MNBikeguy

+1

Ridefreemc

For my 7.2 mile ride in it is the same time as my drive in - give or take 5 minutes, so sleeping in isn't part of the decision.

Some days I'll get up at 4:30 instead of 5:30 just to enjoy the Earth by myself during the bike commute - and stop along the way for coffee and an hour of reading before work.

Doohickie

There's your answer right there. If you had an independent means of getting to work that didn't involve the rest of the family, you could make a call the morning of your commute. As it is, the considerate thing to do is to call it the night before and stick with it.

modernjess

What my decision is based on has changed so many times over the 15+ years I've bike commuted. I've raised kids, changed jobs, had a car, not had a car, been injured, been heatlhy, collected tons of great gear and bikes, and I've become very experienced riding in all conditions. I can't even understand the algorithm my brain uses to decide anymore. BUT I do know and always remember these 2 facts:

1. I have never once regretted the GO decision by the end of the ride.

2. I have regretted the NO GO decision more times than I care to recall.

squegeeboo

I'm pretty sure you're lying. I've never heard of this 5:30, let alone 4:30. The day doesn't officially exist until 7.

kevmk81

Regretted today's decision. After watching this mornings forecast, supposedly should have got 1 to 2 inches of snow. Now, 0. Should have rode in. :-( And now tomorrow and Friday look like they're going to be way below 0 with the windchill. Friday might not be a bike commuting day for me now due to that. Needless to say, I usually ride in if it's not supposed to snow. Extreme cold (temps below 0 F, not including wind chill) also makes me want to drive in. I'll ride if it's just flurries... which is what it's supposed to do tomorrow I think. I pay attention to the forecast for the next day, and in the morning I do a double check on the weather. I don't like riding when it's raining all day either. I don't like to leave home for work in the rain. I don't mind leaving work for home in the rain though. I'm tired of winter. Starting to get the winter blahs now. Tired of changing clothes 4 times a day (6 times a day when I ride to indoor training with my team).

Change clothes to ride to work. Change clothes when I get to work into work attire. Change clothes to leave work. Change clothes to get on trainer. Change clothes to ride home. Change clothes when I arrive home. That's another thread I guess.

eta - extra set of changing clothes :-(

GrouchoWretch

I'm new at my 12 mile commute. What tends to stop me is that I suffer from sporadic bouts of groovy intestinal distress. This in itself doesn't usually render me much less capable of pedaling. What it does is make me late enough that it's all I can do to drive-park-bike in at a remotely semi-reasonable hour. Which it still really isn't. I hate not cycling. HATE!

MNBikeguy

When I encounter sporadic bouts of groovy intestinal distress (new phrase added to personal dictionary. thanks!) I am thankful to be on a bicycle rather than inside a car......

anichka

I generally make the decision that morning - I don't really trust the weather forecasts even a few hours out here (western Washington)!! In Illinois, though (I grew up not far from Springfield), things are more predictable, and I would definitely make decisions like that the night before. Kudos to you - I can't imagine cycling there all winter.

My daily decision process has a lot to do with my commuting partner: my almost 3-year-old son. If I am going to make him too miserable by biking the whole way, we take the bus for at least part of it. So far, NO regrets. I HAVE regretted it though on days when I think 'oh, he'll be fine' - and he is not. Bad mommy award right there.

DogBoy

I make the go decision the night before and pack and get ready. If in the morning things don't look good I make the no-go decision and drive in. Usually my non-commutes have more to do with failing to make the "go" decision the night before than making no-go decisions the morning of.

Jim from Boston

In my schedule, early morning is before 5:00 AM, mid-morning is 5 to 7:00, late morning is 7 to 9:00 AM; then it's pre-afternoon til 12;00.

Bluish Green

Wow, a lot of great responses here, thanks. I learned a couple of things. The NOAA website is great, thanks. Also, my system is apparently fairly good as is - I will probably "up" the Go decision frequency a nudge and fine tune things from there.

