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  1. #1

    Anyone cycling through winter?

    I don't mean you warm weather folks, I know you are

    Starting to get pretty cold out, and I trying to get myself good and ready to ride in it, and just wondering what everyone's using for gear to stay warm. So far, I've been good with an UnderArmour Coldgear base layer, and my normal kit over it, but I'm thinking I'm going to need a decent top layer pretty soon and some better gloves.

  2. #2
    Not a chance, I don't use the bike much anyways, but going out today, the winter cold has started to arrive here, it's been a very mild autumn and winter so farm, but going out today was not pleasant and it's only -5 C. I didn't dress properly though.
    Once the temperatur hits -10 -15 C it becomes quite retarded to cycle imo.

    It was -35 C up in the northen part of my country a few nights ago though! Poor bastards.
    The nerve is called the "nerve of awareness". You cant dissect it. Its a current that runs up the center of your spine. I dont know if any of you have sat down, crossed your legs, smoked DMT, and watch what happens... but what happens to me is this big thing goes RRRRRRRRRAAAAAWWW! up my spine and flashes in my brain... well apparently thats whats going to happen if I do this stuff...

  3. #3
    Wow! Yeah, I think if I were in Sweden, I wouldn't be riding at all either. I'm in the DC area, and basically plan to ride as long as it's above freezing. I'm leery of riding below freezing because I don't want to catch a patch of black ice and eat pavement.

  4. #4
    Elemental Lord Spl4sh3r's Avatar
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    I live in Sweden and they say on the news they are thinking about changing the plowing of the snow in my city so that it will be easier for cyclists to continue with their business all through winter.

  5. #5
    Deleted
    I live in england. I'm used to the cold weather we have, clothing isn't an issue for me, I just make sure I've got some extra layers on. Usually I'll wear a pair of tights and an extra shirt or something under my usual clothing (Best I could do w/o buying extra clothing, they do the job just fine).

    It's not the cold that prevents me from riding, it's the roads. I stopped all together for a few weeks this febuary because the roads were permanently covered in a thin layer of ice. It wasn't until about march when it started to melt and I could ride again w/o fear of skidding over.

  6. #6
    get my car fixed, and out and drift on the icy roads like last year!... if i had the money


    hell no, i'm not gona ride the old bike, would rather take the bus then

  7. #7
    long-johns under jeans, two pairs of socks (ankle-socks under normal socks), make sure you are wind and waterproofed because you will be miserable if any wind or water gets in. Use the thinnest gloves you can get that are still warm, so that you can still operate the brakes and gears easily. A hat with a fleece lining under the helmet is irreplaceable. And yes, you need a helmet in winter, especially if you are riding on non-treated paths - it is so easy to skid. Good boots are a must, if the snow/slush gets too deep you'll be pushing. Make sure you wash the bike down afterwards if riding through salted slush, same goes for your boots.

  8. #8
    Yep, still am so far. Cycling to work and back every day. It's only got into the minus today, has been around 2 to 4 degrees until now. The cold doesn't bother me that much, as long as there isn't ice or too much snow. It only gets down to -10 or so usually around here so it's not too bad for cycling.



    I took this photo of my bike winter last year, and I still rode to work that day XD Unfortunately, that mountain bike got stolen in the summer and my current cross-bike won't be able to endure that much snow.
    My Gaming Setup | WoW Paladin (retired)

    "This is not a dress. This is a sacred robe of the ancient psychedelic monks."

  9. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by Spectral View Post
    Wow! Yeah, I think if I were in Sweden, I wouldn't be riding at all either. I'm in the DC area, and basically plan to ride as long as it's above freezing. I'm leery of riding below freezing because I don't want to catch a patch of black ice and eat pavement.
    Yeah, the ice and slush is a real problem, gotta use loads of salt and not sure what you call it, small pieces of stone to make sure people don't plant their asses on the ground. It's the winds that really is nasty though, you get used to below freezeing, thats not such a big issue imo.
    Quote Originally Posted by Spl4sh3r View Post
    I live in Sweden and they say on the news they are thinking about changing the plowing of the snow in my city so that it will be easier for cyclists to continue with their business all through winter.
    You always see a few crazy folks out biking, even when there is loads of snow(the mailman lol)
    I mean you can dress quite thinly for the weather we get here in my area most of the time(the girls will still rock skirts on a night out at times, no problems rofl), it doesn't drop lower then - 15c(Gothenburg), and thats when it's really cold. But it's the wind that fucks you. Those temps combined with the heavy winds we get, makes it feel like it's at least another -10. Which just rules it out completely imo.
    The nerve is called the "nerve of awareness". You cant dissect it. Its a current that runs up the center of your spine. I dont know if any of you have sat down, crossed your legs, smoked DMT, and watch what happens... but what happens to me is this big thing goes RRRRRRRRRAAAAAWWW! up my spine and flashes in my brain... well apparently thats whats going to happen if I do this stuff...

  10. #10
    Howard - That's a heroic effort! Love it!

    Quote Originally Posted by Jackmoves View Post
    Yeah, the ice and slush is a real problem, gotta use loads of salt and not sure what you call it, small pieces of stone to make sure people don't plant their asses on the ground. It's the winds that really is nasty though, you get used to below freezeing, thats not such a big issue imo.
    Yeah, I grew up near Buffalo, New York, which is pretty famous for it's snow on this side of the pond. One year, we got seven feet of snow in a four day period! It's not terribly cold there, as it's not that far north and there's a lake next to it that modulates the temperature, but ice, snow, and slush are a big thing for about four months or so.

