Cassave

It looks like the cold air that's been freezing us on the west coast is moving east, it was a fairly balmy 43F this morning at 7:00, but with steady 30 mph north winds. Guess which direction I ride to get to work?

bikedaddy

Managed to get out in the cold. 1F and really not so bad once I got going. Still had to be very careful on the bikepath due to ice. I am looking forward to more daytime melting and nighttime freezing so I can fall down a bunch more on ice. Yeah ice!

caloso

23F/-5C. Chilly. And it didn't help that I couldn't find my skull cap. I thought my ears might fall off by the time I got to work.

Rode the race bike to work today. The first race of the year is Saturday and I put new tires on the race wheels. I figured I ought to get a few miles on the tread to rough 'em up a little. (Dont' know if that's actually true, but it couldn't hurt).

John C. Ratliff

I'm posting for the first time in a very long time on this thread, as I commuted in the snow today for the first time. When I got up at 5:00 AM to do some work, there was just a bit of snow dusting the ground in in Beaverton/Hillsboro area. By the time I left at 7:00 AM, I was having second thoughts, as the snow was by then about 1.5 inches. But I tested my Rans Stratus long wheel base recumbant, and found that I had traction, and that the snow did not present slipping problems (less than ice that I was on last week). So I decided to try it.

I went out and got on the bike path near my home, which at that point is a wooden walkway. I managed it fine, if a bit slower than normal. I then got out to the road (173rd, for those who know Beaverton), turned up the onto the sidewalk, and couldn't see where the concrete was and the dirt was. So I got onto the concrete, and started up on the sidewalk. The road had a number of cars stalled as they could not negotiate a short, but fairly steep, hill. I was able to simply pedal right up it. I went by bike path and sidewalk to a shopping center, went through their parking lot, and to Starbucks for a breakfast. My church group usually meets there on Tuesday mornings, but no one else showed up. So I finished breakfast, and started out again for work.

I went slowly down Evergreen Parkway, which has a wide bike path on it. The cars were all driving very slowly and carefully here. But at one point, I got my front wheel into a wheel tread from a car, and that did throw me to the ground; but on the LWB recumbant, it's about like sliding into second base, with no damage except to ego. I got up, and decided to proceed up a secondary road nearby, which I did after I got out my Leatherman Tool and got the snow out of my pedals and shoes (clip-on pedals don't work too well in snow). I stayed on the secondary road until it got to another parking lot, then switched again to the sidewalk, staying off the roadway with car drivers who were very unsure of themselves. I had no further problems, and got to work at about the same time I would have on a normal day.

What I'm impressed with is how stable the LWB recumbant bicycle is in these slippery conditions. It seems more reliable than a car, especially when there are a lot of people out there without a clue as to how to drive in snow.

John

worktheweb

The wind was pretty oppressive this morning -- right down by the Potomac on the MV Trail it felt like I was in a wind tunnel at times. The good news out of all of it ... the wind isn't supposed to change, so the 100% headwind should be a 100% tailwind tonight :-D Just cross those fingers ...

I'm actually looking forward to the cold this week is supposed to bring as well, 20 something temperatures can wake you up better than strong coffee.

-JP-

Commute in was a nightmare this morning (wasn't much better last night, but at least there's less traffic in the dark and going down steep hills in the dark is hugely fun despite the risk of something falling off) as despite me changing my front tyre over the weekend, the front wheel still refuses to hold the air in for any length of time, so I'm left with the option of continually pumping it up, walking it to work, or ride on, probably damaging the wheel but not getting in late. Good job I chose the latter as no-one was in when I got there.

Anyway, seeing as the bike I'm riding really could do with new gears, and probably new brakes, not to mention new lights I've decided to shell out on a battery powered electric one rather than get it fixed. Will that mean I'll become inelegible to post round here?

chephy

Toronto riding continues to be nuts! -10 C, my headset was really stiff at the end of my ride and the front shifter was acting up. Backstreets are very iffy. Given that I still haven't switched to knobbies, I didn't even bother to try the neighbourhood roads. In this weather I'm your arterial girl all the way. Arterials are just a little wet and narrower than normally, perfectly rideable. And drivers seem to be more careful on average. Though I did get reminded why I used to call Bathurst Street "Butt hurts Street". The pavement there is something else!!!

No trouble at all today except some stupid pedestrian who told me "You go on the sidewalk" (no, you go on the sidewalk! ). But the person I was supposed to meet for work today was late: as she was driving on a highway really slowly because of the snow, a speeding Jeep passed her and a huge chunk of ice fell off the roof of the Jeep and onto her car, scratching the roof and scaring the hell out of the driver. Driving is dangerous, folks! 600 reported accidents in one day on superhighways alone throughout southwestern Ontario! Ride your bikes!

chephy

As long as you pedal the electric one some, it's ok. But weigh all factors carefully: hill-climbing becomes easier, but the coolness/macho/superhero factor does go down a couple of notches if you switch to electric.

-JP-

Glad to hear.

It's not about being cool/macho/superhero, it's about getting to work safely. Over the last week I've had the chain fall off at hight speed, the lights fail, the tyre problem and gears that change when they want to change not when I do. One of these days, I will have an accident unless I do something about it.

Plus, it'll cut down the time I'm travelling about, which when I usually finish work at about 6-7pm and then have about 7-8 miles to cycle is quite important.

chephy

Ouch. That does not sound very good at all. Sometimes all that's needed is a good tune-up, but it's possible the thing's just toast and you need something else.

