Do you bike in bad weather?

[Grant-53]

My coldest commute was 10 miles on a mountain bike at 10F. Even with two pair of gloves my hands got cold. There is nothing like a fairing to cure the ills of wind, rain, and cold. My biggest issue is keeping the glasses from fogging so I am trying a Bell full face motorcycle helmet with treated visor. The rectangular plastic oil bottles can be cut to make good splash guards for fenders. I like a rear view mirror and a 3 spd internal gear hub geared 40T/19 for stop and go traffic. For touring or towing I'll use a bike with triple crank gearing.

[Piwoslaw]

You thought you have a crappy commute route and can't bike to work? Think it's too cold?
Expeditioners wheeling to work

Pedal power will be the preferred mode of transport at Australia’s Casey and Davis stations this summer.

The Australian Antarctic Division has provided bicycles for expeditioners to use around station, in addition to walking, utes and small utility vehicles.

This week expeditioners at Casey station were in the saddle for the National Ride to Work Day, braving minus 18 degree temperatures for the trip between the Red Shed and Operations Building.

[COcyclist]

Originally Posted by Grant-53

My coldest commute was 10 miles on a mountain bike at 10F. Even with two pair of gloves my hands got cold. There is nothing like a fairing to cure the ills of wind, rain, and cold. My biggest issue is keeping the glasses from fogging so I am trying a Bell full face motorcycle helmet with treated visor.

I have found a ski helmet and ski goggles work best for me. I use a fleece "neck warmer" pulled up to just below my nose. My breath vents around the sides and fogging usually isn't a problem. I was joking about the parachute pants a few posts back. I have a pair of Foxwear Rain Pants that I wear over my dress pants. Foxwear Pants They are a stretch soft shell material, fleecy on the inside, smooth, wind and water repellent on the outside. They are a little pricey up front but I have 5 years of winter commuting with them and they should last me a lifetime. Nice small company, my wife custom ordered them at no extra charge. My coldest commute has been –32ºF but only about 3 miles. Get some "Pogies" or "Hippo Hands" for anything below 15ºF. They Velcro over the handlebars, shifters and brake levers to keep the cold wind off your hands. And I wear warm ski gloves with gauntlets inside.

[low&slow]

Wow! good posts! I need to quit my whining and get out there and do some ridng this winter.

[bdesj]

I can`t find any bad weather this year .
Over the weekend I took a two day minitour across a Sierra Pass that should have been closed for at least a month and inhabited by snowmobiles and backcountry skiers by now with several feet of snowpack. THIS year, Schwinn and Panaracer had run of teh place rather than Polaris and Karhu, bone dry until well over 7000ft, and then only traces of snow. It isn`t looking good for the Sierra Nevada this year. The bright side we aren`t suffering from cold. My water bottles didn`t freeze overnight even though they weren`t in my sleeping bag.

[Jean-Seb]

Well back to EM after a long hiatus. Since I've driven across Canada and down to Albany, NY last summer for a car meet, I've pretty much given up on my car. But I've been riding my bike to work almost every day since last September with two periods of driving only. Yesterday was pretty bad (or good depending on how you look at weather), we've had a good snowfall and some colder temperatures and I made it to work and back ! Gotta love bike commuting.

So now I'll be riding like that until April and then the car's going to the JY and I'll be leaving on a bike tour for the whole summer, maybe more, we'll see.

[SwamiSalami]

Originally Posted by Grant-53

My coldest commute was 10 miles on a mountain bike at 10F. Even with two pair of gloves my hands got cold.

jeeze, what a trooper! good for you, buddy.

[Grant-53]

Wet braking all depends on the type of brake/rim you have. A good V brake on aluminum rims can be very good. Caliper brakes on steel rims are much less effective. Front tires need to be at least 1.5 inches wide for snow.

[jcp123]

Oh, wait bicycle riding. I wish I could do that here. No bike lanes + douchebag Texas drivers who are in a hurry for no reason I can discern (I am from the SF Bay Area where I can understand the speeders - traffic is NOT that bad here). I got this thread from the search feature, I thought it was motorcycle bikes, not bicycle bikes!

[atomicradish]

I live in North Carolina, where we have mild winters, and muggy summers. I prefer riding in the fall, winter, and spring. Cold temperatures, even below freezing don't bother me so much, as long as I cover my hands and ears. Since I ride primarily for commuting and in place of driving, comfort is particularly important. If I am worried I will show up soaked in sweat and stinky, I'll drive or ride the bus. Otherwise, its people powered all the way!

Edit: Where I live (Carrboro, NC) we have free buses, so if it is raining, I will take the bus. If we didn't have buses, I'd put mudguards on my bike instead.