Just a light one. The roads are just wet, but sidewalks, driveways and parking lots are a little slick. I hope it's the first of much more snow to come. And I think I remember where I stored my gloves, hats, and so forth.

How about you? Are you dreading winter, or looking forward to a break from the heat? Do you have seasonal gear ready to go? Winter can require changes in bikes, components, clothing, and even riding style. Do you have questions to ask, or advice to offer? Any experiences or stories to share?

Heat please. Maybe it's time to go visit Machka.

Break from the heat? It is suppose to be in the 90+ range with near 100% humidity all through August. July 4th was the last time we were able to swim in the pool because it was so cold all summer. Even the rare few days we hit above 80°, it was never warm for long enough for the water temperature to get above 74° so there was no swimming.

If I had the time and money to job hunt in South Carolina, I would move tomorrow. I hate the 2 seasons we have here in north western PA, Cold with snow season and road construction season.

We have a good 4" on the ground. I wish I had gotten a little more play time in, this summer. However, I'm happy to have a good stock of dry wood & some work in the shop.

It's just starting to warm up here.

Well ... it's still spring so the weather is a little up and down. One day it is 29C and we're walking in the waves at the beach ... the next day there's snow on Mt Wellington and we reach a high of 13C down in the valley.


Winter here doesn't involve snow ... unless we want it to. We go to the snow to have a look at it, make a few snowballs, build a little snowman, and then return to the green valleys. But it is usually wet ... lots of rain. The climate here is much like the Pacific Northwest, maybe slightly warmer.

Come winter, we just ride the bicycles that have mud-guards (if it is raining), and wear another layer of clothing. But some winter days can be 15C and sunny ... much the same to what a person might experience on a slightly cooler day in summer.

I just took a spin around the neighborhood on the Brommie in shorts sleeves and shorts. Lovely.

https://www.eltiempo.es/sevilla.html

Those temps are in centigrade, of course.

Summer was nice and I'm thankful for the change in seasons which brings diversity to my life...especially in cycling. I've always been into Christmas with snow outside, hot cocoa, toasty fireplaces, snowshoeing, skiing, winter hiking/photography and filming in the cold crispy snow. Snow snow.. even more snow. Love it. I still even write my name in the snow but won't be stickin my tounge on any flagpoles anytime soon.



Got the winter beater equipped with brand new Nokians and rolling along just fine. Just... need snow so that I can begin to get my "Winter Fitness" regimen started. There is absolutely nothing better in the world then training all winter in the snow with studs on my 60lb Dept. store beater and then come spring.. getting on the road bike. I imagine it's similar to how Lance felt after he got his EPO.

Here's a cool little video I'd like to share that I found titled, "Winter Cycling in Norway" which really helps get ya in the mood.

The day when cycling becomes a regimen, or is only for "training" purposes is the day I will quit bicycling.

It does take a little more physical effort to ride in winter conditions, due to winter tires, bulkier clothing, and the denser cold air. But the effort is worth it and anyway, it isn't nearly as hard as most people think it is. It always amuses me how most roadies (and even mountain bikers!) dread that horrible day in October when they "have to put the bike away." (If the search function worked, I bet you would get a million hits for that phrase here on BF.)

I'm not sure why it never occurs to them that they really don't "have to" put it away. Modern day people are allergic to cold weather. I imagine this is mostly due to their addiction to cars. People "freeze" between the front door and the car door because they're unacclimated and wearing inappropriate clothing. They shiver while they scrape the windshield and wait for the car heater to kick in. In fact, a lot of my co-workers now have remote controls for their cars. About 15 minutes before the shift ends, they aim them out the windw at their cars in the parking lot below. When the shift ends, they run from the warm building to their warm cars, and they don't even have to brush the snow off their windows. They don't seem concerned by the fact that they're wasting even more gas, and the pollution from stationary running motors is even worse than when they're moving.

It's really very disgusting that most people are slaves and prisoners of cold weather. I see you live in northern Michigan, one of the snowiest places in the world. Do you happen to live in what they call a Winter City? This is an international movement that's trying to get people outdoors more in all of the seasons, and also addressing urban planning that's appropriate for cold climates. Several of the cities in northern Michigan and the U.P. have declared themselves to be Winter Cities. I think it's a great idea.


https://www.wintercities.com/index.html

Me too. I ride in the winter because on most days it's easy and fun. But if you choose to go out on the stormy days, or get off the plowed surfaces, it can become rather challenging. I appreciate a challenge because it makes me tougher, physically and mentally. YMMV.

It was cold enough this morning to freeze little ponds and puddles of water, but no snow yet. I am all set and ready for winter.

We had a few snow showers yesterday afternoon, enough to make the asphalt look like a black ice rink. Naturally I was riding my road bike

Got up this morning. 12F and slight wind. Decided to take my winter bike.

