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Who plans to commute through the winter?
by Richard MasonerHow many of you plan to commute by bike through the winter months? What are your greatest concerns and how do you plan to address them?
I constantly point winter cyclists to ICEBIKE; what are other good resources for winter cyclists?
Thanks Dingbat,
I’m not a fan of the generator. When the bike stops, the lights stop.
But I was thinking I could use the generator to recharge the batts, when needed.
I commute year-round in Fort Collins, CO, but that’s not saying much since it is rarely very cold, rarely is there snow on the ground for extended periods of time, and I currently have less than a mile to commute.
I’ve commuted a couple of winters in Saskatoon Saskatchewan. I cycled as long as the wind chill was less than 2100 watts per square metre. (Which corresponds to the totally bogus “feels like -40″).
If I use that same rule here in Ottawa (and I plan to), I’ll be able to bike all winter.
The hardest part about winter is not the cold. It’s easy to add more layers. The 2 hardest things about winter are that it is dark while commuting, and to avoid getting too warm.
If you start sweating at -30, the sweat can freeze, cooling you off very quickly, putting you at risk for hypothermia.
So the trick is to cycle at a moderate pace, and take off layers of clothing as you warm up.
I intend to commute my 40 mile roundtrip through the winter here in South Wales, U.K., my only concerns are having the right clothing and lights, plus of course there aren’t too many patient drivers out there, they’re all in too much of a hurry, and far too many of them need to go back to driving school, because they haven’t a clue about how to drive safely in the vicinity of cyclists. I need to dig deep for the clothing and lights, but need lots of luck as far as car drivers are concerned.
Well, I PLAN on it, but there is no guarantee these plans will be successful.
I ordered some studded tires yesterday, and I got some flat pedals so I can just wear boots for really cold weather.
Concerns include the fact that I never like freezing air in my lungs, and I don’t know how much snow I’ll be able to handle on the multi use trail I take to work–routes on actual roads are pretty far out of the way and I don’t think would be very enjoyable. I also need to grab some waterproof gloves and figure out how to keep my glasses from fogging up. Cat Crap and other stuff like it are not successful if I’m wearing a balaclava.
Most definitely. No question. I just have to wait for the commuter bike to get here, and then I’m back in the saddle again!
I’m planning on biking as long as it isn’t snowy/icy. We don’t get too much of that here in western WA; it’s more about the rain. Wet leaves can be a real hazard, though!
I still haven’t gotten rainpants, so I’ve already missed a few days of early fall. This weekend I really need to buy or order something.
If I keep it up, it’ll be the first year that I haven’t hung the bike up from November thru February. I like the idea of having a chart of what to wear when, I’ll have to try it out!
With the winters we have around here? No way!
This morning the thermometer was down to 1°C (for those still using farenheit, this is one degree above freezing…). 0°C is my cut-off.
Dressing up for this kind of weather is not a problem, but I am not going to ride skinny tires on ice patches at 30km/h! I don’t want to ride a commuter, hybrid or MTB with fat tires or studs: with a 20km commute each way, this kind of set-up could add 15 to 30 minutes of commuting time, minutes that I would rather use for other activities.
That being said, I believe it’a bout time I start digging out my x-c ski gear from the basement…
For those of you who live in above freezing latitudes, no more excuses, keep riding! You don’t know how lucky you are.
Yes, I will ride through the winter.
Although as a caveat, California winters are mostly just wet and “chilly”. So winter riding in Sacramento means attaching the fenders, packing the rain jacket, and eating a high calorie breakfast.
Cheers,
Here’s my winter commute strategy: I tell myself that if I survived 40F I should be able to ride when it’s 35F. If I survived 35F I should be able to manage 30F… and I’m now down to “not fearing” 25F… I’ll just have to see how far into the season this takes me.
I plan on doing my 13 mi one way as long as I can but don’t plan on trying ice or snow this winter unless it is unexpected while at work.
My biggest concern is keeping feet warm – I have been experimenting different show/sock combinations lately but none seems exactly right – especially with it not being too cold yet.
The other big challenges I see are either having to wear damp clothing home that didn’t dry during the day, or figuring out how to get clothing home if it is significantly warmer for the trip home.
Hi!
