I don't mind riding in the cold, now that I have some cold weather gear. However, the temperature swings over the course of a week can make it difficult to ride in daily, and even then, the temperature swings over the course of the day make it a challenge with gear. 41 in the morning, then 60 on the way home.

Saw a grand total of one bike out there this morning, and the guy was wearing a ski helmet and goggles. Temps in the single digits. If this keeps up, I may have to step up my cold weather gear a notch or two. A fat bike with studded tires would be a nice addition, as well.

TN, HaaaHaaa, winter, I scoff. So to OP's issues, flat pedals and in low insulated winter boots. That should help. Boston has been lows of -5 to 0, and highs of 10-20F. No commuting this week due to work issues. Will pedal off road Sat though.

Hey, that would be tough. Riding at 41 in the morning with tshirt and shorts, then needing a way to carry the cold weather gear while you ride naked at 60 on the way home :roflmao2:

+1. Good reply!

I just posted this on the Northeast Regional Discussion thread, ”Metro Boston: Good ride today?”:

I've had plenty of people ask me "you rode in this weather" over the years, followed by the inevitable "you must be crazy/tougher than me". I usually quit riding when it gets down to about the freezing point, and think I'm a wimp compared to people like tsl who ride all year in worse weather. Especially this year.

Just to be clear, while I appreciate the admiration, it's not a case of wimpiness vs HTFU. I'm not that special.

I'm just an old guy who likes to ride his bike. I'm in it for the joy. Yes, sometimes the challenges sweeten the deal a bit, but the bottom line is that my commutes are the best two times of my day.

Why would I want to give that up?

It simply became a matter of figuring out what I have to do to keep that twice daily (take only as directed) jolt of joy, rather than give in to seasonal depression.

As a bonus, I don't have to re-train from zero in the spring. That, in effect, is wimping out. I don't think I could put up with all the pain of starting all over again from zero every March.

Anyway, yes, that first winter I was horribly, unbelieveably cold while I figured out what works for me and what doesn't. Mainly it was a case of discovering what doesn't.

These days, I have what works nailed. A quick look out the window, and confirmation from one of the weather web sites, and I can put together the right clothes, pick the right bike, choose the best route and leaving time, and off I go, happy as a clam. I still surprise myself at this. All week I carried extra clothes and gloves in the pannier. Basically I took my wardrobe for a ride. Unnecessarily.

But all these years later, that first step outside, and the first five minutes of the ride, I'm still cold. I've just learned that it doesn't last. (There's a reason why they call it "warm-up".) By ten minutes I'm warming up, somewhere between 15 and 20 I'm unzipping a bit. So I guess I do tough it out, but just the first five minutes.

As for conditions with the bike, economically and storage-wise, I have to make what I have work. There are days when 35mm studded tires are less than ideal. Brown sugar on top of hardpack is the worst. That's what I had both ways, all three workdays this week. I just drop to the small ring and big cog, shift my weight far back on the saddle, and pick my way through as the bike shifts unpredictably beneath me. My average speeds were in the single-digits this week.

Rather than become scared the first time I encountered this, I decided to learn how to deal with it.

It *is* a decision. You either decide to give in to fear, or you decide to find out how to make it work.

I simply decided in the other direction than most. I viewed it as an opportunity to improve my bike-handling skills. This week, I *almost* had to "dab" once. So there's still room for improvement.

Which gives me a goal to work towards while I enjoy the ride.

Single digits feel like the new normal; the cold doesn't bother me much anymore. It was 10F this morning, and I felt fine, even managed to sweat a little. The snow on the other hand, is a serious pain. It was nice today finally not to have to worry too much about slip sliding under a bus. Taking bike share the last couple of days may not have been the wisest thing to do, though those sherman tanks are pretty stable at least. I think I've take the subway more often in the past week, than I have in the rest of the last six months. Give me temps closer to 30 and no snow, and I'll be golden.

Not to make you guys jealous, but it was 29 degrees F for me this morning. A guy at work asked me "Isn't it cold?" but later admitted that he has a daughter somewhere back east (he does know, I just can't remember where he said) that bicycle commutes in negative temps. Maybe he was trying to trap me into admitting I'm a wimp.

Someone on facebook (from NY) posted a picture of a snowman with a sign that read, "Florida". I commented that though it would feel like swimming pool weather to us right now, it was 37 according to my phone yesterday in Orlando. Someone else posted, "No, stay up north! It's freezing down here. It's getting to 30's at night and highs of only 50's." I immediately thought of this and all the other threads on this forum about folks riding in the extreme cold.

I don't commute, but when it started to get down to a high of 50, I thought I might need to wear longer pants and a long sleeve shirt on my exercise ride. I was wrong. I was miserable the whole time sweating my rear end off wishing I was in shorts and a short sleeve. Coldest I did was about 35 in the shade of the woods. Jeans after work and a light jacket. Few minutes of that at 35 and the jacket was unzipped and I wish I didn't have it with me. Never got the chance to see what colder than 35 was unfortunately because of overtime at work.