Thanks again everybody, good reading on all responses.

hsh101

I'll usually decide the night before. Snow or ice = no go. If I need the car for work, or need to be punctual on my return home = no go. Otherwise, I'll take a look at weather.com and check out the radar. 70% chance of rain and I will probably bail. Anything less usually means I'm heading out on the bike. Not worried about temperature or wind...

mtalinm

best weather forecast, with hourly graphs for temp/wind/snow/rain:

Hourly Weather Forecast for 9.9692099683869E+36N 9.9692099683869E+36E

whk1992

i check and see if the parking lot has black ice. if not, i'll ride.

Mumonkan

the wind is gusting at 60 mph right now and its knocked my lights off 4 times in the last half hour. thats enough to keep me off the bike, lol

scroca

I check the weather in the morning to see what I am going to wear, what tires I'll have on the bike, or what bike to ride. I don't check to see if I'm going to or not.

Ridefreemc

You may be right (about the lying), but on the other end of the day as far as I know not much exists past 10:00 PM

essiemyra

The go or no go decision is usually made the morning of. I prepare the night before if I think I am going to ride wake up at the correct time to ride and then go look out the door. If all is well I ride, if not I take the car. I can't always ride due to the weather where I live but I have found that the weather that I might not have ridden in for a casual ride will not stop a commute ride(ie gusty winds, rain, darkness).

tarwheel 

The weather in Raleigh, NC, has been a perfect illustration of the frustrations of dealing with weather forecasts. I drove Monday because forecasters said the roads could be icy with freezing rain and sleet. It was 37 F degrees according to the thermometer in my car and I didn't encounter any ice because the temperature never dropped like the forecasters said it would. I also drove yesterday because forecasters were calling for 40+ mph winds and severe storms, which turned out to be true -- except the wind and storms didn't arrive until well after dark. The cold front and rain were supposed to pass during the night, but it was still raining and very windy when I got up this morning. I went ahead and rode my bike and battled strong winds all the way to work, but at least the rain had finally quit.

locolobo13 

I make my decision each morning. I look outside and if the streets are wet I drive, if dry I ride. If the streets are wet in the morning they are usually drier at lunch and I drive home and ride back then. Wimpy I know.

The Chemist

I make my decision in the evening. Generally I'll decide a no-go if I'm feeling particularly tired or if the weather has been really crappy on the ride home or if I've had a particularly crappy commute (bad drivers, etc). I don't think I've ever gone to bed thinking I'd ride in the morning and changed that decision in the morning, or vice versa.

buzzman

I rarely miss a day of bike commuting but when I do it is a decision almost always decided the morning of the commute.

Fortunately, there is an express bus I can catch that gets me downtown in just about the same time as the bike ride.

Factors affecting my decision are:

1) Deep or blinding snow.

2) Thunder and lightning that I cannot wait out. Based on either direct observation and/or radar.

3) Extreme wind (above 50 mph). Though today I ignored the wind and went anyway. It was intense and since I was on the bike path it was trees and tree branches that were the most dangerous hazards.

NOT a factor:

Temperature. I ride in below 0 F and above 100 F. Dress appropriately.

Ice. I have a dedicated winter bike with studded tires. Unless that is unavailable I ride under icy conditions.

Stealthammer

+1 ^^^^^

I never really make a Go/No Go decision because I am always ready to go no matter what, but I have a good friend that I work with who passes by my house on his way into work, and when the weather is really bad (i.e., lightening or 50+ mph winds) he calls to offer me a ride, and he will sometimes not take "no" for and answer (and I only give in because he is my boss as well). The funny thing is though, when I do give in and accept a ride, we are often lucky to get there by car.

Notso_fastLane

Pretty much the same for me. Far too often, my after-work activities also determine whether I will ride or not. I can't carry much on my bike, and just sometimes need the car for all my errands, but not often.

My cutoff is around 37F when it's been clear, since that is when ice forms around here. If it's overcast I can go a few degrees colder.