Sweet season almost over
 

Up where I live this is the sweet spot of the year for riding to work--cool mornings, warmer afternoons, early sunrise, late sunset for late commuter, no issues related to winter like cold, snow, and ice. It is the best time of the year, from about mid-April to mid-May, which is now. But there is some really hot and humid stuff in the forecast this week that's going to make it possibly sweaty in the morning, definitely sweaty in the afternoon. Less enjoyable.

So, enjoy it while it lasts, folks.:)

I prefer summer. I really hate having to wear more in the morning then haul it back in a bag in the afternoon. In the summer it's the same clothes both ways. I really like riding when it's hot though.

I agree, the ride home has been pretty pleasant for the last few days; and it won't be long before it's unpleasantly hot.

But I don't really like to think of it as the sweet season. Whatever the weather, I have to get to work... and I'll be doing that on my bike.

ironically I did more riding all thru the winter

This has been the most spring-like spring in my memory. Too often, it toggles between wintry and summery weather until it sticks into summer. We've had some unusually cold days, and we've had some heavy rain. People have been complaining, and I've been telling them to shut up. I like it all.

This morning was extra special because I had a slight tailwind coming to work.

This is definitely the best for San Diego too. 50-60 in the morning usually, 60-80 in the evening. I can most of the time get by with just short sleeves.

In the summer it's great in the morning (short sleeves every day) but 80-100 in the evening. In the winter it's multiple layers in the morning (it can get frosty around dawn), and maybe T+1 layer in the evening.

This is my first real spring. Moving north really opened my eyes to seasons. Once it heats up.. well it'll be like what I dealt with for the first 34 years so not a big worry.

you call NC north? wow, where are you from?

And don't talk to us about weather in San Diego. ;)

Haha, indeed.

I have this thinnish long-sleeve Novara fleece jersey which I found out works for me from 50 up to 80 (have to roll up sleeves and take it a bit slower at the higher end). 50 and above I just do shorts, below 50 I wear a pair of longjohns under the shorts and a thin poly or wool/poly long-sleeve on my torso and that'll be good down to 40. The base layers take up barely any room on the way back.

What's much more troublesome is those days with 35-degree mornings and 65-degree afternoons... theeen I have to don my pants and jacket and lug it all back.

april & may are typically pretty damn sweet for bike commuting, but i find october & november even sweeter because they're typically drier.

True, but much less daylight.

true, but that only affects me after we switch back to standard time in early november. during DST, i always have plenty of daylight for both ends of my commute. and i always have plenty of daylight for my morning commute year-round. the only time i have darkenss is for the evening commute for the 18 weeks that we're on standard time (early novemember to mid march).

so really, the absolute sweetest time of year for bike commuting for me is from mid-sept (when summer's brutal heat and humidity have typically tapered off a bit) up until we switch our clocks back an hour in early november. those 7 weeks are usually MAGICAL!

Right around 700 miles south of here. SW Florida.

haha, I was about to say don't talk to me about housing prices in...
oh.
West Village NYC, ok you win

:lol: For all the home value we have here, we have an awful climate. But I shouldn't complain.

I thought sweet season was Halloween through Easter, when the chocolates have holiday themes.

I was just thinking about that on this morning's ride in. It was very pleasant.

We are to get 6" of Snow Wed. (High Country.) Who says Winter is over?

It was 70º as I headed out today, and the expected high is 88º. The blessedly long period of cool weather is over now.

When I lived in Berrien County MI, "sweet season" was late summer / fall.
There were many grape growers in the area, and riding downwind of the crops, the air was so sweet with the overpowering smell of grapes, that I wondered if I was inhaling more calories than I was burning.:lol: