Originally Posted by
noglider
I'm sure I would be better at tolerating such low temperatures on a bike if I were exposed to them more frequently. I'm not sure what my limit is, but 14ºF is below it.
I have some great hiking boots which keep me warm, and fantastic for walking, and are pretty good for cycling, too. Foot problem solved. My hands are much colder the last couple of years. It's some kind of medical change that my doctor has no idea about. I used to have the warmest hands. Now they are sometimes colder than my spouse's hands.
Here's another Wisconsinite tip: heated socks (currently $35 at my local Costco and UL certified) inside the hiking boots. Maybe it doesn't get cold enough there that you need them though? I wear them when I'm taking a ride longer than 5 miles in temperatures below about 45 °F.
Originally Posted by
BobbyG
[...] On the way home in it was 30F. Shifting becane unreliable. So when I go to home I shot some dry lube in my it and all was good again.
I took an eBike on a shopping mission once over break and it wouldn't upshift. I thought of your adventures along this line. Later, I was in the LBS and I noticed the shift cables are marketed as not needing lube. I think what happened was that at some point, shifting got to be high effort and I squirted oil in there. Then later, winter came and the oil thickened up or froze, crippling shifting. I think the long term solution for us
might be new cables & housings with dry lube squirted in, but NEVER any kind of wet lube. Thoughts?
Originally Posted by
noglider
I used to think that people end up in those situations because of mental illness or disability. I've learned to have a bit more compassion, and now I've come to believe that poverty leads to insanity more than insanity leading to poverty. And sometimes it makes the equation for rational behavior different because the risks and rewards are different. Either way, it's a sad part of the world we've created.
My brother's bipolar and caring for my mom, who has Alzheimer's. Neither one of them is doing well, but neither one of them wants to relinquish any control. I think my brother might end up homeless as he makes horrible decisions and won't listen to anyone. I'm likely going to have to wrestle legal control from him to get Mom into a place where she can be properly cared for.
Originally Posted by
noglider
Happy New Year everyone, and thank you for taking us on your commutes in 2025. I'll start a new thread for 2026. Thank you
Darth Lefty for starting the 2025 thread.
Folks, should we request that this thread be closed? It should at least be un-sticky'd.
I agree.