I recently sold my car and have transformed into a bike commuter (sometimes using public transport). I haven’t biked through a winter yet, and I’m hoping some people out there will have advise for someone like me who doesn’t really want to buy studded tires. My commute is about 3 miles each way, and I live in western Massachusetts. Does anybody commute without snow tires? Obviously winter weather varies a lot from year to year, but I’m wondering if anyone has experiences commuting without studs that they want to share. Thanks to everyone else who’s already posted for all the tips!
Happy pedaling!
I plan on riding through my second winter. I live in Atlanta, so the worst of it is the few chilly mornings that over in the lower 20’s, but I managed them last year, so plan on doing so again.
Certainly! and multi-modal at that. In Denver, the fastest way to the train from my house during the winter when there is rain/snow/ice happening is by bike. No contest. 10 minutes to the train on a nice day stretches to almost 15 with 8+ inches of snow on the ground. Cars? 5 minutes to the train in nice weather stretches to 45+ minutes in bad weather. I feel sorry for them actually. Their mindset is safest encased in a climate-controlled rolling metal cage.
same as Andres, Upstate South Carolina will rarely get below 40.
I’ll be bike commuting everyday this winter in Salt Lake City. My three biggest concerns are the nasty air we get when high pressure sits on northern Utah, being noticed by cars, and actually getting out the door early enough on the deep days to get to the carpool on time.
I’ve done 4 Minnesota winters. First winter was on a road bike…completely trashed the drivetrain.
Next 2 winters were on Raleigh 3 speeds. They were hardly affected by the salt/sand/nasties. Outside of new brake pads and chains, they really took the winter with a pinch of salt.
Last winter, I rewarded myself with a Trek L200, with full chaincase, rebuilt with Sram S7 7 speed drum rear hub and Sturmey XFDD dynamo drum hub in the front, with a D&M IQ Fly generator light.
Literally no maintenaince all winter. I expect the same this winter, but in NYC.
I’ll probably get little sympathy given I live in central Texas, but I’m dreading this winter. I do plan to ride though. I have lived in warm weather locales (Florida, Georgia, and Texas) most of my life and I consider anything below 80°F to be “winter”.
For years now I have been riding my bike all winter long in Pittsburgh. Any more, there isn’t much snow to deal with, though. Perhaps only one or two days where the ice and snow on trails is enough to discourage me from riding. On those days, I park in a free spot at the end of a trail and walk the remaining three miles into work.
This will be my first winter commuting during the winter. We just moved from North Dakota to southern Idaho. The winters here are a heck of a lot more tame than I’m used to. I’m getting a cheapo used mountain bike because I’m not sure of how bad it actually gets here in the winter. If it’s icy I don’t trust my 700c tires and the way I’ve heard they do road maintenance around here (mainly salt) I don’t want to subject my Giant to the wear & tear.
I have never tried commuting in the winter before (I’m in New York State). I am going to give it a shot but it seems like there will be a lot of angles to work out. Dressing right for multiple conditions (I bike/bus commute). Riding on busy roads in the dark. I’m thinking of doing a shorter commute in the winter to avoid traffic but that will mean standing still in the cold at bus stops. What will the salt do to my bike? Can I ride on studded tires even when there’s no snow? Am I crazy? That kind of thing. Mostly I worry about staying warm without overheating.
I would say that I always commute in the winter, but I’ve yet to encounter winter conditions in California. At worst it drizzles or there is a hint of frost on the ground. I will, however, be moving to Omaha, NE in a few months and I am desperately excited about winter commuting.
In years past, I’ve ridden on cold winter days, but only when the roads were completely clean and dry. This year, I have bought my first pair of studded tires; they will go on my bike in November. I can’t wait to try some real winter cycling!
I did it last winter, so why stop now. Here is my suggestion… Just do it. Don’t worry about the thing. You can get some really nice winter swag. If you are in the snowy area, get studded tires and warm biking jacket. If you are in California, well, sometimes it rains. But it is totally awesome.
Was car-free last winter and don’t feel like getting a car this year either, so – yup, I’ll be out there. I have studded tyres on the Gazelle (or will as soon as I put ‘em back) and have learned to make sure my shoulders don’t have straps constricting circulation to my hands… I wear cannondale full finger gloves and then some LIz Claiborne novelty Christmas gloves on top of them and have been able to ride hard enough to stay warm so far, tho’ I only have 7 miles to go.
