That sounds like a reasonable, tempered, and rational way for him to react assuming he doesn't know much about it.

I love making smart-aleck remarks when people ask me that, while staring at my bike and me in cycling shorts.

Them: "You rode today?"
Me: "No, I just like spandex, and Lanesia doesn't like it when you stare at her." (pointing to the bike)

I rode this morning before the wind came up, but my wife met me and gave me a ride home from Dallas (where I get off the bus) mostly because I was worried about the wind. It actually wasn't too bad but I didn't know that until I got there.

The surprising thing to me is what a short time it took me to harden up to difficult weather. Three years ago, I didn't ride unless the weather was good. Now I hardly care about the weather.

I wish I could convey to others, because I'm working to get more people on bikes. People think I'm insanely well conditioned and hardened. I don't even ride many miles per year. Most of my rides are under three miles.

This is so truthful. Over the last 8 months, with losing weight and getting used to temperature extremes, it just doesn't bother me anymore. I wish more people would try it.

No shame there.
I was real glad I drove yesterday. Been caught on a bike in the kind of wind before and it is faster to get off and walk it. :D Even worse when it's a gusty crosswind and it really feels like the bike will get swept out from under you.
Today looks much better and I'm chomp'in at the bit to ride!

I found the same thing. Now, I've been off the bike for about 3 or 4 months, and I think it's frigid when I would normally be riding, so it doesn't take me long to get soft either.

I always get, "You're crazy and you don't belong on the road when it's this cold".
People don't understand that you can dress for the cold and the biking keeps you warm.

I decided recently how I would respond to the eternal question, "Did you ride your bike today?". Since I have answered that I ride everyday, without seeming to get through to them, my new answer is, "I wouldn't be here if I didn't".

I tried it today for the first time. The response I got was, "Oh, you only have 1 car (presuming my wife drives it, I suppose)". I told him I have 2 cars and mine is tucked safely in the garage where it belongs.

We'll see if it worked, but I bet the dude asks me again within a month.

"Nope. That's why I'm not here, right now. Why are you talking to yourself?"

GEEEAZ I need to get a ride in!!

It's gonna be three more days before I can get a leg over and pound away at it, I'm kind of going nuts. It's been almost a week and I can hear myself getting fatter.

I simply ignore remarks from those that have no idea

Perhaps some people enjoy asking you, which could explain why they ask repeatedly. I don't need to get people to stop asking me, so I've learned to enjoy the questions.

I've ridden more this winter than just about any winter in my life. Interesting how the more I ride in the cold, the easier it becomes. Now, it's like no effort at all, unless I overdress, which I tend to do.

I usually say, "you'd think I was out having fun if I was on my skiis wouldn't you?"

Marc

i used to get that a lot in the winter. after explaining to people over and over, getting the 'i don't know what you're talking about' stare, i all but gave up explaining how your body generates a tremendous amount of heat when exercising.

then i realized i was talking to people who don't exercise, anyway.

i finally realized that you won't believe it if you haven't experienced it. so many people these days just don't know how hot you can get exercising. most people seem to wait until the weather is 'nice' to ride a bike, but i prefer winter to summer. summer has me burning up, man...

How about:

"Haven't you heard about weather.com?"

pansies . ... ...

At this point, I'm finding that 28ºF feels perfect to me, and I'll have to get used to warmer weather soon.

Another possible response to these questions is, "Sure I rode my bike. You mean you didn't ride yours?"

I find that around 10F feels best for me... I cant figure out how to dress for the 11-40 degree weather. I either dress for 50 and up or 10 and below...

fsc,

My first ride today was in 20ºF. I wore wool dress trousers, wool socks, cycling shoes made for summer (and I'm fine with this setup), a dress shirt, a warm wool sweater, a giant scarf, a suede jacket, ski gloves, and a thin cap under my helmet. My giant scarf is unusual and versatile. My first wife made it for me. It's wide, and it's 14 feet long. This morning, I wrapped it around my neck once. The rest of it is stuffed in my jacket in front of my belly. It makes me look fat, but it's warm that way.

On my second ride, it was 28ºF. I didn't wrap the scarf around my neck. It draped around the back of my neck and down into my jacket as usual. I didn't zip up as tight. I usually do get hot, but I really don't want to be underdressed. My giant scarf seems to be a good tool. See if you can use something that's easy to put on and take off and rearrange. Note that I didn't have many layers on, in total. Perhaps you can ball up a sweater and just wear it on your tummy as I do. Maybe skip the sweater that I also wore.

Tom

You are my hero!
My favorite response to that is "Skin don't leak!"

Once again, Yehuda Moon has the perfect response.

http://www.yehudamoon.com/index.php?date=2008-02-09

Sometimes I wonder how these people can be the same species as walked out of the Serengeti all those centuries ago....

It wasn't that long ago that people moved around all winter with minimal clothing and lived in huts that had very little heat. I would think we haven't yet over-evolved to the point where we couldn't handle a bit of cold air.

Still, on my way to work this morning (above 32F...) I saw quite a number of kids waiting for the bus in their parents's (running) cars.

What hope is there for these children's future?

Yeah, My problem is always overheating... So I tend to slightly underdress: Jeans/carhartts with wool socks and sneakers or mtn bike spd shoes with a wool shirt and a waterproof cycling jacket for about 20 degrees and up. Under 20 I usually add snowpants (since around here it seems like its either hot or COLD with little in between) and wear my carhartt jacket and vest instead of the cycling jacket.

I will occasionally wear a scarf, when it is particularly cold (like -10) or snowy.

My problems always come between 20 and 30 degrees, too cold to be warm for my 10 minute morning commute and too warm for my afternoon commute. I just need to figure out a good system that I can use for both... Probably switching my wardrobe over to (almost) all wool will help a lot.


FSC

Funny thread. I run and ride outside year round, so it's almost every day i'll hear the same few questions over and over again. It's best to just keep it humorous and respond with "What day is it? Wednesday? Yeah, I rode here."

The best encounter I've had recently, though, was a few of weeks ago when the temperature hit the mid to upper 40's for about three days. I rolled up to a JJ's to get my usual #4, locked up the whip, and these two guys with chrome messenger bags walking into JJ's before me tried to strike up conversation about it "...finally being bike weather." Something inside of me just itched at the thought of being greeted by a fair weather rider in such an assuming tone. So i smiled, whimpered out a nasally laugh, and went on to explain to him how i prefer it on the cold side because I sweat like an animal in spring and summer; but they weren't having it.

I am actually getting different comments these days, instead of you rode in this? I am starting to get smart reasonable questions like; how do drivers treat you?, do you feel safe? what made you choose to do this?
Questions that I can answer and maybe get some others do start riding. I ran into a parent at my LBS two summers ago and we started talking about commuting and she started riding to work regularly, so I love being asked, maybe I can change the minds of others