rumrunn6

pretty day outside today but I know November is coming. it can be so dreary & the cycling layers become more critical
I remember snow in March doesn't stick around long
January & February can be super cold
December can be just fine, until the end of the month

between now & May? how do you rate the colder months for cycling?

Chuck Naill

I also hike and do water sports in cold months. For me, having the equipment necessary to keep me safe is the essential ingredient, plus knowing when not to go.

phedge

I live in the land of "lake effect snow", so

November- fear
December- there's a holiday in here somewhere so less miserable than...
January- oppressive
February- downright depressive
March- hope hope hope
April- daylight

_ForceD_

Here in coastal southeastern New England, December thru February are not as pleasant as the rest of the year. Of course, around here the short-sleeve cycling doesn’t kick in until late May/early June. However, as a road cyclist, I find it very cool to be riding when the snow starts falling…before the roads get covered and too slick for riding. Nevertheless, I ride year-round, and have always had a mantra “I ride on the sucky days so that the other days seem a whole lot better.”

Dan

Chuck Naill

It is true that Dec-Feb is hunker down season.

Bob Ross

I'm not sure I fully understand the question; I'm not in the habit of "rating" months based on the cycling. Come to think of it, I'm not in the habit of "rating" anything other than a vendor's customer service via an online survey, or, occasionally, a movie I've just watched in the Rate The Last Movie You Watched thread.

I will say that when I'm in New York, the cycling can be a bit offputting in January and February due to snow/ice that doesn't melt but just turns to filthy crusty schmutz.
When I'm in Arizona the cycling is pretty darn lovely throughout the entire winter.

base2 

You just do.

A good pair of bar-mitts; A good pair of fenders. The right merino wool, possum fur accessories paired with quick drying/easy breathing synthetic long sleeves, long pants, & of course gators under the rain gear...It's really not bad. It just is.

This year I've got my eye on maybe trying one of these.








...and of course for fitness work beyond there is always the Zwift.

MNBikeCommuter

Each month can be good and it can suck--year dependent. November has a lot of good cycling in MN but my attitude needs to adjust to cooler temps and darkness/dreariness. Nov can also be a b... Dec-Feb, I think the biggest factor for me is not how much snow we get, but how it comes. Around here, anything less than 3" or so, they seem to just salt/plow the traffic lanes and traffic throws that mess onto the shoulders where it...freezes. Throw a few little snow squalls in over a couple of weeks and roads can get pretty bad. Throw in a 6" snow fall, and they plow curb to curb and life is good until the next couple of dustings.

I do appreciate the shorter rides. An hour in January can feel like much more of an accomplishment than a three hour July ride, plus I have a couple of extra hours to do other interests. And if I get a two or three hour ride in January, it really does my heart good.

rm -rf

Oh, those occasional warm, sunny afternoons in February.

It's amazing after the cold, cloudy winter days. There's too few of these good days, though. I'm retired, so my riders can go whenever there's a short improvement in the weather.

Feb 20, 2022: 55F! "feels like 65" at this time of the year. Bright sunshine, low in the sky.