mcours2006

I had a great ride last Sunday morning just before the crappy weather stuff hit. The past two days it's been snow, slush, more snow, cold, and worst of all, wind. The wind this morning was reported to be 40km/h with gusts of up to 70km/h. Many of the secondary and residential streets on which I normally take to work are still snow/ice covered. I've never hated the Canadian winter more than I do now. This sucks! I am ordering spiked tires, and thinking about some winter riding shoes as I write this.

I guess I am fortunate that I do have the option to drive, but I am not happy about it. I need a pep talk from my brethren to get me back on the path.

Gresp15C

Well, I'm shamed too. I just didn't get my gear together in time (shabby excuse).

There will be more cold days this winter to redeem myself, or if not, well, that's OK too.

bikemig 

Winter can be beautiful to ride in once you get the right mind set and the right gear (winter tires, lighting, clothes, etc.). The key is don't give yourself a choice and have some fun. My dogs have fun in the snow, :

jrickards

I am in somewhat of the same boat (iceboat?) as you, unprepared for the winter although it is my bike that is not prepared, not me. I was expecting November to be an extension of October but, it has turned into a full-blown winter month with snow, ice and cold. Cold I can deal with, I have the gear, but not the snow and ice. My winter bike was waiting for me to finish during the month of November so I got caught unprepared.

I look at winter riding as giving the finger to Jack Frost because every day you cycle on a winter day, you feel more invigorated than doing the same at any other time of year. Get your clothes and bike setup for winter and you'll love it. You may need to take different routes as I do (I'm not riding on the highway during the winter) but you'll enjoy it anyway.

tjspiel

I have a tendency to procrastinate and the early onset of winter caught me by surprise too. I was able to get the winter bike together in time for last Monday's storm but there were still things left undone and I had really wanted to ride it a couple of weeks sans studs because it is a nice bike to ride, but... oh well.

The other thing I didn't do is get the fixed gear cleaned up before I put it away for the winter so there is still work to be done.

icepick_trotsky 

Look, it's just what we all secretly want -- an excuse to spend more money on cycling stuff!

RidingMatthew

what i dont like about the cold is that my battery on my light seems to run down faster.

no motor?

You're preaching to the choir. I hope we don't have this same weather for the rest of the winter.

PatrickGSR94

Looks like it might be back to normal next week. We're having 30's for daytime highs this week, 60's this weekend, and in the 50's next week!

noglider 

Dynamo lights, baby! The only thing I regret about having them is that I waited so many years before trying them.

rumrunn6

there's no bad weather for biking, only bad clothes. it takes a season to gear up. work the problem and you'll be laughing at old man winter

mcours2006

I think the problem for me is that I wasn't expecting to stop so abruptly. It's like going cold turkey for me. I might try to ride to work tomorrow if the wind isn't too bad.

modernjess

You are not alone. The switch flipped and we went right to January. From the equipment to the clothing to the "thin blood, this lack of a transition is rattling.

Motivation is especially hard for me this year too. I need a car to break down or something so I don't have a choice.

RidingMatthew

i hear you on motivation I rode hard in october only driving 7 days but I would not wish broken car on anybody.

takenreasy

This is the answer. Plus get everything together the night before. It's all attitude and gear. Wake up with no decisions to make and you will succeed.

mcours2006

I'd agree with most of this. I wake up at 4:30 to run 11 miles and make it back home by 6:30 to get ready for work. However, the one thing that gives me the nerves is running into ice patches during this cold spell. I do not have spikes on my tires. I am on the cusp of ordering them from CRC, but now I'm not so sure I want them as 99% of the commute is going to be on wet snow/rain/dry conditions. Yeah, I know, it's that 1% that I need to insure against.

Motolegs

It's really easy. Cup or two of coffee in the morning, warm furnace. Dress for the occasian. Newspaper. Television to watch car commuters and watch what you are missing out on. Take Mother Nature for a dance.

Motolegs

"Spikes" on bike tires are really not a big deal. You can measure them with a micrometer if you want.

The tires themselves are a fair bit cheaper than golf or basketball shoes, and FAR more practical.

mcours2006

UPDATE:
So I did ride to work today. My OCD self had me do the same route I did with we had fair weather which added to the total time on the road. Temperature was -10 this morning, -18 with the wind.

Ride was fine, but toes were cold, and excruciatingly painful when thawing out in the shower. Three minutes of agony. Other body part that needs attention is the uncovered portion of my face.

The pavement was dry, save for a couple of small ice patches which I saw from far away, so managed to avoid them.

Pace was much slower--a good 15 minutes for a ride that normally takes between 80-85 minutes.

I am encouraged by this commute. Again, I am pushing my own limits here. Everyone thinks I'm nuts, including my wife, who suggested that this should be my last ride until spring. I doubt it will be.

Getting ready to head home. The snow is coming down, pretty heavily too. Again, this will be a first.

rumrunn6

sounds awesome, check in when you get home. you obviously need to cover your face and use chemical toe warmers

Todzilla

It will be hard for this North Carolinian to elicit sympathy from y'all (Southern second person plural), but I'm going to try to commute tomorrow. Morning temps upper 20s F. In the winter I want to commute at least once a week. Starting March, every day.

Daniel4

I'm in your boat. I live in Toronto too but only need to commute 4km.
I guess I've prepared more than you did. I have the Garneau H20 Extreme rain booties, a pair of old running shoes and wearing thick wool socks. Tires with heavier treads but no studs. 27in tires have been obsolete for 25years.

I haven't stopped biking to work since Bike-to-work day in May except for the few times I had to do errands or visit the dentist.

Was offered a ride home today but thanked them. I won't know how bad the condition will be if I don't try it before knowing my limit. Even re-considering riding my son's mountain bike if the accumulation by tomorrow is too high.

CrankyOne

I'm a winter wimp. I'll ride a mile each way in just about any weather and 2 or 3 each way in most weather (down to maybe 0f depending on wind) which covers many trips (cappuccino, dinner, hardware store). Otherwise, like if it's -5f and I need to go somewhere 5 miles away, I'm in my my car.

mcours2006

Four km isn't too bad. I'd get rid of one of my cars if my commute was only four km. As for the accumulation, the forecast is 5-10cm.

mcours2006

Was thinking of going to Walmart to pick up some Hot Hands. A co-worker told me about them.

First half of ride home was okay. Road was mostly clear as the snow fall wasn't sticking around. The last half hour the road was all covered with a thin layer as the snowfall had become much heavier. My glasses were getting fogged up and snow-covered. I had to ditch them, but then it was a problem of snow flying into my face and my eyes. It was tough. What's the solution to this problem?

The tires worked okay on this kind of snow. I was cautious, taking the corners at a very low speed.

I have to say that this was quite an experience for me. I feel like I've pushed the envelop enough to continue to ride. Today's conditions were pretty extreme, by any standards, IMO.