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Winter Bike to Work Day - Friday 13TH

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Winter Bike to Work Day - Friday 13TH

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Old 02-11-15 | 07:08 PM
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Winter Bike to Work Day - Friday 13TH

Imagine a winter day with people on bikes everywhere.

All you have to do is commit to ride on Friday, February 13th.
Put yourself on the map. Watch it grow.

Winter Bike to Work Day | Friday, February 13th, 2015Winter Bike to Work Day

I would be all over this, but it's gonna be like 9 degrees F and it's a 21 mile one way ride in my neck of the woods.
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Old 02-11-15 | 08:04 PM
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I think the high here will be 20F, so count me out.
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Old 02-11-15 | 08:29 PM
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High of 26°F and windy here. I'll be doing it.
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Old 02-11-15 | 08:39 PM
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Originally Posted by Johnny Mullet
Imagine a winter day with people on bikes everywhere.

All you have to do is commit to ride on Friday, February 13th.
Put yourself on the map. Watch it grow.

Winter Bike to Work Day | Friday, February 13th, 2015Winter Bike to Work Day

I would be all over this, but it's gonna be like 9 degrees F and it's a 21 mile one way ride in my neck of the woods.
Originally Posted by alan s
I think the high here will be 20F, so count me out.
Wait, you're not going to sign up because it's going to be wintery?

It's Winter Bike To Work Day people. I signed up and it'll be about 6 degrees at my morning commute time.

I'll let you know when the "Sunny and 70" Bike to Work day is scheduled.

Last edited by tjspiel; 02-11-15 at 08:43 PM.
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Old 02-11-15 | 09:23 PM
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Supposed to be 16°F here. Not pleasant but doable. However it's...FRIDAY THE 13TH !!!
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Old 02-11-15 | 09:27 PM
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Originally Posted by Johnny Mullet
Imagine a winter day with people on bikes everywhere.

All you have to do is commit to ride on Friday, February 13th.
Put yourself on the map. Watch it grow.

Winter Bike to Work Day | Friday, February 13th, 2015Winter Bike to Work Day

I would be all over this, but it's gonna be like 9 degrees F and it's a 21 mile one way ride in my neck of the woods.
So this is a great idea but you're not willing to participate, . Hah. I like it; I'm signing up.
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Old 02-11-15 | 09:36 PM
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47 in the morning; 62 in the afternoon (possible showers.) But for February in the Puget Sound area??? UNREAL! Couldn't ask for a better day!
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Old 02-11-15 | 09:37 PM
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My day off!
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Old 02-11-15 | 10:08 PM
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Originally Posted by tjspiel
Wait, you're not going to sign up because it's going to be wintery?

It's Winter Bike To Work Day people. I signed up and it'll be about 6 degrees at my morning commute time.

I'll let you know when the "Sunny and 70" Bike to Work day is scheduled.
20 degrees is my lower limit, and that will be the high for the day. Only gets that cold a few days a year here, so I can't justify getting gear for the teens. I know that's downright balmy for you guys, but we're not nearly so hardcore. I'm sure there will be a couple folks riding, but I'll be toasty warm in my car. I don't even have to go outside at all, driving from my garage at home to the garage at work.
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Old 02-11-15 | 10:08 PM
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46F in the morning with a hight of 73F. Easy peasy.
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Old 02-12-15 | 05:50 AM
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Ain't happening here. Low of -25C and -40C wind chill at time of departure. Downright dangerous.
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Old 02-12-15 | 05:57 AM
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Originally Posted by mcours2006
Ain't happening here. Low of -25C and -40C wind chill at time of departure. Downright dangerous.
I live an hour away and I'll be doing it. It's actually much nicer riding at that temperature, as long as the rear hub doesn't freeze up.
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Old 02-12-15 | 06:49 AM
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I don't like biking on Fridays. The cagers are paying zero attention to the road on a friday afternoon
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Old 02-12-15 | 07:16 AM
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I'm in. The low is supposed to be about 20 F here with a high in the mid-30s. That's a coldish winter day around here but not unusually so. The real cold is supposed to reach here over the weekend, with lows in the low-teens on Sunday and Monday. I could set a new record low commute for myself on Monday if the temps get as cold as forecasted and I don't wimp out.
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Old 02-12-15 | 07:16 AM
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Originally Posted by El Cid
I live an hour away and I'll be doing it. It's actually much nicer riding at that temperature, as long as the rear hub doesn't freeze up.
You're a tougher person than I am then.

