Jim from Boston; 11-12-18 at 07:44 PM.
Reason: added PS