yeah, cold is one way to describe it. I microwaved my water (in a big glass) for 1 minute before leaving. it still froze before I got to work but it lasted a lot longer! I think I will try 1.5 minutes next time. I added a blinkie strobe to my left drop bar hoping to get a few more inches of courtesy from the cagers. the roads were empty this morning at 5:45, so I'll see if it helps on the ride home. glad the ride in wasn't any longer, cuz while I felt strong enough my toes were cold even with a sock liner, wool sock, decent hiking shoe, and rubber over boot. I added my shower cap to the helmet even though I wore a ski mask and the added wind barrier was a good idea, and then the inherent air space was good too for when I warmed up and got sweaty. my superflash rear strobe stopped workinh but it worked most of the way. not sure if it was the cold or what - the batteries are brand new!

11F this morning, winds were a little less wild than yesterday, but the best part...the road conditions. Most of the snow missed us the last two days and the wind ensured that there was little ice on the roads. No ice bike this morning! The ride felt much faster and easier, even riding into that darned wind. Of course the Browns beating the Steelers last night probably helped my attitude too.

Batteries lose power quick in the cold.......


The electric current generated by a battery is produced when a connection is made between its positive and negative terminals. When the terminals are connected, a chemical reaction is initiated that generates electrons to supply the current of the battery. Lowering the temperature causes chemical reactions to proceed more slowly, so if a battery is used at a low temperature then less current is produced than at a higher temperature. As the batteries run down they quickly reach the point where they cannot deliver enough current to keep up with the demand. If the battery is warmed up again it will operate normally.

One solution to this problem is to make certain batteries are warm just prior to use. Preheating batteries is not unusual for certain situations. If the battery is already warm and insulated, it may make sense to use the battery's own power to operate a heating coil. It is reasonable to have batteries warm for use, but the discharge curve for most batteries is more dependent on battery design and chemistry than on temperature. This means that if the current drawn by the equipment is low in relation to the power rating of the cell, then the effect of temperature may be negligible.

On the other hand, when a battery is not in use, it will slowly lose its charge as a result of leakage between the terminals. This chemical reaction is also temperature dependent, so unused batteries will lose their charge more slowly at cooler temperatures than at warmer temperatures. For example, certain rechargeable batteries may go flat in approximately two weeks at normal room temperature, but may last more than twice as long if refrigerated.

Your kidding the Browns won a game??? Holy Crap! Looks like my team will be the worst in the NFL this year then. Rams.

Thought I might set a seasonal low temperature for commuting this fall, but just missed. It was 28 F when I rode in this morning, slightly warmer than Monday morning, when it was 27. Not that I could tell the difference riding. I find it easier to dress when it's cold like this because I don't have to plan different gear to wear in the afternoons. Lately it's been cold enough in the afternoons that I can wear just about the same gear as mornings. One thing I really like about the cold weather is not being all sweaty when I get to work or home.

Not bad, not bad. Quartering tailwind. About 20F. The MUP has been dutifully ruined by pedestrians. They tracked up the wet snow, and the snow froze up last night. Why they can't follow their own tracks instead of walking on the entire width of the trail, I'll never understand. It's my annual rant.

Water bottle nipple was frozen shut. I drank by unscrewing the cap while stopped at a red light. There was ice in the bottle, too. I'm easily amused by stuff like that. We're hard core.

21F and windy in NYC, but sunny, ended up being quite enjoyable ride, I managed to dress just right.

A.

Haven't commuted since mid October because after 26 years I'm retired from the Air Force. But I'll submit a job application and the next day I'll hop on the bike to check out the commuting route and see if it's a good one or not. And yes there are some places that I haven't applied to because the commute is not doable.

18F - almost as many degrees as the last 3 mornings combined! Still cold, it turns out. Thick thick THICK hoar frost on everything, but no real problems (although the x-walk light button a block before the office was frozen).

Does that save Fredo Mangini?

