Wax on the frame, 10w30 oil in the SA hub...

Just had my first snowy commute of the year here and aside for a km of snow and ice covered bridge deck it was just wet... am happy I installed the studded tyre for that 1 km and it promises to be icy on the way home tonight.

Yup. The snow I rode in this morning at -1C/30F was better than any rain I rode in all year. I arrived at my destination a lot dryer than if it had been raining.

Very true. I find cold rain pretty miserable. Maybe I wear glasses and they get covered in rain, or maybe because we don't get enough days with cold rain here (October and November and then it's gone) and I never get the right combination of clothes...

Though I haven't ridden in snow in a couple of years... But (and maybe it's just because I rode with relatively narrow slick tires) I remember it felt like surfing or some balance intensive activity. I could feel the bike constantly shifting under me and I'd have to shift around to balance. Definitely fun. But when there were a couple of inches, I would be tossing and turning all night

I'll see how it goes this year...

I was afraid most of ya will say that. In that case, I think I'm ready for winter. Usually this is the time of the year I cover up my bike but not this year. I pretty much commited to commute in most rain unless it is storming mad. Pretty much a done deal because I got a discount from my car insurance for driving less than 3k a year.

That said, so far I got my Showerpass, water resistant thinsulate vest, balaclava, helmet cap, rain pants, and neoprene glove. The only thing I have yet to figure out is what to do with the wet shoe and sock. Thought of shoe cover but I do have to take the train and don't like walking with them on nor having to remove them. I'm thinking of getting some neoprene sock and let my shoes get wet, but at least my feet will be dry

Congrats Colleen, best of luck.
Bay area is probably not all that bad for winter commute. How far is your commute?

Thanks

It's not too far of a ride in the morning. About 4mi to the train and 2mi from the train to work which is a slight downhill grade and it gets cold as it is all coasting. Coming back home, I take a detour to the downtown which gives me an extra 2 mi. Total mi per day is about 14-15 miles. If weather also permit, I sometime do another errand for an extra 5mi which total close to 20 miles a day if I do the extra errand.

Hi People - I have just arrived in San Fran - 2 weeks ago. I have just moved here to live from England. This is the first forum I have found and this is the first post I have made. So I thought I'd make it an interesting one and bring you news of some products that are causing quite a stir in the UK at the moment as they enter Winter too. Given that this topic is all about Winter clothing it's on the money. Check out Proviz (.co.uk) gear - they do battery powered, light-emitting helmets, jackets, rucksacks that are fantastic for winter cycling or your daily commute.
I have brought mine with me so you may see me around the streets of San Fran - I'll be the one looking lost!
I look forward to partaking in the banter that seems to flow from this site from now on.
Cycling Sam

The guy on the 'bent was not having as much fun as me yesterday as he was running slicks... the bridge deck was the only snow / ice covered section of my route and I appreciated being able to cross at normal speeds.



Once we climbed the hill on the other side it was clear and wet and the guy on the bent was off like a rocket.

This assumes we have any winter weather in Virginia this year.



Fixed gear with studded tires. Top speed maybe 10 mph, which is about 10 mph faster than average Virginia car driver in snow.

I thought the average was about 0.5 MPH - 1 minute at 50 MPH, followed by an hour waiting for the tow truck to pull you out of the ditch. Then repeat.

It always amazes me how good a time you can make on a bike in the winter when the cars are not moving and the other plus to the bike is that it always starts no matter how cold it is.

And if you get stuck trying to blow through a massive drift, you can just pick up your bike and set it down on the other side.

I'm ready for Winter. I learned a lot during the last Winter so I wanted to be ready early: extra merino layers, extra wool sweaters, another pair of SealSkinz socks and another pair of Pearl Izumi Amfib bibs. I already have Continental 26/2.0 studded tires but I may pick up 2.3 Nokian tires for more fun in the snow.

And yeah, I'll take snow over cold rain any time. Rain around freezing temps is the most miserable weather for riding.

Exactly! And the best thing is when I ride through residential streets and see all these poor smucks clearing off their cars. They look at me, probably think I am crazy - but also realize that I didn't have to dig out my car.