For the record though, I do think you folks are crazy with this cold, LOL. I can't even stay warm in my car in the mornings.

12 miles at 10F this morning. :D

I really think this winter is payback for us having fairly mild winters the past 2 years.

You say payback, I say making up for! :)

I've decided that I don't care for weather this cold. I haven't missed a day yet, but I'm not really enjoying it much either. Ready for Spring.

I rather ride in dry snowy cold weather than the cold rainy weather out west. I'm a roadie, but I love riding my cross bikes in winter. I fell in love with winter rides after I got hooked on cyclocross.

I guess it depends on where you live. I've been calling this an old-school winter. Haven't had one like this in 10 or 20 years 'round these parts.

Actually, that's part of what makes it work for me. It's different. A change of pace. Variety is the spice, and all.

We've had record lows and snow fall. It's been below zero most of the week. I'm hoping temps will get back to normal soon so I can ride. I find myself wishing it was spring already.

I was thankful this week that it's been just cold and windy during this cycle, versus the snow followed by ice earlier this month. There was no way I could safely ride over the ice, but cold I can deal with.

What I really want is a few days of heavy rain to wash the sand off the road. I recently switched to Michelin Protek tires after getting a second flat from a rock shard through my Gatorskins. So far so good.

I know, you're just willing to take things farther than I'm comfortable or able to without making some bigger changes. I've treated enough patients that fell outside in the ice and snow to want to avoid it myself - if the roads ever clear up before it warms up I'll be out riding again but my comfort/risk zone stops when it's too slippery out.

And that's another problem for me, I keep my bike inside at home and work and don't want to bring a wet snowy bike inside. I take my shoes off at the door so I don't mess up the carpets in this weather too.

One should never feel the need to apologize or explain why he doesn't ride a bike in cold, wet, or otherwise lousy weather.

You ride a bike to work by choice, and can not ride at any time for any reason, or for no reason at all.

Agreed, 100%.

I've just been doing it so long and so regularly that it's become my comfort zone.

We all work within our own comfort zones. I feel trapped and claustrophobic inside a motor vehicle these days, even one as large as a city bus, which I had to use for two days earlier this month due to a mechanical. I couldn't wait to get back outside. It's the same with cars. I feel completely uncomfortable inside them--even if I'm the one who's driving. Given that once upon a time I drove sports sedans and Car & Driver was my favorite magazine, it's been quite a transformation.

For those who wonder how I've chosen to manage the issues that No Motor raised, first are the studded snow tires. I've never fallen in the winter. Well, except that one time when I took the studs off a day or two too early...

I too keep my bikes inside both at home and at work. Flooring choices help a lot. Lino at work, hardwoods at home. (And a landlord who, when I asked if he had any objections to my pushing a slushy bike through the hallways replied, "It doesn't track in more than people's boots, right?")

I have a trainer mat just inside the door where I take off my boots. It also catches drips from the bike while it stands there waiting for me. After a quick rinse, it's hung over a boot tray to catch the drips. No rinsing facilities at work, so the bike just hangs and drips into a boot tray. At break time I tilt it a bit to drain what's collected in the fender.

http://www.brucew.com/images/bikefor...-in-bath-2.jpg http://www.brucew.com/images/bikeforums/kit/step2.jpg

I love the chainstay/wheel U-lock while hanging on the wall indoors at home.

I look at a week or a few days off bike commuting due to bad weather as an opportunity for my muscles to fully recover and build strength. When I come back, I feel great and well rested. I hit it pretty hard every ride, so a break does me good. I'll be back out next week for sure with the studded tires. Still going to be really cold, but not single digits.

Rode this morning, partly through the Central Park. No other moving bikes in sight. :D

my main complaint is that it has been too cold for my gloves and I'm too cheap to put bar mitts on my commuter

For someone who has to ride through some bad neighborhood, the colder, the better :D. Just please no ice and no gusty wind.

But when it warms up into the mid 20s and the snow is falling, it is really, really beautiful!

Just think how pretty that is going to look tomorrow when its 40°F colder! :cry::cry:

I've only been out on my road bike twice this month/year so far (and a couple addition short rides on my mountain bike). I am getting a little stir crazy.

I have watched a couple cycling movies. And I spent a day putting new tires, chain, brakes, and handlebar tape on my main road bike. I may have to just break down and buy a trainer.

I've been working on my core strength. Twenty minutes a day (5 days a week) of sit ups, push ups, resistance and weight training. But I miss cycling. I've also been thinking... snowbird.

May I remind you of this quote, which I liked so much that I added it to the quotes column in my blog...

It's the most recently added one. Scroll to the bottom of the right-hand column.

As for core work, I've been doing most of mine at the kitchen table. :innocent: