Winterizing my Commuter
 

I figured BF might enjoy this for entertainment if nothing else, so I figured I'd show some pictures from this year's winterizing of my commuter bike. Some people find this sort of thing ridiculous and that's really OK - it worked well for me last winter and I'm hoping a re-design will line out a few issues.

First step is the tailbox, which I assembled this weekend: http://www.bikeforums.net/attachment...4&d=1314578337
http://www.bikeforums.net/attachment...5&d=1314578356
http://www.bikeforums.net/attachment...6&d=1314578381

I'm not satisfied with the access cover in front, which is vinyl velcro'd down - I'll probably make a neater hard plastic cover,

Eventually there will be an acrylic windshield in front, extending back as a partially enclosing fairing. The tailbox serves as a stable mounting point for the fairing. And holds all my cargo of course.

You have a recumbent?

Fairings are not UCI sanctioned for commuting events... this will be an automatic DQ!!

Darn. I'll have to be sneaky then.

In the front is where you'll get the most aero advantage;)

Are you adding a battering ram to the front? That could be a fun addition.

If you add a shovel, you might be able to make some money during the snowy season.

I don't get what you are trying to accomplish. The best protection for you and your bike from the elements would be fenders. If you are leaving your bike outside in the weather, perhaps a simple cover would suffice. If you are worried about getting cold or wet, buy some winter cycling clothes.

I don't understand either. the fairing maybe, since the windchill can make you super cold, but I don't see the reason for the rear box and I definitely don't understand how it "winterizes" the bike. I was expecting some winter tires and clothes when I clicked on this thread...

This thread should be renamed "getting aero" not winterizing. Is that fairing covering a rear rack?

It is covering a rear rack which simplifies mounting and eases any concerns about overloading it. I'm not sure I'm going to keep it with the low profile though. My other ones were taller and held quite a bit more. I'll see how it works for a couple of weeks.

You'd be surprised how "getting aero" can winterize a bike. In my scheme though aero is secondary. ie, if you're going to make it comfortable for winter riding, why not make it aero while you're at it?

Well just quickly, fenders and winter cycling clothes are not the best protection since they only partially block wind and the elements. My hat's off to those hardy souls whose paths I crossed last winter, all bundled up and red faced fighting against the wind and drizzle. But to put it bluntly I was typically wearing short sleeves or work clothes. It's a matter of preference.

The tail box is the first and in some ways the most important piece. You have to carry your stuff, preferably dry and conveniently. You've got to have that worked out before trying to design or build a fairing - how are you going to balance weight, lateral surface area or shape if your cargo area isn't set?

I'll be bending an acrylic windshield this week and hopefully construct the front end panels this weekend. It should be more clear then what the purpose is.

You have winter in Georgia? Is that long sleeves at the beach? Let me know when your gatorade freezes solid. Twice for me last year :)

You have winter in Georgia?

Not so you'd notice, although January this year was a reasonable facsimile during the so-called Snowpocalypse. But it was 10-20 degrees in the mornings through February and I often had frost forming on my gloves and windshield arriving at work so I count that as "winter". My water, being inside the warm air pocket with me didn't freeze ;)

why not just use a bike bag?

You mean like a messenger bag? Personally I dislike carrying a bag or backpack for the usual reasons, plus the aerodynamic penalty. Any kind of box is much more convenient and useful in my opinion. Just tying a bag on the rack on the other hand, you don't have a rigid shape which makes a fairing problematic, and you have to fuss with securing it, ensuring it's waterproofed and keeping up with it, instead of just throwing stuff into the box.

Well, personally I ride in very wintery conditions by most standards and I'm very curious to see what WP comes up with. Once it get gets below 0, I have to wear a balaclava + goggles. Ice formation on the inside of the goggles has been a problem in the past though that seems to have been solved with better goggles.

Don't know that I'd be willing or able to do what he's doing to his bike but a fairing sounds like it would make things both more comfortable and allow you to move quicker. I lose a lot of speed during the winter as many people do and one top suspect is increased wind resistance due to the denser cold air.

I'll also be interested to see how this thread/ winterization project proceeds. Right now, I stop commuting if the temp is below 28 F. At that point, it's just too cold for me to enjoy it. I can put on more clothes, but then it takes longer to change, etc, and it just becomes not worth it to me. If I could put a front fairing on the bike & keep it a bit warmer in there by blocking the wind, it might be worth looking at. I was just checking out zzipper fairings yesterday.

What's to understand? Windchill doesn't have that much impact until it really gets blowing.

