It must be winter again
 

Last couple of days, co-workers have been asking if I rode in. I know that it's just a conversational gambit because they're aware that I never NOT ride in, but I couldn't figure out why the interest all of a sudden. I finally got clued in when two people mentioned how "cold" it is. Arctic cool 39° this morning :lol: Anyway, "winter" has officially arrived in Georgia!

33F at the start, 38F at the end for me this morning. Once the sun came out, I had to ditch the hat and open up my jacket to dump heat. And I only had two layers on. I don't get it either about "it's too cold to ride", people go skiing/snowboarding in much colder conditions. Is biking just stereotyped as a summer activity?

Only by folks whose only "activity" is rolling down the car window...

Coincidentally it was 39F on my ride in here in Colorado Springs, and a vendor asked if I rode today; although I average 4 days a week, and I usually drive on Mondays (it's mMonday).

Yep. The endless permutation of clothing combinations is bewidering. Get it wrong and you'll be sweating or just be miserably cold. And then the effect of the cold on battery life for lights and cameras. Needless to say, it's not my favourite time of the year yo ride. But the least favourite time is yet to come.

I think I'd be more likely to continue riding through the winter if it weren't so dark when I leave for work beginning at this time of year. When I drive to work in the mornings lately, I struggle to see through my frosty windows, and if I don't keep spraying defroster fluid on them, I can lose practically all visibility.

I don't want to be a cyclist on the road with people in cars having this same problem. Especially if they are on their phones complaining to their friends about it.

But to the point of this thread, I was just talking to my wife yesterday about how, within the past ten years, I've gone from looking forward to bundling up for a brisk winter ride to having absolutely no ambition to do so at all .

That's a shame, Tom. I agree that there are many factors on the road that are beyond your control and that are potential catastrophes, more so in the winter, I suppose. I am well aware of these dangers when riding in the winter. If I don't feel safe I won't hesitate to take the sidewalk to avoid being side by side with cars. Sidewalks come with their own hazards, but the danger is in front of you, and you have some control over how you proceed.

We all do what we feel is best for your own safety. Good luck to you. :)

It's not yet winter around here, but the squirrels of chicago sure are acting awfully frenzied these days.

The only problem i run in to is trying to keep my feet warm. The rest of me is ok, just my feet start to freeze at mile 8, out of 10.5 mile trip. I wear wool socks and long pants, but can't keep them warm and by the end of my rides ( when it's low 30's) they are painfully cold.

Coincidentally, it's 7C here today, which is around 39F. I plan to ride in. Just sent the in-laws to pick up some pastries and their from Bavaria and said it was cold.

Need to finish putting in the IKEA kitchen today.

You probably need something to cut the wind. A pair of shoe covers might do the trick.

shoe covers on the outside, aluminum foil over the toes on the inside

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.

That's a good tip! I made a video a couple of weeks ago with some winter riding and commuting tips that I've learned over the years...

I'd give the one guy a "pass" on that, an older gentleman with a knee replacement, the other pending, walks with a cane. But he rides a motorcycle so we have something in common, with the weather anyway.

Or just a plastic bag around your foot inside the shoe covers.

Getting to be winter here too. Leaves are pretty much gone already and my ride in started with 29 degree temps. Afternoon ride was in the low 50's and the usual cold NW winds. At 29 it was a long sleeve jersey under a midweight jacket, balaclava and ice armor gloves. Bottoms were 3/4 length pants with knee warmers which helps me from overheating, wool socks and waterproof hiking boots. Still battle with overheating some which isn't a problem unless I hit a long train like yesterday.

I was looking at some covers and wasn't sure how well they worked. Is there sla style/features i should look for ?

So "too cold to ride a bike" must be defined as "too cold for me to roll down my window to yell at the cyclist"?

i rode Monday and I saw 29F on the GPS. A lot of people asked me if I rode. It was not too bad considering the temps and it is still October.

i agree with the shoe covers they make a big difference. i agree with the aluminum foil that really does help over the toes when it really cold.

yesterday i had my super cold and 60F forecasted but really mid 50'sF by the time I rode home dialed perfect. Great ride both ways. this morning was warmer and I was comfortable I hope I got it right for the ride home today as well.

Exactly. So ya gotta wait until you get to work and hassle the one guy or gal that does bike in... "did YOU ride today..."

I still haven't solved the hands and feet problems, but my commute is now 6.5 miles rather than 13.5 miles, so maybe they won't be problems any more.

Very little of my route is on streets. Most of it is on a MUP, so I don't need to worry about drivers who can't see. I consider myself very lucky. In other places, I would also hesitate to ride in the winter. On New Jersey suburban roads, I was pretty scared at evening rush hour, knowing how irritable the drivers were feeling.

It's funny,,every year I go through a bit of a "conditioning" phase, in getting accustomed to colder temps. Anything below the mid 50's seems cool as we enter autumn, but as the season progresses that doesn't seem cool at all and it takes temps maybe in the low 40's to cause me to feel cold at all on a ride. In the heart of the winter, I will ride in temps down into the mid 20's. That's about my low limit, but there typically aren't many days that get much lower than that here, so it's not a big deal.

The last few days, I've ridden home in temps in the mid to low 40's and it has felt quite comfortable to me. Although I do tend to "overdress" at this point in the year for temps like that; later I will probably remove a layer of clothing for those temps compared to now. I wore a long sleeve base layer and an old school wool jersey on those recent rides in the 40's, on the way home in the evening. I'm still in my yearly cold weather "conditioning" phase at this point. :)

Folks, please put your locations in your profiles. It's interesting, and it gives us perspective on what you say.

Yep. My issues with hands and feet usually surface the last 10-15 minutes of a 20-commute/

Shoe covers will still leave the underside of your shoes exposed and cold air will still find its way to your feet eventually. They may delay the onset, but sooner or later.

When it gets down to -3*C or colder I'll use my Specialized Defroster shoes, which are insulated winter road shoes. Combined with a good pair of wool socks they work well. At -7*C I'll have to use the neoprene covers over the Defrosters. And below -10*C, I'll stick a packet of chemical warmers over my toes. Colder than this I'll probably drive.

Yeah, it's a lot of little incremental mods and a PITA!