Holy cow. This is why I live in Texas. I gripe about the heat and humidity in the summer, but I really don't think I'd like regular snow. I've never ridden a bicycle in the snow, but we actually got more than one snow storm last winter. I rode my motorcycle a few times in it and that was fun enough.

I guess I should look into some studded tires in case a few storms hit early next year. But then again, at that point Texas Drivers+Snow=Sure Death On A Bicycle.

Getting psyched for my fourth winter commuting everyday. In the beginning I got most of my advice here on BF. I'm wondering what lessons I'll learn this year. The first year it was getting over the novelty of riding all winter in some of the coldest temps I'd ever ridden in. Year two and three was testing new clothing to keep certain parts warm. Mostly the toes. I solved that problem with a pair of NEOS Explorers that I wear when the temps get below 12f. Year two I rode in -14f, and I thought my toes were going to snap off. I even had hand warmers stuffed in my boots but they didn't help much. Goggles fogging up was another problem I had. I normally wear Visor-gogs over the eyeglasses. They're good to about 18f or so. Below that I switch to the Uvex Flex seal goggle from Lab Safety. They make me feel like I'm scuba diving but they work. Even with my mouth and nose fully covered, no more fogging up in the single digits. My Showers Pass Century jacket is about wore out after constant use for three years. So I'm looking at other jackets. I ordered a Mont Bell Versalite. We'll see how it measures up. The bike is holding up good. I replaced the wheels/hubs. New crank, pedals, brakes. After 13 years they were wore out. Especially over the past three years of commuting. I put about 20k on it during that time. So replacing the Drivetrain makes it like riding a new bike. I have a second wheelset with the studs on them. So changing wheels is a snap. One thing I've learned is that riding in Cold weather is no big deal with the right gear. I wish I'd done it about 15 years ago. Some days can be a real adventure riding home from work. Stay warm.

I rode in this morning to work. I thought that 52 degs would not be bad in bike shorts and a short sleeve bike jersey. Boy was I wrong. My skin turned red from the wind chill.

I just ordered arm and leg warmers. I went with warmers rather than long sleeves and tights so that I can take them off in the evening when I ride home when it is 75 degrees.

I'm ready for my winter commuting on the long silver limo. One flake and I'm done.

Studded tires are in the basement, bought a new winter type jacket to replace my 12 year old Sugoi Entrant shell. Just need the snow to start flying (hopefully not for a while yet).

Ready..... hmmmm, no.

I have a plan to ride the old 10 speed, 27 x 1 1/4 tires, until the salty roads switch to snow and ice. Then maybe go over to the MTB. But I would have to figure out if fenders are an option for it.

My wearable gear is winter street clothes that I would wear at the plant or in the mines( surface). Layers of longjohns, flannel and jacket with wet outer cover if needed.

Never need fancy gloves during the winter, I usually go with brown cotten and maybe leather military gloves over that. I do like having the high tech skull cap with ear covers.

I think the saving grace here is that our winters are not that brutal nor is my commute too long.

3ss

I ride on snow cleared streets in the winter. I have my clothes, ski helmet, goggles, face mask, waterproof gloves, rain jacket, windproof pants, super warm bike tights, wool socks, and winter boots all ready for cold temperature riding.

I have to admit that rainy rides don't bother as much as when I started. I prefer rain to snow, to be honest. Sliding sideways on snow into a parked car convinced me several years ago. With luck we'll have a dry winter. I don't mind the cold, damp winters but the snow is a deal breaker.

Thanks for the tip on SealSkinz. Never heard of them.

Cold rain is definitely worse than snow! But there's one thing worse: cold rain with a heavy wind.

Now, that's thinking ahead
Boy, am I glad I moved from Boston...

Seeing those snowy pics made me think that I'd better double-check that I do have everything I'll need for my winter commute. I noticed that my Schwalbe Marathon Winters were still covered in last season's grime, so I got out the ArmorAll and gave them a quick wipe-down. You can see under the Schwalbe logo how much brighter the reflective strip is, but the dirty side shows that even when grimy the strip still reflects light. IMO a good feature on a winter tire.

I just put the studs and fenders on my $20 beater tonight. I still need to do a bit of maintenance (repack hubs, clean and lube drivetrain, replace cables/housing, put on a rack), but it will get me by in case there are any flash freezes in the meantime.