chephy

It was a fine balancing act today. Even my bike commuter colleagues were impressed that I rode in instead of taking the subway (which was, as I was then told, delayed this morning due to weather... thanks for reminding me more reasons I prefer to ride!) We had some snow fall (finally!), and even though it was not much, it got packed and rutted badly enough in places to cause some crazy fishtailing and front wheel near-skids. More than once I thought "OK, I'm about to wipe out *now*", but only once did I actually end up having to put a foot down, so that was not too bad. The way back home was easy though, with most of the snow plowed and the rest melting away after salt's been dumped on it. They even plowed the bike lane.

rumrunn6

I got yelled at last night too - stupid kids in a pickup truck - almost gave me a heart attack

CCrew

Nice ride in with heavy snow flurries except for the flat tire...ran over glass that I thought was just ice in the lane. First day trying my new lobster claw gloves, worked much better than the gloves I was using!.

fletchh

Yep, flurries here too. It was a warmer morning than yesterday at 18 F ( -7 C). A couple weeks ago, while I was riding uphill a group of young fellows yelled
something at me also, but I couldn't understand it, so it didn't matter. Maybe they were trying to help my cadence.

Tude, good luck with that hand, a tendon cut is not a good thing.

speed demon

Wintertime ! Snow and ice , freezing cold and a dripping nose on arrival ( not to mention the tears in my eyes )
Time to wish you the best , all of you who ride a bike to work in the morning.I wish many safe rides home and strong legs to ride fast.May your lights burn brightly !
Time to curse the salt and the rust and corrosion , time to put on new gloves and jackets received at Christmas.
It seems there are not so much bicycles in the lockerroom at work now , must be the cold keeping them from it .

KLW2

-5 F. and no wind..pretty morning in the dark.. I saw a shooting star too!

rumrunn6

best way to ride in the teens is to think it's in the 20s

rode my regular commuter with 700c wheels and gave the Schwalbe Studded Marathon Winters @ 70 psi their maiden voyage. so much easier than the MTB with Continental Ice Spikers @ 30 psi

RidingIsGood

12 F (-11 C) and light blowing snow. I didn't think I was going to need studs once I left Massachusetts, but Kentucky might prove me wrong.


Keep the rubber side down.

tarwheel 

This morning's weather was a carbon copy of yesterday - cold and dry with low temp of 17 F. I again tied my previous coldest commute but can't seem to break that record. The water in my bottle was slushy when I got to work. Some yahoo did a rolling stop at 4-way-stop intersection and almost broadsided me. Fortunately he/she was going slow and hit the brakes at the last second. I don't know how he/she didn't see me with 2 headlights, neon yellow jacket and vest, and reflective sidewalls on my bike. Actually, that might have been what made them stop at the last second.

duckbill

The only good I can find in fighting a 21 kilometer per hour head wind on the way into work is having it at my back for the way home, that is if the wind direction stays the same. Minus 9 degrees celsius is a little warmer then yesurday so no need for toe warmers. It was a real joy cycling between Christmas and New Years because the traffic was so tame but somebody left the cage door open and now there are a lot of animals on the street.

HardyWeinberg

50F, heavy mist (HEAVY).

TheLifeOfBryan

Damn cold for this neck of the woods: 25.8*°F when I left the house. Fortunately I haven't had the vicious morning headwind I've dealt with most of the winter, only about 6mph today. I could have used a bit more wind protection on my arms, as two layers of SmartWool and a long-sleeved cotton t-shirt didn't quite cut it. But the main problem is my eyes... below 30°F they just tear up so much that my rear view mirror becomes useless. Really wish I had prescription goggles right about now.

I can say that this winter is SO MUCH easier to deal with than last... having the right gear makes such a huge difference.

mjw16

No ride today, probably no rides this week, I'm trying to get over a cold. I miss it already but am trying to stay positive, it's a much needed break for the old legs. I stayed home yesterday and put some time into the bike; new rr. brake cable hanger, new rr. brake cable and housing. Next is rr. tire replacement and continued troubleshooting of ghost pinging noise (I'm turning my attention to the rr. wheel next, will lube spoke intersections first, then check tensioning, etc). I've already turned my attention to my Summer rides in the hope that the planning and prep will get Winter out of the way more quickly. I'm thinking of the Hotter N' Hell 100. Anyone done that one? Any advice?

yarb

Great ride this morning with added hilliness. Loads of cyclists on the roads, cars mostly behaving themselves. Mild, light drizzle, don't even need to stuff my shoes with paper today!

caloso

None today. Really late night at the office last night, got up late, hitched a ride with the wife and kids.

