It was about 21F,windy & cold. I a cross a bunch of punks
,that gave me a hard time. So I gave them ahard time right back . I turn around and the punks were gone .
You would think at nite and has cold as it was out the punks would stay home. But still a good ride .

BEAM. it doesn't make sense, doesn't make one inch of sense. but i lurve riding to work in the snow and/or when it's this cold. i just had the best time all week this week.

most of the night was freezing or below freezing, so yesterday's snow/wet didn't get too much melt in. it was probably a bit below 0 when i set out, and enviro can sez the wind-chill was -4. snowing slowly and quietly, little tiny sparse sub-zero flakes floating down. whole city those quiet shades of grey and white, with that light all over it. most of the roads were cleared and/or sanded, but there was about an inch of whatever it was on some of them. i'm still baffled by that. how can something be so miserable and anxious an experience if you travel one way, and two steps away from that world there's this other life, that's the dead opposite? the gap between driver's seat and saddle is just that extreme and that wide.

i expected trouble going up the first block or two, on the bike path. it's a short but distinct grade for less than half a block, and it was clear the sand truck hadn't been there last night. i kept being ready to slip because of the grade, expecting trouble, but nothing happened. just powered steadily up it making that wonderful crunch-crunch-whisper-crunch noise, and the only time i slowed down was when a car showed up at the top of the block and started down the same patch. i got carefully out of the way until they were gone because whoa nelly milo, i wouldn't have wanted to have any bikes in front of me if i'd been steering that car. it was like that for the first kilometre or so, then it was bare wet pavement all the rest of the way; i barely had to slow down from my normal speeds except to cover myself for cars coming out of less-clear intersections. nice to see the city apparently sands the bike road in the same priority as the major car routes.

i had a nice moment at the major intersection just in front of the bridge. it's cyclist-controlled, and feeds a little bike-only left turn straight across three or four lanes and the entry ramp, into the bike shoulder that leads alongside the ramp and eventually onto the mup for the bridge. i keep an eye on it, because it's usually backed up with traffic feeding onto the bridge, and drivers are watching the queue to the ramp, not the light. never assume, when someone stops, that they've seen me and know i'm coming. so today there was a semi leaking over the intersection marker as it followed the queue, when the light changed. the truck stopped, but it took a moment of watching to make sure he was stopped for the light, not just the queue. nice. i gave him a big grin for his manners as soon as i realised he was leaving me room to do my thing, and he waved and grinned back. those kinds of little moments keep me happy with my species all day. i love the friendly eye-contact with the car people.

just powered all the way up the bridge. tracks of maybe two other bikes in barely dust-thick snow all the way, and nobody else. pretty pretty city when the snow is on it - all those different dimensions and textures out there for the eye. no snow going down, and once again it was distinctly warmer on the other side. led sez 0 again, but i swear. it felt more like 6 or 7 degrees. i was slopping around outside of workin my birkenstocks all day long - it just didn't feel all that cold. just a wonderful ride, all the way.

i made myself a bet yesterday about mr ego in the spandex undies. the bet was that i'd see his bike in the rack today, just because yesterday when i tried to start a cheerful little moment between fellow bikers he sneered smugly and superiorly until it transpired that i'd ridden the day that it snowed, when he had not. then he lost all his oomph and started to look unhappy and anxious with life. not exactly a rocket scientist's bet, but eh. i owe myself a nickel.

coming home was coooooooooooollllllllddddd. and dark. frost/ice patterns thick like lichen on the upward part of the bridge, but again i didn't have any of the trouble i was braced for. i went a slightly longer way just to get to the bank-and-grocery strip, and the only moment i did have was on the way home with a gallon of milk slung over one handlebar and a frozen pizza on the other. not all that smart considering the weather, but i felt okay enough about it. the last couple of side-road blocks coming home felt like the risky sections. on those i did feel some squirming from my tires; just enough to give the strange-effect feeling and provide a warning, but it was fine.

i feel really lucky. this is my first winter even thinking about riding a bike, and for an introduction this week's weather has been just about perfect. it's had just enough to give me an idea what to watch out for in more real winter, but nothing to cause me any trouble while i got the idea. it's getting strange suddenly to remember that i'll only be going to this job and doing this ride for five more weeks - just when i truly really can't stand the job another minute longer, i start to feel bulletproof about the ride.

songs: devil baby, mark knopfler; burning of auchidoon, june tabor; easy money, martin simpson.

