First day of winter - - - I DID IT !!!!!
12-21-11 | 08:04 PM
#1
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Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 1,846
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From: Los Alamos, NM
Bikes: Fuji Cross Comp, BMC SR02, Surly Krampas
First day of winter - - - I DID IT !!!!!
Started riding again in April, the commuting began in May. As the days got shorter and shorter, I sadly began to approach the season with dread.
Rain, freezing fog, doggone cold, windy. I have managed to remain faithful, if not perfectly consistent (travel, illness, broken bike), but have plugged away.
Then comes winter....
AND I MANAGED TO RIDE TO WORK ON THE FIRST DAY OF WINTER!!!
Milestone! Winter commuting can be done! It isn't nearly as close to impossible as I thought.
Thought 25F and dense freezing fog predicted for the second day of winter might put me back in the car......
Rain, freezing fog, doggone cold, windy. I have managed to remain faithful, if not perfectly consistent (travel, illness, broken bike), but have plugged away.
Then comes winter....
AND I MANAGED TO RIDE TO WORK ON THE FIRST DAY OF WINTER!!!
Milestone! Winter commuting can be done! It isn't nearly as close to impossible as I thought.
Thought 25F and dense freezing fog predicted for the second day of winter might put me back in the car......
12-21-11 | 08:19 PM
#2
Banned
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 4,787
Likes: 3
WAY TO GO!
There WILL be 'hiccups' along the way, and days when you just CAN'T, for some reason -- but now, it will get just that much easier EVERY DAY!
Consider yourself high-fived....
EDIT: OK, I had to come back and share a little more.
I started serious commuting in 2000; at the time, I was on a POS Huffy rigid, 18 speeds and fat tires. I'd named it the "Green Monster".
One day in January, a few days after a snowstorm -- streets were clear, but I wasn't ready to ride some of them, like the one next to 'the epiphany' -- I was riding in, and came to a plowed pile of frozen snow about 30" tall. Riding around it was possible, but I said, "Aw, WTH", and went OVER it.
And I FELT it; missing for two and a half DECADES, and there it WAS! The FIRE, the JOY, the CONNECTION that I'd lost as a teenager who turned away from the bike for the f'n car. I've never looked back, and finally went car-free four years later!
There WILL be 'hiccups' along the way, and days when you just CAN'T, for some reason -- but now, it will get just that much easier EVERY DAY!
Consider yourself high-fived....
EDIT: OK, I had to come back and share a little more.
I started serious commuting in 2000; at the time, I was on a POS Huffy rigid, 18 speeds and fat tires. I'd named it the "Green Monster".
One day in January, a few days after a snowstorm -- streets were clear, but I wasn't ready to ride some of them, like the one next to 'the epiphany' -- I was riding in, and came to a plowed pile of frozen snow about 30" tall. Riding around it was possible, but I said, "Aw, WTH", and went OVER it.
And I FELT it; missing for two and a half DECADES, and there it WAS! The FIRE, the JOY, the CONNECTION that I'd lost as a teenager who turned away from the bike for the f'n car. I've never looked back, and finally went car-free four years later!
Last edited by DX-MAN; 12-21-11 at 08:36 PM.
12-21-11 | 08:47 PM
#4
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Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 99
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Congrats dude!
It's been a winter for a month now and I slipped several times on my bicycle or sometimes even fell hard on my ass. Once I got my snow tires, I haven't felt any danger at all and I'll be riding my bicycle to school everyday. There's a lot of ice here in where I live, so walking makes you slip even more than riding on a bicycle unless you have snow shoes.
I know how you feel. It feels awesome doesn't it?
It's been a winter for a month now and I slipped several times on my bicycle or sometimes even fell hard on my ass. Once I got my snow tires, I haven't felt any danger at all and I'll be riding my bicycle to school everyday. There's a lot of ice here in where I live, so walking makes you slip even more than riding on a bicycle unless you have snow shoes.
I know how you feel. It feels awesome doesn't it?
12-22-11 | 11:06 AM
#6
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 1,965
Likes: 6
From: Falls City, OR
Bikes: 2012 Salsa Fargo 2, Rocky Mountain Fusion, circa '93
Good job! Did you make it today too?
I rode my motorcycle for the past two days but I knew I needed another ride this week so rode today. You're right, 25 degrees but it was clear and the stars were out for my ride.
