Fall and Winter Commuter Challenge!

[Biciclista]

I guess that's it for my riding this week. I got up this morning and it was 6°F and I just couldn't think why I'd do that to myself. Maybe it'll warm up (that being, of course, a relative term) on Saturday so I can go for a bit of a ride then. So:

This week
M: 2/2
T: 1/1
W: 2/2
T: 0/2
F: 0/2 (anticipating, since it's supposed to be colder tomorrow)

Last week
M: 2/2
T: 1/1
W: 2/2
T: 2/2
F: 2/2

what does this mean? you rode 2 miles each way on monday, one mile each way on tuesday???



I rode in today again, to discover that they removed all the sand that had piled up in the bike lanes!!!

[kfergos]

what does this mean? you rode 2 miles each way on monday, one mile each way on tuesday???

I rode in today again, to discover that they removed all the sand that had piled up in the bike lanes!!!

Nope, sorry that was totally unclear... I was counting the number of rides/day, at 13 to 14 miles/ride. So this week it was about 65 miles for the week, I guess. Normally I commute about 120 miles/week.

Yay for no sand! Another plus of winter: Not so much glass and sharp junk on the roads, thanks to plows moving stuff all the time.

[keepclimbing]

Anyone have any winter tips for protective eyewear? Do you wear your regular sunglasses? What do you do to keep them clear? Does anyone use goggles?

[Grog]

Anyone have any winter tips for protective eyewear? Do you wear your regular sunglasses? What do you do to keep them clear? Does anyone use goggles?

I wear clear lenses most of the time. Most of my commute is either at the very early hours of the morning or in total darkness. It's never very cold. So it works well. They are these: http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_d...45524442586453 but I have clear lenses for them. I also have yellow but don't wear the yellow much anymore. Can't beat the price, and they are UV proof.

I had to take them off once recently because it was so terribly foggy. Otherwise they are fine. I wouldn't do without. Too much flying grit and stuff on the road.

[keepclimbing]

I agree about needing protection, but my regular glasses fog up constantly in the winter. I haven't tried defogger wipes on them because I assume those only work on goggles where the outside air can't get to the inside of the lens. But I might be wrong.

[kfergos]

I have a lot of trouble with my glasses fogging up, too. I don't have a solution for you, but I can tell you what I haven't tried: Things like Cat Crap that you have to smear on your lenses. I'm very leery about that. But if you find something that works, let me know!

[Geonz]

When it's really cold I wear ski goggles, tho' I ended up foregoing them the last couple times because they cut back on visibility, even with my mirror.

I broke a personal record THursday and Friday - 11 below zero. Friday, had my digestive tract and/or my will cooperated, I could have gone in at 17 below... but I made the tactical error of not wearing warm enough clothes to bed and when it's that cold outside, it just isn't warm inside, either... and the previous night's dinner was rather demanding that I spend extra time in the loo. So I called in and said I'd be in an hour late.

I then decided that since it really doesn't look like it will get better, that I need to, as the bracelet says, HTFU. (Hopefully harden the bowels up, too ) So I made sure to leave *early* today... fact is, that with enough layers, I don't get cold. I did yoga stretches and crunches for 10 minutes before swaddling myself, and then some running-in-place and centrifugal arm swinging before actually leaving, and my hands didn't even get cold. At nine degrees, I could even leave exposed skin so I didn't have the wet balaclava problem.

However, last Wednesday I took the bus home because truth be told, I'm not a mountain biker - I'm a weenie with roads that aren't smooth. Adn... they're forecasting snow for next week, again. Cold I can handle... but I don't wanna fall into traffic.

It occurs to me that I *could* order Bigger Studs... that is my plan as soon as these have put in WorthWhile Mileage... and I don't even know what that would be. 1000 miles? I have the "106 stud for plowed roads" tyres... but on the other hand, more studs would have been a bunbite this a.m. on the *mostly* clear and dry roads.... *and* getting the back wheel off my bike wtih chain guard and internal hub and brakes is a bunbite of its own.

Third option: get Monster Studs for the folding bike, which is much easier to operate on.