From one winter commuter to another:
:thumb:

(this was taken a couple of years ago)
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=180724

Well its official the nearly 9inches of snow we got is turning into 9 inches of crappy slush, it was almost 40f on my ride home, it was raining and halfway i was so hot i had to ditch the beanie and rain jacket and gloves. i finally gave up trying to ride through the slush and took a lane which didnt make the car so happy, but at that point i didn't really care what the hell they had to think. Man i wish it was in the teens, ice is so much easier to ride over.

Cool this morning in the mid-30's... But low 70's for the return trip. Sunny both ways - so I have nothing to complain about.

Had a fun fast ride home, 4.5 flat miles.

But the commute giveth and the commute taketh away: on the way in this morning I stopped to pick up a dollar bill I saw. On the way home saw a black garment bag piece of luggage on the side of the road. Strapped it on to the pannier to take home. Got home and noticed that my second red blinky taillight that I had clipped onto the back pocket of my pannier had popped off and was gone. I had found that blinky on the ground when I was walking through the college campus one day. Easy come, easy go. I think I know where I lost it where I hopped off a curb. I'll stop there and see if it's lying around in the gutter when I ride in to work tomorrow morning.

Studs were put to the test today and performed flawlessly. Awesome week for commuting, except for one day of milder temps and day-long pouring rain. I got a ride on that particular day, and today I couldn't help but notice how much more energy I seem to have at work when I commute by bike vs. car or public transit.

-1 Celsius , breezy, overcast and cold. It felt a few degrees colder when I rode home in the dark. BUT at least it was dry and there was not a snow flake in sight. Great ride!

-7C and a little bit of snow... it was a nice night to be riding.

18F/-8C, very cold this morning, the previous night, the traffic was gridlocked for about 3 miles, glad i was cycling, took me 30 minutes to travel 5 1/2 miles home. I heard some girls who were walking say "Thats the way to do it!" I agree, It is no fun being stuck on a bus for ages in traffic.

10F/-12C at home, 2F/-17C on campus. Took the road route again, but after XC skiing out at Service tonight and seeing how hard-packed those trails had become, I'm pretty sure that I could've biked the MUP without doing any damage to the snowpack. It seems like every winter I have to re-learn (by doing it wrong, at least once) stuff that I already knew, like at what temp to change to boots or mittens or a shell, and how long it takes after fresh snow for the MUP to become ridable again.

Still, at least the road route is a few degrees warmer, as it isn't tucked down in the Chester Creek drainage like the MUP is. On the downside, some asshat in a Tacoma gave me the ol' get-off-the-road honk today. My skin must still be thin from an entire Fall's worth of MUP miles, because I tried to flip him off. Except I was wearing mittens. :/

Cold ride in at 26 F (-3). I think we are finally hitting consistent cold weather to and from, which is a good thing.

33F / ~1C for me, with a light tailwind and some snow flurries. Passed a regular commuter. I see her a few times every month. She was the only cyclist I saw.

28f a little foggy, we got a light dusting of snow that turned into nothing but a light slush, most of the roads were pretty clear, stuck to the lanes this morning and had a quick ride in.

...Cold ride this morning.. 18f.. sun directly lined up with Gilmer road. Looking foraward to the promised 30f this afternoon.

I feel like such a wimp when I read about all you northern commuters! Temps this morning were in the low 30s when I started riding, and I think I was just a tad overdressed; probably need a beanie instead of a balaclava, and I need to work on better glove options; my thin gloves are not quite warm enough, but my thicker gloves are both too warm, and don't offer ideal freedom of movement/control feel. I guess I'll be searching for that happy medium.

The good news is that the weather should be about the same going home- perhaps a couple of degrees warmer, but dark, so I can try some minor adjustments and see how it goes. The other good news is that it shouldn't get a whole lot colder here very often, so once I get this right, I should be pretty set.

dear Charlestown crossing guards: don't wave people across the street as you step off the curb into the crosswalk--especially when there is a big van parked, creating a blind-spot for cyclists who are in the bike lane--cyclists who don't see you b/c you are ON THE CURB ACROSS THE STREET. Instead, why don't you try walking into the middle of the road, assessing first that it is safe and clear of ALL traffic before ushering non-plussed pedestrians into harms way. I came very, very close to taking out a woman at 25MPH this morning. Scared the crap out of me (probably her too).

Oh and it was dry and a tad chilly 30F (-1C) until I warmed up.

The commute this morning was a little frustrating. 28F and mostly cloudy with no wind. Not only did my FD freeze up but the rear froze up as well. I was able to at least shift down on the RD. I was on my trike so to shift up I had to reach back and move the derailleur to shift up. Towards the end of the commute it completely un-froze. Unfortunately the FD was frozen solid the entire commute. I even lubed the cables Tuesday to prevent it. I'm gonna stop by the LBS to see what I can do about it.

