jacob.

I dont get how you guys do that. Some things I think would be factors are stuff like...

Isn't it slippery?
Do you ride on the road?
Isn't is slushy and hard to pedal through snow?
Don't cars slide into you breaking every bone in your body in a cold, wet tragedy?

Could somebody explain to me how this works?

chipcom 

Yes (unless the roads are dry, though there is always the risk of black ice), yes, yes (unless the roads are clear, which is most of the time), no.

It's just like riding any other time, except it's colder, you got a lot more clothing on and when it's snowy/icy you go a bit slower, pay close attention (as you should any time) and greater care.

WrenchDevil6

How it works is that we just do it. Nothing more, nothing less. Yes, it gets sloshy, yes sometimes the roads aren't as good as we'd like (but that's year round).

Winter commuting isn't for everyone, but there's something to be said for it. I love it.

Machka 

Winter?? At this time of year?? Granted, it is supposed to snow for the next week here, but most places are in spring or fall right now.

1) Go to the Winter forum and do some reading ... you'll see how it's done. https://www.bikeforums.net/forumdisplay.php?f=53

2) When I commuted year round in Winnipeg, most of the time the pavement was bare and dry. It was chilly, but that's easily dealt with. Here in Alberta, ice is a bit more of a factor. I still ride year round, and without studded tires, but if I stayed here I might get them.

Bikepacker67

We're demigods.

daredevil

Studded tires sure help. Mine have been off for a while now though.

You sure can build fitness riding in the winter, that's for sure. Riding in snow and slush ain't easy.

jacob.

Oh man! I didn't know there was a winter forum here. Thanks so much.

And no, its starting to feel like summer here, going to be 76 degrees tomorrow. I was just wondering.

CastIron

Adapt and overcome. Really, it's only a big deal for those not doing it.

goofycc

To answer your questions:

No.
Yes.
Not at all.
Cars slide into other cars, therefore, I am spared.

Studded tires (at least for me) are unnecessary. Get a bike with good cyclocross tires and plow through the snow. There were many days here in Houghton that I was actually faster on the roads on my bike than people were in cars. I love it.

tsl

Isn't it slippery?
No. That's what studded snow tires are for.

Do you ride on the road?
Of course.

Isn't is slushy and hard to pedal through snow?
Slush is easy to pedal through. It just oozes and slurps out of the way.

Don't cars slide into you breaking every bone in your body in a cold, wet tragedy?
No. The worse the weather, the more space they give me. Drivers are absolutely terrified of cyclists in the snow. They're scared enough for both of us.


Arriving at work, Saturday March 8

See the tights? My work clothes are in the Tailrider with my lunch. The absolute worst part about winter commuting is putting on refrigerated pants. After that, everything else is easy.

BA Commuter

It's supposed to be 75' here tomorrow. Sorry, but I've put winter behind me for this year.

You can do it... you can do it all winter loong! (Townie from The Waterboy)

markhr

Isn't it slippery? yes

Do you ride on the road? absolutely, it's the law

Isn't is slushy and hard to pedal through snow? sometimes

Don't cars slide into you breaking every bone in your body in a cold, wet tragedy? not generally but it could happen

Could somebody explain to me how this works? Just get on you appropriately equipped bike, wearing appropriate clothing for the weather and ride. There's a whole winter commtuing sub-forum that will provide all the detail and answers you need.

tarwheel 

If you live in the South, you deal with some cold temperatures but snow and ice are rare. I commute rear-round in NC and got more miles in January than any month except March. Main things you need are willpower and some decent cold-weather cycling clothes.

AEO

Roads are plowed and shoveled WAY better than sidewalks.
At least here, it's the LAW to shovel your part of the sidewalk, but most people never do.

mike

+1 WrenchDevil6 said it all in simple terms. It is a lot like kissing a girl for the first time. Seems like crazy idea, but once you get started, there is no stopping.

Buglady

I'll see your refrigerated pants and raise you a frozen brassiere.... Wakes you up in a hurry, if the ride didn't!

arnijr

You just do it. Takes studded tires (where I live at least) and some winter clothing, preferably bike specific. I wouldn't expose my good bikes to it, which is part of the reason I have a separate commuter.

bdinger

+10000 to "just do it" comments. I wussed out for the majority of the winter, mostly due to getting a new job and not really knowing how they'd react to it. When I had established myself in my position, and finally gotten sick of being "blah" every morning I just willed myself to do it. I only rode through snow/slush three or four times, but it was fine. The coldest day was -18F with quite a bit of snow/ice on the road.

I just rode slower than normal and gave myself plenty of room to stop. I also concur with another poster, if you are biking in the snow generally that's the only times cars are scared $@#$#less of you.

No real special gear is needed. I rode on a Specialized Hardrock with the stock tires this past winter, next winter will be the same bike except with some Nokians.

riddei

Everything others said. Plus you start to love the look on people's faces as they see you leaving work in the middle of the winter on your bike. It also really makes you appreciate spring (like right now)!

andrelam

Our Winters are nearly the same seeing that Buffalo and Rochester are only 75 Miles appart. The main difference is that Buffalo tends to get a bit more lake effect snow, and somehow we also end up with more sunny days (I haven't figured out why that is the case). I keep my pants at work so there is no putting on refrigirated clothing.