The previous post by Tokolosh was excellent. I share his sentiment about commuting at this time of year.

I left this morning in a panic when I couldn't find one of my neoprene shoe covers, not because I needed it today but because snow is expected early next week. I feared I had dropped it- I read in one of these threads about someone losing their precious balaclava and I empathisized, one cannot live without these things when the temperatures start dropping.

As I left it was sunny and, to me, relatively warm, perhaps 28F. There was some breeze but it was gorgeous. There were few, if any, cyclists on the bike path, mostly weekend joggers and walkers. The Dr. Paul Dudley White bike path (someday I should create a thread just about this visionary physician), is wonderful when there's not a soul on it. It is, in my opinion, poorly maintained, has sections of inferior design and has not solved the crossing roadway issue at all- in fact, it basically ignores it but it's still great.

I got to my rehearsal and two others in the cast had cycled in so at least I'm not the only total geek in all my gear and crap. Winter in general seems to require so much "stuff". I looked over at the corner of the studio where I had dropped my things and it looked like someone had unpacked a suitcase from a polar expedition. At a certain point in rehearsal I noticed an odd smell, like old sneakers. I was in the middle of a scene and I kept getting these odd whiffs and I'm like oh, **** what is it? is it me? -the shoes, what? When the scene was over I surreptitiously checked myself and finally tracked it down to of all things- my hands! My gloves! They're big skiing gloves and my hands do sweat in them most days. Man, got to wash those gloves! Old man Winter.

The ride home. I have a choice- city streets or bike path. The bike path is dark and has sections with water and the dreaded ice. The streets on a Saturday night are loaded with pedestrians on one section where there are bars, clubs and cheap restaurants filled with college kids. Lots of parked cars line the road, the subway runs down the center of the road (above ground), there are stores etc. It's definitely take your lane and put your pedal to the metal and get into the slipstream of traffic when possible and maintain a steady 25 mph as best you can. All the while keeping safe distance from the cars in front, watching for jay walking pedestrians and keeping the jerk in the car behind you from muscling by you simply because you're on a bike. I opted for the bike path. I was the only one on it. The river looked like black ink. There is a point where Harvard University is reflected in the water and a footbridge crosses the river. It is stunning to look at on a clear, cold December night. The puddles were not completely frozen over and the mud would crunch as I rode through it. There were short sections of black ice forming as I moved west and the temperature dropped.

I rode through the section I call "Watership Down" where suicidal rabbits dart from the left and right. I was once again ever thankful for the bike path, for the chance to imagine a world not so littered with automobiles. I rode my last mile or two on main roads and back streets. Having only one section where I must assert myself and take my lane in the face of drivers who are looking me straight in the eye and despite my left arm seemingly stretched half way across the road right in front of them still swerve round me rather than let me take the left fork in the road. And for all of that I wouldn't trade places with them for all the world. If they only knew.

I think Im gonna wuss out tomorrow.... driving today, I noted the tons of ice and refrozen snow about. Not worth breaking bones to save 5 bucks in gas.
My studed bike tires won't get in until Thursday or Friday. Then it will be no worries.

So in the end, my monday ride will be stuck in my Jeep din an iced over traffic jam with thousands of other fools.

