Bike Forums - It must be winter again

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim from Boston (Post 20657940)

It must be winter again Hi [MENTION=484437]medic75[/MENTION]

Just three days ago, I replied to your thread of 9-18, “Considering winter commuting - need advise”

Yep, saw that. Thanks. I bought a cheap winter bike complete with fenders & disc brakes (see my post about the Schwinn Central). I will be adding a homemade mudflap to the front fender & the Schwalbe Marathon Winter tires should be here in 2-3 weeks (currently backordered). I really don't like the upright riding position, but for my short commute, it is better than driving.

FWIW, the ride home Friday went without incident. It warmed up a little and started to rain, melting the snow and slush that was on the roads. No fenders meant my feet and ankles got some extra splashing, but I survived. As much as I enjoy riding that bike, it has become a decoration in my basement and will remain there until Spring of 2019. This morning's commute was 20 degrees, sunny, and dry - briskly blissful to say the least.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jollynut (Post 20657895)

Winter is the best season to ride :-)

I think it kind of sucks to ride in winter, but it's better than not riding.

Quote:

Originally Posted by medic75 (Post 20659228)

Yep, saw that. Thanks. I bought a cheap winter bike complete with fenders & disc brakes (see my post about the Schwinn Central). I will be adding a homemade mudflap to the front fender & the Schwalbe Marathon Winter tires should be here in 2-3 weeks (currently backordered).

I really don't like the upright riding position, but for my short commute, it is better than driving…

FWIW, the ride home Friday went without incident. It warmed up a little and started to rain, melting the snow and slush that was on the roads. No fenders meant my feet and ankles got some extra splashing, but I survived.

As much as I enjoy riding that bike, it has become a decoration in my basement and will remain there until Spring of 2019. This morning's commute was 20 degrees, sunny, and dry - briskly blissful to say the least.

Thanks for that note. I was a confirmed drop-bar rider for decades, until “forced” into the upright position. Now both my excellent CF road bike (as usual for winter), and my fine aluminum road bike beater are in storage

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim from Boston (Post 20547731)

…For the past few years I have been entirely satisfied with my carbon fiber road bike, aluminum road bike as a beater that accepts 30C studded tires, and a previous moutain bike beater, now in storage.…

This year however has been a bust because this winter I developed a weakness in my neck muscles supporting my head upright (perhaps due to a two month unavoidable layoff) on my previously well-fitted bikes.

I had a subsequent fitting on both, with some handlebar adjustments. I recently got an exercise consultation for neck, shoulder and core muscles, and was given an exercise routine, that takes a big chunk of 50 minutes to perform. Exercise may fix it, but that’s a long-term solution.

All these remedies have barely allow me to ride my minimum 14 mile one-way commute with slight discomfort near the end. By this time of the year I'm doing weekly 50-60 mile rides easily, and even training for a Century.

Just yesterday, I rented a hybrid style bike with flat handlebars, and was comfortable on the commute, even with a moderately heavy backpack

So now I’m giving in to the idea of a flat bar bike. .I’m in a quandary if I should replace the drop bars on my aluminum beater (with endurance style geometry) with flat bars, see if I can buy this relatively cheap hybrid since it seems to work, or buy a new quality hybrid to my specifications.

The Diverge is already set up as a nice all-weather commuter (see photo). I’m going to my trusted LBS on Saturday to make a decision.

Late in September I bought a Giant Escape with flat handlebars which is an OK, but heavy ride, but is comfortable. I have ridden my commute a few times, and now I’m gung-ho for winter riding, with studded tires, to make up for lost time.

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...f523265960.jpg

It must be winter again

Quote:

Originally Posted by jollynut (Post 20657895)

Winter is the best season to ride :-)

Quote:

Originally Posted by wphamilton (Post 20659976)

I think it kind of sucks to ride in winter, but it's better than not riding.

Earlier today on this thread I posted:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim from Boston (Post 20660016)

…Late in September I bought a Giant Escape with flat handlebars which is an OK, but heavy ride, but is comfortable.

I have ridden my commute a few times, and now I’m gung-ho for winter riding, with studded tires, to make up for lost time.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tjspiel (Post 16495625)

Winter is long enough here [in Minneapolis] that I mentally break it into segments.

Late November through December
January
February to Mid March
Mid March ->

January gets it's own segment because it can be so brutally cold and I mostly ride in the dark. By February I'm starting to get some daylight on both ends of the commute and though we can get really cold weather in February too, the temps tend to moderate and the side roads start to thaw...

