At what age would you consider giving up winter commuting?

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threefingerjoe

Über Member
I'm 53, and a LOT of days, I'm not sure I want to brave the cold and dark. But, I'm almost afraid to NOT do it. If I drive the car, it will make it even harder to ride the bike the next day. Just take it a day at a time. The first warm day of Spring makes you realize that you've taken the worst that Winter can dish out!
 

summerdays

Cycling in the sun
Location
Bristol
I went out yesterday and we hadn't had snow here, but I could see frost on the road. I was cycling incredibly cautiously and I couldn't work out why given it didn't seem that slippy. After about 2 miles I remembered that I had come off on black ice at the beginning of Dec.

It was weird that my brain remembered the fear of ice much much more than the event. By the time I was cycling home last night it was now dark and beginning to snow. Somehow (could be half related to alcohol), I was much more confident perhaps as the ice seemed to show up more and the frost less. But it looks as if the snow has frozen overnight - so could be an interesting cycle ride later on.
 

dudi

Senior Member
Location
Ipswich, Suffolk
I don't mind the cold so much - I can always wear more. my only problem is keeping my fingertips from freezing. so as long as my fingertips stay intact after a ride - I'll continue to commute every winter.

our roads appear totally clear. the council has spread a few tons of salt and it appears to be working.

Our pavements are a different story... totally iced up. over an inch of compacted snow/ice covers almost every pavement where I live. So I think I shall be getting off the bike on the road, rather than crossing the path.
 

BrumJim

Forum Stalwart (won't take the hint and leave...)
Global warming.

Today's sub-zero temperatures will be a thing of the past when I reach old age.

Will still get dark in the mornings/evenings, though.
 

skrx

Active Member
BrumJim said:
Today's sub-zero temperatures will be a thing of the past when I reach old age.

Except most predictions suggest northern and western Europe will be colder in the winter.
 

Davidc

Guru
Location
Somerset UK
jimboalee said:
Death minus one day.

Agree - but it does rather depend on what counts as commuting.

If in future my working base is away from home and it's practical, I'm still healthy enough, and it's within about 10 miles I'll commute by bike again. Age doesn't come into it.

All of my local and/ or regular trips up to 20 miles return are by bike now if I can, why should age change that either? (But I do draw the line at riding on black ice).
 
D

Deleted member 1258

Guest
58 been riding to and from work in all weathers for the last 30 years and I don't see any reason to stop yet, maybe, if I have a heavy fall or accident and it badly knocks my confidence, or I have a major health problem I might stop.
 

sunnyjim

Senior Member
Location
Edinburgh
+1 for getting a trike. A few years ago I started skipping cycling days- and even whole weeks. I was getting fat, and burning a lot of petrol. Even a new bike didn't bring the joy it should have done. Independent of weather conditions and ordinary aches & pains, a prostate problem forced a decision whether the immediate future included regular cycling or not, and almost on impulse I ordered a Trice QNT.

I'd never seen a trike in the flesh before, let alone try one, but something had to be done (almost) regardless of expense.

Slightly unexpectedly this re-kindled an enthusiasm for cycling similar to those at the ages of 7 and 20. Cycling became fun again whatever the weather, new things to learn, new (albeit mostly imaginary) friends to be met. Now 2 years later and n+1 is a new 2 wheel recumbent and more things to learn.

This isn't meant as a bit of recumbent evangelism - only that it took a decision driven by other circumstances to make me realise that the real problem wasn't the weather, or age, but that I'd become stale.

Your mileage, as ever, may be entirely different.
 

palinurus

Velo, boulot, dodo
Location
Watford
sunnyjim said:
I'd never seen a trike in the flesh before, let alone try one, but something had to be done (almost) regardless of expense.

That's probably what I'd do. Go for a technological solution. After today's commute I might consider it sooner, not enough indoor space for a trike at present though.
 
OP
OP
beanzontoast
dudi said:
I don't mind the cold so much - I can always wear more. my only problem is keeping my fingertips from freezing. so as long as my fingertips stay intact after a ride - I'll continue to commute every winter.

Last year, I wore really thick gloves over thin goves and my hands felt colder than ever. This year, I've stuck with fairly thin gloves worn under my ordinary fingerless cycling gloves and it's been much better. I think last year the problem was that I wasn't able to move my fingers as much due to the thickness of the material and they got colder because of that.
 

Cab

New Member
Location
Cambridge
I pass geriatrics out on their bikes every day. And by geriatrics I don't mean to offend, I mean elderly types who have two sticks for walking jammed in to their pannier racks. And its excellent that they're out riding.

Saw a couple today, and they handled the ice better than the assorted younger types I saw skid off (honestly, stopping to see if fallers were OK added ten minutes to my commute!)
 
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