tsl

All I have to do is remember what it was like in my head before I started riding. That gets me out PDQ.

hshearer

I'm thinking about this, and realizing that I've built a little world in my head that says "I'm awesome when I'm on my bike, and everyone wishes they were me". I know it's not really true, but it comes through in a lot of the ways that biking through winter makes me happy (see below). I have a car, but I'm never even tempted. Truly a sign of a disturbed mind.


Morale boosters:
-knowing you're amazing for cycling, and that everyone in their car is jealous of you and how much fun you're having. I can tell. They're totally jealous.

-being all frost-caked on the outside, but warmer on the inside than everyone else out there, who are freezing at the bus stop or sitting in their car before it warms up. That's a cool secret.

-I decorated my bike and helmet with DOT-approved reflective tape (cranks, hubs, forks, fenders, etc). I've never seen it in action, but I like to think it's pretty noticeable, showing everyone that riding a bike in winter is possible.

-dress right and you won't be cold, so that doesn't really matter to me. Buying new gear to wear is part of the fun. I bought pogies. They're awesome, and I like to think everyone notices them (although probably almost nobody does, in reality).

-being slower isn't much fun sometimes, but I try to think of it as resistance training, and more time on the bike. I'll fly again when spring gets here.

-With studded tires, I have amazing control. I also notice all the slip and skid marks from cars. Suckers.

-Seeing other winter cyclists makes me happy. I'm probably making them happy, too.

-I'm not going to let the car drivers have the roads all to themselves for six months... they might start thinking they own them, or something

-I can go anywhere... ANYWHERE! on this bike. On the road, through the woods, wherever I like. I can get off and walk and just take it with me. It never gets stuck. If it breaks, I know I can fix it. It always starts. That also makes me a little happy (in an evil sort of way) when I see all the tow trucks out giving boosts on cold mornings. And I just know the car owner is thinking, when he sees me, "damn, if I had a bike, I could BE there by now"

-I have superpowers. I can run up stairs without being out of breath, and I'm apparently some sort of genius for realizing that this bicycle I own can reduce traffic congestion, road maintenance, reliance on fossil fuels (and all the pollution, oil cartels, etc., that come with that), noise, and traffic deaths, while simultaneously improving community spirit and my mood. That's way cooler than the Batmobile.

rumrunn6

get some new gear or clothes - it will make the experience feel fresh

TRaffic Jammer

In the winter, regardless of if I'm on a 9-5 or 1:30-9 shift I ride home in the dark everyday. It's dark when I wake up ... everyday. Being Canadian we are indoctrinated very young in the finer art of living in the snow. Well, at least we were.... Tobogganing, skating, skiing , snowshoeing, etc etc... it's not hard to have fun in the winter. As a kid in Northern Alberta is was generally -40 for three months, and we still went and had fun in the snow, had to or go nuts inside. Yes we all get less sunlight (vitamin D) and S.A.D seems to be an actual affliction. Knowing that the exercise will indeed help you out of your funk is a bonus. The realization that we live in Northern climates and the only other option is to move helps... that's the suck-it-up-buttercup effect. For more scientific help, full spectrum light bulbs, to mimic sunlight can work wonders, or tanning salons... if you SUFFER due to the long darkness, ask your doctor about light therapy, it's a full spectrum blast of light. OR goto to Arctic one year, during the transition from light/dark to get a perspective that will never leave you, a sun that never sets, and then dark that never ceases. I remember that and my near-the-border existence isn't quite so bad anymore.

Get out and enjoy the winter, don't hide from it. Take a northen vacation and see the Northern Lights in all their splendor, vast tracts of unbroken snow and ice, it's quite incredible.

hshearer makes some great cycling specific points too.

atcfoody

I remind myself that riding my bike is better for me than Prozac. Seriously, the ride in gets me awake and ready for the day, and the ride home helps me to unwind from the days hassles, and it is great for thinking through problems. As for it being dark and cold, like others have said, proper clothing and lights is everything. You don't get used to the cold in one day, but if you keep riding as the temperature drops, it doesn't bother you nearly as much as it would if you drove all fall, and then started riding in January.

TRaffic Jammer

+10 to being better than antidepressants. A good ride has an immediate effect on my moods. As a former adrenaline junkie, I need my brain soup stirring regularly. I've been riding everyday for so long now, it simply isn't a question of 'do I ride today?', but one of 'what should I wear to be most comfortable?' Even within my far too short commute, I do dice it up with urban core traffic which gets the former messenger yaya's going, and I get the heart rate up nice and high even for just a few minutes each way. Works wonders. Intensity makes the difference.

