Change of tactics for winter?

[User6179]

My big issue when winter riding is I'm cold at the start, so I load up with good winter clothes, then within 10 miles I'm roasting so have to take half of it off and carry it...#clothinghassles.

Don't know it's an option for you but when it gets really cold I'll sit on the turbo on the garage and warm up for 10-15 minutes before I go out.[/QUOTE]

With winter riding I found if you are not cold for the first mile then you will be cooking by the second mile .

 

[Brandane]

Did CC get out of bed the wrong side this morning?
I made a valid contribution, insulted nobody and been derided for it. What answer would you like me to give?

It can be difficult on a forum to judge what someone means, without having the advantage of knowing the tone in which it was posted.
Taking it in context with my OP, it just came across as dismissive of my question. I posted with the assumption that we all ride bikes (which in hindsight was a stupid assumption to make), so just wanted to know whether others prefer "short and sweet, or less regular but longer" rides.

I apologise if I took your reply out of its intended context, but to answer your question above, you could have maybe qualified it by adding something along the lines of "Does it matter, as long as you are riding?". As it was written, I (and others, apparently) took it to mean "Does it matter? Why are you asking such a pointless question?".

HTH.. Now can we all have a wee lie down? (yellow face things also help with tone; but seem to be frowned upon in certain sections of this forum)...

 

[jay clock]

I did an Ironman last year and part of the "training" was commuting 3-4 days a week on a 22km round trip by Brompton. I was amazed how much benefit I got from this little and often effort built into the day. Go for it

 

[mjr]

As a mostly lone rider, the thought of 60 mile winter rides doesn't appeal: being warm on the bike suddenly turns cold when having to walk or await a lift.

Carry some clothes on the back of the bike, plus bus shelters are your friend for a drier repair, and marked on some maps if you need a collection or taxi.

 

[Accy cyclist]

Carry some clothes on the back of the bike, plus bus shelters are your friend for a drier repair, and marked on some maps if you need a collection or taxi.

I've used a bus stop to change wet clothes once or twice. Then the bus appears and stops as you're getting changed and all the passengers stare at you!

 

[mjr]

I've used a bus stop to change wet clothes once or twice. Then the bus appears and stops as you're getting changed and all the passengers stare at you!

Ah, well, bus shelters are more common than buses in many villages around here...

 

[BrynCP]

Ah, well, bus shelters are more common than buses in many villages around here...

Must say I don't pass many bus shelters nor buses.

 

[Pale Rider]

My group used a bus shelter during a heavy shower this morning, which also provided an obvious answer to the following question:

How do you get seven cyclists into a bus shelter?

Leave the bikes outside.

 

[Pat "5mph"]

My group used a bus shelter during a heavy shower this morning, which also provided an obvious answer to the following question:
How do you get seven cyclists into a bus shelter?
Leave the bikes outside.

There's a picture floating on here of half a dozen CC Ecossers sheltering in a bus stop, with our bikes!
Regarding the OP my answer is: no strategy.
I never ride anywhere just for the sake of it, even if I go exploring it's to scout a new route for the Belles, or to find a place I want to go to.
Whatever the season, my strategy is to go on with ... getting going!

 

[Accy cyclist]

Ah, well, bus shelters are more common than buses in many villages around here...

Yes that's what i was gambling on. The shelters were in small quiet villages and seeing as no one was about, i thought i'd take my soaking shorts off to wring the squelching pad out. Just as they came off up turns the once a month bus!!

 

[Brandane]

There's a picture floating on here of half a dozen CC Ecossers sheltering in a bus stop, with our bikes!

Sheltering from a wee drop of rain? You disappoint me, Pat .......................

Absolutely: some CC Ecossers will bail out at the smallest rain drop not me

 

[ianrauk]

I was out at 6.40am this morning. It was dark and it was raining. It was a planned Kent 100 miler with @Trickedem , his October's century a month challenge ride.
It was very hard going with incessant rain. All sorts of thoughts were going round my head. Why am I out here? WTF am I doing this for? etc. If Tim had texted or called and said he had gone back home, I would have turned tail and done the same in an instant. It was pretty miserable out there.
However, by the the time I had met Tim at the 25 mile mark and had a cup of tea at the cafe, the rain had stopped. It stayed dry for the rest of ride.

I didn't have to go out in that weather, but I am glad I did as the rest of the ride was jolly good. If it wasn't Tim's challenge ride then I probably wouldn't have gone out at all and certainly wouldn't have beaten myself up about it.

 

[Dave 123]

This year I've been doing lots of shorter rides.
Last year I did the imperial century a month challenge. I really enjoyed it, but I found that it took a lot of looking at weather forecasts, swapping and changing and then taking a whole day up.. Mrs Dave is fine with it, I wasn't. I like to do stuff with her.

Now we are tandem riding the rides tend to be shorter. 50 odd miles has been our maximum, and the average weekend rides tends to be around 30 miles.
Also this year in the summer we did a few pub rides on weekday evenings, maybe 15 miles.

I used to think that a ride of less than 20 wasn't a ride, but the 17 mile one this afternoon was great.

 

[Slick]

I'm much the same, using others for motivation. I'm not sure I would have completed the ride I did today on my own. It wasn't particularly long, but it just seemed to be straight uphill.

As for the original question, I reckon that I pretty much enjoy both. I do like my short 12 mile commute but I do try and get a couple of longer ones in per month. What I call longer and what most people would call longer may be different, as 50 miles is pretty much my max.

 

[Trickedem]

I was out at 6.40am this morning. It was dark and it was raining. It was a planned Kent 100 miler with @Trickedem , his October's century a month challenge ride.
It was very hard going with incessant rain. All sorts of thoughts were going round my head. Why am I out here? WTF am I doing this for? etc. If Tim had texted or called and said he had gone back home, I would have turned tail and done the same in an instant. It was pretty miserable out there.
However, by the the time I had met Tim at the 25 mile mark and had a cup of tea at the cafe, the rain had stopped. It stayed dry for the rest of ride.

I didn't have to go out in that weather, but I am glad I did as the rest of the ride was jolly good. If it wasn't Tim's challenge ride then I probably wouldn't have gone out at all and certainly wouldn't have beaten myself up about it.

Thanks mate. I was all for having a lie in. If you hadn't been joining me, I wouldn't have gone out. Twas indeed a nice ride. And here is a picture of the man himself!