Of course. Safety first. You could of course get a new non-electric bike but:

So if electric is your thing, go for it. Actually, I'll let you in one little secret: one of the coolest things to do is to choose things that work for you, even if they are typically regarded as uncool.

vtjim

Sort of off-topic, but I wish the city plowed the MUP. Check out this weather alert. Perfect commuting weather! This alert was obviously written by a southerner. If you "must" venture outdoors. Heh heh. I may go on a local ride just because I can!

THE COLD AIR WILL BE OVER THE REGION LATE TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY MORNING... WHEN TEMPERATURES WILL DROP TO BETWEEN ZERO AND 10 BELOW IN MOST LOCATIONS. THESE TEMPERATURES COMBINED WITH WINDS OF 10 TO 15 MPH WILL PRODUCE WIND CHILLS OF 20 TO 25 BELOW ZERO.

IF YOU MUST VENTURE OUTDOORS...MAKE SURE YOU WEAR A HAT AND GLOVES...TO PROTECT AGAINST FROSTBITE AND HYPOTHERMIA.

( ONLY a hat and gloves, or should I wear pants too? )

RomSpaceKnight

-9C, a bit of snow falling, still lots of ice from the ice storm on Sunday night, winds light. Have taken to wearing ski goggles. Do a good job of keeping cold icy wind out of eyes. My eyes never used to water in cold weather unless I got over 20 mph now they seem to water a lot at 15 mph. Getting old?

calbars

Today was my first real winter commute (after a failed attempt yesterday during a small snow storm).

Coming back from work at 11PM, the weather was -20C/-4F with gusty winds. With 6 KM to go, I decided to adjust my seatpost's height... My seatpost quick-release pin quickly broke when I tried to release it. The rest of the ride was spent sitting 6" too low on my old hybrid, with the saddle going to and fro with its red blinky, knees up there like those cool dudes on downhill machines. Still, a nice ride, albeit a bit rough on my old knees.

tokolosh

it's warmed up and we got another inch or two of snow and then maybe some rain. morning ride was the most slithery and slippery yet, but perfectly manageable with careful speeds. heh. riding up the bridge mup in conditions like that somehow makes me feel like a crab trying to get up a wall. saw the tracks of someone on narrow slicks in a couple of spots, which impressed the hell out of me.

dalmore

I actually got hit by passing car's mirror today. Brushed me on the hip. No harm. I got a partial plate number. Gave chase to get a complete number - or better still confront him - but lost him climbing a hill. And the crazy thing is I still had a good time.

bikebuddha 

Cool but uneventful ride this morning.

The Hermanator

I almost got plowed by a Minivan pulling out of a Gas Station. But at least they were kind enough to wave after I hit the brakes and slid up next to them. I love friendly ignorant people.

substructure

Absolutely great!!! 31 degrees, wind to my back, smooth cadence, strong legs, big lungs, smile on my face the whole way in. Gotta love the good days.

18.2mph for 43 miles. My new hydration pack is working great. I love the things (Thank you wife).

DataJunkie

I am back! It feels good to have found my stones again.
I set a new low temp record for myself of 5F. My goodness I was getting all kinds of odd looks on the train. I guess it did not help that I was dressed in less clothing than half of people on the train.
The new all street route went fairly well considering the interesting industrial areas it goes through. I miss my trail! It should be faster when I am not dealing with cold temps and all the clothing I need for it. Felt like I was riding into a brick wall this morning. Still, 15 miles in 45 minutes is not too bad being that I was going slower to avoid ice slicks. Hopefully, the street I had to walk down on my return trip is finally safe this time. 1 foot of compacted snow and ice and 1 foot of slush on top of that was annoying 2 weeks ago.

* jack *

Got into a shouting match with a motorist today.
I won't go into the details 'cause I'm still seething w/ anger and I'll spare you the profanities.

acroy

snowy and icy again this am; this is the 4th straight day of below-freezing temps for this area, which is a lot! the studded nashbar/kenda tires are well worth it.

jyossarian

Bah! 19F isn't as cold as it used to be. Wore l/s silk undershirt, merino wool t-shirt and merino wool l/s polo shirt and a ski jacket shell. All pretty light stuff and I was still sweaty when I got to work. Also wore a balaclava that was warm, but didn't wick off sweat as evidenced by my sweaty head and neck. However, LL Bean flannel lined pants, silk longjohns and smartwool socks are the bees knees. The ride in itself was the usual w/ an extra round the block trip thrown in b/c I forgot my backpack the first time.

Two Buck Chuck

It was 23F this morning with the 'Real Feel' of 10F, which made me think twice about riding. I decided that it wouldn't be that bad with the balaclava, wool socks, and ski gloves, and I was right! My toes and fingers were a bit chilly but warmed up after a warm shower.

buzzman

Finally some cold weather and wind on yesterdays commute. Black ice on the bike path but the studded snows glide over it like Sonja Henie.

I was warm as toast from top to bottom. Barely a bike on the path. Nice to have it all to myself.

Looking forward to a chilly ride this a.m.

pinkrobe

We got about 4" of fluffy snow overnight, which resulted in accidents all over the city. As usual, riding in snow is fun and easy until you get to a place where cars have been. At that point the mounds of grey slop conspire to drag you down into the salty mush. More snow is forecast for the day, so it should be an interesting ride home.