Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Winter Cycling
Reload this Page >

Schoolchildren in Finland cycle to school

Notices
Winter Cycling Don't let snow and ice discourage you this winter. The key element to year-round cycling is proper attire! Check out this winter cycling forum to chat with other ice bike fanatics.

Schoolchildren in Finland cycle to school

Old 02-14-19, 07:50 AM
  #1  
noglider 
aka Tom Reingold
Thread Starter
 
noglider's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: New York, NY, and High Falls, NY, USA
Posts: 40,691

Bikes: 1962 Rudge Sports, 1971 Raleigh Super Course, 1971 Raleigh Pro Track, 1974 Raleigh International, 1975 Viscount Fixie, 1982 McLean, 1996 Lemond (Ti), 2002 Burley Zydeco tandem

Mentioned: 510 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 7287 Post(s)
Liked 2,362 Times in 1,381 Posts
Schoolchildren in Finland cycle to school



Kids In Finland Continue To Ride Bicycles To School In -17°C (1.4°F) Weather And It’s A Lesson In Commuting
__________________
Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
New York City and High Falls, NY
Blogs: The Experienced Cyclist; noglider's ride blog

“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author

Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
noglider is offline  
Likes For noglider:
Old 02-14-19, 10:39 AM
  #2  
Altair 4
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Along the Rivers of Pittsburgh
Posts: 1,255

Bikes: 2011 Novara Forza Hybrid, 2005 Trek 820, 1989 Cannondale SR500 Black Lightning, 1975 Mundo Cycles Caloi Racer

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 258 Post(s)
Liked 291 Times in 157 Posts
LOL! In our school district, you can't even let your kid WALK to school in WARM weather without signing a release from the district absolving them of any liability.
Altair 4 is offline  
Likes For Altair 4:
Old 02-14-19, 11:02 AM
  #3  
Darth Lefty 
Disco Infiltrator
 
Darth Lefty's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Folsom CA
Posts: 13,775

Bikes: Stormchaser, Paramount, Tilt, Samba tandem

Mentioned: 72 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3126 Post(s)
Liked 2,102 Times in 1,366 Posts
I like how the racks are basically unused. I'm sure if it snows it's a lot easier to recover your bike if it's not locked in the drift
__________________
Genesis 49:16-17
Darth Lefty is offline  
Old 02-14-19, 11:58 AM
  #4  
mcours2006
Senior Member
 
mcours2006's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Toronto, CANADA
Posts: 6,198

Bikes: ...a few.

Mentioned: 47 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2009 Post(s)
Liked 405 Times in 231 Posts
Likely the kids have a dedicated bike path that's either groomed or plowed in a timely manner, that's also segregated from vehicular traffic. And if the kids are dressed properly it's quite safe and doable for a reasonably short distance.

Such set of circumstances does not exist here, unfortunately.
mcours2006 is offline  
Old 02-14-19, 12:08 PM
  #5  
pdlamb
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: northern Deep South
Posts: 8,844

Bikes: Fuji Touring, Novara Randonee

Mentioned: 36 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2575 Post(s)
Liked 1,900 Times in 1,192 Posts
Originally Posted by Darth Lefty
I like how the racks are basically unused. I'm sure if it snows it's a lot easier to recover your bike if it's not locked in the drift
I noticed the same thing. Also, do you see how many bikes are parked (on the plowed sidewalk?) near the furthest edge of the racks? In the U.S.A. their parents would want the bike rack in the entryway at the far side of the picture.

(And FWIW, the shed I park my bike in at work is the closest place to park ANY vehicle -- it's inside the sidewalk between the building and the parking lot.)
pdlamb is offline  
Old 02-15-19, 12:44 PM
  #6  
fietsbob
Banned
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: NW,Oregon Coast
Posts: 43,598

Bikes: 8

Mentioned: 197 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 7607 Post(s)
Liked 1,354 Times in 861 Posts
I have some nice studded tires, made in Finland.. (older than schoolchildren) so domestic supplies are abundant..
fietsbob is offline  
Old 02-15-19, 04:14 PM
  #7  
randallr
Full Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Broomfield, Colorado
Posts: 491

Bikes: 2017 Gunnar CrossHairs Rohloff, 2022 Detroit Bikes Cortello

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 131 Post(s)
Liked 155 Times in 89 Posts
Love it!
randallr is offline  
Old 02-15-19, 04:41 PM
  #8  
wolfchild
Banned
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Mississauga/Toronto, Ontario canada
Posts: 8,721

Bikes: I have 3 singlespeed/fixed gear bikes

Mentioned: 30 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4227 Post(s)
Liked 2,488 Times in 1,286 Posts
Very nice...Some countries know how to get it right.
wolfchild is offline  
Old 02-15-19, 04:43 PM
  #9  
wolfchild
Banned
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Mississauga/Toronto, Ontario canada
Posts: 8,721

Bikes: I have 3 singlespeed/fixed gear bikes

Mentioned: 30 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4227 Post(s)
Liked 2,488 Times in 1,286 Posts
Originally Posted by mcours2006
Likely the kids have a dedicated bike path that's either groomed or plowed in a timely manner, that's also segregated from vehicular traffic. And if the kids are dressed properly it's quite safe and doable for a reasonably short distance.

Such set of circumstances does not exist here, unfortunately.
Even if we did have the infrastructure, majority of people would never allow their kids to do it. The mentality here in Canada/North America is different than in Europe.
wolfchild is offline  
Old 02-16-19, 05:11 AM
  #10  
avole
Banned.
 
