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-   -   Winter commuters (https://www.bikeforums.net/commuting/535171-winter-commuters.html)

Moonshiner 04-27-09 08:02 PM


I don't ride in weather I'd break a sweat in while walking; I'd rather stay indoors. :O)

My car doesn't have an air conditioner, so its like an oven. The bikes almost cooler.

DataJunkie 04-27-09 08:10 PM

In hot temps it is usually stopping where it becomes irritating. Though above 100F you can hammer it and give yourself heatstroke if you do not pay attention.

daredevil 04-27-09 08:14 PM

There's something besides winter?

Hot Potato 04-27-09 08:23 PM


Originally Posted by DataJunkie (Post 8811351)
In hot temps it is usually stopping where it becomes irritating. Though above 100F you can hammer it and give yourself heatstroke if you do not pay attention.

Done it. Amazing how the summer "wind chill" can fool you.

TheRealNicola 04-27-09 08:25 PM


Originally Posted by commutr4life (Post 8809957)
At first I thought the OP was nuts, but I'm reconsidering as my allergies are going off and it's 87 degrees as I prepare to bike home...

Lol : ) if i had allergies i'd be only a winter commuter

macteacher 04-27-09 08:51 PM


Originally Posted by DataJunkie (Post 8805037)
Heck no. Winter here lasts way too long and summer is short. Screw winter commuting. I would love to move somewhere without winter someday.
Yes I ride year round.


Oh, Com'mon DataJunkie, winter in Colorado is fairly mild. Your winter temps are like spring temps in the northern latitudes.

Sixty Fiver 04-27-09 08:56 PM


Originally Posted by daredevil (Post 8811385)
There's something besides winter?

Sometimes I wonder about that here... we had rain and snow today.

buzzman 04-27-09 09:23 PM

I commute by bike right through the winter months and yeah, there's stuff that I like about it- like the fact that it can literally feel like I'm on a polar expedition on my 10 mile ride into gusting winds at 0〫F with snow and ice in the pitch black of night. But to ride home as the sun slowly sets after 7:30pm with the dogwoods, magnolia and flowers in bloom wearing just a t-shirt and jeans is a bit tough to beat.:)

Sixty Fiver 04-27-09 09:46 PM

There is something nice about coming home at night and hearing the crunch of hard pack under your tires... this spring rain and snow we have been getting has no appeal to me save for the fact my garden and lawn need it.

mechanicalron 04-27-09 10:22 PM

http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x...icksRacing.jpg
Darn spring chickens think they own the place :) They all come out and try to out snub each other lol.

totoroben 04-28-09 12:30 AM

I have commuted in Cleveland winters and am used to it. The only problem is the salt destroys bicycles.

dirtyhippy 04-28-09 01:45 AM

I like winter commuting, but since I'm usually in a rush in the morning sometimes it doesn't work so well. A few years ago I couldn't find my gloves, and I *needed* to leave right then. Was fine on the morning ride, the ride home took place after dark and I ended up getting frostbite on the tips of a few of my fingers. It was one of the weirdest feelings I've ever had - they stopped hurting before I got home, but once they warmed a bit they hurt like hell. They felt funny for a week or so afterwards, and I swear that for the next year they got colder than the areas that didn't get frostbitten. The really ironic part is that the reason I was biking home so late at night was that I was listening to a talk by an arctic explorer who travels the north and south poles via dogsled. :lol:

KLW2 04-28-09 06:29 AM


Originally Posted by daredevil (Post 8811385)
There's something besides winter?

There is that few minutes sometime in July.....
Winter commuting is nice to have the road/path to yourself ....bicycle, roller-blade and dog wise...

Pig_Chaser 04-28-09 07:45 AM

This winter was my first commuting winter. I loved it, there's nothing like rolling through fresh snow on a bike to make you feel like a kid again.

Spring sucks, tons of sand and water on the road.

Summer's okay.

