RubeRad

When people are amazed that I bike in the rain, I tell them that I have the superpower of not being harmed at all by water. I even occasionally get completely naked and on purpose stand under a stream of water and get completely soaked. Once a month, whether I need it or not!

RubeRad

Kind of a threadjack, but my wife thinks she has that too, she gets really cold in her extremities all the time, and often her fingertips go gray. Is there anything to be done about it other than 'try to keep warm'?

tsl

PM sent.

Eds0123

You could also mention it to them that About 70 percent of human body is made of water anyways! .....�� Cheers

BobbyG

After being motivated my no motor?'s cold weather experience I dropped below my 23°F limit and rode in 19°F last Friday. And today after two snowy days on the treadmill (watching bike commute videos Sydney and Seattle) with the streets practically clear I decided to add one more layer, a 2nd pair of socks, my old heavy winter gloves and ride in 12°F. By the time I got my bike out of the shed it had climbed to 13°F and it was great! Thanks to Bike Forums over the years I learned to slightly under-dress to avoid sweating. Except my old gloves had shrunk or something and were too tight which restricted blood flow leading to cold fingers. So I stopped at Walgreens and found a big, loose pair of winter gloves that were too light, but then I tried them on with a cheap pair of knitted gloves underneath and BINGO! FIfteen bucks and biking bliss....No sweat. I arrived at the office warm, dry and grinning with the ambient temp at 19°F. Being Christmas Eve we knocked off at noon and the big surprise was the clear skies let the sun do its thing and I rode home with temps 48°F to 52°F at the end! Thank you again no motor? and Bike Forums!

TransitBiker

I have a tradition of biking around town here looking at all the decorations on xmas eve, but it seems rainy and warm, so.. postponed till next time.

In summer i don't really have to think about what i'm wearing, shorts and a tshirt..... when it gets colder you gotta figure out which combination will work best, and take any precip into account. I'm simply not into cool and wet, i want freezing cold..... way more fun.

- Andy

RubeRad

Nice; I live right near a group of streets that has the nickname "Candy Cane Lane", because the 50 or so houses all go completely overboard with Christmas decorations (also it's the best place in town for Halloween; those poor people go through 10+ Costco-sized bags of candy each!).

On Tuesday we had a great time, my wife's brother&wife were in town, so the five of us, the two of them, and the two in-laws, all went for a group ride through the light spectacle. It's nice because there are hundreds of other pedestrians there occupying the road, and the cars go super slow, partly for the pedestrians, and partly because they're there to see the lights too.

My stable was just large enough to accomodate 4 extra adults! It was an adventure because the four of them had not ridden any bikes in years, and I don't think had shifted a bike ever, and we had to go about half a mile up a steepish (3-5pct?) hill to get there. FIL fell twice (but was not injured), we all made it out alive, I was super pumped to get everybody out on bikes together, and that they had fun and didn't hate me for it.

irwin7638

I was wet when I joined the world, it worked out ok. Most people don't realize that just getting to work is the most fun we have during a day.

Marc

no motor?

I'm glad to have inspired so many to keep riding, this year has been easy for me to keep riding as the weather has cooled off and it sounds like it's been that way for others too. I got to work today and heard "I can really see you dressed up like that" as I walked in, and I also realized the only thing that makes people wonder more about people that ride in the cold is seeing the people that ride in the cold start peeling off layers out in the cold because they are too warm.

john4789

I expect your attendance at the winter bike to work day this year:
Winter Bike to Work Day returns Jan. 18 | Active Transportation Alliance

Last year (me and my friend in second photo):
Commuting to work on a bike takes a lot of scarves ? and a lot more creativity, cyclists say

no motor?

Maybe if they had one out here, but the loop is too far away from everything on my ride to work.

john4789

Boo! Ride to the loop, enjoy, then be off!

TinkerinWstuff

Biggest drag I've found in the winter commute is changing a flat at 20something F

GeneO 

prob about as fun as I have had changing one in 100F

Eds0123

+1

Eds0123

It may not always be fun and games at work; but bicycling to work is always fun and games and adventure and the highlight of my day.

PatrickGSR94

@Giant Doofus have you tried those pants yet? Are they Polar Shield, or Power Shield? I don't see pants called "Polar" on the Foxwear website.

I commute just outside Memphis in Desoto County and one of the main things that keeps me off the bike is cold rain, just above freezing. I really have no solutions for type of weather.

Giant Doofus

They are power shield (not polar). Sorry about that. The semester was ending just about the time they arrived, so I haven't needed to commute on a cool/cold or wet day yet. I'm weirdly eager for just such a day so that I can try them out! I'm sure January won't let me down. I will say that the pants are extremely well constructed. The quality of the stitching is excellent. The fabric on front (the power shield) certainly feels like it would block wind and shed rain, and the fleece on back is very comfy. Now I just need some miserable weather

noglider 

Rain just above freezing is one of the worst conditions. We get a lot of that, too. Ick.

Jim from Boston

So true, especially for my hands. Last week our family visited Toronto, and as I posted to a Ontarioan subscriber,

irwin7638

Cold is not bad, wet is not bad, but the two combined are deadly.

Marc

scoatw

I've ridden through many a ice storm. I've had little icecicles on my helmet bill. You get the right gear and you can check off one more challenge from Mother Nature. I use the O2 Rainsheild rain pants and they do a great job of keeping me dry in those conditions. In cold weather for the hands I just use my mittens. In a freezing rain, they're good for about 45 mins or so before they start getting wet inside. If your riding longer than that I suppose you could use a Glacier glove for a liner. I use a gaitor and a toe warmer to cover up as much of my hiking boot as I can. It all works well when riding in icy conditions. That and studded tires. Without those, then forget it.

Giant Doofus

@PatrickGSR94 - I tried out the pants for the first time today. It was only 36, and there was no rain and not much wind, so not exactly the conditions I bought them for, but I did like them a lot. The articulated knee is very nice. They are breathable on back and the wind blocking material on front really did seem to make a difference. They also have a reinforced butt, which is nice. So, first impression is good. They kept me toasty warm, but not overheated. I'll post again when I've had a chance to wear them in the windy/rainy conditions I bought them for.

noglider 

And then add darkness, and it's what you could call bad weather.

Giant Doofus

I had been kind of half looking forward to a little bit of wet/cold weather so I could give the pants a good test. Well, you can put this in the "be careful what you wish for" file. My ride home was six miles of light, steady rain. It was about 38-degrees, so not super cold, but it would have been pretty uncomfortable to ride in with wet pants. The Foxwear pants did great. Kept me warm and completely dry. In more than a drizzle, I've also started using Bogs rain shoes (like these: Bogs Seattle Solid Mid Chocolate - Zappos.com Free Shipping BOTH Ways). They work really well too.