"There's no such thing as bad weather"
 

Sunday's NYTimes had an article on cycling in Copenhagen and it quoted a Danish cyclist; "There's no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing."

or bad bike choice.

We got 15 cm of snow yesterday that caught everyone off guard, especially drivers. Many people were scrambling to get their snow tires on and were unsuccessful. I saw lots of drivers on the commute home spinning their wheels and struggling to get up the slightest of grades, gridlock at every intersection, cars strewn in all manner of orientation and directions, especially around the highway overpass. So, there's bad weather all right. I had the right bike, and I rode right past all of them, smiling as I went.

In weather like this the roads don't get plowed on time, especially the side roads that I take. I spent most of my time on the sidewalk today where it was mostly plowed. Riding on compacted snow on the road is a dicey business, even with studded tires. Add to that drivers driving like it's still July, and you've got a good recipe for disaster.

Good on the Danes for having the infrastructure that accommodates and encourages people to ride their bikes in any weather. That kind of cycling-centric thinking is never, ever going to happen here.:(

I try to live by that saying, but the very coldest days are tough for me. That's mostly due to acclimatization. I don't get enough time to get used to the coldest days before they're done. And if I add far more clothing than I usually use, it often ends up being too much, and I get super irritable when I overheat.

My lobster claw gloves are great, best gloves so far.

I have a skiing helmet which is so warm that I barely ever wear it.

I still haven't solved the problem for my feet, but I suppose I should at least wear my warmest pants. That might help my feet.

I think that's a generally Scandinavian saying. I've heard it from Norwegians.

I take it the Scandinavians brought the saying to Minnesota, as I think I heard it on Prairie Home Companion.

@noglider, In terms of the coldest days being tough for you, can you elaborate?

I'm interested because I'm considering taking your advice this winter and "starting cold." The cold days might be tough for me, too, at least at first

I mean there are five or ten days per year that are colder than all the rest. It's hard to get comfortable then.

Another possible approach is to dress in such a way that you'll be comfortable after five or ten minutes of riding. This will make you cold when you start out. Before you start, do some jumping jacks inside to make some heat. Then the excess heat will keep you warm when you start riding, and the riding will keep that level of heat.

As I've written in other threads, on the coldest days, like -20*C and below, the biggest challenge is keeping the fingers and toes from going numb. I use the chemical heat packs on both and they help immensely. Mittens work much better than gloves. The fingers keep each other warm, and if you have a warming pack in there, it is quite bearable. I haven't found a solution for my poor thumb yet. The heat pack on top of the toes works well, but the shoes need to have enough room in the toe area to accommodate this.

The rest of the body is pretty straight forward. Wick. Layer. Block. Just add more layers.

I am glad I took my bike instead of driving. I rode my fixed gear bike with skinny aggressive cx tires, and had no problem getting through all that snow and slush. It was a fun commute for sure.

Dunno about that "no bad weather" thing, at least in Calgary... it's currently puking down snow that is melting and then refreezing into a spectacularly disgusting and difficult to navigate mess.

I'm taking the train home...

From the land of the Vikings.

As with everything else, it's all relative. I live in almost-seasonless SoCal, where right outside my window the rain is coming down at ~45º angle, pushed by winds from the SSE. That's bad weather. I could dress appropriately, and any ride would still suck eggs.

The upside is that we will be back to normal by tomorrow afternoon, and I will return to my regularly scheduled programming.

For a 1-3 mile commute, the Dane might be right.

For even a 7 mile commute, much less longer rides, there's such a thing as bad weather. Could be 55 mph headwind, or a thunderstorm overhead with no shelter in sight, or driving heavy rain right around freezing -- yeah, that's bad weather to be riding in. Good time to snuggle up by the fire (at least until the lights go out and your freezer starts thawing).

You guys are taking this way too literally. I don't think the Danes even believe this.

There are conditions when you can't ride, like a foot of snow on the road before the plows come though. It's literally unrideable. Like I said earlier, maybe bad bike too.

And yeah, a 12-mile ride in wintry conditions is no joke. I had to battle the elements three out of the five days last week.

Jim, I have been riding year round in Calgary for twelve years. I haven't owned a car since 2005.

Regurgitation of posts is unnecessary.

there is such a thing as bad weather

the weather yesterday was pretty bad. a good day to just skip. can't believe the football pros in NE had to play thru that disaster

what's the proper clothing for a tornado?

6" of reinforced concrete reportedly survives pretty well.

But don't wear that in heavy rain. You remember all the old gangster movies with references to just cement overshoes, don't you?

An underground bunker.

I disagree.

Circle takes the Square.

Paul Lynde, please.

That saying is pure hogwash. Appropriate clothing does make the weather bearable, but in no way does it make the weather itself better. In fact, the need for some other than regular clothing alone is an indication of bad weather.

Snow storm Sunday possibly plowable- the first for our area. Gotta work all day but someone is gonna be out riding in it I’m sure, hmmm ... maybe I can go for a ride after work!

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...26ae5091a5.jpg

That may be, but I've decided to draw the line at >45 and rain. I was caught in rain enough this year that I decided to add renders, but I do not have the right clothing for very cold and wet.