I have been commuting 14 miles each way since April on my Big Dummy. I just ordered a new wheel set for winter (Rohloff Speedhub rear, Hope Pro 2 front) and will continue on the car free experiment through the Ottawa Canada winter. Looking for some 2.25″ studded tires next.
Going to run old Shimano bear cage flats with power straps this winter, with a warm Salomon Gore tex hiking boot and leg gaiters when the weather in nasty. Gloves will be some version of lobster claws and I’ll switch to my Giro snowboarding helmet with ski goggles. I also have some Gore Tex bib pants that I’ll wear over my bike shorts.
Here in San Antonio and in DeWitt County, Texas, rain and occaisionally cold rain is the issue.
Any suggestions on rain gear? I’ll need something when it is below 50 degrees and raining.
Thanks.
I will ride even in the winter, which is not much of an issue in Portland, Oregon. My biggest concern is rain, but it is a concern the rest of the year too. My second biggest concern is the cold, but it is not that cold here. The wind can be an issue here.
The first time I tried it, I didn’t have proper clothes. My neck froze, my hands froze, and I was cold. That was it until the year later where I purchased what I found I needed. First thing I realized was I was too hot! It was only -9C.
I gradually learned to judge how much I needed for my twice 5km ride every day. It is just enough to get warmer if you don’t push yourself and if there is no snow, and I know I’m good to go when I leave the house and have a tiny shiver.
Rain is an other thing you have to be prepared for all the time, even when you leave your home with a blue and sunny sky. I have a “plan B” which is to take the subway, but in one year I never had to. During the cold months I wear waterproof pants, especially when the temperature drops below 2-3C, because at that temperature wet jeans is really uncomfortable, and dry jeans aren’t really enough anymore.
As for the jacket, I have a yellow rain jacket. I wear it only when it is over -2C when there’s a chance of rain on that day. Below that temperature, I follow the multi-layer approach, usually with a regular shirt, a polar, and a soft shell. As I wrote above, I try to have only a tiny shiver when I leave the house.
It is fun to ride in the snow in Montreal, Canada. Cars move really slow during a snowfall, as they need a lot of distance to brake. I think because I am more lightweight it is really easier to stop. Weight does not help get more braking power when your’re on snow.
As for riding on ice, roads are usually wet even at -20 because there’s always a bit of salt and sun. Still, I have two studded tires, purchased at the same time I got my clothes. I wanted to avoid falling as much as I could. I haven’t, for now.
My biggest concern is idiot drivers honking at me. I sometimes kick and punch cars of those who try to kill me, voluntarily or not. They are frequent during the winter. Perhaps people are trying to tell me I should be in a car. But their windows are shut and they are too busy to stop for a chat. I guess they need to get early to work to pay the car faster! Yeah, go faster, leave me alone!
I love biking! I love its freedom. I like being able to go anywhere and not wonder when the next bus will be, or whether there will be traffic. Distance doesn’t matter. Sometimes I go further and ride an additional 15km that day because I went downtown, and it is not a big workout. I love living in the city! There’s everything you need less than 10km away.
Nice comment Nicholas Marchildon, I’m really envious of your city, and your attitude to winter cycle commuting, keep the faith!
So glad to hear that there are so many of us, especially in the Denver area! This will be year 1.5 for me since last year I broke my ankle in January – now i know that studded tires are worth it.
Looking forward to the first snow!
I sold my car this summer, so I really have no choice but to plan to ride to school this winter. My only concern is that here in West Texas, it snows and ices very little and very rarely, yet drivers go into Full-Panic Stupid at the lightest dusting.
Also, I’m a tad worried about getting ice on the brakes. Does that happen?
This will be my third winter riding to the bus. This takes my usual commute and chops it down from 29 miles to less than 10 round trip. On particularly nice days, I’ll ride all the way. Otherwise, I just watch the forecast and stick to clothing combinations that I know work well for me.
I will be commuting this winter but living in Phoenix I’m a bit spoiled. I’m not sure if this is the right forum to ask this question, and so apologize upfront if I’m breaking any forum rules, but I’m curious what readers opinions are of folding bikes. I currently ride a Trek 7900 but have been told by a few friends that folding bikes make commuting a breeze in a metropolitan area. I would love to hear the forum’s take on it.