My rear hub has seized up before, at -20. Just one of many concerns when riding under such extreme conditions.
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Old 02-12-15 | 07:30 AM
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That'll be ONE day this month that I will NOT be riding, since I'll be out of town at a convention.

Not too sad though, they're saying -20*F wind chills Friday into Sunday. That wouldn't actually put me off, but it doesn't make me sad to miss it either.
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Old 02-12-15 | 08:21 AM
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Originally Posted by mcours2006
You're a tougher person than I am then.

My rear hub has seized up before, at -20. Just one of many concerns when riding under such extreme conditions.
I bought some Lubriplate Aero this year, so tomorrow will be my first chance to see how it holds up. I wanted Lubriplate Mag-1, but I couldn't get it shipped to Canada unless I was in the market for a whole barrel of the stuff.

As for safety, I actually feel more confident in the colder weather. When the snow gets hard and crunchy, I have an easier time keeping the front wheel under control. And comfort level is just a matter of perspective. I used to work on a service rig in the Alberta countryside. If it warmed up to -20C, that was a pretty nice day.
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Old 02-12-15 | 08:30 AM
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Tomorrow's weather report puts the high at 90 here, I guess I'll ride in.

We're having unseasonable Santa Ana winds in my area. For those of you that are not from the SouthWest of the U.S. that means warm, dry, gusty winds. These winds are usually a late summer through fall phenomenon.

Year 4 of the Southern California Drought, ho!
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Old 02-12-15 | 08:36 AM
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The NWS has set the thermostat for 0F tonight and 8F on Friday. 50% chance of snow too.

Fridays are my day off. Darn those four-day work weeks.

Still, it's the day after payday. I'm hopelessly old-school when it comes to finances, so I'll ride downtown to pay the electric bill. I have to go to the bank, then the grocery stores. Two stores, two trips unloading at home in between.

The nice thing about the cold and the snow is that it keeps the drivers off the road. Which also means I can zip in and out of the places I stop.
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Old 02-12-15 | 09:01 AM
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I'm going to ride to work because it's Friday. I will do that regardless of this campaign.

When I tried to follow the link, the website was down, straining under the workload of all the interested parties, I gather. But I have to wonder why bother signing up for this thing? I guess I don't get the point. Maybe one of you can enlighten me.
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Old 02-12-15 | 09:15 AM
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I'm in! Figured out a way to do this. The challenge is worldwide, and it doesn't specifically say it has to be Friday where you are. It will be Friday in Samoa for the ride home today. Looking at headwinds here of 25-35 mph with the temperature dropping 4 degrees per hour into the 20s for my Friday ride home (Samoa time) and 12F by morning.
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Old 02-12-15 | 09:41 AM
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Originally Posted by tsl
The nice thing about the cold and the snow is that it keeps the drivers off the road. Which also means I can zip in and out of the places I stop.
About 20 years ago I ws doing some field work at the Air Force Base in Minot, ND (in November and December). I remember a sign on base, which was also on a t-shirt I got for my Mom: "20 Below, Keeps the Riff Raff Out".

Originally Posted by tjspiel
I'll let you know when the "Sunny and 70" Bike to Work day is scheduled.
Supposed to be sunny and high of 70 deg F on Friday around here. Of course, the low of 46 deg F means I'll be dressing in layers in the morning, then carrying home a bunch of clothes in the afternoon. High class problems I know .
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Old 02-12-15 | 09:49 AM
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tomorrow is a good day for the northeast, it'll be between storms. only thing is you gotta watch out for "friday drivers"
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Old 02-12-15 | 10:01 AM
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Originally Posted by bmthom.gis
I don't like biking on Fridays. The cagers are paying zero attention to the road on a friday afternoon
For me Fridays are the best to ride because there's so much extra traffic that I can zip right past on the shoulder/in the bike lane. The only catch is when they edge into the bike lane to try and get a view of what's ahead.
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Old 02-12-15 | 10:49 AM
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Originally Posted by scroca
When I tried to follow the link, the website was down, straining under the workload of all the interested parties, I gather. But I have to wonder why bother signing up for this thing? I guess I don't get the point. Maybe one of you can enlighten me.
I noticed that it was down, too, and came here to update the thread if it hadn't already.

I think the point of it is that people like joining things, seeing their entry appear on something, and by using the site to cajole their friends into riding as well. If nothing else, it may be a trailing indicator that winter commuting is becoming more popular.
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