I just bought some of these: https://www.mec.ca/en/product/5042-2...starter-Gloves
I think they will work for those days when ski gloves are just too warm, we'll see.

My pan is to adhere to my plan of the past winter. To religiously follow the mantra of the motorcycle riders. To "keep the rubberside down." 64 years of life 200k miles of riding mean that I break bones too easily.

I haven't gone the studs route. This is Portland. But I did buy a set of the Continental ice tires. (Narrow) 37c and incredibly grippy. A blast to ride on almost anything. We had a couple of inches of snow and a freezing rain last winter. Riding in it was fun! (Having them mounted on an old Raleigh Competition didn't hurt! Wheelbase measured in miles, a BB so low it' s wonder it never dragged and a fork rake measured in yards.)

I noted those 37c Continental ice tires are narrow. Didn't measure them but the 35c Paselas they replaced are much wider tires and a much closer fit to the fenders.

Rubberside down, all!

Ben

we want it gradual anyway, right? it's not quite time for accumulation maps, right?

I have always wondered about those. You think they have a lot more traction in snow/ice than a normal tire? Certainly their automotive "studless" snow tires are amazing. For riding on non glare ice, they may be a better compromise than studded.

Then again in the winter, I like to set up little race courses on frozen lakes...

you still have time to give them a wash & let them air dry

Studs. Definitely studs. :D worked as a bike messenger in Helsinki last winter and face planted more than once...

I can't think of doing anything different for winter riding this time around. I'm still going to be reasonable and keep the "clear roads down to 20F" rule. I have and can push the temp a bit. But have no problem taking the train when it snows. Besides, the GWB sidewalk usually closes at the slight hint of snow since nobody wants to shovel. :rolleyes: I have got caught once on the bridge with an inch of loose freezing rain type of snow. It wasn't too bad. Just went slow and kept my hands on the drops. Black ice is also a concern. I have heard that some folks have fallen with black ice on the slight downhill turn from N Central Rd onto Bruce Reynolds Blvd in Ft Lee. So will be vigilant in the freezing temps around that area.

That is nuts. Here in Memphis it's freakin' 90 degrees F, feels like 95 with heat index (35° C).

It's Canada, eh?

Currently building a bike that will hopefully replace my current department store (upgraded) winter beater soon, the frame V-brake mounts are giving up and it's good to have a reliable rear brake in winter. I was also promised a pair of knitted pogies :)
Debating whether to put my studded tires on, or the mountain bike tires that handle deep snow better. Has been more the issue here in the past years than ice patches.

Studded tires for sure. Last year I picked up a ski helmet and goggles, that helped make life easier for sure. This year I'll probably try somekind of hiking shoe until the snow gets heavy enough to warrant my old USAF boots.

Ski helmet and goggles? How cold are the temps you ride in? I just use balaklava, winter cap and maybe glasses when its below freezing (20-29F). If you ride in colder temps, then :thumb: for you.

Taking a trip with the bike to Arizona this winter.

Must. Happen.

Ski helmet and ski goggles come out when it’s <10* or below 0. I ride year-round in Chicago and will do so into the negative teens before calling it quits.

I'll probably never use them as every day winter tires here in Portland (unless we have more and bigger climate changes coming). They are a lot slower rolling than my regular winter ride, Paselas. And given their expense, that's a lot of money to throw away building bigger quads. I'll keep mine mounted on spare wheels for the winter and just throw them on when needed. But they do feel like a tire with a very wide range of ridability. Caution required on ice, but that caution is rewarded with the "rubber down" scenario so valued by the motorcycle crowd. They may hit their limit in deep snow faster than the best but that will be for width and drag reasons and just plain being too hard to move that much snow, not safety. (I loved riding diamond point cyclocross tires in my MA and MI winter days; grippy, not very wide and perfect for cutting through fresh snow. Those rides were ear-to-ear grin blasts.)

Edit: and to your question - yes, they are very, very grippy, much more so than any regular tire and significantly more than the diamond point X-cross tires I loved so much. Only tire I have ever used that came close were the green Vittoria cyclecross tires about 15 years ago. I used to joke that I feared when I rode dry roads I would get junks of pavement stuck in my fenders and sought out wet, puddles, sand, leaves, off-pavement, anything to reduce rolling resistance. My Continental ice tires haven't seen dry yet.

Ben

Ah you're in Chicago. I rarely see 0F in the NYC area here. Actually, it never got that cold last winter if I recall. Chapeau to you for sticking it out. I probably would switch to cross country skiing if there's snow. But I can see that skiing would be more difficult than cycling in the city. :) I used to live in Glens Falls as a kid. When we had snow on the ground, I could step right out my back door onto the skiis and use the cornfields that surrounded us.

I don't plan to do anything different, for the simple reason that I don't plan. I will get up every day and get on my bike and ride... and if I learn a lesson, I will try like heck to remember it the next morning. Winter will come, winter will go, and I'll be happy to see Spring again.

Not sure if it would be any different if colder, but I tried ski goggles in the 20's F and just couldn't keep them from fogging up. Now I usually just go without any glasses when it's that cold. I just cover up most of my face and leave my eyes exposed.

No, the protocol is to throw away the right glove, and drop the left glove randomly during a ride. :lol:

You have to get those vented/double paned goggles. I look like a spaceman when I go out but I can stay relatively comfortable on my bike at anytime through the winter. I’ll keep doing this until my chauffeur gets his car out of the shop.

might splurge for a new rain jacket. current one is an LL Bean from 2009 at the Freeport outlet.

Discovery Rain Jacket - LL Bean Intl

the inner parts are crumbling and sticking to bald head.

If you have Google Fit on your phone, it has an interesting feature that shows how much you ride each day. Looking back at last winter in NYC, I was biking through most of February and March. I don't ride in the snow, so this jibes with my memory that we didn't have much of a winter last year.

This year, I'm going to continue to layer more knits instead of a big jacket. Wearing a sweater with a big hoodie over it was all I needed most of last year with all of my extremities covered. I am totally the guy dropping gloves on the greenway! So, getting a new pair is in order. I've also heavily hinted to my girlfriend that I would like one of those cool, retro wool cycling caps with the earflaps.

They are awesome, aren't they!? My birthday present this year was a table to enter all required measurements for knitted pogies into :love:

I can't go out in sub 20 weather without goggles...eyes tear up bad enough I can't see a thing. That said I've only gone out down to about 8-9F. Sub 20 degrees I can't keep my feet warm....that's the limiting factor for me. Feet are fine until about 30 minutes in...then they just get colder and more painful for the last 30 lol. I've tried double wool socks and 1000gram thinsulate boots. i suppose I could get those chemical heating packets for each trip.

I do have to solve the hands and feet problems better this year. I'm out there for an hour at a time, and I often have strong winds. The ski helmet is my solution to the head and face problem.