At least I get to sleep in an extra 45 minutes :-)

Rode in today in my first snow storm. About an inch of wet snow on the bike path. Feet warm and dry, hands warm and dry, almost too warm in the torso with Polar Fleece vest and pullover. Slipped once on a turn up a slight hill but all in all my Michelin 1.5 rear tire with good chunky tread and my Continental front 1.5 seems sufficient. It was alot more like mountain biking than my usual commute. Was cold and snowy on the way home with ice patches forming that will make for a gnarly commute tomorrow a.m. I'm thinking about putting 1.95's on the Buzz just to feel a little more confident. Though saw one other rider this A.M. going the opposite directon on the path. I've seen him before- fixed gear, real nice bike, steel frame, dressed in all dark clothing like a European racer from the 60's, no helmet, wool cycling cap riding as confidently as if he were on a MTB with studded tires. His tracks were a perfect straight line, his cadence quick and his body relaxed. For the first time we greeted each other- did I detect a European accent? I could've stood to relax a bit more on the bike.

Rode in this morning, 39 degrees and no wind. Kept a high cadence going to stay warm and kicked butt getting to work. I was sitting outside cooling back off watching people get out of their cars all bundled up. They think I should be freezing. Ithink they should be riding, as most of them live closer to work than I do. I got to work wide awake with my heart pumping. I love riding in. Riding home tonight was 45 degrees, so I took a layer off to ride home. I was still a little warm, but I'm learning. Tonight was unusual in that I saw 4 other people on bikes with lights and 4 unlit riders. I average only 1 other rider with lights and 1 or 2 unlit riders in a whole week. This was on a Sunday night well after dark. I just hope the riders without lights take my advice. I'm glad to see others on bikes. Even if they don't ride regularly, maybe thet'll keep an eye out for me when they're driving.

cold wet and nasty. felt like i had frostbite on my forehead. grumble :mad:

cold and beautiful, but dry with only a few icy spots to watch out for.

a few swirling gusty winds (remnants from 10 miles west), playing with me giving me a big headwind for a few seconds, then pushing me uphill with a huge tailwind for a minute

deep thoughts by billh: Riding in winter is just like riding in summer, except it's cold outside.

Boy it seemed cold today. A water main burst yesterday down the street and we were without water for most of the day. This morning, I think it was 17F. So I was thinking "cold". But it was a beautiful morning. Sunny, blue, crisp. No wind. I was layered perfectly, cruising along to work and thought, "Wow, except for a small patch of skin around my eyes, I'm perfectly toasty warm, it's just like riding in summer, except . . . it's so cold out". Doh. Somehow that seemed to warm me up a little more.

Mid 20Fs and snow-covered. I put the studded tires on yesterday afternoon, which turned out to be wise, as there was a lot of ice on the trail.

Saw one other cyclist heading the other way. We exchanged greetings. There were bicycle tracks in the snow that were laid yesterday. I think more people are discovering snow riding.

I got to work and as I was coming in I heard two people making comments about it being "way too cold for that..." Like I'm being pulled along by an invisible rope and not generating any of my own heat. :)

It was a little chipper out this morning (2F) but the skys are clear and the roads in fair shape. I stayed plenty warm and had a real nice ride in. It's not going to get much warmer today so I'll be layered the same at lunch time and my ride home afer work.

Weird weather today. Left the house at 7:30 and it's -15C plus windchill. 15 minutes later it's -5C with a warm wind out of the north, and no visible Chinook arch. Now, it's -18C or something with 40km/h winds gusting to 60 km/h out of the north. WTF!? I love Calgary weather. We put spikes on the wife's mtn bike and rode in together this morning. I also changed out my ring to a 38T from a 42T. The hills home should be a tad easier.

just in case anyone's interested, here are the members with 99+ posts on this thread :) keep it up!

