noglider 

I do ride in winter on days when people think I'm nuts, but I have my limits. I've noticed that my face can tolerate cold pretty well, so when I step out, I should not gauge how I think I'll fare by how the wind feels on my cheeks. My biggest challenges are keeping my hands and feet warm. Now that I have a shorter commute, it's a much smaller concern, because there isn't enough time for me to get cold. My commute is now 6.5 miles, and it takes me under 45 minutes.

A lot of meals are delivered by bicycle here in NYC. We see these delivery people everywhere, all the time. The guys who ride those bikes don't quit. I see them out in heavy snow and heavy wind. They don't have a choice, because they need to earn every dollar they can. I don't envy them. I love to ride a bike, but I wouldn't want to ride a bike for a living.

ptempel

I know its a bad day when all I see are a few ebike delivery guys on my commute. Yeah, I also don't envy them when its dumping snow and/or pretty cold out (less than 20F). I usually call it quits in those conditions. Its supposed to snow a little tomorrow morning but I think it will be a light spritz. If the GWB south sidewalk is open, then I'm riding.
@WonderMonkey, nothing to do but gear down one or two and go slower in the wind. It does suck and will test your ability to "hold back" a little...

Darth Lefty 

Spring has come to Sacramento but don’t envy us too hard. After a brief but nasty allergy season, by the middle of April, it will all be dry and dead.

emptym

I commuted year-round in Boston and DC. Really enjoyed it most of the time. Riding home around the Chestnut Hill Reservoir in a snowfall on a peaceful night is one of my favorite memories. Heavy rain when it's just above freezing is the worst to me. That or a wind-driven hail.

You just need to get a job in Sunset and live downtown. Or we do. I'm with you on the winds. But the hills are even worse. I'd rather ride 8 miles in the cold on flat ground that one mile of hills in SF.

Tbh though, I think a bike commute in the summer in Las Vegas could be the worst. Early mornings are beautiful. The warm, dry air caresses your skin. But when it gets above 100 it can be a survival experience.

banerjek

It's mostly about the gear.

However, ice is no fun if you don't have studs, and even in a best case scenario, riding in snow is like sand (thankfully, we get very little of it where I live). Also, once it gets cold enough, repairs really suck because you can't feel your hands and plastic levers break too easily. Also, super cold temps can cause unusual problems like having your freehub quit functioning.

Tombaatar

36 F is about as low as I go. Fortunately I live in Houston and I may miss 5 commutes a year because it gets colder.

WonderMonkey

This is true. I've spent an entire six months, from October until the end of March, in upper civilized Alaska. That was brutal cold, massive wind, etc.

WonderMonkey

I wouldn't want to do that for a living either. Having to deal with the cold, wind, slushy roads, etc. with no option to NOT do it would turn it into a dreadful drudgery.

WonderMonkey

I can take bike path, or rather, "non road" the entire way to my work. I wonder sometimes if a recumbent trike be a decent option so as to not "fall".

reidconti

Going the wrong way! I used to commute from Santa Clara up to Redwood Shores and it was great; calm winds in the AM, nice consistent 8-10mph tailwind almost every day home riding down the bay!

These days sometimes after work in Palo Alto I head down to San Jose and I see all the brave souls fighting headwinds coming north and I don't envy them!

SF proper is cold and windy, everywhere else around the bay is very nice and mild. I'm halfway between SF and San Jose and the highs on the commute home are never more than maybe 85 (and it's not a humid hellhole here, thankfully) and the coldest morning I've had is around 45F through the middle of January. (it's dipped below freezing but by the time i hit the road by 9ish it's warmed up a hair).

Yup, and there's some stat where Whitehorse, YT has one of the highest bike commute rates per capita. Having BEEN to Whitehorse (on motorized cycle, in the summer, natch!), I can't fathom why. Aside from the weather, it's half rural and the distances are large-ish (on the order of miles, I mean, just saying it's not urban).. and then in town everything is so close I don't know why you'd NEED a bike, just walk!

Mikarad

I've been commuting/riding all winter since getting my new Salsa Marrakesh in November. I've got about 2000 Km since then. Coldest was -15C, and windy. Most of my commutes have been below zero with added wind chill, but if you figure out what works for you it can be done.

noglider 

This morning on the way into work, I had some of the most brutal headwinds I've had along the river. It was cold, too, but that didn't bother me. We've had a lot of wind this past week, and it's normal for March, but I sure am looking forward to its abatement. I'm glad it's made me strong, but it still isn't all that fun.

robertorolfo

I wasn't sure if it was me, but the wind has indeed seemed particularly bad for the past week or two. Riding, walking in the city... even had a soccer game yesterday that was complicated by really strong gusts. Can't wait for it to subside.

noglider 

It's not just you! It's brutal. As I said, Friday night's ride wiped me out. But it's another thing to be proud of. If I can make it through this, I get a "badass" badge, and I can make it anywhere.

Daniel4

Today at the gym in the locker room, I got sucked into debating bike lanes with a bunch of motorists. One person stated "Toronto isn't suited for winter cycling." I just continued to put on my cycling gear and left.