Fall is my favorite. Moderate temperatures, decent lighting still and great roads.

duckbill 04-28-09 07:58 AM


Originally Posted by Pig_Chaser (Post 8813400)
This winter was my first commuting winter. I loved it, there's nothing like rolling through fresh snow on a bike to make you feel like a kid again.

Spring sucks, tons of sand and water on the road.

Summer's okay.

Fall is my favorite. Moderate temperatures, decent lighting still and great roads.

How long is the summer in Edmonton, 5-6 weeks? :lol:

yoder 04-28-09 08:37 AM

Definitely generally prefer winter to summer here in DC. Although, I don't bike in icy conditions, so some days lost there. But really the vast majority of the winter is fine. I pretty much don't enjoy any ride in the high temperatures, and at work I have to deal with the sweating.

Jim from Boston 04-28-09 10:03 AM


Originally Posted by buzzman (Post 8811874)
I commute by bike right through the winter months and yeah, there's stuff that I like about it- like the fact that it can literally feel like I'm on a polar expedition on my 10 mile ride into gusting winds at 0〫F with snow and ice in the pitch black of night. But to ride home as the sun slowly sets after 7:30pm with the dogwoods, magnolia and flowers in bloom wearing just a t-shirt and jeans is a bit tough to beat.:)

I also ride in Boston and sort of enjoy winter riding as does Buzzman, but as an early morning rider, Winter, IMO, lasts for an additional four weeks. Even with the magnolias in bloom, it's still in the upper 30's to low 40's before 7:00 AM. Today was the first day of the year I rode without my winter jacket. :D

dr_bovine 04-28-09 10:41 AM

For all of the negatives of winter riding (salt, terribly road conditions, less daylight, etc), you can always throw on another layer to get warmer. In the summer, there is a limit to how much you can take off (legally) to get cooler. I'd much rather ride at 0F than 95F.

modernjess 04-28-09 10:49 AM

Wrong time of the year to ask that question. The novelty of riding through the winter is so worn off. If I never see another winter day it'll be too soon. And unfortunately around here it WILL be too soon.

andrelam 04-28-09 02:48 PM


Originally Posted by dr_bovine (Post 8814634)
For all of the negatives of winter riding (salt, terribly road conditions, less daylight, etc), you can always throw on another layer to get warmer. In the summer, there is a limit to how much you can take off (legally) to get cooler. I'd much rather ride at 0F than 95F.

I have to agree with that. I do however preferr riding Spring through Fall. I can make it through a Winter, and riding a bike in the Winter is still better than being cooped up in an office all day and then being cooped up in a car as well. Most days Winter riding is fine. I don't mind the cold much, but the snow can get tiring to deal with. My Nokia W106 certainly prevent me from going down on slick streets, but the bike is not good in deep snow... do that you need wide tires, and I am riding a hybrid. Dealing with the chain is probably the biggest hassel in Winter. I know the chain needs a good bath at least once a week when it snows daily, but when it is in the teens to low twenties outside, I am NOT going to be working on the bike. I don't mind working on maintenance in the house, but cleaning a chain is messy work so that has to be done outside. If the belt drive bikes ever take off, that might be very tempting to upgrade to in the future.

Thankfully Buffalo's temperatures get tempered by Lake Erie so we rarely see temps in the 90's, mostly mid to high 80's all summer long. Spring and Fall are super nice.

Happy riding... enjoying the mild weather we are having now :)
André

rajman 04-28-09 04:54 PM

I like winter riding a lot, but it's nice to change back to summer. I think that winter riding is nicer in a cold, sunny place (Calgary) than slushy and grey (Toronto).

nvincent 04-28-09 06:23 PM

I don't like any of the extremes. Winter and summer are not my favorite seasons to go riding. Riding during the winter isn't that bad once you actually start riding. But sometimes to have to psych yourself up to go riding. Waking up in the morning and finding out that it's below freezing with wind chill can help convince you to take the car to work. But once you're actually on the road you find that you can tolerate the extreme cold as long as you're dressed properly.


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