Two things I miss about winter commuting.
 

1) More parking space for my bike.
2) Seeing the snow and rain shoot out of the front fender.

Go!

I miss...um....yeah, I got nothing.

Mind you, "winter commuting" only ended for me a week ago, and things are still on the cold and wet side.

1. Riding in total darkness. I enjoy the sense of solitude - lets me come into the day in a better way.
2. Riding when it is snowing. I love it. Not when the streets are rutted with wet glop, mind you. My favorite winter riding conditions are when it is warmer (hovering around freezing), the streets are wet from the first flakes, and the snow is coming down hard.


I don't miss the extra time and hassle of getting everything together and getting dressed for various conditions.

Gotta say I love spring. Don't miss winter commuting at all.

At least your finding some positives in winter commuting. But don't think its over just yet. It seems every year around here we have some sort of weather hiccup.

1) the total absence of bicycle rush hour
2) not worrying about getting sweaty

I miss how easy it was getting a seat on the train during the winter. There were only a few bicycle using the limited seat that are sideway. Now with the nicer weather, the train are much more crowed with more bicycle.

Another thing I notice is that driver are more agressive now with the spring weather. They seem to be giving less space when passing. Not sure if it is related to the fact that the street has more cyclist, but it just seem that driver treat us different between the rainy winter season and sunny spring/summer.

I miss the dark and snow when it provides some solitude. I also miss the entertaining comments, " You mean you rode a bike all winter?" Even though mine is the only one in the bike rack all year long since the winter of '07-'08.

I miss being able to ride for an hour and not be drenched in sweat.

Frozen water in the water bottle...

Man, I can't wait for that in June...

Running over thin ice puddles.

I don't, however, miss black ices. Curse you, black ices!

I'm going to miss reading all the super-hero exploits of those who live with a real winter. We don't do winter here, just a cooler, darker version of spring for a couple of months.

It's basically still winter here, but I will miss feeling morally and physically superior to those of weaker stock. :D
I feel like I'm in a secret club. Everyone else is complaining about the cold, and I'm just extremely happy that it's 40 out instead of 20

Well, being in Texas, I will miss not being hot. We rarely get snow/ice so it's pretty much year round riding. The only day I took the motorcycle over the bicycle (I have heated gear for the motoscoot) is because the windchill was 7 degrees. And I would have done that if I felt like I had the clothes for it.

SO now it already feels hot when it's only like 85-90. It's gonna be rough once we get those regular 100 degree days and nights where it's still 90 degrees at 10 p.m.

I would take a 30 degree day over a 100 degree day anytime

:lol: That's pretty funny. As an early-morning commuter, I'm still wearing my winter jacket and paraphernalia for rides around 30° and yet in the afternoon, when it's in the 50s people tell me I must be enjoying the nice weather. :rolleyes:

I miss the wicked strong legs come spring

I miss the balaclava keeping the wind noise out of my ears.

I miss having the following conversation over and over with people who ski:
"Isn't it too cold to be on a bike?"
"Don't you ski?"
"Yeah, but that's different."
"So, you're saying that it's too cold to be doing an activity that keeps you exercising the entire time that you're outside, but it's not too cold to stand still in line for 45 minutes, so that you can sit in a chair hanging in the air for 20 minutes, all so you can get 10 minutes of exercise."
"Well, uh..."

I miss having my Clydesdale-sized lycra-covered butt covered up with longer pants.

Amen! Riding in the winter can be sublime. Once you get into a routine, being dressed for the weather comes naturally and doesn't take any time at all (wool). Same with navigating the snow- riding in a storm in the dark is great when you have good studded tires and a decent light.

Things I DON'T miss about winter... road salt.

You forgot about all the clothes you have to put on and how long it takes.

I miss the sound of studded tires. I miss the people who think I'm crazy when I arrive at work with a coating of ice or snow on my jacket.

That's about it. I'm ready for the warmer temperatures. 70F today!

Yes, a pain, but a pleasure at the same time. My favorite part about it is the gear--the tires, the gore-tex, the lights, etc etc. Having the right equipment to ride home in a raging blizzard gives a man a real sense of satisfaction.

The adversity of it all is half the fun

I miss empty trails. Now they're full of fair weather cyclists, dog walkers, moms pushing baby strollers the size of a Nimitz class aircraft carrier and senior citizen group walkers.

LOL!
The skier comeback is nice, too.

miss wearing my really nice winter gear i bought last season

riding out in the snow before anyone else has.

Less dopey cyclists on the road who show no respect to other road users.

When spring comes in a month or so (hopefully) I will miss the challenge of riding in difficult conditions.
I will also miss the element of surprise, wondering how the conditions will be on the way home or the next day.
I will miss watching the snowplows with my 2 yo daughter on our way to the daycare in the mornings (she really likes the heavy machinery).
But most of all I will miss riding my beloved Nokians and listening to the sweet sound of carbide studs tearing into an iced road.

I will not miss the horrible noise when riding the studded tyres on dry asphalt.
I will not miss it when the ski goggles (or other vital piece of equipment) are at home but I'm at work and I would really, really need them.

In many ways, winter is my favorite season for bike commuting but we have pretty mild ones in NC. Things I like:
- Arriving at work nearly sweat free after riding for 45 minutes.
- Water stays cold in bottles (altho I don't like it when they freeze).
- Easy to dress for the weather when it stays cold all day and I can wear same clothes morning and afternoon.
- You can put on more clothes when it gets colder, but you can only take off so much when it gets really hot.
- Sense of accomplishment from riding to work in subfreezing temps.
- Racking up the miles when most cyclists have quit riding.
- Beating my cycling buds up the hills on weekend rides because I've been riding more.
- Maybe it's my Minnesota blood, but I just like the cold -- way more than the high heat and humidity we get most of the summer.