Yesterday evening it getting pretty dark by the time I got close to home. I spotted a bike at the curb in front of someone's house, and circled back to check it out. Rotted flat tires indicated it was a throw-away, but otherwise it was in good shape, a small motobecane mirage. On a whim I put it over my shoulder. Not sure what I'm going to do with it, and I haven't yet told my wife I brought home a stray. It might be her size, or even a kid's size, I haven't really checked it out yet.

This morning was cold enough that there were significant, but isolated, patches of ice. Maybe finally time to put the studded tires on.

Nice ride in. Temps in the mid 30s by the time I left home. Went with my fleece instead of my outer windbreaker-type shell this morning for better ventilation and was much more comfortable (read less sweaty) than yesterday. All in all, I wore a wicking long sleeve base layer shirt under a short sleeve tee under my fleece. Fingerless cycling gloves on hands and cargo shorts over tights on the legs. One pair of cotton socks and regular sneakers. Just my helmet on my head. I was very comfortable. 35 really isn't that cold, especially when you're exercising, at least not for me anyway. I'll take this over 95+ degree summer afternoons anytime!

My legs are getting back into the bike commute thing now that I've been back on the bike for three days since my extended Thanksgiving vacation.

Realized this morning that I should pass the three thousand miles commuted by bike this year mark next week! Has me very excited. So does the return of the weekend! (After eight days off work, it's hard to adjust to being in the office again). So happy weekend everyone!

50F this morning, rode for the first time in a week. Front brake was dragging, need to make an adjustment but with only 50 or so miles on the bike I have been expecting things like this. 50 mph winds forecast for this afternoon, from the north, and I will be headed, you guessed it, north. I will be enjoying the selection of gears on the way home.

Looking forward to the other side of solstice.

My bike is a frickin' mess. My foul-weather fixed gear is partially torn down so I've been riding my race bike. I put a raceblade on the back wheel just to avoid the skunk stripe, but the downtube-bb-seattube area is a mess. As are my feet. Priority No. 1 this weekend is to get a proper rain bike in order.

34F sunny w/ fog in the hollers

Mid 30's along Narragansett Bay into Providence with a bit of headwind on the open water parts. Was never uncomfortable, good ride.

Mid 30's no real wind, felt good and truly enjoyed ride down long slope at speed as well as going at cruising speed on one avenue where it's almost always pleasure to ride through. When I looked to side, I saw picturesque dawn toward the end of ride to seal the ride. It was just great.

-15C on the way in and -11C on the way home. My toes were pretty cold at the end of each ride. I may need to switch to platforms and my big boots. I wore them for a ride on Sunday and they mesh with the plastic pedals quite solidly.

I wrapped a scarf around my stomach today, as it can get very cold when I ride. It worked well and meant I didn't need an additional upper body layer for the ride. Considering how much I sweated today, that would have been the last thing I needed.

Great commute home this afternoon at 35F and overcast with winds from the WNW @ 13mph. The only bad thing was that sometime during the ride, my clip-ons fell out of my pocket. At least I have a backup set. Stopped by the LBS, but it was closed. It was supposed to be open till 4 and it was only 3:20. I'll probably go tomorrow, but I'm gonna make sure to call first.

It's all just a matter of acclimation. If it makes you feel any better, I can't stand heat. And by heat, I mean anything above 75F. Gets me whining like a poorly adjusted brake caliper.

Another good finish to a commuting week. 5 for 5 with great weather. 50's on the way in and 70's on the way home today. Pretty good head wind out of the south on my return home - but I always chalk that up to good training. It will feel good to take a break tomorrow...

Well, I got my 30 plus mile round trip commute in yesterday (Dec 3) and it was great! It only got up to 15F but it was a sunny day. Today I wimped out do to the threat of a snow storm, which did arrive.

headwinds for 20m

I did not find my red blinkie the next morning (Friday), so I guess it got passed on to the next person to find it. Garment bag was passed on to a friend who needed one.

Felt a head cold coming on on Friday, didn't feel well all day. I did work all day and then my bf picked me and my bike up at 5. I didn't feel up to riding at all.

Spent all Saturday home on the couch, feeling sick. Major bummer. It was in the 50s, nice weather for a road ride, and I had wanted to go downtown to see the xmas parade. Feeling a bit better now (Sunday) but will stay home, even though it's 50 today and perfect riding weather. :(

I may drive to work tomorrow, and be back to riding to work as soon as my head clears.