I live in the Suburbs of Buffalo and that makes quite a bit of difference. They plow amazingly well around here. We might have received a foot or more of snow, but within 12 hours the roads are so well plowed that I was frequently able to use the should 70% to 80% of the ride. It keeps me out of the way of the cars and busses. I can deal with riding in traffic, but if I don't have to hold anyone up it makes my ride easier and for everyone around me.

- Tires make a huge difference. Depending on where you are located either a set of knobby tires are sifficient. For those of us in the snow/rust belt Studded tires are not a luxury. I know that the studds were critical on a few rides home from work.

- Slush is easy to ride through as long as it is not too thick. I don't mind an 1" or so of fresh snow. What is a real problem is 6+ inches of thick snow that is all choppy. That causes the front end of the bike to more all over as it meets different resistance as it moves along. I don't like that at all.

- Riding on the road is a must. Besides it generally being no legal to ride on sidewalks (notice the word WALK is part of the name), the roads are at least plowed... good luck finding some reasonably clean ridewalks after a snow storm.

-Since the roads are well plowed and the drivers around here are pretty experienced in snow you tend to get minor fender benders during bad snow falls. I usually see the SUVs off the road (no joke... you see far fewer cars off the road than 4wd). Since I ride on mostly residential steets the speed limit is no higher tha 35 MPH so everyone can get along OK and everyone tends to be able to steer and stop OK. The exposed highways are where most people end up putting their car into a ditch. It is easy to over estimate the grip your car has untill it is too late. At 35 MPH you may have enough grip the keep the car on the road at 65 MPH you have MUCH more potential energy.

- Clothing is an important consideration. Most cyclists start with way too much clothing on. I wear the following:
Head: beanie cap under helmet. It the temps drop into the mid to low teens I'll add a face mask. At 2F (with heavy wind bring the wind chil down to -25F) I also had to put on ski goggles to cover every last piece of exposed skin to prevent frost bite

Body: T-shirt (a wicking sports shirt), Foxwear E-Vap coat, when the temps dropped into the single digits I also added thing wind breaker.

Hands: Old pair of Gotex gloves (1985 vintage), these don't shed extra moisture too well, but I had them. Next winter I'll look for something that breaths better.

Legs: Illuminite tights for 30F and above. For temps below freezing I added J&W rain pants as a wind blocker.

Feet: Winter boots and toe clips on the bike.

Getting through a Winter is not that hard. You do want to start in the Fall and slowly get used to the colder weather. Every so often Mother Nature will dump more bad weather than you may comfortably want to handle on two wheels. That is when I will take my car. Super high winds and 4+" of fresh snow in the roads (I don't care if we got 12" of snow... just how much is on the road in the morning) will get me to take the car. I found that there were only a hand full of days that I considered unridable during the morning commute, and I only needed to be picked up once when a snow storm care earlier than expected.

I am REALY enjoying the nice weather. After some late Winter storms, I was ready for some sunshine.

Happy riding,
André

CliftonGK1

Isn't it slippery?
Yes. That's why I have 35mm wide knobby tires with 106 carbide tipped studs.

Do you ride on the road?
Yes.

Isn't is slushy and hard to pedal through snow?
Sometimes. Other times I'm out before the plows and it's 4" deep fresh snow. Other times the cars have packed it down and it's a sheet of crunchy snow, or wet slush-ice. It's certainly not as easy as riding in the summer.

Don't cars slide into you breaking every bone in your body in a cold, wet tragedy?
Not yet.

Could somebody explain to me how this works?
I wear extra layers to stay warm. I leave extra time to account for the drop in speed. I pay extra attention to what's going on around me. I change my route to exclude some of the busier narrow roads I take in the summer.

Mr. Underbridge

The cold is absolutely not a problem if you're prepared. In fact, you can go too far. The hottest I've ever been on a bike is when I dressed for 15 and it got all the way up to 30. I was stripping like crazy. Only thing missing was a brass pole.

Everybody has their own way of dealing with the ice. Me, when it got extra crappy I'd go really slow and stay on the MUP, such that if I went down it was no big deal. There weren't too many days like that here.

ericy

Lots of people have already had suggestions for dealing with the cold, but the other thing you will likely need is lights. It gets the days are short in the winter. A good headlight, and generally two (or more) red taillights (generally flashing - like a PBSF).

WrenchDevil6

Absolutely!! The looks on people's faces when they look like it's killing them to be in their cars and you ride by them with shorts on when the snow is driving at 25F... Priceless

As far as being ran over... No, I've noticed that when the sun comes out and the windows go down, the amount that people pay attention to their surroundings falls drastically, this also applies to pedestrians as well. When I've been hit by cars it's been when the sun is shining and some clown is on the phone or what not.

pedlpusher

My hat goes off to all of you winter riders! It truly does.After having experienced this last winter in Cleveland, and seeing the crappy job they did on our roads here in Mentor, I can't imagine riding to work and back in winter. This year I am going to get a stationary bike so I can ride through the winter in my basement.