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You're crazy for riding in these temperatures!

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Old 12-10-18, 05:23 PM
  #26  
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Walking 16 miles is fn dumb 8 miles would take me like 4 hours , some one get that guy a bike .
8 miles is less that 35 minutes tops on a bike jeeeeez.
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Old 12-10-18, 09:20 PM
  #27  
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Originally Posted by Teamprovicycle
Walking 16 miles is fn dumb 8 miles would take me like 4 hours , some one get that guy a bike .
8 miles is less that 35 minutes tops on a bike jeeeeez.
Who said anything about walking? Speed walking 8 miles might be about 100 minutes.
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Old 12-11-18, 09:18 AM
  #28  
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Originally Posted by PaulRivers
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 ...
yeah super tempted to do the same, but I refuse to be brought down to their level
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Old 12-11-18, 10:14 AM
  #29  
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Originally Posted by Teamprovicycle
Walking 16 miles is fn dumb 8 miles would take me like 4 hours , some one get that guy a bike .
8 miles is less that 35 minutes tops on a bike jeeeeez.
He had a bike but got hit by a car so now he walks.

His employer sponsored health plan gives him points for staying active - walking, cycling, running, etc. The points are redeemed for gift cards. How dumb is that?

Jeeze is an evasive synonym for Jesus. It is good to call on His name.


-Tim-
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Old 12-11-18, 10:29 AM
  #30  
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I think everyone has already decided that I'm just plain crazy, so they don't comment on it much anymore.

Yesterday I was out. Maybe 50-ish. Running a bit behind, or so I thought. So, I just packed all my rain gear, knowing that I would be hot and sweaty if I wore it. Just a fleece. I often wear a jacket as a wind breaker. Did my ride.

As I arrived at my destination, family and friends were all bundled up... COLD OUTSIDE!!!
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Old 12-11-18, 10:59 AM
  #31  
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My boss asked if I'd biked in to work today (low to mid 20s), then jokingly told me he was going to put me in for a psych evaluation. I asked him where I worked, and watched the light dawn...
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Old 12-11-18, 11:18 AM
  #32  
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This thread is funny.
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Old 12-11-18, 03:05 PM
  #33  
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Originally Posted by PaulRivers
It's only a toxic workplace where people can openly insult you and that's the norm.
Exactly. And using a phrase like "fat people" to someone who is overweight is an insult. It goes beyond "making fun" of something someone chooses to do.

Does not give them the right to insult other people.
Nor does it give someone the right to derogatorily use the word "fat" to an overweight person.

I feel like you're accepting their claim that you're an idiot for biking...I don't want to do that.
The post in play said "making fun", and the thread title references "crazy". There's no evidence of anyone being called an "idiot". And no evidence of accepting such a thing.

Even more to the point:
Originally Posted by rumrunn6
but I refuse to be brought down to their level
Bingo.
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Old 12-11-18, 04:12 PM
  #34  
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Originally Posted by madpogue
Exactly. And using a phrase like "fat people" to someone who is overweight is an insult. It goes beyond "making fun" of something someone chooses to do. Nor does it give someone the right to derogatorily use the word "fat" to an overweight person.
^ Like I said, this is what I mean by a toxic environment. One where you divide people into groups - where the 1st group can freely insult and attack people in the 2nd group, and the 2nd group is just supposed to take it and not defend themselves. Toxic.

Originally Posted by madpogue
The post in play said "making fun", and the thread title references "crazy". There's no evidence of anyone being called an "idiot". And no evidence of accepting such a thing.
The language is ambiguous. It could mean friendly comments, neutral comments, inquisitive comments, or hostile comments. You have to make a judgement call yourself on which is it given what you know at the time. I lean towards friendly by default but occassionally it's not.
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Old 12-11-18, 04:27 PM
  #35  
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My theory is that a fraction of the population in a given area people can't stand the coldest temperatures that are common. But the range of temperatures they can't stand depends on where they are. So around here, when it gets below 30 or 40F and people see me cycling in it, they say I'm crazy. I'll bet that Minnesotans will say the same thing when they see a cyclist riding at 10F. And in Georgia, they probably say the cyclist is crazy at 55F.

This is why we get the "you're crazy" talk in all places.