Usually by Mid March (or not long after) we've had at least one extended thaw where a lot of the snow melts. We may get major snow storms and cold weather after that but those come in between warmer stretches.

April is often a mixed bag. 70 or 80 one week, then snow the next but it's possible it won't snow at all.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim from Boston (Post 16528059)

The above is a pretty good description of the winter progression here in Boston, though the temperatures and snowfall are less brutal than in Minneapolis.

I would add that the Christmas lights of late November through December along with the slightly higher temperatures, and some residual training effect from summer and fall make that segment enjoyable. The quick disappearance of Holiday lights in January further exacerbates the gloom.

Visits to Virginia and South Carolina in March and April have convinced me that Spring in Boston is about one month behind the South, particularly for an early morning commuter.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim from Boston (Post 19093062)

I dont’t think of a cycling season, but rather a cycling year with a cycle of seasons.…Not to sound religious, but I like to think of Ash Wednesday as my “New Cycling Year’s Day.”

It occurs usually still well into the Winter and I use that forty-day period of Lent as a marker to define a tolerable length of time to go into a rigorous dietary and training mode to shake off the winter blahs, even though I ride during the Winter anyways.

By Easter, Spring is making itself known and I’m particularly ready for it.

PS: I recently posted to this General Cycling Discussion thread, “The Annual "Put My Bike Away for Winter" Thread”:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim from Boston (Post 20650821)

I keep saying “no mas” to replying to this thread, but winter commuting is a favorite subject. :rolleyes:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Papa Tom (Post 20651371)

Jim: …As we've both noticed, even a tired old subject like this can draw a good-sized crowd, and it doesn't hurt to know that people are still thinking the same way they did at this time last year.

:winter2:

I have to bring this thread back after a recent discussion I had with a coworker. For those of you who don't know, I began to commute to work on my bike almost exclusively in June of this year. I enjoyed it so much that I dreaded giving it up for winter, so I adapted and got ready for winter commuting. My habit has become a subject of regular discussion for many of my coworkers, with some beginning to call me "Lance". My recent addition of a new winter bike and studded tires has added to this ongoing discussion. Even though we have only had one icy day and one day of significant snow covering on the roads, one of my coworkers approached me and asked "you don't really ride in the snow, do you?". I explained that the cars are more of a concern than the abilities of me or my bike. Honestly, I thoroughly enjoyed the snowy day and felt like I had conquered the world. It was such a rush that I am actually looking forward to the next time it happens. If everyone else knew this feeling of accomplishment was available, they would all be on bikes when it is snowing.

Quote:

Originally Posted by medic75 (Post 20702233)

If everyone else knew this feeling of accomplishment was available, they would all be on bikes when it is snowing.

absotively!

Quote:

Originally Posted by medic75 (Post 20629276)

To add to that, the variances in temperatures during the day. Yesterday, my ride in was 35 degrees while my ride home was 50 degrees. This creates the need for 2 different clothing combinations. A 15 degree difference in the summer is no big deal, but as the weather turns, you can easily get it wrong and be uncomfortable. Add a little rain into the mix and it gets even more interesting.

Right there with you. My temperature variations are complicated by working 12 hour overnight shifts. I can ride in on a sunny afternoon and come out in the morning to find it freezing and windy. Every now and then I forget to check the forecasts and am caught short assuming that the clothes I wore for in for the afternoon commute would be adequate for early morning ride home.

Quote:

Originally Posted by medic75 (Post 20702233)

Not only that, but those truly nasty, miserable days it's worse in the car, in traffic. Sitting in the mass of all the other vehicles, creeping along every once in awhile and always watching for someone losing his cool and jamming into your space or running reds or causing accidents up ahead. While on the bike you just ride on by the whole traffic jam, just like any other day except maybe a little colder and wetter, and getting there in half the time it takes the drivers.

If it's still raining this afternoon, I'll suffer through another rainy commute on the bike. The last day it was raining like this traffic was snarled really badly on my way home. By bike, my commute is 45 minutes under any conditions. Taking 45 minutes on the bike isn't so bad when the car commute jumps from 20 to 40 minutes!

[QUOTE=medic75;20702233My recent addition of a new winter bike and studded tires has added to this ongoing discussion. Even though we have only had one icy day and one day of significant snow covering on the roads, one of my coworkers approached me and asked "you don't really ride in the snow, do you?"[/QUOTE]

The novelty of it will wear off, and you are opening their eyes to new possibilities they've not thought of before.