sporky_rat: Orange 3WfDW dreamsheep (Default)
lady sporky rat of the ms holding and sporkington ([personal profile] sporky_rat) wrote in [community profile] bicycles2011-01-24 08:30 am
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Cold Weather Bicycling

So, best ideas for cold weather bicycling? Granted, I'm not in the coldest part of the US by any means, but still, 38° for Mississippi is not fun.
dragonfly: stained glass dragonfly in iridescent colors (Default)

[personal profile] dragonfly 2011-01-24 04:44 pm (UTC)(link)
I was just wondering about this. I have snow and cold. If I asked for advice about biking in snow and ice would people just laugh and say, stay home?
kuwdora: Pooka - card 60, brian froud (Default)

[personal profile] kuwdora 2011-01-24 04:48 pm (UTC)(link)
Hardly. I've seen/heard of people cycling in the winter in Milwaukee and Chicago on occasion and there are plenty resources out there devoted to riding in the winter: a brief google search turned up these results: Winter cycling and another one from bicyclinglife.com.
kuwdora: Pooka - card 60, brian froud (Default)

[personal profile] kuwdora 2011-01-24 04:50 pm (UTC)(link)
What kind of ideas are you looking for [personal profile] sporky_rat? Are the temperatures keeping you too cold while riding or has there been rain on the roads that've made it more difficult to ride on?
ell: (Default)

[personal profile] ell 2011-01-25 01:25 am (UTC)(link)
These:
http://www.rei.com/product/806764

I just got them last week and my hands are never cold :-)
dayblaze: (Default)

[personal profile] dayblaze 2011-01-25 01:10 am (UTC)(link)
I like these. They aren't enough for New England winter, but I used them well into fall.

http://www.pearlizumi.com/publish/content/pi_2010/us/en/index/product_series/ride/women/mtb/gloves.-productCode-14241010.html

If visibility is poor, get a reflective jacket or vest.
ell: (bicycleLiam)

[personal profile] ell 2011-01-25 01:24 am (UTC)(link)
cold weather commuting tips:

1) spend the money on appropriate gear. I have these: http://www.gorebikewear.com/remote/Satellite/PROD_FCITYO?landingid=1208436871979A and I love them to death. I have a helmet cover, I have lobster claw gloves, rain pants, rain jacket, etc. I have a bike with decent commuting tires and waterproof panniers. All these make biking in the cold and the wet not only bearable but fun

2) be prepared to go slower and be careful

3) be visible in the dark (lights and reflectors)

4) get a balaclava/ski mask if it's really cold

5) ice is dangerous. They make studs for bikes, but in Mississippi, you shouldn't need them.
darkemeralds: Naked woman on a bike, caption "I don't care, I'm still free" (Bike Freedom)

[personal profile] darkemeralds 2011-01-25 06:30 am (UTC)(link)
I'm blessed with a very mild, albeit wet, riding climate, but I avidly follow Dottie of Let's Go Ride A Bike, partly because she commutes daily in Chicago, throughout the winter, and her wonderful posts on winter riding were what first made me realize that no day where I live is ever too cold to get on a bike.