dmanthree

It's 30F, dark, and I'm on the road. And loving it. Why? I think it's my job. I work in IT and spend my days in a virtual sensory depravation tank called 'my office,' or on the couch at home, working remotely. It's a pretty monotone and sanitized environment, so I jump at the chance to get on the road, yes, even when it's cold and dark to escape the tank. And feel *something.* Trainers? Yes, I have one, but use it only when the roads are impassable. Indoor riding is a virtual death sentence, for me. Modern gear and clothing keeps me pretty warm. GP 4 Season tires are nice and durable. And that Light and Motion Seca 2200 is simply excellent. Gear matters.

Give me the cold and dark over a trainer any day. Now if I can just stop popping spokes.

NTX_Cycler

I am awaiting my bonus so I CAN buy the bike I want and get out and ride. I don't do an office as our corporate is in CA and I am in TX. I work from home (apartment) when I am not traveling to a client site (which since Feb has been ZERO).

I desperately want to get out. I walk, but I don't see much in the time I am walking (can only cover so much distance).

I definitely look forward to winter riding and even more so riding with friends when the weather warms up again.

srestrepo

I'm waiting on a bonus too. Im trying to save up for schwalbe marathon winters so I can attempt at year round commuting. Funny, I just upgraded my tires to conti GP 4 seasons myself which, I'm very fond of. Working in a corporate insurance company, I know exactly what you mean. I bring my new light & motion Taz 1200, Cygolite hotshot 150 and Lezyne super GPS to charge at my desk to give me reminders of the relief to come. The rides to and from work have helped me immensely with morale and job performance.I have a trainer I stopped using in lieu of new gear for being outside in all weather.
I hear what you're sayin, this post resonates with me.

Be safe and enjoy yourself out there.

alias5000

I'm in engineering, I know what you mean. Glad you are getting out this way.

I decided to give cycling for UberEats a shot and see if this can help me getting across the couch line in the moments when I have trouble motivating myself to leave the house because of having spent to much time in logic world.

rumrunn6

+1 working at a desk job all day is mind numbing. I do contract maintenance & scheduling. Zzzz ... past few weeks been getting out for 1 or 2 nite rides immediately after work. right around 3 o'clock, start getting excited cuz I know I'll be going out to play soon!

dmanthree

Right there with you. I start mentally planning a route around 3PM and after that, well, it's only a matter of time. And I *love* the looks I get when I'm out there.

This year, however, there's wrinkle. I'll be in Naples, FL, for most of December so I'll be, for a few weeks, back in the sun. But come January, well, time for the gear once again.

dmanthree

Thanks, and yes, safety is everything. I usually assume I'm invisible and go from there.

You'll love the GP 4 Seasons. I ride them from October to April and have never flatted one! The current is new, but I usually get at least three seasons out of a pair. Not the fastest tire, but I like the security, and would likely hate changing a tube at freezing temps.

TimothyH

I work in IT as well but work from home all the time. The need to get out of the house is real and modern LED lighting is a godsend.

A 40 mile ride Wednesday night started at 8:30 PM and ended at just after 11:00 PM with a stop for hot coffee half way through the ride. After 10:00 PM there was hardly a car on the road.

Love, love, love a good mixed-surface ride at night. Paved and unpaved sectors linked together - cross country running trails behind the high school, Army Corps land and other wooded areas - with 1800 lumens blazing is a total blast.


-Tim-

dmanthree

Damn, that's a late start! The sun is setting shortly after 4PM now where I live, so, well, it's always dark, it seems. But man, that's a good ride! And yes, you can't beat a powerful headlight. No such thing as too bright for me.

How cold was it? Not too bad, I hope.

TimothyH

North Georgia here - at the very edge of the northwest Atlanta suburbs. It was a balmy 47° f.

Down here the days are not as long in the summer nor as short in the winter and the daylight you lose in winter you gain back in summer. I lived on Long Island for 44 years and the long summer days are something I miss. Used to do a summer solstice ride starting at first light, well before 5:00 AM. Sunrise is 7:15 AM and sunset is 5:30 PM here today.

Late rides are not that big of a deal for me because I work from home and can sleep while everyone else is stuck on the interstate. There is also the opportunity for a lunchtime nap.

My company has an employee by you, Lawrence, I think, and I support a customer in Manchester. Virtualization, storage and blades. What do you do?


-Tim-

dmanthree

I work in IT for Raytheon. I work from home quite a bit, but go to the office when necessary. And right now we're seeing sunsets shortly after 4PM. Earliest is on Dec 11th, at 4:11 PM. So....headlights!

rumrunn6

I have to remember this cuz I sometimes get out late for my rides. yesterday (after an off-road ride) I only had my "backup" light & wanted it for a cpl traffic situations on my way home. getting dark w drizzle so a front light would have helped get some courtesy from the cagers, but it was acting funky & I realized it doesn't have a blink mode. what designer would make a bike light w no flash mode

wipekitty

Yes...there's something nice about the dark and cold. I'm just under 44 degrees North, and it's getting dark around 4:30. I like taking rides in the evening, so it's dark now. Last year, I graduated to rural road biking in cold weather. This year, I've graduated to doing (some) hills in the dark!

Soon, we'll have the permasnow and it will be time to hit the roads with my slow, beastly winter bike. It's a fun challenge and a change of pace - and makes going back to normal non-studded tires seem fast!

Abe_Froman

Rebuild your wheel. It’s a lot easier than you imagine. If you’ve popped more than one or teo, it’s just going to keep happening. You’ve reached the end of tr fatigue life of your spokes, due to under tension, or just plain miles.

Witterings

All the guys in IT and here's the leper of the bunch ... IT Recruitment

Much the same as others, work from home, started cycling nights relatively recently and love it ... find it so quiet and peaceful it's almost quite therapeutic.

A friend who used to do a lot of road cycling until 3 years ago came out with me for the 1st time the other evening, we were going down this little country lane in the middle of nowhere and he just suddenly said "Agggghhhh, isn't this amasing" and I thought .... so it's not just me

srestrepo

Finally got my bonus in, felt like i had to follow up with this.

not to show off but here it is. its been cold lately. and its been nice, the crisp air really helps to wake up and the ride in helps to make my mood better.

cheers to you guys, i hope the bikes help you with your inner peace as well.

Witterings

WTF are those tyres ... looks like someones punched nails in them all the way round :-)

I#mm guessing the Hi Viz is built into them ????

Daniel4

It's encouraging because usually at this time of year there'd be a bunch of threads about trainers and spin classes and I haven't found any. Maybe I haven't looked hard enough.

Riding in the snow is a real workout in itself.

vintagerando

Hear! Hear! I bought my first set of rollers this Fall. I had big plans for putting in hours on the rollers; found it mind numbing. The feeling of being out in the cold, moving, free....cannot replicate it.

srestrepo

Schwalbe Marathon Winters in 35mm with the reflective Sidewall

these are some porky ass tires but took a sweeping turn at a moderate speed over some ice and didn't fall. its my only experience with studded tires but i really like them.

Ghazmh

Roubaix with GP 4 seasons and a Seca 2200? That's what I have......... although I mostly ride early in the morning. Heading out tomorrow morning for a super cold and spirited morning ride.

superdex

definitely NOT wife approved 'round these parts.

dmanthree

I've been riding days lately in Naples, FL. But I head back north soon so if the roads are clear, well, I'm back in the dark.

It's a great combo though.

MikeyMK

I could've done with studs, recently.

rumrunn6

well that's DEEP! even w studs that's hard work. guess a fat bike would be good in that, huh?