  11. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by Spectral View Post
    Yeah, I grew up near Buffalo, New York, which is pretty famous for it's snow on this side of the pond. One year, we got seven feet of snow in a four day period! It's not terribly cold there, as it's not that far north and there's a lake next to it that modulates the temperature, but ice, snow, and slush are a big thing for about four months or so.
    Yeah, I live about an hour south of Buffalo, small town called Houghton. Biking in the winter actually sounds fun, I'm just afraid I'd kill myself on ice. =(

  12. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by sibut View Post
    Yeah, I live about an hour south of Buffalo, small town called Houghton. Biking in the winter actually sounds fun, I'm just afraid I'd kill myself on ice. =(
    I grew up about an hour west of you, even smaller town just off Lake Erie, near Fredonia!

  13. #13
    I ride to 45 degrees then it is Sufferfest DVDs on the trainer for me.

  14. #14
    Yeah, I was looking at getting a trainer, but the ones I like are fairly expensive, so I've held off. For now, I stick to the stationary bike in the gym if I really need to spin but can't get outside. It's a pretty poor substitute though.

  15. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by sibut View Post
    Yeah, I live about an hour south of Buffalo, small town called Houghton. Biking in the winter actually sounds fun, I'm just afraid I'd kill myself on ice. =(
    Just get some tires with spikes, they work wonders on ice. Nothing really helps against deep snow though, so all you can do is hope that the plow truck doesn't pile all the snow from the street onto the bicycle lane... -_-
    My Gaming Setup | WoW Paladin (retired)

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  16. #16
    I live in Sweden and it's -15°C outside. Have to get on my bike at 5am tomorrow and get my ass to work =( As long as there isn't too much snow it's alright I guess.

  17. #17
    Herald of the Titans Kuniku's Avatar
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    Nope, I fully admit to being a fair weather cyclist, I definitely didn't cycle as much as I'd have liked this summer though, parly because I got a new job with earlier starts which came with a new car, so that early in the morning (i'm not a morning person lol) i find it extremely hard to find the motivation to get the lycra on and cycle to work lol

  18. #18
    Kinda like it in sweden when lots of snow comes for a change, switching to my mountainbike and having a blast.
    Biked to work every day all seasons for 4 years straight now.
    Ice aint really bad if you have the right technique. Main mistake most do is being nervous and taking it slow, the slower you go the higher chans of sliping sideways, have higher speed and you will plow stright forward in the snow without sliding really. And NEVER sit on the saddle when it gets slippery, stand so you even out the weight on both wheels for maximum stability.(when sitting you have maybe 80% wight on the back wheel)

  19. #19
    Deleted
    UK here. It's been peaking around -20C the last week here so it's been pretty miserable. I've used the trainer mostly but when I go out in this kind of weather, I'll usually put on about 5 different layers, including leggings and overshoes.

  20. #20
    I live in Finland and I have cycled to school for many years now (only about 5km trip). When there is a lot of snow (like 20cm+) it starts to get pretty hard especially if it's something like 0 celsius outside and the snow is very heavy. They do a pretty good job keeping the roads clean here however there are mornings where all the roads are completely untouched. This sucks hard.

    It usually gets down to -25 C in here, today morning it was -22 C (-23 C atm) and I still cycled to school with no problems, just remember to cover your face and neck as much as possible, use good, warm gloves and use the freaking hood in your jacket. The hood creates a warm pocket of air inside itself which means your head is not exposed to wind at all. This way you can ride the bike for a long time and still feel your ears and jaw afterwards. You will see the difference if you remove the hood at some point when you are going fast. I don't really wear anything special for legs apart from long underwear, since you move your legs constantly while cycling resulting in enough heat to keep them warm. Sometimes my ankles are kinda numb if it's very cold but it doesn't bother me. Also, wearing warmer jacket than normally warms up the blood going to your arms and legs. Using an extra-warm jacket prevents you from getting frozen fingers

    When the temperature is constantly below zero there is only one problem with the bike (I ride a basic Trek mountain bike) which is that I have to set the gears correctly (maybe because of heat contraction or something, dunno) otherwise they won't switch anywhere near correctly, however if the weather is something along the lines of +2 on Monday, -10 on Tuesday, +4 on Wednesday, -5 on Thursday etc. (we get this A LOT) it sucks Thrall's balls. When the snow melts and the slush flies to your gears, brakes and lock and then it's cold on the next day, I can guarantee that you are about to get very annoyed. You wake up the next morning and are about to get on your bike. Remember all the places where the slush went? Well, there's ice now. And believe me when I say this, the slush gets everywhere. The ice is a pain in the ass to get out of every moving part even if you use and if you melt it using a blowdryer or something similar and ride to school, the snow will gather to the warm parts and melt, resulting in same scenario, only slightly minor at your destination, when you are about to go back home. Try to remove as much slush as you can before it freezes.

    I keep my bike outside under a roof so unless its particularly windy, my bike is snowless in the morning. I use lock oil or something similar to keep my lock functional however you may not even need to use it. My buddy keeps his bike in a garage so he doesn't have to deal with frozen locks in the morning. If you keep your bike in a warm interior, remember to inflate your tires outside, otherwise they will get flat in the cold.

    Thats about all tips and experiences I have, and I most likely forgot a thousand things. I will add some things if they come to mind

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