Love of winter commuting

[ianrauk]

I commute in all weathers all year round. Don't mind the rain or the cold, in fact happy to commute in any weather apart from strong winds and ice.

 

[skudupnorth]

I do like crispy,fresh,frosty cycling but can leave the wet,cold stuff happily even though i ride through the lot ! Summer riding is brilliant but i do suffer from heat once i get going.

 

[al78]

I can remember getting into work one snowy day this winter just gone ( I work for a local council) and the chap in the office saying If you can manage a trip from Wolverhampton to Dudley on a bicycle how come half of the others cannot make it from locally in a car !

Because simple technology often copes better with adverse conditions than more advanced technology, simply because advanced technology tends to be highly optimised for a narrow range of parameters. This makes it more efficient when conditions are within those parameter ranges (the majority of the time) at the cost of reduced robustness when they are not.

You can cycle in conditions/situations that are impossible to drive in.
You can walk in conditions/situations that are impossible to cycle in.

 

[Downward]

The only good thing about Winter commutes is at least you know what to wear.

 

[Crankarm]

What brought it to mind was I was out on a ride yesterday and ran out of water miles from home. It was really warm and being a ginger I started to suffer. By the time I got home I had a bright red neck and a banging dehidration headache. As I sat under a tree with an ice cold drink, all I could think about was those lovely lovely cold nights

Sounds like you failed to prepare for your ride and the heat had got to your head. But then you are ginger .

When I used to commute everyday I ended up hating the cold, wind and rain. Either you are nutz saying you prefer it or you have genuinely never cycled when it is warm and sunny which is a pure joy compared to the usual crap British climate. Also the wear and tear on your bike is considerably greater in winter than summer. Regularly cleaning all the grime and crap from my bike drive chain and relubing is not a task that fills me with enthusiasm neither keeping the brake blocks and rims clean to avoid premature wear.

When it's cold muscles take longer to work as blood is thicker and flows less easily.

I'm all for warm sunny weather 25-30C with a light breeze. Bring it on.

 

[skudupnorth]

Plus it seems that motorists are more careful and give more room in the winter,now it's all bright and sunny they get a bit silly and close shave more !

 

[palinurus]

I'd rather be commuting by bike in the winter than by any other form of transport, and there's cyclocross to look forward to. Otherwise I know what I prefer, I get fed up of riding in the dark come January and start itching for light evenings.

 

[gaz]

I commute in all weathers all year round. Don't mind the rain or the cold, in fact happy to commute in any weather apart from strong winds and ice.

ditto

 

[cyberknight]

Did miss the 1st week this year what with the worst winter for 30 years but otherwise its any weather for me.

 

[LizardEye]

I had an absolute blast commuting in the snow and ice last winter, particulaly the bit where I beat most of my 4 wheeled colleagues in. There's one bit of the cycle path with a 1in5 drop straight toward the river with sharp bend at the to run alongside the bank. Going down there on compacted snow and ice, in the dark is what makes life worth living.
Can't wait for next winter.

 

[Armegatron]

I love the winter commutes. Watched back a couple of vids from then and loved using the lights, and loved how different it was. I suppose Im a bit mad though because I love driving in the rain

 

[Losidan]

Does anybody else really love winter commuting?
I don't know if I am a bit odd, but I really enjoy it. The worse the weather, the darker the night the better. As the fare weather cyclist, where I work, put them away for the winter and give me pitying looks,I love the challenge and look forward to my ride home even more. This years ice and snow was a joy to me and I'm looking forward to this winter hoping we get something like it again. It maybe because it's only 7 miles but a fast run home, jump in the shower and down stairs to my tea in front of a roaring fire sets me up for the night. Am I the only loon?

I dont disagree...I too like the look of disbelief as you are still riding come hell or high water.

 

[upsidedown]

Love winter commuting, although the last one was quite harsh.
Walking into the office with a frozen water bottle does get a certain amount of attention.

 

[johnr]

I don't mind cycling in the cold, in the rain or in the dark. I absolutely loathe cycling when it's cold, raining and dark though! (I still do it though!)

Have commuted in snow on the racer and it's "interesting"!! Certainly keeps you awake!!

Sounds like my ride home on Friday

 

[Crankarm]

You're all mad attention seeking masochists. Summer cycling in 25+C is far more enjoyable. It might just reach 25C by the end of this week, hopefully and not before time.