I hate winter
10-19-18 | 06:58 AM
#76
Tragically Ignorant
Joined: Jun 2018
Posts: 15,593
Likes: 9,109
From: New England
Bikes: Serotta Atlanta; 1994 Specialized Allez Pro; Giant OCR A1; SOMA Double Cross Disc; 2022 Allez Elite mit der SRAM
The way they sand the roads around where I live, if it's not icy, I'm going to be sliding around any time I touch the brake anyway. I spend the winter going to the gym, alas.
10-19-18 | 07:02 AM
#77
meh
Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 4,742
Likes: 1,129
From: Hopkins, MN
Bikes: 23 Cutthroat, 21 CoMotion Java; 21 Bianchi Infinito; 15 Surly Pugsley; 11 Globe Daily; 09 Kona Dew Drop; 96 Mondonico
I love all the winter-haters, fewer bikes blocking and slowing me on the roads and trails. 
It's also cute to see on the winter-haters getting out for their first ride in the spring with all the winter gear while I'm sporting summer kit!
(Yes, I'm an @$$hole, kinda sorry, but not really)
To the OP: every year, as the days of Autumn get shorter and shorter, I get nervous about riding in the dark. However, every year I get my lights set up and get used to the differences of cool, dark rides and regain my confidence and start to love it. I am fortunate to live in Minneapolis, which has great bike infrastructure on roads and non-moto trail systems.
It's also cute to see on the winter-haters getting out for their first ride in the spring with all the winter gear while I'm sporting summer kit!
(Yes, I'm an @$$hole, kinda sorry, but not really)
To the OP: every year, as the days of Autumn get shorter and shorter, I get nervous about riding in the dark. However, every year I get my lights set up and get used to the differences of cool, dark rides and regain my confidence and start to love it. I am fortunate to live in Minneapolis, which has great bike infrastructure on roads and non-moto trail systems.
Last edited by Hypno Toad; 10-19-18 at 07:08 AM.
10-19-18 | 10:00 AM
#80
Senior Member
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 772
Likes: 191
From: Missoula, Montana
Bikes: Trek Domane SL5, Trek Checkpoint SL5, Cannndale Trail SE 4, Specialized Langster
Actually, I love winter. Not only do I take advantage of it by cross country skiing, alpine skiing and telemark skiing, I ride my bicycle on warmer days, say over 55 degree, and , of course, I walk a lot, but I love the changing seasons along with the beauty that each holds. I appreciate each of our four seasons for what each has to offer.
10-19-18 | 12:57 PM
#81
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 2,856
Likes: 299
From: Ohio
Bikes: Road bike, Hybrid, Gravel, Drop bar SS, hard tail MTB
btw I loved Minneapolis, Loved MN winters, But........ winter in Minneapolis reveals the imported people to MN in a bad way! they can't drive on snow. Where as anywhere outside the Twin cities they drive like it is summer no matter the conditions. lol
Last edited by Metieval; 10-19-18 at 01:00 PM.
10-19-18 | 01:23 PM
#83
Junior Member
Joined: Oct 2018
Posts: 10
Likes: 0
I'm with you, I won't stop riding, but this cooler than usual fall air feels like razor blades in my lungs on my morning and afternoon commute. I breathe 10x better in the 80F to 90F degree summer day even with humidity.
10-19-18 | 08:33 PM
#84
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 3,498
Likes: 646
From: Toronto
Bikes: Sekine 1979 ten speed racer
It's better to complain about salt and acknowledge salts destructiveness than it is to heat my shed just to wash the unnecessary salt off of my bicycle.
Society doesn't need salt. EVERY single car could have studded tires or snow tires or both for far less than it cost society to salt the roads!!! and Rust Frames, and rust shocks, and rust struts, and rust exhaust systems.....
It isn't only bicycles that salt damages.
Society doesn't need salt. EVERY single car could have studded tires or snow tires or both for far less than it cost society to salt the roads!!! and Rust Frames, and rust shocks, and rust struts, and rust exhaust systems.....
It isn't only bicycles that salt damages.
I took my fat bike back for maintenance and the shop said all I needed to do was to wipe away the snow and slush from the bottom bracket after every ride.
