None of my bikes have shifters, mittens is not a problem, mittens its the only thing that keeps my hands warm during longer rides on very cold days.

Nope. 5600-series 105 STI levers on both my commuters. No problem at all with my snowboarding mittens.

I do have to adjust my grip a bit and use my fingers a bit differently, (I do both levers with my index fingers) but it's really not a problem.

tsl, are you getting the snow in Rochester as your Buffalo neighbours? Tough ride in 6ft of snow.

Nope.

As you know, but others may not, we're about 100 km, 60 miles east of Buffalo. Our lake-effect comes from winds blowing across Lake Ontario, whereas Buffalo's comes from blowing down the whole length of Lake Erie. With lake-effect, it's all about which way the wind blows.

I didn't even know about the snow in Buffalo until one of our librarians showed me pics from the web the other day. Over the past several days we've had maybe 3-4 inches. And nice sunny days. The sun is what's rare here.

I had a meeting for work in an eastern suburb this morning. A smidge more than a trace of snow overnight left the roads wet with a few greasy spots. Sun came out and I had time to kill before my shift started across town at 2PM, so I rode the unplowed Erie Canalway MUP 16 miles to the other side of town.

For most of the ride I was in an inch or less. "Deep drifts" meant my feet left prints in the snow as I pedaled. For most of the run, I wasn't even first tracks. Two or three others had ridden before me.

I was spinning nicely in the granny ring most of the way. Averaged just over 11 MPH for the 16 miles. All in all a nice way to spend some time on a beautiful sunny day.

Meanwhile, they've sent all our plows to Buffalo to help out. Supposed to get to over 60F this weekend. I'm thinking pumpers from the fire house would be the better thing to send, with all that melting and everything dammed up.

Ok, thanks. Then I may try without feeling guilty...

What would you feel "guilty" about? Just try it!

I guess this is yet another winter thread? No one bother poking a look at the multiple links i provided, some with detailed clothing and survival tips?

- Andy

I did. Thanks for taking the time to do that.

I must say there are just loads of helpful tips for winter commuting round here. It certainly saves a lot of trial and error headache on my part.

On this morning's commute I tried putting these chemical toe warmers from Costco into my shoes under my toes. They didn't do much. My toes were still frozen, but I wonder if I had to somehow activate them. The instruction just said to peel and stick.

Never thought of just taking part of a chain, so never carried any at all ... so why not just a couple of links (and the quick links) instead of 7 inches of chain?

How about a lightweight down jacket carried in a stuff sack for when you do have to stop? Lot's of warmth, little weight. Or is that not a good idea?

It's tough to beat a down jacket for warmth if you want to carry one as an xtra layer. I actually use a down sweater as a mid-layer over a base layer with a goretex jacket as my outer layer.

+ 1 for useful info on this site. For your feet, are you using winter boots and platform pedals?

Nope. I didn't either.

Why are you opposed to answering questions that are asked?

I don't mean this in a snarky way. Remember that I work in a library. People come in seeking information all the time. We don't say, "Can't you do a search?" and send them out the door. We answer their questions instead. The assumption being that people who prefer to do a search will already have done so. People who prefer human interaction will ask a human.

Do you know what our number 1 and 2 questions are? Where is the bathroom? Where are the keys to the bathrooms? We have good signage, the bathrooms are off the lobby, exactly where they are in every public building in the country, yet I answer these questions easily two dozen times a day, and my co-workers do the same.

If you can't be bothered to answer the questions that are asked, please also don't bother with that type of reply.

I know you came in to this forum trying to establish yourself as some kind of authority on bike commuting. That's fine. I think you have useful experience to share. The way to do that isn't to post a lot of links and then whine that nobody follows them. The way to do that is to considerer which questions you are qualified to answer, then answer them clearly and objectively.

You'll notice that I don't jump in on every topic, or even every repeat of the same topic. There's plenty of knowledge and experience to go around, so I pick and choose where I reply. When I do reply, I remember that everyone doesn’t think and speak like I do or know cycling jargon, so I aim for generic plain-English explanations.

I limit myself to speaking about myself and my own experience and how that may apply to the OP. I never say "You should". I do not speculate or extrapolate into areas where I don't have plenty of personal experience, which I've gained largely through making mistakes. Fixies and MTB are out of bounds for me because I don't ride either type.

