Originally Posted by CliftonGK1
My extreme commute must sound positively wimpy if 0*F windchill and ambient temps are the cutoffs for qualification.
Most of the winter, my commute was in the upper 20s to low 30s. Winds rarely made it above 15mph. No majour hills to speak of. No city traffic except for a 1 mile stretch before hitting the MUP.
I call my commute extreme because of the rainfall. Persistant, consistant, neverending rain. I rode all through November, which was the rainiest month Seattle has seen in all recorded weather history. Over 15.3 inches just that month. Couple that with the dark and the fog as motivating factors every morning.
You wake up and it's dark, 35 degrees, raining, and so foggy you've got 30 feet of visibility. It's not so bad one or two days; but deal with it for 6 months.
I'm sure the rest of the Seattle metro crew can attest to the fact that the constant winter rain is probably one of (if not the very) worst for extreme conditions here.
I'll tell ya what, Clifton, as cold as it was today, I would rather ride in that than freezing rain. I can dress well enough to stay warmish (except for my face and toes) in the cold, but nothing will keep out wind driven freezing rain. Tip of the hat to you...