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: France
Posts: 1,030

Bikes: Brompton, Time, Bianchi, Jan Janssen, Peugeot

Mentioned: 6 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 598 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 5 Times in 5 Posts
I think you'll find it depends very much on the town. I can honestly say I didn't see many cyclists at all in winter on the streets of Helsinki. The Finns are intelligent, they understand snow and the risks involved.
avole is offline  
Old 02-16-19, 07:16 AM
  #11  
Stadjer
Senior Member
 
Stadjer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: Groningen
Posts: 1,307

Bikes: Gazelle rod brakes, Batavus compact, Peugeot hybrid

Mentioned: 84 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5893 Post(s)
Liked 949 Times in 723 Posts
Originally Posted by wolfchild
Even if we did have the infrastructure, majority of people would never allow their kids to do it. The mentality here in Canada/North America is different than in Europe.
Probably true and I can't read the article, but at -17C distance makes a lot of difference too. I remember from high school that when it was about -10C in the morning, probably more windy than Finland, the kids who always biked from a village 20km away had a bus arranged. I lived much closer to school so I just had to put on mittens instead of gloves and ride to school, by the time I got really cold I was already there. Cycling for an hour in those temperetures is a different matter, and outside an urban environment it might be hard to get to a safely warm environment in case of an emergency.
Stadjer is offline  
Old 02-16-19, 07:30 AM
  #12  
GrainBrain
Senior Member
 
GrainBrain's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: Central Io-way
Posts: 2,655

Bikes: LeMond Zurich, Giant Talon 29er

Mentioned: 17 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1218 Post(s)
Liked 609 Times in 458 Posts
Awesome, but also very unique to their culture and climate. One of the comments mentioned that temps in winter don't get too warm so no ice worries. Lots of cool pictures. Kick sleds!

GrainBrain is offline  
Old 02-16-19, 07:36 AM
  #13  
avole
Banned.
 
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: France
Posts: 1,030

Bikes: Brompton, Time, Bianchi, Jan Janssen, Peugeot

Mentioned: 6 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 598 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 5 Times in 5 Posts
Did you know that, down to a certain temperature, it is the pressure of, say, a foot or bike tyre, that melts the ice briefly which is what makes it slippery? That's what makes rain on ice such a hazard in many countries. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I guessing that below -15°C air and ground temperature that doesn't happen.

Anecdotal, but I found walking muck easier when the temperature was lower, less of the unexpected sitting down.
avole is offline  
Old 02-16-19, 02:30 PM
  #14  
fietsbob
Banned
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: NW,Oregon Coast
Posts: 43,598

Bikes: 8

Mentioned: 197 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 7607 Post(s)
Liked 1,354 Times in 861 Posts
Assistant driver in Alberta in a heavy goods truck at minus 40, driving smooth & careful, no quick moves, but no chains or traction tires..

we had a lot more wheels on the road than 2//







...

Last edited by fietsbob; 02-16-19 at 02:51 PM.
fietsbob is offline  
Old 02-16-19, 04:23 PM
  #15  
wolfchild
Banned
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Mississauga/Toronto, Ontario canada
Posts: 8,721

Bikes: I have 3 singlespeed/fixed gear bikes

Mentioned: 30 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4227 Post(s)
Liked 2,488 Times in 1,286 Posts
Originally Posted by avole
Did you know that, down to a certain temperature, it is the pressure of, say, a foot or bike tyre, that melts the ice briefly which is what makes it slippery? That's what makes rain on ice such a hazard in many countries. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I guessing that below -15°C air and ground temperature that doesn't happen.

Anecdotal, but I found walking muck easier when the temperature was lower, less of the unexpected sitting down.
It makes no difference what the temperature is, ice is slippery at any temperature... A frozen lake at minus -20 Celsius will be just as slippery as black ice at minus -3 Celsius.
wolfchild is offline  
Old 02-17-19, 09:13 PM
  #16  
Gresp15C
Senior Member
 
Gresp15C's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 3,893
Mentioned: 20 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1062 Post(s)
Liked 665 Times in 421 Posts
Nice. My kids ride to school in any weather too, but they also have options for public bus or walking from where we live.

But when it got down to -28 F in Madison, they closed the schools.
Gresp15C is offline  
Old 01-16-20, 09:33 AM
  #17  
Notso_fastLane
Senior Member
 
Notso_fastLane's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Layton, UT
Posts: 1,606

Bikes: 2011 Bent TW Elegance 2014 Carbon Strada Velomobile

Mentioned: 6 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 626 Post(s)
Liked 701 Times in 418 Posts
One of the funniest 2 minute videos about biking in Finland in the winter:

To be fair, he rides his 2 wheel recumbent in pretty severe conditions:
Notso_fastLane is offline  
Likes For Notso_fastLane:
Old 01-25-20, 10:30 AM
  #18  
noglider 
aka Tom Reingold
Thread Starter
 
noglider's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: New York, NY, and High Falls, NY, USA
Posts: 40,691

Bikes: 1962 Rudge Sports, 1971 Raleigh Super Course, 1971 Raleigh Pro Track, 1974 Raleigh International, 1975 Viscount Fixie, 1982 McLean, 1996 Lemond (Ti), 2002 Burley Zydeco tandem

Mentioned: 510 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 7287 Post(s)
Liked 2,362 Times in 1,381 Posts
Fun videos!
__________________
Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
New York City and High Falls, NY
Blogs: The Experienced Cyclist; noglider's ride blog

“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author

Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
noglider is offline  
Likes For noglider:
Related Topics
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
Machka
Living Car Free
63
10-30-16 04:18 PM
wolfchild
Living Car Free
38
05-30-13 09:41 PM
NormDeplume
Advocacy & Safety
31
08-29-11 03:31 PM
Ngchen
Advocacy & Safety
41
03-18-10 10:36 AM

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.