Fair Weather Cyclist?

[Voodoo Sally]

I used to balk at commuting in dark, rain, and cold. But this year I'm turning over a new leaf. I don't know why, but my "project" has become to ride through the winter. So, it's an ongoing learning process, with many "firsts" lately. First I started riding home in the dark this summer. That was fine. Then I tried riding in the rain. With the right clothes that was fine. And lately it's been cold, so I've been figuring that out, with good results.

Yesterday was a banner day, though. It snowed a little here yesterday morning, and I thought, here goes nothing. I put on some waterproof clothes and hit the road. The slush in the shoulders kind of sucked, but when I could I rode in the roadway. Then I hit the "mountain biking" part of my commute. I do use slick tires, and with some skills usually I'm fine on the dirt. But the inch of snow on top of the thick oak leaves proved too much for my front tire. I fought the slippage as best I could, but twice the front wheel got away from me and I went body surfing on the ground. Oops! Live and learn. I'm putting some semi-knobbies on ASAP.

My ride home (after dark) was very "adventurous", too. It had gotten hopelessly foggy. So there I was, in the fog, in the dark. At least the snow was gone. My bike and body were lit up very well, and I'm sure that's the ONLY way any motorists saw me.

As for cleaning my bike, that's the downside. I do like to keep my steed clean, and therefore I have been slaving over it lately, cleaning it more often as the weather deteriorates.

[SnappyPix]

Deep respect to everyone who continues to battle on, despite the weather.
I used to commute in all weathers, but now work from home, so my hardy streak has fizzled out completely!

After one particularly nasty winter, spending more time on my backside than in the saddle, I gave up ice skating on 2 wheels and decided that snow and ice were no-go weather.

But the inch of snow on top of the thick oak leaves proved too much for my front tire. I fought the slippage as best I could, but twice the front wheel got away from me and I went body surfing on the ground. Oops! Live and learn. I'm putting some semi-knobbies on ASAP.

Not sure if it's true, but I always understood slicks to be better on snow and ice as there's more tyre contact with the ground than knobblies or treads.
I guess it depends how fresh or compacted the snow is.

[Tater]

I will pretty much ride in anything and have done so. Rain, sleet, snow...been there and done that. Last year I commuted from the 'burbs to downtown and had quite the variety of weather! I found that as long as I was dressed properly, I could handle the cold and wet; if I had fenders and studs, I could handle the cruddy roads and it worked out pretty well.

I am with Lisa and that as long as the roads are clear enough, I'll be out for some mileage.

[Dogmama]

Definitely not rain. I always get a nasty stuck in my tire. And I'm terrified of losing my brakes on the road.

Define cold. I live in Tucson. Anything under 50 degrees is frigid! I'll ride in it though because I'd rather freeze my butt than slog through a spinning class.

I'm dusting off the MTB - and like most of you - bring on the wet stuff! Nothing makes me feel younger than coming home covered in mud. Of course, we get ten inches of rain a year, so it's not an everyday thing.

[makbike]

Snow or rain a big NO! I won't ride in the dark either just to risky. Cold is a maybe. I'm trying to push myself to ride when it is 45 F or above - a new low temp threshold for me this season. I hate to be cold and my hands and feet just do not handle it well (had mild frostbite in college). I've tried the hand warmers/toe warmers. They keep my hands warm but do nothing for my feet. I'm going to try and ride tomorrow - high is forecast to be 48 F - all I can do is try. If I don't ride outside I'll give the fluid trainer a good work out for an hour or so. Either way I'll ride.