TheLifeOfBryan

There are two things that have made a huge difference for me this winter as opposed to last: good wool and grow lights.

I have two SmartWool base layers and a pair of thick, cozy DeFeet socks. And next to my desk is a lamp with two floodlight-style grow lights from Home Depot. Last winter I was ready to slit my wrists just to see some color. This year I am feeling all sorts of cocky because I have triumphed over the seasons.

mercator

I think about food.
When I get home I eat.
Works for me.

capolover

I go to the gym a lot and work my legs. So when the sun is back I'll be ready.

Sixty Fiver

Riding is what keeps me sane through the winter.

Foofy

What do you mean?

DX-MAN

I don't really have to do anything special, or tell myself anything to get motivated to ride. I truly believe that a day without pedaling is like a day without love.

The days I don't ride, I feel like I leave half of myself at home.

BigDaddyPete

Today was 18 degrees when I left my house to ride to work. But it was sunny and beautiful. So I took the long way in, riding along the shore and adding 4 extra miles. In the winter I slack a bit, I ride 20 in usually and then another 15-20 throughout the day, but I take the train home and ride from there. When it gets both lighter and warmer, I'll go back to riding both ways again. My secret is enjoy the days that are nice, even when they're cold. Get out and feel the sun on you. And on crappy days, I take the train both ways and only end up getting about 20 miles of riding in instead of 40.

Minerva

Thank you all so much for your sage advice; reading about what inspires you has definitely inspired me, and you've given me some gream ideas. I will make it a point to get some sun, even if it means going out for a quick ride at lunch time. I am definitely getting some new gear for Christmas, and getting my body into bikini shape is always great motivation through the winter. You have renewed me and I thank you! Good luck to all of us, and just think of the bragging rights in the spring as we drop all the people who slumbered through the cold months!

xiyangshen

You go, Minerva

EKW in DC

And here I thought you had a totally different use for the grow lights that also is known to have a positive influence on one's mood. Turns out you're just using them for the spectrum of light...

Artkansas 

A good litmus test is your reaction when you are driving and see cyclists out on the road. For me. that always translates to a feeling that I am in the wrong place with the wrong machine.

tjspiel

Or if you're more of an artsy type, you can always fall back on making lewd snow sculptures in random places.

joejack951

~20F this morning. I'm pedaling up a steep hill in a really low gear because I can't muster any more energy (long week, not enough sleep). I finally reach the top and wave the guy behind me around. As he goes by he rolls down the window and says, "Inspiring." I thought that was cool. I also took a half day today and got to ride home in the daylight. It was only 30F by then but the sun felt so warm and cozy. I highly recommend a day time ride if all you've been doing is riding in the dark lately.

TwoShort

Someone mentioned yellow lenses, which are weirdly effective psychologically.

Beyond that, when it's really cold snowy and dark, I put on the studded tires, the ski goggles, and enough layers I feel positively armored. Then I imagine I'm a lone warrior setting off on a desperate quest to defeat the evil overlord in a post-apocalyptic nuclear winter. I can't decide I don't want to ride today! The fate of civilization depends on it! ... or maybe that's just me

But besides an, um, "rich inner life"; you've already taken my only piece of actual practical advice for guaranteeing you ride: Don't have a car.

banerjek

Your workmates and friends are probably already bragging on your behalf. And when spring comes and everyone is whining about it being cold and wet, you'll be thinking about how easy things are and what a great time you're having.

Since you're new to winter commuting, the important thing to keep in mind is that the more you do it, the better you get. And the better you get, the more fun it is which makes you want to do it more. It gets way easier. Soon you'll be addicted to conditions that you hate.

There are aspects of winter riding that suck -- changing tires in the dark when your hands are so cold you can't feel them is not fun. But I like the darkness -- makes me feel like the entire road is mine. I love riding in temps below freezing -- makes me feel alive. I like cold wind and rain -- makes me feel like I can take a little physical challenge. And I like it when the warmth and the light returns because it makes life seem positively miraculous.

dwilbur3

Winter is easy here. I'll try to remember to come back to this thread in August. Summer is a challenge in the desert. My wife begged me not to ride, some days I gave up and just rode the bus.

idcruiserman

It can be tough. I don't mind the cold, but I hate riding through snow. Ice is OK since I have studs, but they are so freaking slow. Also got hit tonight by a guy on a bike. 3rd time I've been hit, but first by another bike. Broke my L&M headlamp and messed up my glasses and neck.

dannwilliams

x-country ski, snow shoe, winter hiking, and studded tires to keep riding!