10-19-18 | 08:39 PM
#85
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 30,497
Likes: 4,570
From: 25 miles northwest of Boston
Bikes: Bottecchia Sprint, GT Timberline 29r, Marin Muirwoods 29er, Trek FX Alpha 7.0
10-19-18 | 08:50 PM
#86
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 3,498
Likes: 646
From: Toronto
Bikes: Sekine 1979 ten speed racer
+1 I've been calling what's to come soon "real time" a long time. I've sailed an ocean and made landfall with a sextant and good watch (and we nailed our landfall target perfectly). Real time is the only time that matters for celestial navigation. Now some celestial navigation isn't very dependent on time (latitude in the Northern hemisphere when you can see the North Star) but the importance of the Sun's elevation at high noon and noon being exactly when the sun is highest is probably older than mankind. All the ancient clocks and many of the celestially oriented building the direction of high noon.
Yes, time zones are a bastardization of real time that help us communicate with other humans at distances that used to be hard to imagine. But high noon happening at 11:00am plus or minus? Just - no. I have no issues with businesses, etc. move their hours of operation to reflect the lengthening of days. Farmers have been adjusting their schedules to the sun for the past 10,000 years. But leave the clocks, which evolved from the sun dial, alone.
Sorta on topic - I had the thought that Portland's sidewalks soon will never see sunlight because of all the tall buildings. Sad.
Ben
Yes, time zones are a bastardization of real time that help us communicate with other humans at distances that used to be hard to imagine. But high noon happening at 11:00am plus or minus? Just - no. I have no issues with businesses, etc. move their hours of operation to reflect the lengthening of days. Farmers have been adjusting their schedules to the sun for the past 10,000 years. But leave the clocks, which evolved from the sun dial, alone.
Sorta on topic - I had the thought that Portland's sidewalks soon will never see sunlight because of all the tall buildings. Sad.
Ben
The sad things about DST are 1) since GWB, DST is 8 months long. That means we have Standard Time for only 1/3rd of the year. That's not right. 2) We never see a 6am or 6pm sunrise and sunset at the equinoxes again. The clock will read 7am or 7pm instead respectively.
10-21-18 | 06:34 AM
#89
Senior Member
Joined: May 2016
Posts: 921
Likes: 150
From: Southeast US
Of course it's easy to feel like that when you live in the southeast and it snows four times a year, tops.
10-22-18 | 06:34 AM
#90
meh
Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 4,742
Likes: 1,129
From: Hopkins, MN
Bikes: 23 Cutthroat, 21 CoMotion Java; 21 Bianchi Infinito; 15 Surly Pugsley; 11 Globe Daily; 09 Kona Dew Drop; 96 Mondonico
We have an amazing winter bike community in Minneapolis, and shops that are great at helping people with the right kit for riding the cold, dark, ice, snow, ... conditions. But there's still a huge number of riders that put the bike in the basement in November and don't get it out until the tulips bloom. I'm fortunate to have the best of both worlds, road bike in the basement for Zwifting on busy days (work life gets crazy in the winter), and a couple bikes set up for winter riding (one for icy days, one for snowy days).
10-22-18 | 06:54 AM
#91
Thread Starter
Every day a winding road
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 6,538
Likes: 63
From: Pittsburgh, PA
Bikes: 2005 Cannondale SR500, 2008 Trek 7.3 FX, Jamis Aurora
We have an amazing winter bike community in Minneapolis, and shops that are great at helping people with the right kit for riding the cold, dark, ice, snow, ... conditions. But there's still a huge number of riders that put the bike in the basement in November and don't get it out until the tulips bloom. I'm fortunate to have the best of both worlds, road bike in the basement for Zwifting on busy days (work life gets crazy in the winter), and a couple bikes set up for winter riding (one for icy days, one for snowy days).
10-22-18 | 07:20 AM
#92
meh
Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 4,742
Likes: 1,129
From: Hopkins, MN
Bikes: 23 Cutthroat, 21 CoMotion Java; 21 Bianchi Infinito; 15 Surly Pugsley; 11 Globe Daily; 09 Kona Dew Drop; 96 Mondonico
Cold is one thing. But it really isn't safe around here to ride at night. The one road I have in mind is dangerous enough during the day. One of the roads actually has a pretty decent shoulder but there is one section were the shoulder is completely gone. Been that way for months, maybe years. It forces you out on to a very busy road for a brief period. I have had more than one close call in that section.