Of course, not a sign of ice anywhere.... and the noise of those studs on bare asphalt... priceless!

I haven't built up a snow bike yet but I did build up an old mtn bike to commute on. I like the more upright position esp. at night going over rough surfaces. The snow so far has just been a bit of a dusting with a bit of ice on the roads.

About 70% of winter commuters I know in Des Moines don't even use studded tires. Or a mountain bike.

On an average winter you might lose 2-3 weeks of riding if you have only a road or cross bike.

However, you need to be willing to ride on some pretty cold days. We get a lot of sunny, cold weather. To do this, you need to keep riding through the fall so that you get acclimatized to riding in bitter temperatures.

If that doesn't work, you can also do what many riders do... wait for breaks in the weather where it gets into the 40s by day. You'd be surprised at how many days fit this pattern through the winter. You just need to be ready for it.

I've been thinking I want a fat bike for the winter . . . . But I have two project bikes sitting around that I should try to turn into winter bikes and try them out first. This is my "new" commuter (I need to install some fenders on it though):

Great looking winter bike. Almost too nice in fact. The salt tends to be a bit harsh on components. (I took the FD off mine 'cause I couldn't get 3 winters out of one...).

Also if you are looking at a studded tire or 2.. you should consider whether you'll be riding in really rough conditions. There are some low count studded tires that would make a commute a little easier if you are just riding on icy streets.

Yeah, I need to build up a beater bike for when there is more snow on the roads. I have an old beat up bridgestone cb-1 frameset I picked up that would work pretty well as a bad weather beater bike. I could build it up with parts from my parts bin . . . .

I'm a little disappointed actually, normally in late October/early November we'll get a few dustings of snow, and I was hoping to try out the setup I put together for this year's winter before we get too far into the colder time of year. That said, it won't snow appreciably in southern Colorado until January, February, and March. I actually enjoy the winter a lot, the only conditions we see here that I don't like riding in are the late spring storms that seem to omit the snow and just deposit a layer of oily slush and ice chunks on the street.

I love that sound. One time a little kid yelled at me, "Hey, mister! You sound like Rice Krispies!"

I cycled through Winnipeg and central Alberta winters for about a decade. Although it might not have been nearly as hard as most people think, all that winter cycling factored into my decision to move to Australia.

Cold hurts.

The "black-and-white photo" that is winter scenery (grey sky, white ground, grey trees) has moments of beauty, but gets pretty dismal.

6 or 7 or 8 months of ice and snow and cold is really miserable.

I survived all those winters by travelling to warmer places ... and making use of community centres with swimming pools, exercise equipment, and spinning classes. The one I went to in central Alberta surrounded the pool with tropical plants. From the vantage point of the treadmill, I could look down on lovely blue water surrounded by green for an hour or so.

I love the fact that winters now are so green!


I do, however, miss cross-country skiing.

Winter isn't that bad here... it might dip down to -40 a few times and the roads might be covered with ice and snow.

In addition to that we get a pretty good dose of sunshine and many warmer days when cycling is a joy and the hardest part of winter is only 2-3 months long with 2-3 months of unpredictable weather... the coldest average daytime temperatures are easy to deal with if you have the right gear and no-pone says you have to ride when it is colder than your personal limits allow.

Right now we have a little snow on the ground and the temps for the rest of the week will be above freezing before taking a dip on the weekend.

I am looking forward to spending a full winter here after spending good parts of the the last 3 winters being wet and cold in the PNW... the wife and I will just have to cuddle a little more when it is -25.

A few snow flurries have fallen already, but other than that it's just been cold (below 30 degrees). I'm such a wuss, and only ride outside when the weather is above 40, so I've been getting some trainer miles in and driving every place.

It sn-rained here yesterday. Nice, fat, wet, heavy flakes that were mor congealed droplets of water rather than flakes. My toes were cold, needed better socks, and I wished I had gone with my full rain pants rather then running pants. I've added a couple of spare layers to my bag and broke out the wool socks.

Someone posted the formula to calculate the degree to which the change is temperature and air density effect your output levels on the bike commuter part of ******.

I love riding this time of year. To me the worst part of riding fixed gear in the cold is how much the chain stiffens up, other than that, layers make it all easy.

I switched to winter tires (Hakkapeliitta A10's) a couple of weeks ago, to intentionally get used to the increased workload on my body while the weather was still warm. I think that approach has worked well this year - I feel like I've adjusted well and am ready. We got our first snow a couple of days ago, and I was glad to have the studs on the bike yesterday and today. Refreezing water on leaf-covered roadways can be tricky... the A10's get me through.

Watch out for leaves! They can be slipperier than ice. I wiped out twice on leaves, on the same part of the MUP; the second time was exactly a year to the day after the first time.