EKW in DC

I'm enjoying the progression of the Potomac from liquid to solid. It seems more and more iced up each day. I'd enjoy it even more if my morning commute weren't into a stiff headwind, but the wind's been steady, so it's a tailwind going home.

Did I mention I love my rack trunk with fold down panniers?! Oh, I did? Yesterday, you say? Oh yeah. That's right. Well, I'll say it again. I LOVE not having to lug my backpack in to the office. Let the bike rack carry it. Big improvement.

Been seeing a lot of geese and ducks this week along the riverside portions of my route. Kinda fun to watch. My estimated sightings count from this AM's commute -

Geese - 50
Other bike commuters - 4 (assuming all the cyclists I saw were commuters)

pharasz

35F with a hard North Wind blowing. Until I began reading this thread on BF, I never would have attempted a commute in such frigid temperatures. But after reading what you guys up North ride through, I was shamed into riding today. Thank you all for that.

scoatw

I woke up today with 16f. I start my commute at 3:45am, today I left the house at 3:30am. We got another 1 ½ or 2" of snow over the night. On top of what we already have. The side roads are hardpacked snow. And with the new snow on top, at these temps it starts to get that mash potatoe consistency. The roads are rideable. But as I rode thru Sharon Woods on my usual route. The rear wheel would slip sometimes. Nothing bad. But it did slow me up. I got on 161 at Ambleside. I had had enough of that BS. Once on 161 the road was better. It had been plowed but was wet and the outer edges were slushy. The shoulder had all the stuff that had been plowed so what few cars that came up behind me I had to duck in that. But on the pavement I just got down on the aerobars and cruised to Linworth. The feet were fine. But once the temps drop that will be a problem. I’ve got everything else figured out. But the toes can be unbearably cold in stuff below 5f. So be careful. Any suggestions ?

wheel

My commute sucked ass...
Only about 4 miles to get some stuff but filled with harassment.
video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Smmu9...&feature=email

Just_Ryan

Detoured off my usual route due to construction, and got my first flat of 2010 on the detour Other than that, feels great to be back on the bike after a short holiday, sweating out the chocolate and gravy.

sewil

my feet are always cold. last week i ditched the clipless 'winter' cycling shoes and put these on my bike: https://powergrips.mrpbike.com/. i can now wear any of my winter boots and still have a remarkably secure clipped-in feeling. it was -18C (with windchill) today on an hour long commute. my toes were toasty!

rumrunn6

re: cold feet

I've recently become a fan of chemical toe and or hand warmers in my shoes between sock liner and wool sock. experimenting with reusing them by storing in an airtight plastic bag. so far I got 2 uses from one warmer, will try a 3rd use later this week

for pedals I use a plastic hack-sawed clip so I can use my regular shoes in thin rubber overboots

CCrew

Nice ride in.. needed it after a 20mph headwind last night the entire distance. For some reason it felt colder this am than yesterday, but I got to work breaking more of a sweat Looking at the temp, it was 23 versus yesterdays 19. Dunno, probably all in my mind

tarwheel 

I thought it felt warmer this morning. Checked the weather service web site when I got to work this morning, and it was 19 F, two degrees warmer than the past couple of days. Spring must be on the way. I had to leave for work 30 minutes early due to a morning meeting, so I rode in the dark the whole way. Not much traffic, which was nice. I'm starting out 2010 with a bang commuting-wise -- three days this week so far, 66 miles by the time I get home this afternoon.

fletchh

The ride in was fine at 19 f ( -7 C). Settling in for this stretch of cold. Yes, the wind yesterday afternoon surprised me, as i was not expecting it when i left.
Yesterday, i put a request in for the red light people to do something for an intersection, where i can't trip the red light. it's 4 lanes across, and the light will not trip unless a car is there. it is a college exit, so during the summer and winter holiday, there are few if any cars to trip the light for me.