Friday, Rode in today in 17f. The wind was a lot more manageable. W10mph. Gust of 17. Not too bad. But I put the Sporthill XC pants over my workpants. And that worked good. . Gave me extra protection from the cold and was totally comfortable. Those pants continue to amaze me with their abilities.Yesterday I had my usual get-up of the workpants with the leg warmers over them, which had worked before with me down to about 15f. But yesterday the wind was blowing so hard (35mph, 20f), that it blew right thru the exposed area of the workpants. The part that wasn't protected by the leg warmers. Needless to say it started to freeze my you-know-what off. And I stopped to stick one of the cotton work gloves I had down there to provide some protection. Live and Learn. But it’s good to know that the XC’s will provide me with more warmth, and are easy to put on and take off. The aftn ride was great. Sunshine, 32f. Light tailwind. In the aftn I wear the XC's by themselves and they're great for cold weather.

Farking cold.

And it's getting colder.

My first commute, having moved house a couple of weeks ago (but been out of town since). Just wonderful, 10k, temp a little below freezing, whizzing down the hill and over the bridge as the sun began to filter through the thick shaggy grey overcastness.

Had to scoot home at lunchtime to fetch something important, so actually a double commute today. Toes a bit cold. Light speckly snow falling on the lunchtime ride.

It was a lot warmer today, but the snow was really slushy in areas. I was almost killed by a cell phone. The woman driving the car was paying more attention to her call than me or the yield sign she ran. I need an air horn on my bike. I found a primitive tool, kind of like a file with a handle attached to it.

39F and a light rain this morning. Belgian weather. I need to have some waffles and chocolate when I get home.

ride home home cold dark and lonely. I was the only psycho on the road. I almost wiped out on ice 3 times. at one point I slowed down for a big patch and some cars stopped to watch me so I kept goign against my better judgement and they almost witnessed me falling. what I wanted to do was wait for them to pass and then take the lane ... ugh - why do thy watch?

12.9 miles
24.8 max spd
12.5 avrg spd (ugh)
1 hr 2 min (double ugh)

It took about 10 minutes longer to ride into work this morning because of the poorly plowed roads. I had to dismount when the bike came to a stop on a little used side street but it was a short walk through the snow until ride-able ground was underfoot. Traffic is much less early on Saturday morning but I will have to deal with the stampede of Christmas shoppers for the ride home. The -11 C temperature froze up the derailleur after it was packed with salty slush but was in a usable gear for the completion of my journey. Sometimes I miss my fixed gear Fuji but the feeling goes away when I get to a hill in either direction.

As I looked into my 8 ball....it read Negative!

I meant to post this yesterday but I didn't get a chance: I had a nice commute in this morning, -4F and light breeze. I only saw two bikes on whole way in (fifteen miles) and that was a little disappointing. Although I did see a lot of tracks in the snow and it was pretty early. I had 17F for my ride home, almost tropical.

Rode down to the bike co-op today (10km) and was pretty impressed to see 3 people working on their bikes... it has warmed up to -29 C and there's a wind chill advisory and the low tonight is supposed to be -38C.

I was actually a little too warm on my ride today...

Wet and foggy on the ride home last night - necessitating a little attention to clean up the bike today. Also a reminder that I'm now lacking a beater bike...

I like my masochistic bike.

Wet, foggy, dark, rainy, muddy. But I got more done than I planned today, and completed the semester's requirements. Classes start again in January. Sweet.

It was a warmer ride at 28 F ( -2 C). Foggy in places, but nothing serious. The begining of a another week, and may it feel like a short one.

short!

.89 miles
20.8 max spd
8.2 avrg spd hahahaha
6 minutes saddle time

It didn't take long to realize there was too much black ice and riding would only be suicide. I stayed upright untill I came back home and dismounted, at which point the bike slid out from under me. I didn't fall and I caught the bike before hitting the ground, but nearly wrenched my back.

Gonna use the back massager, rest, shower, and drive to work like a lazy fat slob.

Low 30s. We had a little snow last night, followed by some rain. The MUP was loaded with black ice. My studs got quiet so I knew I wasn't riding on clear pavement. I put a foot down as I was rolling. No traction at all. I just smiled and kept riding.