Total Posts: 10,723
User Name Posts
caloso 419
Chris L 394
Ed Holland 385
ollo_ollo 326
mrfix 285
Andy Dreisch 275
Zin 250
Kodama 226
mtessmer 219
spidercyclist 209
ridealot 209
vtjim 193
Jean Beetham Smith 189
tchazzard 181
PaulH 170
Inkwolf 141
pinerider 137
Paul L. 127
cicadashell 123
mjw16 111
balto charlie 107
Sailguy 105
SaskCyclist 100
jyossarian 99
RonH 99
...

I'm way down at measly 17

I got served with fog today on the way to work.

I don't know why I find that statistic interesting, but I do. It's also interesting to note that the guy who created the thread, Gus Riley, only has 31 posts.

In Boston it was about 22F (5.5C) this a.m. Decided the streets were the better bet since the bike path is seldom plowed and salted and has so many drainage issues so it has lots of ice. The street route shortens my commute both because it makes the ride about 8m (12.8k) instead of 11m (17.7k) and my average speed is higher on the road.

It was a great ride in. There is one split in the road that I can usually anticipate being overtaken from behind and cut off, and today was no exception, but otherwise it was smooth sailing. The "door zone" was also an ice/snow zone so I had to move right into the road most of the time but traffic in many of these sections is only moving about 20mph (32kph) or less. I'd given myself plenty of time to get in today and ended up getting there early because the commute was so manageable. More snow forecast for tomorrow.

Great trip home -- 30 F/-1 C. The snow was falling fast and sparkled in my headlight. I rode over one section that was completely covered, making my first tracks of the season. Here in the DC area, the reflections from snow in the air and snow on the ground scatters the light from the streetlamps, making everything a pale salmon color. It was beautiful. There is only one first snowfall of the winter.

Paul

Wild Mondays! Crazy day at work. Left at 6:00am with a gusty wind coming out of the north. One problem I have is getting an official historical air temp. I have a $4.99 window deal which is fair but when I read 28 others say 22. I've searched the web and have not found a nice tool that reports historical temps. Anal yes, but I always feel prone to embelish. This am, call it 29F. Yahoo says H40, L24. Cold for Memphis but not as bad as a ride last week. Wore wind pants over tights which makes for a warm ride.

At the very end of the ride with both panniers loaded with weekend work and my laptop, I got the desire to stand on the pedals and crank up the last hill before my office. As I was heaving to and fro....THUNK! What was that, as I looked behind to see what fell off? Laptop still attached, nothing in road. I sat down and started running the mental tapes. Maybe a cracked frame.....SPOKE dummy! Looked at rear wheel, bingo, way out of true. First ever broken spoke on my 25 year old steel (not SS) spokes. Of course on the freewheel side.

Before heading home at 6:00pm I opend the QR brake lever and centered up the wheel between the stays as best I could and started the ride home. Interestingly the temp was not much different, 30F so I decided to just take a low key ride home. Fix her later. Traveling on business Tue/Wed/Thu. Hope to get her fixed and ride Friday. Nice part about riding home in the burbs, all the Christmas lights make for a very magical ride home in the dark!

I had a good ride to work, it's rather cold right now at the low 20's Farenheit (-5C).

I had a crummy ride home, marred by yahoos THREATENING me if I didn't turn off my headlight?! AND I had no CF card in the digicam OR a cell phone, so no good way to initiate countermeasures.

:mad:

But I got my 20-mile ride home, with only one more set of yahoos yelling at me as they passed. I guess this should make me appreciate the days when we all just get along... must work on that, yes...

!! cold !!

read that as Wild Monkeys, so you can imagine how my day's been. i thought: oh good, it wasn't just me.

hmmm. slept in way too late this morning - poor kid, he doesn't need any help being made late for school. and suddenly, after last week's solid-freezing-all-week leading into yesterday's 0C-snow-1C-snow-0C-snow, we had 4 degrees, and it wasn't even raining. most of the snow i was messing around in yesterday was gone, which was sort of disappointing somehow. although i have a feeling we'll be getting some more - that lot came early for us.