What do you folks think of my theory?
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Old 12-11-18, 05:22 PM
  #36  
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Originally Posted by PaulRivers
^ Like I said, this is what I mean by a toxic environment. One where you divide people into groups - where the 1st group can freely insult and attack people in the 2nd group, and the 2nd group is just supposed to take it and not defend themselves. Toxic..
A toxic environment is one in which people "defend themselves" by hurling insults back. In a healthy environment, you call the other person out for her/his conduct, showing the respect that you would expect to be shown in return. As mentioned above, do you really want to be brought down to the other party's level?

Originally Posted by noglider
What do you folks think of my theory?
Definitely gonna vary by region. And by overall participation level. Winter cycling has caught on like wildfire here, the last five years, and the temperature/acceptance threshold has most noticeably changed accordingly. There may even be a bit of one-upsmanship at play, as to how brutal conditions have to get before some folks will opt not to ride.
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Old 12-11-18, 08:09 PM
  #37  
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Originally Posted by noglider
My theory is that a fraction of the population in a given area people can't stand the coldest temperatures that are common. But the range of temperatures they can't stand depends on where they are. So around here, when it gets below 30 or 40F and people see me cycling in it, they say I'm crazy. I'll bet that Minnesotans will say the same thing when they see a cyclist riding at 10F. And in Georgia, they probably say the cyclist is crazy at 55F.

This is why we get the "you're crazy" talk in all places.

What do you folks think of my theory?
I agree, it's all relative.
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Old 12-11-18, 08:59 PM
  #38  
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Originally Posted by noglider
My theory is that a fraction of the population in a given area people can't stand the coldest temperatures that are common. But the range of temperatures they can't stand depends on where they are. So around here, when it gets below 30 or 40F and people see me cycling in it, they say I'm crazy. I'll bet that Minnesotans will say the same thing when they see a cyclist riding at 10F. And in Georgia, they probably say the cyclist is crazy at 55F.

This is why we get the "you're crazy" talk in all places.

What do you folks think of my theory?
In South Florida when it gets into the 40s people say its freezing and you're considered insane if you go out and do anything athletic. Only goofy tourists go out in that type of weather -- how the locals can always tell the foreigners.
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Old 12-12-18, 08:51 AM
  #39  
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Originally Posted by KraneXL
In South Florida when it gets into the 40s people say its freezing and you're considered insane if you go out and do anything athletic. Only goofy tourists go out in that type of weather -- how the locals can always tell the foreigners.
You mean I look like a Minnesota when I'm wearing shorts and flip-flops when it's 55F in Florida? LOL! (been there and done that)

BTW we do the same up here, we know the out-of-towners because they're the ones wearing parkas, ushanka, and mukluks when it's 55F
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Old 12-12-18, 10:51 AM
  #40  
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it helps to carry a hot beverage. daughter got me a Corkcicle Canteen a cpl years ago & this time of year, it goes into service. the size I have fits nicely in a standard water bottle cage. I think it's the 16 oz size. used it last night & it was so nice to have

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Old 12-13-18, 12:51 AM
  #41  
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if you get hit by a car on your bike you pick yourself up , and keep going , what happens when he get hits by a car walking , does he then crawl to work or roll on his belly , come on .!?
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Old 12-13-18, 04:15 AM
  #42  
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Just to help lower the bar and make some of ya'll relatively saner, I'll raise my hand as someone who has in the past enjoyed life in the "Paradise Below Zero".

Used to be snow camping when its cold enough that thermoregulation is a judgement call from point a to b, akin to how long can you stay under freediveing.

