You're crazy for riding in these temperatures!
 

This happened just yesterday. It was 62°F at the time.

It's very strange that people will accept various winter outdoor activities such as skiing, ice skating, snowshoeing, ice fishing, snowmobiling, winter backpacking...but they won't accept winter biking and they will call you crazy for doing it...I've been at this for 12 years now and some people who know me still don't get it.

Maybe because people are so used to their car (shell) has something to do with it.

In SoCal, cyclists practically evaporate once the mercury falls below 50º. Or over 90º, for that matter. Out on this Sunday morning, I saw a grand total of 1 cyclist, and he was bundled up like he was heading for the Pole.

Last year I was out on a day for ~80 miles, and it started raining pretty heavily around mile 30. At one point, a guy pulled up beside me at a stoplight, rolled down his window and said. "Don't you know it's raining?"

I have a co-worker that has commented on what a idiot I was for riding my bike. I will admit, one of the days I rode was questionable. The street looked like a sheet of glass. So after walking around to tell everyone how dumb I was for riding my bike he needed to go out to smoke a cigarette. I guess we must all chose our own demise.

Was well below freezing. Got the look from my coworkers I expect. Yea, they know I'm nuts.

when I bike commuted at my last job I was called names by my colleagues. don't miss that part of that company

I guess I'm "crazy" for paying $60 a YEAR to park in private, covered parking ten steps from the door to my building, while my co-workers pay $150-200 a MONTH to park in a ramp where they're not even guaranteed a space, three blocks away. That's after they spend almost as much time as my commute to scrape the snow/ice off their motor vehicles.

I follow a guy on Strava who walks to and from work, 16 miles round trip every day. Year round. Rain or shine. Doesn't matter.

When I lived on Long Island and worked in New York City I used to drive 45 minutes to the train station, stood on the train platform for 15 minutes in the freezing cold, rode 1 hour on the train, transfered to the subway, walked from the subway station to the building and then waited in line for an elevator to get to the 44th floor. Reverse to get home. That's was true insanity.


-Tim-

I cycled 20 miles on Thanksgiving in the NE. It was in the 20's, with wind chills in the teens. Did even register on my Facebook, as my friends already know I'm nuts.

Guy at work was trying to make fun of me for biking to work once.
I looked took a relaxed attitude, looked him up and down, and said "You know, I've noticed whenever someone says something like that, they're always the fat people in the office".
He didn't talk to me for a week after that, lol.
He never brought up biking again.

Love it. :thumb:

Actually that ^^^^^^ reply could find you with a "hostile workplace" action against you in a lot of workplaces. And thinking it through, rightly so. I know a lot of "fat" people who have every right to be the weight they are. I may internally pity them for it, but it creates more heat than light.

Might be more appropriate to reply with something like "Yeah, I'm too cheap to keep fit by going to the gym." Allows the other party to come to their own conclusion (or just confuse them further....).

Another possible reply to the "crazy" call - "Yes, I'm crazy. <pause> Wanna see how crazy?"

People who don't ride bikes think those of us who do are crazy, full stop.

If you're commuting, you'll get it almost every day. It was so hot! It's so cold! It's raining! It's so windy! The only one I don't get is it's snowing, because, if we're going to play bumper cars (as people around here do when the weather persons uses four letter words like that), I like 3,500 pounds on my side.

Great point. I think I'll use that. Although since I hate the cold, if I went out in those temperatures I would have to be crazy.

30F - I'd love to enjoy those warm temps!

Back when I biked to an office daily, year-round (I'm working from a home office these days), I'd get similar comments for all sorts of conditions: sub-zero temps, winds, snow, rain, heat, .... It's kinda amazing how fragile some people think we are.

For the winter, I typically ask the person if they every go skiing in the winter ... I explain I use the same gear on my bike as I do for XC skiing or snowboarding. Occasionally, I'm lucky enough to see the lights will flicker on - but normally, nothing but a blank expression.

Edit/afterthought: a couple years ago, a long time bike-commuting buddy and I were texting on the coldest day of the winter (air temps were -20F with windchill close to -40F). He asked if I biked to work, I told him I took the car 'cause I'm a fair-weather bike-commuter. We both LOL'd.

Actually, if Paul were living with some mental health challenge, known to this co-worker, he would have a case. But put (perhaps a bit too) simply, calling someone what s/he isn't won't get you into nearly as much trouble as calling someone what s/he is.

Back on topic - I just remembered my first week working where I do now. I applied for the job in great part to swap a 15-mile car commute for a 1.5-mile bike/bus/walk commute. This was right at the turn of the century, before the prevalence of studded tires, etc. Pretty typical winter. Still in my 30s, I just rode a "stock" Univega hybrid, no special gear. Felt good to leave the car in the driveway every day. Most days I happened to push the bike out about the same time my next-door neighbor was leaving for work. We'd exchange g'mornings, etc and be on our way. Took 'til Friday the first week, he finally stopped and asked "What's wrong with your car?"

It's only a toxic workplace where people can openly insult you and that's the norm.

Does not give them the right to insult other people.

I feel like you're accepting their claim that you're an idiot for biking...I don't want to do that.

You have the gauge the situation. If it's the first time someone says something I'll often just roll my eyes and ignore them. I don't go around work constantly thinking of saying these kind of things.

But you also gotta have some self respect. I guaged the situation - it was a few coworkers standing around, the other coworkers also looked a bit uncomfortable with what he was saying, etc.

Funny enough we went on to become good friends at work. I never heard him say anything as offensive as that again to anyone else after that - he wasn't a chronic insulter or anything, he just said one thing. Sometimes if you let people know they've crossed a line with you they just back off and realize they went to far. Sometimes you form a better relationship at work when they hit a boundary and you let them know.

I overdressed today and had to ride slowly to keep from getting too hot. That old Norwegian/Minnesota saying holds true most of the time for me. I think not only are some people intolerant of bad weather, combine it with non-athleticism, and they just can't see the appeal of doing something athletic when the weather is less than idea.

I've going running in -25*C in the past, so it's not a big stretch to cycle at -25. That is a bit crazy, if I were honest with myself. Just a bit. But it's all relative. I've stretch my comfort zone for running and riding down to -25*C. People have different comfort zones and if you do something outside their comfort zone then they see you as crazy. Hey, if you ride your bike colder than -25*C, I'd think you're crazy too.