Yes. This will be winter number sixteen for me.
This will be my second winter commuting in Grand Forks North Dakota and I couldn’t be more excited.
I checked out the site and it does have some nice information, but I’d be careful not to over analyze winter biking. It doesn’t take rocket science to ride in the winter, dress in layers (three or four even), wear two pairs of socks, find the right gloves, wear a mask when needed, and wear appropriate shoes. It’s all about what works for you.
If you don’t know where to shop for warm apparel, check out any store that sells to skiers, snowmobiles, construction workers (great place to look for socks, gloves, masks), and for camping.
Count me in – this will be my third winter commuting in balmy Columbus, OH. I’m fortunate to have covered parking for my bike – though not as fortunate as last winter when I was actually able to bring my bike inside.
Yet another DC year-round commuter. Quite frankly, this whole riding in winter is relatively new to me (transplanted Southern Boy). I’ve only done it for the last two seasons. It took some time to work out all the kinks. I don’t ride when there’s frozen precip.
Start with a good base layer of longjohns/liner socks. Then comes the work clothes layer. If it’s brutally cold, add a vest or fleece pullover. Finish it off with a heavy long wool coat (long enough to cover my thighs). A warm scarf is a must to protect the neck. Good gloves are also important. Since I wear glasses, my eyes are relatively protected. However, the most useful item I discovered were the wrap-around earmuffs called 180s. They go around the back of the head like some newer style headphones and fit well around the helmet straps and hardware.
I live about an hour west of Chicago, I am planning to Commute all winter by bike. Its a bit over 11 miles. This will be my first year doing so, all of the information in this post has been helpful.. Mostly the only thing I worry about is the wear and tear on my Bike, Any suggestions on what should be done to keep my bike in top shape, what things to watch out for??
I’ll try to. I did every day in Portland, but now in NYC, I’m not too sure what to expect. The rain’s not a problem, though it sucks, I’m worried about black ice and shitty winter drivers more than the cold.
We’ll see…
Jake. I am in Green Bay. Keep your bike clean and lubed after a ride is important. When it snows and the salt trucks are out the first thing I do is take the bike into the basement and clean most of the grit and lube anything that might need it. I have a friend that just sprays down his bike with WD40 and wipe clean. I have an issue with that method. Granted all my bikes are steel so I normally clean them off after wet rides. Then in Spring I bring the bike into the shop for some tender loving care.
Second year cycling through winter in Buffalo, NY. No biggie. Though we get quite a bit of snow, the temp usually hovers in the high 20’s or near freezing. The snow comes heavily, then often melts within days.
I carefully cover all skin and alter my route to stay off main roads, where I fear if I go down, someone too close will drive over me.
In Buffalo we have what we call “beater” bikes; it is a bike we won’t cry about if it gets ruined by salt. I use a mountain bike with wide knobby tires- no studs. It is better to not bring the bike inside, for when the snow melts, this is when the salt does its worst.
I wear a bright yellow bicycle raincoat with pit zips to control sweat and carry enough cash to call a cab or hop a bus if something goes wrong. If desperation strikes, I can use the cab to get to an ATM. I also have a U-lock and cable lock, so if I need to abandon my bike temporarily I can be assured that it will most likely stay put until I return.
Lastly, safety glasses are cheap, don’t look to bad and provide a mounting point for my mirror.
Life is good- bring it on.
I’m going to try using my xtracycle this year. I’m not sure if I should replace my Fat Frank’s with some good old knobbies. We’ll see what SW Michigan deals me over the next few months…
I commute all year round. But living in San Francisco, I can hardly claim the weather gets harsh
But it does rain very hard in winter sometimes.
Gear:
- waterproof panniers (Ortliebs & Nashbar)
- bright yellow rain gear
- Pearl Izumi gloves (not waterproof, but warm)
- Neoprene booties keep my shoes dry, mostly
I just had a great (mild) first week in Montreal.
I plan to put my 2 yr. old BionX to the test. I’m thirsty for road and snow! I’ll be blogging about it in french, if anyone has questions about the BionX+winter lemme know.