I got a new toy for Christmas that runs "apps" and was searching for cycling relayed apps in the app store. I had to laugh when I saw several that would let you know when the weather is good enough to ride your bike. Pretty useless for the hard core commuter. I need an app that tells me whether I need waterproof, how many layers, etc. Silly app makers.

Here, that kind of forecasting would probably limit you to a dozen days a month from April to October. Only freezing rain, multiples inches of snow or mechanical issues force me to take the bus instead of my bike.

Apps like that are for people who are too lazy to think for periods of time longer than it takes to use the app. A.D.D.?

I'm not a big app fan in general, one of the things I enjoy most about cycling is being disconnected from data. That being said, I do think some weather apps are great and that's all I need. Over time I've figured out which ones give me the best info for my little micro climate area of the world. I know what to wear if I know the weather. The apps I like are - Weather Bug elite, Wx Alert USA, and Accuweather. They're all good and together they make you feel like a meteorologist.

I've been commuting a long time, since way before apps and even before I had dial up internet in my home. I used to rely on the local TV weather report in the morning. I would get so annoyed by these "voice of doom" weather dorks that would always predict the worst possible scenarios every day which of course lead me to make poor clothing choices on countless occasions. Weather apps are my friend now.

I have my version of that app; it's called "my dog's morning walk."

I get up and take the dog outside to do her thing before I go to work. During that time outside, I decide if I feel like riding my bike that morning.

I pretty much rely on Weather Bug elite for weather information since I rarely watch local news anymore. Weatherbug is probably not much better or worse at predicting weather more than 24 hours in advance, but from a clothing choice perspective I really only need to know what I can expect that day.

One thing I like about it is that it's updated pretty frequently with local conditions including wind speed and direction. Another handy feature is that you can see the forecast "hour by hour" so you know what the percent chance of rain is between 5 and 6 pm as opposed to what it is for the whole afternoon.

I check wunderland before leaving in the morning. Each winter I have to refigure out how many layers I need for various temps. Pretty much resigned to being both chilly and sweaty!

The only drawback to that is that everyone has different needs. I'm part polar bear (apparently), so I'd roast in the number of layers that some of my co-workers ride to work in.

Just face it: commuters are in the minority even among cyclists. I was honestly shocked when I heard they made a "commuter" bike computer, and then was less shocked when I realized it had mostly features commuters don't care about.

Maybe some day they'll figure it out.

I watch the morning news pretty much every day, partly because my daughter's teachers want her to bring in some 'current events' topic for discussion. It's given me the chance to see which news station does better with the forecast, and who NOT to listen to. (The Weather Channel! If I listened to them, I'd be packing rain gear in a drought!)