Haveing shifted camp just south of the MD line, I'm hopeing that having a winter bike set up, will get me out more. I'm still going to have my XC ski's waxed up and ready for the fleeting late night conditions out on the cornfields.
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Old 12-13-18, 09:41 AM
  #43  
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Originally Posted by pdlamb
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.
I have never heard the windy one, but I once had a firefighter point out that it was raining. My reply was "it's only water, are firefighters afraid of water?"
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Old 12-13-18, 10:12 AM
  #44  
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the 1 winter I bike commuted thru, I was pretty happy when a cpl colleagues didn't drive to work due to the snow, but I showed up on the bike before anyone else arrived. if you leave early enough you don't have to worry about cars. going home is another story, but that employer let me leave at 4pm so it was a bit better before the rush
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Old 12-13-18, 12:41 PM
  #45  
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I hammer-commuted 9 miles (30 minutes) one-way in the burbs south of Boston when it got down to 5F. Insane even by my standards. Breathing air that cold while hammering can be painful (and damaging) to the lungs if you mouth breathe too deeply. On another ride this past year, we had a group of maybe 15-20 do a New Years Day Century in the Boulder, CO area. Starting conditions were cloudy and 17F and never went above 25F. In those first 10 miles before warming up, many could be heard saying to themselves "Why?!"
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Old 12-16-18, 08:39 PM
  #46  
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I’ve been an on and off cyclist (85% on) as my main form of transportation and leisure form too, just driving to and from work the last two years out of ten. Needless to say I’ve ridden in all season, 10-20 miles (sometimes up to 50) 5 out of 7 days a week for all those years otherwise, and that’s day trips and days off for fun included. Ridden a couple years of geared, mountain bike, but mostly road touring single speed and track/fixed with tire sizes between 700/25 and 700/32 never bigger or slimmer. I can get through snow fine, up to about 3 inches max cause my feet will spin on the pedals in the accumulation and slow me down. I’ve isnt too much of a problem, just have to be carefully and keep it under 10/15 mph or walk over it. Wind chills can get to -20°F but wear the right layers and a midnight ride home from work is just a lot of fun actually. I’ve taken this half year so far from biking to work and have driven. I still get in about 20-50 miles a week with my days off and small day/night cruises to get food and stuff. The snow has almost melted for now here, I expect Jan and Feb will be real frigid negatives and more frequent ice patches. No problemo (-‘;
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Old 12-17-18, 09:09 AM
  #47  
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I like when co-workers ask if I get cold on sub-zero commutes, I tell them I work up a sweat (that never really registers with them). Then I ask them how long it takes to warm up the heater in their car when it's below 0F, normally 30-45 minutes. On days I drive in the super cold, I'm shiver the whole drive. I'd rather be hot riding my bike


-4F 11-mile commute
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Old 12-18-18, 08:06 AM
  #48  
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Only time anyone has ever yelled "You're crazy!" at me for cycling in winter was ~25 years ago when I decided to ride my mountain bike six blocks to my friend's house in the middle of a raging blizzard. There was already >12" of snow on the ground, it was still falling at a rate of nearly 2"/hour, the plows had not yet gotten to our neighborhood, and it was nighttime. I'd like to say it was fun, but it actually was a bit more challenging than I had anticipated and so between the crappy visibility and the difficult handling slogging through deep fresh snow, I was already thinking perhaps this was a bad idea long before I got halfway there.

But within those six short blocks three separate car drivers pulled up next to me, rolled down their windows, and yelled "You're crazy!"
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Old 12-18-18, 11:54 AM
  #49  
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Originally Posted by Hypno Toad
I like when co-workers ask if I get cold on sub-zero commutes, I tell them I work up a sweat (that never really registers with them). Then I ask them how long it takes to warm up the heater in their car when it's below 0F, normally 30-45 minutes. On days I drive in the super cold, I'm shiver the whole drive. I'd rather be hot riding my bike


-4F 11-mile commute
Is that your post ride look? I suppose you Minnesotans have to be pretty cold adapted to be able to smile after that. The coldest I've ever experienced in life was 0 degrees visiting a friend in Arkansas during the holidays, and I cannot express how miserable I was. Not snow, just ice for the entire week.

I'm an all-weather cycling supporter, but at this point even I would be tempted to joint the "crazy cyclist" vote. The again, I'd think that for anybody standing out in that cold.
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Old 12-18-18, 12:09 PM
  #50  
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Originally Posted by KraneXL
Is that your post ride look? I suppose you Minnesotans have to be pretty cold adapted to be able to smile after that. The coldest I've ever experienced in life was 0 degrees visiting a friend in Arkansas during the holidays, and I cannot express how miserable I was. Not snow, just ice for the entire week.

I'm an all-weather cycling supporter, but at this point even I would be tempted to joint the "crazy cyclist" vote. The again, I'd think that for anybody standing out in that cold.
Yes, that's post-ride. My circle of bike-commuting-buddies likes to share frost-face pics on the coldest days. We have a great community of winter riders, and great relaters and manufactures here that sell/make the stuff you need to enjoy the sub-zero rides.

I'm gearing up for a run a straight-up crazy ride - Arrowhead 135 - here's my buddy's blog post the 2018 AH135. #goals

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