I know that, what I don't understand is how a rear box "winterizes" a bike.

Think of it as a rear fender if that eases your mind about it.

Containing a pocket of air keeps you warm, as opposed to an 18 or 20mph apparent wind which can chill you in a hurry at 20 degrees. Or even 35-40.

don't ask me.

As long are you're wearing clothes it's not that dramatic compared to an actual temperature change. That is the problem with degree F it's a horrible scale.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...hill_chart.GIF

I think you're forgetting why blocking off wind and dead air space keeps you warm - it's not the ambient air temperature but the heat exchange from your body. You're welcome to remove the fan belt from your car's radiator if you don't believe me; after all that air isn't moving that fast and would only matter a few degrees, right?

Maybe if you think about it more you'd realize why people riding bicycles aren't car radiators.

Perhaps the core problem here is incompatible definitions of winter. It sounds to me like you're trying to windproof your bike, in a way which is compatible with your load-carrying preferences. How do you carry your stuff in summer?

A fairing is intriguing, but on a standard winter day here, the clothing requirements are such that I'm not sure I'd notice much difference. Wind isn't much of a problem when you have no exposed skin.

I strap a backpack on my rack in the summer. For convenience I do prefer a box of some kind or panniers.

I should be clear, this is a second generation project since I used the prototype all last winter, daily commute. I took last winter's setup down because a) it was way too hot in the summer for a fairing and b) I wanted to train and the reduced drag was making me lazy. Plus there's a minor issue in handling I need to resolve.

I've seen pictures of some of the setups you Canadians use. Bar mitts, layers on layers, chipping off the ice and so on. To be frank I'm not sure I'd want to ride your winters - I don't even change my tires out here. However I do know there's a difference in bundling up and braving the elements versus just hopping on in my street clothes (without a jacket or sweater for example) and riding to work in relative comfort and that's what I'm working toward.

Generally there isn't an issue about whether a fairing will keep you warmer (kind of obvious on the face of it) or more comfortable in the rain, protective of the clothing etc. In other words, conventional wisdom doesn't take to task with the objectives. The main objections to fairings on diamond frames generally run to: there is usually an aerodynamic penalty due to greater frontal area, a penalty and discomfort to the enclosure which is typically fabric, the excess weight involved with mounting and support, susceptibility to cross winds, and restricted handling and constricted turn radius. Many of which are resolved or else redundant if you started with a recumbent so the final objection is "get a recumbent." But I don't have a 'bent and don't particularly want one - I want it all on my road bike!

What he said...

wphamilton,

Since you've actually ridden with one, do you feel that a front fairing only (I'm not interested in a wrap around fairing or anything like that) makes a differnece in winter riding comfort? In my regular commuting, I find that the downhill that starts my ride & the few short downhills on the way in to work are the coldest times on my bike & the reason that I stop riding when it hits 28 degrees. I'm assuming (incorrectly perhaps) that since this appears to be completely realted to wind chill, that having the front fairing would bring the perceived temperature closer to what I feel when riding on flat ground.

Also, have you ever ridden with a fron tfiaring only & if so, have you had any problems with stability in sidewinds?

Thanks,

I have tried it, but haven't had much luck with front fairing or windscreen only. Keep in mind that this is only from my experience and what I've been able to cobble together. Someone else or a retail setup might have better designs than I tried. I think you're right that a windscreen will cut down a lot of the wind chill, without a wrap-around. I had a couple of problems with it.

First, mounting it almost has to be on the bars/forks unless you add some pretty elaborate and solid struts from the frame to get it way out front. (the handlebars would have to turn inside the windscreen). I don't see any way around it. My problem with that is on the handlebars you get extra weight and some wind pressure affecting your steering so it can be skittish. I could also never get it really solid mounting from the bars.

My second difficulty is that you have to make the wind-screen about half again larger without some enclosure, in order to effectively block. A smaller screen doesn't really help much (the wind just whips around and hits you anyway) but a larger front seriously impacts your drag. Also the larger you make it, the more unstable it becomes in side winds.

I think the windscreen ultimately comes down to a compromise between shielding and greater drag, with a hit on stability. Recumbents can get away with it because the rider is already less vertical - less frontal area - but I'm skeptical that it will be fully satisfactory on a diamond frame unless the speeds are usually in the 16mph or under range.

So this huge blue thing is a wind screen to protect items at the rear of your bicycle from wind?

DC winters aren't bad, but the're cold enough to warrant more layers of clothing. I do nothing special though, just regular stuff.

I've never seen had a need to do anything different to my bike. It stays exactly the same.