Finally I keep in mind that all I can ever say is what works for me. There are plenty of alternate ways to do things, (witness the backpack vs panniers debates) and I leave room for other opinions and options.

That's how I've built the "TSL brand" here. If you want to build the "TransitBiker brand" here, think about dialing back the linking and whining about people who don't search or follow links. Maybe what I do won't work for you, but what you're already doing isn't working for you either.

I definitely have a similar strategy, if I'm uncomfortable when I walk outside that generally means by the time I get to riding speed I'll be fine. Most of the time I ride in a long sleeve wool shirt, sometimes I throw a wind shell on and open the zippers if its cold enough. I did some rides here in Denver last week when it was around 5 degrees F. But keeping in mind how hard you ride is a good idea too, if you tend to be a little more casual adding an extra layer is a good idea.

I don't use riding shoes, I have a pair of Northface hiking books with a gortex liner to keep the wind off my toes. That and I could never do without a pair of skiing goggles, they're the best and never fog up even if I'm wearing a face mask.

Some sort of... authority.... Yea no.

Also, i was referring to the fact that winter threads seem to be suddenly multiplying like rabbits, even though there is only one winter per year per hemisphere, and only so much weather that season can produce in the varying latitudes represented here. Also, i wasn't whining so much as pointing out that a cursory glance at the commuting section would yield most of, if not all fo the links i consolidated into one post. Only one thread had anything to do with me, because i was posting my winter stuff for others to see how one person (me) handles cold weather riding. No "authority" just "this is what i use". So, yea, not sure this whole thing was really needed, maybe a PM next time, but thank you for expressing your thoughts regardless.

- Andy

Appreciate that.

Yea, some of those can actually have whole batches that are duds, but reading the instructions over a few times can sometimes "oh that worked!" if you accidentally skip over a word or words. Cannot tell you how often i've gone from "ugh this pos" to "woah it works" just by reading the instructions one additional time haha. :D

- Andy

You can do your own heat pack for cheap
How to Make Your Own Gel Ice Pack or Moist Heat Pack

Personal preference and nothing else. I just prefer to carry few inches of chain instead of breaking it up into little links, I also carry a chain tool and few quick links.

I think a down jacket is way too warm. Cycling is an intense physical activity, you would be soaked with sweat in no time. I always under dress rather then overdress. When I leave home in the morning I am a little cold at first and then after riding for few minutes I warm up, sweat management is very important.

Yes this. Overdress and you get so hot and sweaty. It is best to be cold when you leave and you will warm up.

It seems a lot of winter riders have a particular body part that gets affected more than the others. The worst part of winter commuting for me are my hands. I use Burton Gore-Tex Snowboarding mittens. They breathe, they are waterproof and have zipped ventilation. Along with some nice mid-weight liners they are very versatile in all temperatures and conditions. I use bar end shifters so dexterity is not an issue.

I am using clipless pedals and neoprene shoe covers on the shoes. However, I am contemplating on swapping out the clipless pedals in favour of platforms.

My measure of weather appropriate dress is that i should not feel cold when i wheel the bike outside. In my experience, the wind chill caused by going through the air at speed negates much of, if not all of, the warmth generated from pedaling. In many instances, even after warmed up and riding for 20 minutes, i can still feel cold. Now, i'm a pretty warm-blooded guy... my average resting temperature taken under tongue is 99.1, and on hot days i relly gotta be careful to manage heat. Starting out cold for me personally means a small chance of serious discomfort at speed. Once i am warmed up, blood pumping etc, i may not -feel- as cold, but as soon as i stop pedaling for a moment, the cold starts to grab hold. Only time i let it grab hold is to cool down for a rest stop. My town has some definite cold spots in it, and a good test for if your clothing is the right combination for that ride, is to go through those spots and if you're all good,then you've done it right, f not you're going to feel it and shiver.

If you have a longer, more non-stop trip, it may work to your advantage to start out cold, but my olny concern as others i think have stated, is that once you stop for a spell, the chill sets back in. I mean, if i had to change a flat, i'd cool down pretty quick, especially if there was wind.

- Andy

I think those so-called 3-in-1 jackets would make great alternative, esp. for no motor? (post #26 above) if you need to take off a piece on your way.

Re mittens, I was going to feel guilty if I were to have an accident due to not braking properly with a hand in a mitten (I have hybrid bike with riser handlebar I think) :)