Oh, not offended in the least, just clarifying that we have wet sloppy slushy sleety snowy cold months, on top of days where you could seriously get heat stroke from just a mile or two of riding. This past winter we had the arctic vortex, which had me out on my old cruiser in -3 with 15 mph steady wind smacking me across the face at 2 in the afternoon, then we had that lovely ice storm that put 8 million people in the dark. I was without heat, light, or food for 3 days at home & had to sleep in a 38 degree house till we could get a kerosene heater set up (couldnt find fuel). February 11?17, 2014 North American winter storm - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The ice storm happened one week before.....

https://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/I...o-outages.html


So we had the ice storm, then the big winter snowy storm. We got hammered with bitter cold and unusually high amounts of snowfall, but we also on one of the days went from 56 degrees to -2 in the same day, i think that was the week before the ice storm, or back in that january....... that was bizarre.


Edit: Ice storm gallery. https://www.philly.com/philly/gallery...ia_region.html

- Andy

This is the reason my winter-bike is a single-speed.

The other issue: 57) Frozen freehub. At temps below 0F the pawls can freeze in the recessed (coast) position, then you start pedaling and there is nothing there. You can sometimes fix it by pedaling at the same speed as the wheel and get the pawls to re-engage (like shifting your car without using the clutch). This is why some winter riders go fixie, but I just get the freehub rebuilt/greased every fall and that keeps it happy.

Coffee shops. Next to bakeries who conspire to blast the twin aromas of fresh brewed coffee with just out of the oven cinnamon rolls to create a siren song that calls to you. Abandon that silliness, you DESERVE a nice cup and bun, honey. Put the bike on the rack on the bus..

You Sir, have GONE TOO FAR!!!!

That is a winter hazard far too horrible to contemplate!

Oh, i forgot one: Utility wires throwing ice, not just dropping but with some speed to it from wind. Can happen from utility poles too.

- Andy

I just encountered this recent thread ”Bathroom break before commute”, and it reminded me of another Winter Cycling Hazard / Inconvenience, to keep this thread comprehensive, ”Bladder control in cold weather riding!”

I don't think I can add to the list. I've seen plenty of entries that, I agree, are hazardous.

I'll reiterate though, for those who aren't familiar with winter riding and are considering it, the hazard posed by drivers who don't expect to see a bicycle out there. The other hazards on this list, so far, are manageable for me.

But those drivers who actually panic, stomp on the brakes, and start sliding when they come around a curve or over a rise and see us frighten me more than anything else on this list.

And they're far more common than I'd have expected.

But don't let me dissuade anyone. Winter riding is still very rewarding. And it's not like those drivers come along every few seconds or anything like that.

Just be aware. And be even a bit more defensive than usual.

I can't recall specifically, but I presume snowplows were mentioned as a hazard. I recently replied to this thread, “how do you deal with snow plows”

On one of the most hazardous winter days I have ever ridden, I accidentally knocked off my eyeglass-mounted rearview mirror. I spent about 45 minutes looking for it in the snow and could not find it. I very carefully rode the last 10 miles, going up slippery hills that even the cars could not negotiate, on my studded tires.

When I arrived at work about 45 minutes late, instead of receiving tough guy kudos for the ride, I was scolded because the secretary was worried that I had not shown up since usually I am the first to arrive, even in bad weather.

Frozen twig (a component of the "twig and giggle berries" collection). For really cold rides (-20C/-4F or colder, especially if there is a wind chill on top of that), I'll stuff a "sheet" of bubble wrap down the inside of my tights (over top of my undies or bike shorts, whatever I'm wearing) covering my groin area. You know the feeling when your fingers or toes get really, really cold and then you go into a warm room/house and the burning feeling that goes through them as they warm up, imagine that feeling through your twig, really painful (believe me, it's happened a couple of times before I figured this trick out). The problem is, whether there is a headwind or not, cold wind is directed down your coat, to your groin area and up off the top of your legs to your groin area and is trapped there. Even though I've worn a warm, snowboard-like coat which tend to be rather long (especially mine which is now too large since I've lost a bit of weight), the long coat is not sufficient: the bubble wrap is so good that I'll even get a bit sweaty in the groin area despite with cold thighs (tolerably cold, not severely cold).

Number your hazzard to make it count!

1) Wet leaves
2) Wet Painted lines
3) Gravel
4) Ice
5) Snow
6) Frostbite
7) Fogging, if you are wearing eyewear, like you should
8) Cars and their drivers.
9) Weather: layers7) Yetis
10) Drivers who do not clear windows
11) Sewer, manhole, water main covers (wet metal)
12) Debris hidden under leaves
13) Thinking too much lists to focus on riding
14) Drivers with poor night vision
15) Windburn
16) Cars skidding on snow or ice
17) Drivers who think 4WD makes their car stop faster on ice
18) Deep rutted ice that is harder than diamonds and never melts
18) Pavement immediately before a stoplight where the exhaust from idling cars melts some of the ice, eventually forming a perfect slick - flat ice topped with a thin layer of liquid water.
19) Deep very wet snow
19) Salt and debris trapped in slush that can rapidly wear moving parts or chemically react with any exposed steel
20) chain rust
20) Less daylight
21) drivetrain upkeep
22) salt, salt, and more salt. (see #20 and #21 )
23) short days = riding frequently in darkness
24) crashing, not being able to move, then dying of exposure (maybe that's 2)
25) responding to the inevitable, "You didn't ride today did you?" queries posed by non riders.
26) having to roll with studded tires on dry pavement
27) deep cookie dough snow on top of ice in intersections
28) Other cyclists, ill prepared or inexperienced for winter conditions
29) impatient and distracted drivers who are driving home in the dark when, at other times, would be driving in the light. This frightened me in the suburbs more than nearly anything.
30) Holiday Shoppers!
30) drivers trying to see out of a postage stamp sized hole in their ice covered windshield while they drive.
31) snow and ice flying off minivans, SUVs and large trucks because their owners just couldn't be bothered to clear the roof.
33) the loss of the shoulder or bike lane as the case may be due to plowed snow.
34) Being forced into sketchy deep snow on the edge of the road in heavy traffic and fearing you'll go down and slide right under a car. (see # 33)
36: Deep breaths of cold air.
37: DOT trucks & their grit/sand/salt spreaders.
38: Any motorist.
39: Ice or snow or both falling from branches, wires, etc.
40: Mist obscuring visibility/icing your bike up.
41: Visions of hot cocoa distracting you.
42)Transients with fires, shopping carts, discarded trash and personal items on MUP's
43) Electrical failures on dark streets with abrupt edges
44) Sand drifts in the bike lane for months after the roads freeze and the city mostly grinds to a halt that one day in late January.
45) Black ice, often from frozen condensation on roadways when air temps are still above freezing and no precip has been recorded. Can be totally invisible, without even a sheen to warn the cyclist. Areas that are perpetually shady, such as north sides of buildings, are potential trouble spots.
46) Not having the correct change for the bus.
47). Deciding not to ride because there are too many hazards.
48) Beard Freeze
49) The snots
50) Sweaty back and frozen hands
51: walking inside a warm place before taking some layers off.
52) Snotcicles
53) SOP for bus drivers here, when the road is icy or covered in packed snow, is to stand on the gas and wait for the bus to move. Which makes for some highly polished and deep ruts.
54) Piles of brown sugar snow at intersections.
55) Slush at just the right (i.e., wrong) temperature caking and re-freezing in my bike's fenders.
56) Iced up drive train
57) Frozen freehub
58) Cold toes that suddenly feel warm again. (Hint: they are NOT warm!)