Meanwhile, outside while I was unlocking my bike, someone else approached me and asked how I could cycle in the cold. I just showed him my layering and explained sometimes I'm dressed less than the people waiting for the bus.

noglider 

I've spent a lot of time outdoors this winter, and I think it has increased my tolerance for cold weather. I'm wearing less than most people. Does this happen to other people? Or it could be my metabolism. I eat a lot more than most people, and I'm thin, so I guess a lot of that energy goes into making heat.

alias5000

For me, it's both. I also have a high metabolism, never get seriously fat. But also cycling is higher intensity that what most people do outside (walking, sitting). Thus more energy = heat. I wear less on the bike, except for extremities, due to wind (overshoes, wool socks, double gloves and those things).

I am continuously baffled that one merino shirt (nothing else) and a wind breaker is more than enough at -2C.

Edit: I think, there is a psychological and an actual acclimatization to cold weather. The psychological one has to do with a warm and tempting couch as the contender against that brutal, beyond-anything cold out there. The other one gets your metabolism going. I think I eat more in winter to stay warm.

Jim from Boston

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daniel4

Today at the gym in the locker room, I got sucked into debating bike lanes with a bunch of motorists. One person stated "Toronto isn't suited for winter cycling." I just continued to put on my cycling gear and left.

I recently posted about discussing cycling with motorists:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim from Boston

…Personally, I find any discussions about cycling with motorists futile, especially those exchanged while en route, often with hostility. When off the bike, e.g. at work they are usually pleasant, but vacuous, for example when I’m called a saint.

When they complain, it’s often about cyclists riding two or more abreast, no lights, ninjas, etc…valid complaints IMO.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim fromBoston

Generally I get kudos or just indifference towards my cycling,mostly as a year-round commuter here in Metro Boston, even after my serious accident four years ago.

The most hostile remarks, particularly in Winter, are from those drivers who fear for themselves to hit me.

and,

Dan Burkhart 

I will be riding in to my part time job at the bike shop this morning, a sunny -5 c downhill with a tail wind, 7.5 km. Temperature forecast on the plus side for the ride home, uphill into the wind.
Not sure if that qualifies as badass for a 64 year old, but I don't think so.

Archwhorides 

It's simple: I hate driving, love gear, buses suck - ergo I cycle commute year around.

Tundra_Man 

I haven't driven to work since 2/10/2016. This last winter our average temps have been 10 degrees below normal, and we've had almost 30 days below zero (our average is 23 days.)

I always say the hardest part about doing it is deciding to do it.

In my warm living room looking outside at the snow, howling wind and frigid temps I always have second thoughts about riding. But once I'm a mile or two down the road I always think, "meh... this is no big deal."

flyerguy

I've been slowly trying to commute further into winter conditions each year. This year, I tried some commutes in the 20F temp range and was surprised at how tolerable it is with the right gear. I got proper goggles for Christmas which made an amazing difference - no fogging up! Balaclava is essential. Long socks and lobster claw gloves also made a big difference. Minneapolis keeps many trails cleared of snow which is a huge help, as most of the on-road bike facilities were not well-plowed and even if they were, there's so much crap on the roads that gathers there. It's actually been worse/messier commuting in recent weeks with the snowmelt than it was with below freezing temps. Tried studded tires for the first time too and was shocked at the amount of difference they made.

I'm still not there with the hardcore all-winter commuters, but I've probably expanded my commute season by 8-10 weeks at least from when I first started a few years ago. I need better gear (layers, jackets, pants) to ride in the teens, that's my goal for next year. This year I saw those handlebar slip-in covers all over the place, I think that could be a game-changer too.

noglider 

@flyerguy, you're harder core than I am, as I find it difficult below 28F or so, because our winters are warmer. The last couple of weeks, I've had to ride a lot in 35F weather, and I'm totally acclimated to that. I'm wearing five-finger gloves, and they're fine. I did recently get lobster claw gloves, and they are good for when it's colder.

I got studded tires a couple of winters ago because we had some bad ice, but we haven't had it since then, so I haven't had occasion to mount them. It was rather impulsive of me to buy them.

Stadjer

Last month I cycled when it was -10C (14F) and it even got -15 later that night, with a strong nasty wind making it feel like it was -30C, and I hated it. Winters are usually warmer here but it's certainly not the first time I cycled through temperatures like that. I guess I'm just getting too old for it, I didn't have the right gear but I feel too old for that too.

dschwarz

I'm back commuting this fall and through the winter after a few years working from home. It's great! Manhattan bike paths are usually clear a day after snowfall, and I love having them nearly to myself. Cross town sharrow routes are more treacherous but usually manageable. If there's too much snow on my route, I don't bike that day - I have no studded tires and I don't want to wipe out in the middle of 48th St.

Temps are no problem down to about 15F, I have layers, a balaclava, and goggles- although only had need for those one day this winter. Two kinds of gloves, warm and super warm, depending on the day. It's been a lot of fun!