tulip

okay, then, but you'll have to change your name.

billh

OK, I'll cut you some slack. I lived in LA for 13 years and bike commuted for 5 of them from South Pas to LA County USC. I remember thinking how cold 40 degrees felt, especially in the . . . gag . . . RAIN! Of course, it never rains from April through October. But then I moved back to St Louis and got re-acclimated . . . wool socks, neoprene booties . . . . This last week it rained for five days solid and even with all my gear I was soaked. Neoprene booties don't help when I'm riding through 2 feet of water with waves of water up to my knees! I went through all three pairs of backup gloves, and they all got soaked. Clothes hanging up and drying all over the house and office. Some might call that "miserable". I call it my "badge of honor".

caloso

Pouring like mad in Sactown but the fenders and booties made it bearable.

caloso

I forgot to mention that a coworker walked with me into the building and I got the ol' "I can't believe you rode in this weather!" comments. Hey, what can I say? I like riding my bike.

cicadashell

it was just below 20 °F this morning, balaclava and goggle weather. coming home wednesday in the new snow was hard, for some reason...the roads were relatively clear at first, just a little gloopy, but as i got closer to home and started climbing on the deeper stuff i had trouble getting the bike to move. maybe i had just gotten a little soft after not riding for a while. the headwind and flat front tire may have contributed to the problem as well.

cyclezealot

Velo...That is a valid criticism...Have to accept the fact...But, riding well over, 200 times a year is pretty zealous? Just living in a mostly sunny climate can save up for the days when riding is mostly pleasant. Plus, I fear I mistreat my bike by subjecting it to grit and water in the road..Can't do that

tulip

nope, can't do that. Could get a beater bike, though, or just clean your nice one well when you're done.

Well, you do have a star by your name. I'm sure it means something significant, as cicadashell has one, too. We'll just assume it's an asterix. You could put a little disclaimer in the space where people put pithy quotations. Something like, "*mostly" or "*fair weather" or "dry and warm". I won't hold it against you. You seem okay to me; I read your touring post.

I don't ride at night, and I'm sure that to some folks on this forum, that makes me a complete wuss. But I'm blind in one eye, and my depth perception ain't so good in the dark. I'm likely to ride straight into the Potomac river, thinking it's a bridge with all those lights reflecting off the surface. We all have our weaknesses.

cyclezealot

Velo...If we had more than 20 days of rain here per year, if we have that; I would have to bit the bullet..But, I don't...Strange, I have the gear to ride in the cold rain..But, it still felt uncomfortable....With enough bike withdrawl, I guess I would...Just so rare about these parts we get 4 straight days of rain..As I have said...In a warm rain, I might give it a try.

KingFoo

I rode home in a warm, misty rain yesterday. It was bliss! Not to mention my Freddies work like a charm.

Tangentially off topic - I was just checking weather.com for next week's forecast for my area (27705) and they're calling for thunderstorms and a high of 79F !!! On January 13? Crazy... talk about a warm rain

cyclezealot

[QUOTE=KingFoo]I rode home in a warm, misty rain yesterday. It was bliss!
In a warm rain it might even be fun...As kids we would go out and 'play ' in the rain...But, usually warm spring rains...
Cycling gear could be more like a swim suit...Probably reduce the effectiveness of the chamois however...

RonH

Yesterday was one of those in-between days. I rode to work in jeans with a long sleeve cotton shirt over a duofold s/s base layer T-shirt. I was soaked by the time I got to work.
I had to wear the same thing going home - when it was even warmer.
The only other option was no shirt and/or no jeans.

balto charlie

Yesterdays (Friday) train was 1 hour late because of a "mysterious package"(damn terrorist) Would have been a nice ride but the delay put me in the middle of heavy rain. Was a wet week.