To the OP: every year, as the days of Autumn get shorter and shorter, I get nervous about riding in the dark. However, every year I get my lights set up and get used to the differences of cool, dark rides and regain my confidence and start to love it. I am fortunate to live in Minneapolis, which has great bike infrastructure on roads and non-moto trail systems.
10-22-18 | 10:30 AM
#93
☢
Joined: Feb 2015
Posts: 3,621
Likes: 240
From: La-la Land, CA
Bikes: Cannondale Quick SL1 Bike - 2014
Cold is one thing. But it really isn't safe around here to ride at night. The one road I have in mind is dangerous enough during the day. One of the roads actually has a pretty decent shoulder but there is one section were the shoulder is completely gone. Been that way for months, maybe years. It forces you out on to a very busy road for a brief period. I have had more than one close call in that section.
10-22-18 | 11:57 AM
#94
Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2017
Posts: 1,931
Likes: 2,355
From: Hollister, CA (not the surf town)
Bikes: 2019 Specialized Roubaix Comp Di2, 2009 Roubaix, early 90's Giant Iguana
The only bad part about winter here is you can start a ride in the low 50's and finish in the low 80's. It's a ***** figuring out what to wear and how to store the layers as you remove them.
10-22-18 | 12:31 PM
#95
Member
Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 25
Likes: 0
From: Albuquerque, NM
I hate winter and late fall/early spring for that matter. Means the end to my evening rides which I so much enjoy. Looks like I may have done my last evening ride. Just not enough light now in the evenings to be safe on the roads. Just can't wait till spring gets here again. 
10-22-18 | 01:01 PM
#96
Newbie
Joined: Apr 2018
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
From: Southern California
Bikes: 2017 Fuji Gran Fondo Classico 1.3, 2016 Giant Stance 1, DiamondBack Trace Sport.
You must not live in California (especially Southern) where my mantra is “I Hate Summer” and it’s too damn hot to ride. Now that Fall and cooler weather is setting in, I can shed some of these pounds I gained sitting in an AC room all summer eating or drinking.
10-22-18 | 01:06 PM
#97
☢
Joined: Feb 2015
Posts: 3,621
Likes: 240
From: La-la Land, CA
Bikes: Cannondale Quick SL1 Bike - 2014
Cycling is fine, just don't think of it as a way to shed pounds -- except as an overall health and fitness lifestyle. Shedding pound is by and large a product of diet. When you think of shedding pounds think first of diet, then exercise as the "finished" work.
10-22-18 | 01:36 PM
#99
Full Member
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 387
Likes: 17
From: Iowa
Bikes: COLNAGO! Litespeed, Motobecane, Peugeot, Gitane, Fuji, Nishiki, Centurion, Panasonic, Giant, Trek, Cannondale, Raleigh, Bianchi, Winsor
I agree, winter is BAD. Well, bad for me. I live in Northern Iowa and I cannot get comfortable no matter what type clothes I try. I was raised in Oklahoma but forty years ago I came to visit a girl for two weeks and five kids and six grandkids later I stayed but I'm ready to turn around! I finally broke down to take my bike and trainer to a spin class my touring club has each winter. I haven't been there yet and maybe I can't stand it any better than I can alone at home, we'll see.
10-22-18 | 02:23 PM
#100
Junior Member
Joined: Sep 2018
Posts: 161
Likes: 41
From: Pittsburgh, PA US
Bikes: 2003 Trek 4900, 2019 Trek Marlin 7
Cold is one thing. But it really isn't safe around here to ride at night. The one road I have in mind is dangerous enough during the day. One of the roads actually has a pretty decent shoulder but there is one section were the shoulder is completely gone. Been that way for months, maybe years. It forces you out on to a very busy road for a brief period. I have had more than one close call in that section.
I'm tempted to get a stand for my bike and ride in the basement. It's just not going to be the same though.