FYA, I posted this note to this intrepid winter cyclist, with reference to this learned treatise about ice:

Yep. And people are creative too. E.g. taking a speaker with you that makes grizzly sasquatch sounds. :D

Studded tires are going on tonight.. snow forecasted Thursday. While it's tougher to commute in the winter I'd rather do that than deal with the idiots on the road. I passed a couple FWD and 4x4's last year.

Interesting. Others might feel safer dealing with the "idiots on the road" from inside a car, rather than on a bicycle, during the winter. Care to elaborate?

My thoughts exactly. Unless you dont cycle on the road / shoulder and use only separate bike paths.

Yeah, the NW coast has my area beat on both ends of the climate range ... by more than a little.

Jim: Don't let my political slip-of-the-tongue in the early stage of this thread keep you from participating. 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.

Around here (SF Bay Area) anyone commuting in the winter is a bit of an oddity. I kinda like it as it thins out the late season wannabe's. I go year-round, but truth be told, I'm not so sure I'd be game for a year-round commute if it included sub freezing temps for days on end. I do, however, enjoy the solitude of a quiet, rainy ride in the wee morning hours. To me it's almost primal, like staring into a fire. Odd, I know.

Much respect for those that opt out too. There's no shame in bowing out for the season. Primarily because it assures you'll be able to be back next season. It's quite reasonable to expect anyone to avoid risky situations, why would dangerous winter conditions be any different? If it doesn't feel right, don't do it.

-Kedosto

My bikes are put away, sadly. I like this time of year (until we get snow shortly), but with added kid duty it just isn't happening. Just need to figure out something for spring.

For the past couple of winters I've done most of my errand runs in the winter on my bike whenever possible. I've even invested in an additional couple of sets of studded tires for this purpose. By far my most frequent errand is grocery shopping at the local supermarket, which is only about 1.5 km away. The parking lot at this place is a zoo, so riding a bike there is a no-brainer. I'm actually thinking of getting a set of 26" studs for my beater MTB.

On the bike I can maneuver around them easier. The streets I take on the bike are less traveled so I don't have alot of issues. I take more caution though so I won't get slid into. I don't have a 4x4 in the stable either and with the studs the bike is pretty much unstoppable.

Of course, the number of commuting cyclists decreases as we go into winter, but I've seen a trend over the last five years which is that the decrease is less each year. I don't have the path to myself during the winter.

My plan is to be able to leave my cruddy bikes like the Huffys and beach cruisers outside and if friends want to come ride, they can just jump on a bike and ride it, no tune-up needed! My main problem with these bikes in the past has been: The chains and cables and shifters and brakes and steerer tubes and bottom brackets and wheels all rust up over the winter and then people come over to ride on a nice day---and the only thing not broken is the tires, still inflated :/

To remedy this I will be coating all bike left outside in the rain with a layer of Boeshield T-9, then a layer of LPS-3, then some ACF-50

Here in Australia our bikes do not need to hibernate in winter. With summer temperatures of 40C/104F, winter temperatures of 12C/54F are quite pleasant to ride in.

This is also true in my town/area - there are progressively more and better-equipped winter riders on my route every year. I think it is because auto traffic has become so abysmal with the hot economy.

I enjoy having more space on the MUP and in bike lanes in the cold months. I do have to be a bit more careful riding with the 4-wheelers for the last few downtown miles though.

[MENTION=389176]Archwhorides[/MENTION], I lived in Boston many years ago. The winter climate is worse -- colder and snowier -- for cycling than here, but the layout of the city and metropolitan area are better, so you may have a greater fraction of trips being by bike than here. Looking at the Strava heat map, Metro Boston looks like a place with more possibilities. And the distances are typically less.

I'll be riding my bike to the station every day until a few days before Christmas, after which I'll be vacationing on Long Island. Weather permitting, I'll do some riding while I'm there, but it won't be commuting. Commuting starts up again first week of January.

It's easy to choose between riding and driving if driving isn't an option.

Everything you say makes sense.

Also, if this is true it will promote biking: worst traffic

There is some kind of war going on between IB and r-e-d-d-i-t, so try this link instead.

I didn't put my bike away for the winter, it's still right where I left it after my last ride. And the next ride won't happen until the ground isn't so slippery.

we are supposed to put our bikes away? why? who said? :commute: