thehammerdog

NewJersey weather has been crap. I try to get out 1 or 2 times a week in winter but to cold or windy or rain or some other crappy thing. Yesterday I went out but felt no motivation as the damp just sucks the energy..
I need a sunny warm week.
just bought bouet old GT aero edge as project..gonna make tribike.bike​​​.

GhostRider62

It has been crappy in NJ. I find that in cool/cold damp conditions that I almost need to overdress and that always includes wool. It is damp and 44F right now. I got out for a short hard ride yesterday but it was yucky out. I know I need to get out because tomorrow is nasty rain and perhaps Thursday, too. So, I also need someone to kick my derriere off the couch and computer

thehammerdog

I got out today kinda nice felt good side of roads full of sand.

OldTryGuy

Years ago I used to ride Bergen County in cold, wind even snow but rain was a NO GO. Left the crappy NJ weather in '86 for more favorable winter conditions in SW FL. Have central AC on cause it's hot and humid right now at 85F heading to upper 80's maybe 90F. Hopping on bike to go to food store after posting.

thehammerdog

Enjoy.
i used to ride in the teens snow rain who cared when young. now it is impossible to get motivated to do so. Twenties with good clothing not bad but the nyc wind almost guts ya.
we have good weather weekend...60ish..

Carbonfiberboy 

Our group used to go out here in the PNW every Sunday rain or shine. We didn't ride if there were a chance of ice. Now that we're all geezers, we don't have the enthusiasm for it we used to. But if one dresses properly, rain riding is great fun, very enjoyable. My wife and I did a 75 mile ride in a steady 36° heavy downpour the whole way. After that, we decided that 40° and pouring was our lower limit, but we were in our late 60s then, so already getting soft. I have a photo of us heading out in heavy graupel, big smiles. The motivation is that it's great fun if you know how to dress for it. Dressing for it takes a good bit of experience in not doing it right. If you're uncomfortable, you didn't do it right, simple as that.

Rules:
NO WOOL. Wool get soaked and doesn't dry. It's nasty after it gets wet, not to mention heavy, very noticeable on climbs. So everything poly from the skin out except for wool socks, which work well as long as they're kept dry.

MTB boots and dry suit legs seals will keep them dry.

Another mistake people make is using waterproof or "breathable" jackets, which don't allow the evaporation of large quantities of moisture, either from rain or sweat. A wind jacket is the thing, with enough poly insulation under it to keep a hard rider warm and comfortable when soaked to the skin.

Rain water is how one gets rid of body heat in the rain. In the dry, it's the evaporation of sweat, but that doesn't work in the rain, though the need to get rid of heat is still there. This theory should be obvious, though the practice of it only comes from experience.

Correct layering of upper body garments is the trick. Legs are much easier as they have a wide window of comfort. PI AmFib tights are a good model.

Gloves are always an issue. Gloves with liners which turn inside out are a no-no. One has to be able to get them off and then on again, when soaked. Thick ragg wool is a good choice, with leather or some shell over them in a cold rain. Giro 100 Plus are good. Most gloves are crap. I have a drawer full of gloves, like I have a cardboard box full of saddles. Keep searching.

GhostRider62

Rubber commercial fishing gloves over wool liners is the ticket in rain. I had had a really good pair and lost them. Recently replaced with a pair from Japan, almost as good.

Goretex top over layer of merino wool, alpaca or yak is what I have worn on multi-week tours in cold, rainy climates. Bottoms would be wool tights with rain pant kept handy. Cover over helmet or tape all the holes. Neck gator. Fenders. Has worked for me for many decades.

Rdmonster69

I have my bike locked up in my car for an after work ride. It was maybe hitting 50 and just cloudy today. Its currently 45 with a stiff breeze and sprinkling...... no way. Maybe I will have better gear for next spring.

pdlamb

I walked out the back door for a lunch time ride. 30 mph gusts. Turned around and walked back in.

I was much tougher when I had to go to the office every day. But then again, we've had going on a month of stiff winds, and it's getting old.

missinglink

Gave me a chuckle. Same here in north central Tx. Wind NW at 30, gusting to 40+ most of the day here. It goes from south to north all spring with the fronts rolling through.
Just waiting for those months of calm 100 degree days now.

Polaris OBark

Too hot to ride today.

rsbob 

In my 30s and early 40s I would ride with a club of about 15 die-hard regulars rain or shine. We were so full of ourselves we would belittle the fair-weather cyclists, because they weren’t macho enough to keep their fitness up by riding in the rain and hail. We were fully equipped and we had each other to reinforce our manliness. The real test of being a man was riding in one day from Seattle to Portland in the rain. My testosterone must have been off the charts that day. One of my worst rain days was doing a metric century up and down a local mountain pass where it absolutely poured and got hypothermic. Testosterone levels were tempered by the shivering.

Fast forward almost 30 years, and the thrill of being a real hard-core cyclist has faded. Now I stick to nice days or days with a chance of rain and take a rain cape just in case. No more squishy shoes, grit soaked clothing and having to wash and lube the bike. I can get used to being an unmanly cyclist riding ZWIFT while it pours outside.

freeranger

Weather here has been very cold (around 15 degrees below normal--had freeze warnings this morn, sometimes warms up in the afternoon), but lots of rain (almost every day lately). Several I know try to plan rides, but lots of the rides have had to be cancelled due to weather. Weather here has sure put a damper on my motivation to ride.

sovende

I'm clearly a "fair weather cyclist". For me, in WestCentral (maybe a bit South) Wisconsin, the cycling season runs from mid-April to mid-November but can vary at the extremes. While I have clothing appropriate for earlier and later riding, I just don't enjoy cold, wet windy rides. It's almost never too hot for me here but even in the Summer months, rain and/or wind demotivate me. It was actually quite warm today (mid-60s) but the wind was gusting in the 30mph range. I stayed home .

steelbikeguy

I bike commuted for quite a few years, and in the process, gained experience and found clothes that worked for me. I do ride on about half of the days through the winter here in central Illinois. Perhaps that'll change as I get older, but for now, I'm happy that I can get out quite a bit.

a photo from a 17 degree day this winter...



Steve in Peoria

downtube42

Yesterday post-ride two of us went into Jimmy John's for a quick bite. When we came back out we were shocked at the weather. Maybe 39f and drizzly. Riding in it for hours was fine, but the ten minutes it took to load the bike up was brutal.

Flip Flop Rider

motivation and weather..there's a connection there for sure

LibertyFLS

I've come to the conclusion I'm 100% a weather weenie. I live in SoCal the place with the self proclaimed "best weather" but honestly, I hate it. It's been 26 years, it's cold half the year, and it's windy almost always. Everywhere has nice weather for 6 months so wth is so great about the nice 6 months here? I live by the beach so that of course makes it more chilly than inland, but last week we hit 98º for 2 days and the past 2 days has been low 60's with winds blasting. I don't like riding in wind period, and I hate being cold, I absolutely hate it. So for me I decided not to beat myself up too much, I'll get back on the saddle more regularly when/if the weather gets nice again. Of course, it never used to be like this, but this is the new normal.

Here's to looking forward to nice weather to enjoy rides again. At least gyms are open and I'm back lifting again.....

pepperbelly

It’s still really windy here in North Texas. Right now the wind is 24mph gusting to over 30-35.

Warbird21

Zwift has made me lazy...but I took off my trainer tire and thru-axle adaptor, so I'm now all outside.
The weather here in Maryland, just about as crappy as New Jersey.
I missed a decent day to ride outside yesterday, we were buying a truck.
This morning, I had to get a ride in before Easter activities ensued.
I waited until 8:30, when it warmed up to 44 degrees and cloudy. I got 16 miles in, but the last eight were against a headwind, which was zero fun.
I guess it will eventually warm up here. Next weekend, we'll be in Louisiana, but with no bike.

zacster

I bike commuted even when the weather looked iffy, down to about 40, and then you never knew what it would be like on the way home. Some days would be pretty cold, and it was always dark. I did that until I retired at 64. Now at 67 I don't go out if it is under 55. And fuhgeddabout the wind or rain. Clouds? Nah, I won't chance it. I have all the clothes I need to ride in the cold, from booties, leg warmers, wind jackets, gloves of various types, beanies. If I need any of those I just skip it now. I'm just not going to do it. Partly this is because being retired I can ride whenever I want, so just wait for the nice days.

As for the NJ weather, I'm in NYC and it has been a real crapshoot this spring, Just when I think I can get 3-4 rides in a week we get another cold spell, like yesterday and today.

rumrunn6

good weather today, so I brought the bike to work. should be able to get in a comfortable 2 hours before the downpours later tonight

rsbob 

Yeah I bike commuted round trip about 30 miles in the dark and rain and freezing temps for several years. Feel like I paid my crappy weather dues and now stick to over 45* and hopefully no rain. Still have all my old gear but don’t miss using it.

Tony Marley

From when I was in the Army, I remember our battalion sergeant major saying, "You don't have to practice being miserable. It comes naturally." Unless you are training for a competition, there is no reason to "gut it out" in unpleasant conditions.