kind of tired on my way in today. the snow playing took a bite out of me, i guess; plus i was sort of mentally set for snow and wasn't really in the pavement groove. i stopped on my way onto the bridge and definitively cleared about half of that grating that creates the huge lake. that was something i was not looking forward to yesterday when i pictured the snow still around: 18-foot-wide puddle of slushy ice getting all over your ankles no matter what manoeuvres you make.

nothing much else to say about today. drizzle at best throughout the day, and then a slight mist of fog came down at around 2pm. headwind parts of the way home. at around 3 i got one of those eyelashes in one of my eyes that you just can't get out, so the ride was a bit compromised by periodically riding with one eye screwed closed. i could have used a bit of a wind with some ice in it to whip up the tears and get rid of it, and i think maybe now it's finally gone.

nice ride home; quiet, still about +4 and not raining. it felt really strange after the past couple of weeks, actually. nice, but eh. i think one part of me needs the extreme weather to distract me from how very much i'm not enjoying this drab, wretched little job. 13 more round-trips till christmas, and then 13 more on the other side. caught my rain pants on the rear cog on the way home, and heard them tear a little. rude words.

songs: you'll never take me to the top of the hour alive, michael marra; i don't wanna have a nice day, greg brown. roll on friday.

Okay, so I'm about a week late, but here are links to the pictures:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pinkrob...n/set-1521986/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pinkrob...n/set-1521986/
I think it's a piece of paper caught up in the chain. I still don't know how she did it. She must have Real Ultimate Power.

Low 20Fs. Most of the snow and ice has departed the trail, but not enough to switch back to the road bike. Truthfully I'd rather there be a light layer of snow and ice along the entire trail so it's easier on my studded tires, but I'll take what I can get. :)

Supposed to flurry and snow shower all day today.

Wimped out today because of the potential for ice, however, I just placed my order with Nashbar for a pair of studded tires. Hopefully, they'll arrive this week in time to resume commuting by week's end. Although temps were warmer than predicted this morning, I encountered patchy ice on my walk to the Metro. I don't think it would have been much fun on my slicks, however, I feel bad not riding.

Nice ride in, about 28°F, which is fairly cold for Atlanta. The Nashbar lobster mitts and the Rockport boots kept the hands and feet warm. There were a number of black ice spots (we had a lot of rain yesterday), rode just fine over them, but them dang cagers would floor it to go around me and just spin their wheels. :rolleyes:

Life is good.

I haven't been posting here regularly, but I am a commuter. Rode in today, yesterday was raining with the threat of sleet, so I bagged it. Today was really nice 30 degrees to start, with some patches of ice. Just brought a new jacket for the commute and it is great, kept me very comfortable this morning. The jacket is from Lands End.

Already got a late start for work today and my bike decides not to cooperate. Let's talk about massive drivechain failure. Somehow the rear derailleur lost tension and the chain got jammed. I've got bolt-on axle so it's a pain in the rear to mess with the wheel. The first order of business is switching back to a quick-release in the rear. Second order of business may or may not be switching the commuter to a SS.

Other than those troubles, the ride was nice. Not too many cars and good temperature. Life is moderately good.

Skipped yesterday so I could drive to NJ instead which of course, I didn't want to do, but when you're summoned by the boss...so today's my first commute of a short week for me. The snow we were supposed to get fell last night and was melted by this morning. Streets were clear and the only sign of snow was on the parked cars. Bummer. Still took longer to get in because of construction traffic creating a bottleneck at E67th St. Oh well, still felt good to ride today. Peds crossing are just oblivious to the world around them, especially when they don't expect bicyclists to be coming right at them as they cross the street looking the wrong way down the street!

First below freezing commute of the year at 29.2F

Al

Temps ranged from 20-12 degrees. First time commuting on snow and learned that I need to be more careful. Did a 180 going down a hill and tipped over into a snow filled field. :p
Plus, riding on solid sheets of ice is not much fun.
I anticipate snow fall on the way home. This may be amusing.