Here I am at work, about to leave in about 40 minutes.

Everyone in the office just suddenly started to notice that we are having our first snowfall. It's snowing pretty good right now. And the wind is about 30 km/hour.

This is my first winter commuting by bike. I'm suddenly REALLY nervous about going out on the street in the dark, with snow accummulating. I don't have any special tires.

Am I being silly or should I call DH to pick me up?

if you don't feel comfortable, by all means get a ride. Give yourself some time to get used to riding in the snow when you don't have to deal with traffic and darkness too.

Its snowing in Burlington? Is it also snowing in Toronto?

If there is no traffic I would go. If there is traffic I would get used to riding in snow first. Falling down on snowpack can be a lot of fun assuming you don't hit too hard, you slide forever. Of course, falling down on slush covered asphalt is no fun at all so perhaps you should get a ride.

Yeah, don't mix fear with poor road conditions.

I'd be in the same boat as you if it were snowing here. But, when it snows in the south drivers freak out to no extent. They close towns down for 1/4" of snow here. People act like the apocalypse just happened.

Take your time.

I saw some snow here in Toronto (I'm near the lake, downtown) at lunch, nothing to write home about - so far nothing yet this afternoon, but I'm riding home - I'm kinda anxious, mostly about the cold - yet I know I was plenty warm this morning, but the traffic-in-nighttime is a bit scary too as I've not rode around the downtown craziness or in any dense traffic at night here in Canada.

Don't feel bad about getting a ride, I brought my TTC pass with me today just in case - they did forecast the snow, so... Just be safe!

If you are not comfortable then there is no reason to risk it. No harm related to throwing in the towel if you are not prepared and\or confident. Your life is substantially more important than one bike ride.

I feel so guilty running my A/C this afternoon....

go ride around the parking lot (or something similar) and get a feel for it before you decide. Fresh snow is usually not much more challenging than riding in the rain (unless there's ice under it).

Could be worse -- you might be there with a car. Given the above-freezing temperatures, I wouldn't expect any ice problems, and you know the route and should have proper lights. Don't take any unnecessary risks, and it will be a good first winter adventure.

Paul

You've got A/C on the Surly??

I used to bike commute to school in Finland when I lived there. I was 16 and didn't even register the absurdity of riding a pink and white road bike with 700x23 tires in -45 degree weather. All surfaces including the roads had about 4 inches of ice on top of them plus whatever snow recently fell. I slid down the same hill every morning. after a few weeks i would just go into a "controlled slide" down that hill. Now I'm a desk jockey who wont even ride in the rain.

So, do we have a happy ending? Hope you arrived home safely and lived to ride another day.

Okay, that was anti-climactic. Just before I packed up to go home, I looked out the window to see sun peaking through scattered clouds. The snow turned to wet pavement and the wind had died down. Thanks for the well-wishes, everyone!

When there is REAL inclement weather to deal with, I'll probably make another panicky post. I'll try not to cry wolf when the time comes.

LOL

You should see what happens when it rains in Southern California... people come out of buildings and look up at the sky. Forget driving... people here do not drive well on wet streets... Think gridlock everywhere.

People will talk about rain for days after it happens.

Good show in riding anyway. When I rode in an area where it snowed I would stock a few bread bags in the office to keep my feet dry for that first time. By that time of the year I would already be using full rain gear to fend off wind chill. The next day I would have expanded my toe clips and donned the neoprene/nylon booties over the shoes for the trip back to work.

Hah! I fell during our last snowfall... Slid about 10 feet on my back down the road. :-p My wife laughed her ass off when I told her about it.

I love riding when it is snowing...provided its not sticking to the road.

Studded tires can help somewhat when you're on ice. What size of tires does your bike take? Also practice, and use a good headlight that lets you see what's ahead of you, because some road conditions demand that you avoid them (rutted frozen slush, for example).

That's the understatement of the year.

Well, I don't want to make people think that studs will automagically make them teh invincable I mean, there's ice, and then there's Evil Wavy Oily Polished Wet Ice of DOOM™.

I have Nokian Extreme 294's, and there's some stuff that I still take pretty carefully

I grew up in Toronto, and when i moved to NY i always found it funny how americans over-react to snow. but that story about southern California is hilarious.

I used to live in Reno, NV and when the first snows of the year hit Donner pass, there was hardly any room in the ditches because of all the stuck/rolled over SUVs from the bay area.

Now that I'm back in Calgary, I realize we're just as bad.

Side walks can provide easier riding with fresh fallen snow, as you dont have to deal with the snow packed into ruts, which can be as bad as streetcar tracks. When riding on the road, take it easy at traffic lights, because the stop/start traffic polishes the snow into a layer of ice. Cars give cyclists a lot more space when passing during the first snow of the season.

This would be my main concern. The first snow is dangerous just because of the drivers who forgot how to drive in the snow. I would definitely get a ride.