VELO: Blind in one eye!! Impressive that you commute. I have a hard enough time dodging traffic with 2 eyes. Charlie

slone130

This morning was pretty good. Sunday morning, 6AM=no traffic. It was also the warmest its been in a while 39F. Homeward bound was a little heavier on traffic but I usualy cut through the burbs so it wasn't too bad. Temp. was a balmy 51 and sunny. I had to shed my outer layer about halfway home to keep fron having heatstroke. You gotta love this global warming thing.

tulip

It'll take alot more than that to get me off my bike! Besides, the other one works like a charm.

bpave777

12c today here in Copenhagen, but with a killer 30mph wind that's been around all weekend.

i'm sending back my commuter i bought here, so today i rented a bike. i've been wanting to try one of these since i got here. they're fun, but not as easy to ride as i hoped.

clevernamehere

-28C this am,
Thick frost on the trees, ice fog along the river banks - beautiful!

The city finally cleared some of the streets. Most of the bike path routes are impassable though.

Once again I kept very comfortably warm with the exception of my toes - still haven't found boots I like that I don't need a second mortgage for.

Map tester

Rode with my son to his school, then on to my job. Had the usually encounters with SUVs passing me on with a double yellow line, just to get stopped one block away by traffic. Passed a few ladies with nice 'good morning' smiles. About 45°F and light winds. Life can be so tough here in Atlanta in the winter.

nick burns

15mph headwind and twice the usual traffic. Must be Monday.

RonH

Yes, riding in 45+ temps is really hard to do. As usual I over-dressed this morning and had to remove the lightweight wind breaker half way to work.

The ride home should be great. Temps in the mid-60s (18C). It's January 10. What happened to winter?
I'm afraid the nice weather will be ending soon. The weather guessers are saying next Sunday's low temp will be ~23F (-5C) and the high may get all the way up to 40F (4C).

BenyBen

First ride in a couple weeks today... I got scared after holidays, and didn't feel like getting back on the bike. I was getting depressed from not ridaing, so I finaly made the move back on it this morn. It was tought getting back to it (muscles were losing it), but I finaly made it. Feels like a million dollars. -3C this morn, a bit of snow on the road, nothing the studs couldn't handle.

I got honked by some idiot who had more then enuf room to pass, and the bizare thing is, I was not in his way and he didn't even have to move around me...

SaskCyclist

Have you tried toe warmers. I use them for the days that are colder than -20C and combined with a $100 pair of north face boots (with 200mg of thinsulate) my toes are cold by the time I get here but never to the point of being uncomfortable. I bike for about 45min. If you put toe warmers in a ziploc freezer bag and in a tupperware container in between use you can use the warmers for several rides.

I had a good commute this morning with -26C. I tried a new balaclava and ski goggles. The goggles started to frost over for about the last 10 min but I could still see pretty good.

I am looking forward to spring.

clevernamehere

Not sure I understand what you're referring to by "toe warmers" Are these the "HotShot" type thing activated by squezing? I tryed to find some of these last night but it was after 9:00 so I was limmited to Shoppers Drug Mart - they didn't stock them anymore. I'll check Canadian Tire tonight.

Are you saying they actually stay warm for a few days in a ziploc bag in tupperware!?

SaskCyclist

When I was growing up they were called "Hotshots". They are activated by opening the package. Toe warmers and handwarmers are made from coal. When you open the package the coal reacts with oxygen to create heat. When you are done using them put them in a ziploc and a tupperware container (be sure to get as much air out of the ziploc as possible and use the heavy freezer bags rather than sandwich bags). By removing the air, the coal stops reacting and is reactivated when you open the ziploc for use next time. The ones I have bought came from Peavey Mart and Marks Work Warehouse. I used one set for about 4 or 5 rides before they didn't create any heat.

A while ago I posted on the winter cycling board about cold toes and a fellow cyclist responded with the above hint. I am truly appreciative and so are my toes.

caloso

Cool and misty this morning. I guess we're in for the tail end of that Pacific storm today. Hope it's not a hurricane on the way home.

clevernamehere

Thanks for the tip SaskCyclist... I'll check out Work Warehouse tonight!