Help for a first timer
 

Ok I'm looking to try this winter biking thing to help me get to and from classes this winter .By bus 17 .mile ride Walking it's a 16.8 mile walk that takes 5 hrs .I've done the ride during the summer but never in the winter .So thats the route I'm going to take .So what all will I need for a Detroit ,Michigan ride .Well Detroit to Taylor .The roads will be main roads .So I'm mapping everything out first and I'll do a test run on the route later this week and see .So help me out guys Never road in the winter before .

What's wrong with your punctuation?

Sorry, no comment on the winter riding stuff--live in sunny California here.

Well .There are many people here who may be able to help .I would make sure I have a rack and good fenders .Then I would make sure i have warm enough clothes .Remember to layer .Then, I would ride to english class and learn that the double-space goes after the period and not before it .:p

Edited to add smiley so he knows I'm just giving him a hard time, rather than being mean.

You'll need lots of warm clothes. Watch out for rain. It is my least favorite form of precipitation, and it can ruin an entire day if you don't have a change of clothes or something to keep you dry.

Check out Icebike and the Winter Cycling Forum. If you have questions about something specific regarding winter riding do a search of the forums, then post in this thread or the winter cycling forum if you don't find a good answer.

Icebike rocks. I learned a neat trick there last year about leaning your body in a turn to keep the bike upright and maximize traction.

Clothing you'll probably learn by trial and error. It will almost certinly require lighter clothes than you think. The many trick is keeping the small bits (fingers, ears, nose, etc.) warm while not roasting the torso.

As for equipment, definitely rack and fenders. Don't forget lights.

It will be much easier if you can keep clothes, shoes and towel at school, without carrying it to and fro every day. Only ride in waterproof stuff when it is raining, otherwise you will get hot and sweaty.

Ok I suck at typing ok .

A few things to watch out for in the winter:

-Add at least 50% to the time it takes you to do the ride in the summer to get a feel for how long it's going to take in the winter.
-If you're planning to ride in icy conditions, you should run a set of studded tires. Knobbies aren't good enough on black ice.
-Bike lanes and/or shoulders often go unplowed, especially after storms. Once the snow starts to fly, you will have a lot less space on the road than you do now.
-Drivers don't tend to reduce their speed in bad conditions nearly as much as they should. When the weather's dicey, I take the bus.

+1. This is a great tip. Proving to yourself you could do the ride isn't nearly as important as getting through the day alive. Just use common sense out there.
Layering is a great tool for cold weather, once you start you'll probably be surprised how warm you get. Gloves are something I also stress, right now i'm using a Neoprene Snowboarding glove, the temp is about 32F minimum.

Heck yeah. If the road is sketchy, I'll use the sidewalk. If the sidewalk's sketchy, I'll take the car.

Thanks for the info