A woman got on the bus in Dallas with a Surly Cross Check, nice looking bike. It's the first one I've ever seen.
Yes uterhausen, the dark gets really old. I'm a scenery junky whether riding my bike or running, and in the past I've been prone to getting chubby mid-winter. Commuting has changed that for me as it's not just a workout.
I rode my motorcycle for the past two days but I knew I needed another ride this week so rode today. You're right, 25 degrees but it was clear and the stars were out for my ride.
A woman got on the bus in Dallas with a Surly Cross Check, nice looking bike. It's the first one I've ever seen.
Yes uterhausen, the dark gets really old. I'm a scenery junky whether riding my bike or running, and in the past I've been prone to getting chubby mid-winter. Commuting has changed that for me as it's not just a workout.
12-22-11 | 03:48 PM
#7
Senior Member
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 22,676
Likes: 2,642
From: CID
Bikes: 1991 Bianchi Eros, 1964 Armstrong, 1988 Diamondback Ascent, 1988 Bianchi Premio, 1987 Bianchi Sport SX, 1980s Raleigh mixte (hers), All-City Space Horse (hers)
Congrats! This has been my first year of serious winter commuting, but I don't have much to brag about yet -- temps have rarely gone below 25 degrees F, and we've had almost no snow.
12-22-11 | 04:10 PM
#8
nashcommguy
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 2,499
Likes: 0
From: nashville, tn
Bikes: Commuters: Fuji Delray road, Fuji Discovery mtb...Touring: Softride Traveler...Road: C-dale SR300
Great! Having started my cycle-commuting career in the middle of Feruary, 1987 in Chicago 
I didn't have much of a choice. 
That being said it never ceases to make me give a big HELL YEAH!! whenever I become aware of another year-round cyclist. Here's a good website: https://www.icebike.com Lot's of great stories and info. Have fun! 
I didn't have much of a choice. That being said it never ceases to make me give a big HELL YEAH!! whenever I become aware of another year-round cyclist. Here's a good website: https://www.icebike.com Lot's of great stories and info. Have fun!
12-22-11 | 04:47 PM
#9
Senior Member
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 1,890
Likes: 59
From: Fairhaven, Massachusetts
Bikes: Giant easy e, Priority Onyx, Scott Sub 40, Marin Belvedere Commuter
Happy Solstice. Winter riding is not bad once you learn to dress for it. I commuted year round for 6 years and the only thing forced me off the bike was unsafe road conditions.
12-22-11 | 05:45 PM
#10
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Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 1,846
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From: Los Alamos, NM
Bikes: Fuji Cross Comp, BMC SR02, Surly Krampas
Good job! Did you make it today too?
I rode my motorcycle for the past two days but I knew I needed another ride this week so rode today. You're right, 25 degrees but it was clear and the stars were out for my ride.
A woman got on the bus in Dallas with a Surly Cross Check, nice looking bike. It's the first one I've ever seen.
Yes uterhausen, the dark gets really old. I'm a scenery junky whether riding my bike or running, and in the past I've been prone to getting chubby mid-winter. Commuting has changed that for me as it's not just a workout.
I rode my motorcycle for the past two days but I knew I needed another ride this week so rode today. You're right, 25 degrees but it was clear and the stars were out for my ride.
A woman got on the bus in Dallas with a Surly Cross Check, nice looking bike. It's the first one I've ever seen.
Yes uterhausen, the dark gets really old. I'm a scenery junky whether riding my bike or running, and in the past I've been prone to getting chubby mid-winter. Commuting has changed that for me as it's not just a workout.
I was thinking this morning about riding in the dark. Mornings, I really like the peacefulness of the ride, especially the first miles. Now going home, that's a bit more adventurous - too many lights and I feel like I get lost in the clutter. Looking forward to summer and long rides home....
12-22-11 | 07:26 PM
#11
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Joined: May 2007
Posts: 8,896
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From: Raleigh, NC
Bikes: Waterford RST-22, Bob Jackson World Tour, Ritchey Breakaway Cross, Soma Saga, De Bernardi SL, Specialized Sequoia
I love commuting in winter. It's easier to dress for the cold than heat, and you don't get all hot and sweaty. However, I do live in NC, where the winters are mild
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