Hang in There - 30 Days and Counting!

[Mr. Bloom]

I am a fan of Daylight Savings Time (although it's probably ineffective at saving energy...)

- as a weekday resident on the western edge of the Eastern time zone, DLST gives us daylight until nearly 10PM! I can do a 60 mile ride after work!

- as a weekend resident of the eastern edge of the Central time zone, I still get the benefit of much more morning time to get in a ride before Silver and the kids wake up!

How can I say that DLST is ineffective at saving energy? We live in Indiana which straddles the eastern and central time zones. Until a couple years ago, the eastern time zone sections didn't recognize DLST! So, the regional utilility had a pool of households for research...and found that consumption actually increased in the areas that switched to DLST. Many other variables could affect it, but I believe it was an 8% increase!

Oh yeah! when I started this thread yesterday, it was dark and -3 degrees! FARENHEIT Thanks to those who rubbed in how warm it was elsewhere

[Selkie]

I, too, am a fan of DST.

Didn't Pres Nixon make it year around during the oil crisis in the 70s? I think I was in 3rd or 4th grade that year -- I remember waiting for the school bus in the dark and cold that winter.

Oakleaf, you're fine! It's actually only on the threads where folks are lamenting the cold/snow, then someone chimes in with it being 50 degrees and dry. And complaining about it. Believe me, I would LOVE to have 40 degree weather to ride in or even above 32 degrees. Since I ride before work, I'm out in the coldest part of the day (it's dark, too).

I enjoy reading about people who are riding---the southern California gals, in particular. But they keep those threads separate from the winter weather threads. That way, if you don't want to read about someone being out while you're stuck inside on the trainer, you can skip those them.

But there's hope. Looks like things are going to warm up here, at least temporarily, for the next week.

[Aggie_Ama]

Sometimes I find the comments about it being "only 60 degrees" a little insensitive, particularly to those who have been buried in snow, unable to ride safely because of road salt/gravel, etc.

But thank you, Mr. S, for reminding us that the end is near.

Sorry, I did not mean any offense. I have never known a winter in my entire life (seen snow about 4 times) and what you speak of blows my mind. I am tickled to have an even mild by our standards winter because last summer we had the third worst summer on record and I could hardly ride much of the summer due to 50+ days where the temperature sweltered over 100, often before noon we hit 100 and were still there at 9:00 pm. People died here due to inability to cool themselves but that gets little news coverage when it is Texas.

The temperature is mild but we should be having rain to end what is quickly becoming the worst drought on record. I would give anything to be stuck inside for weeks due to rain. Texas is a pretty depressing place this winter if you look around too long, I rode through a contained brush fire for the 4th time this month last weekend.

Mr.- Do not wish for my weather, it also has 40 mph wind gusts. I am not riding this weekend either since I do not fancy myself as a kite.

[Mr. Bloom]

Mr.- Do not wish for my weather, it also has 40 mph wind gusts. I am not riding this weekend either since I do not fancy myself as a kite.

The wind here is 35mph today, but it's bringing warm air from Texas!

So, I'm going for a 20 miler today. First 10 directly into the wind; for the return, I'll simply coast home.

[solobiker]

I like DLST, I love it when it is lighter later. However, I would have a hard time changing this clock

[OakLeaf]

You know, I thought about this.

None of us buys clothes for the coldest 2 or 5 or maybe even 10 days of our local winter, whether those days are 50 above or 40 below. It's simply not worth the expense or the storage space.

I have two lovely pairs of wool tights sitting in my closet in Ohio. They get plenty of use in the spring and fall. I would have loved to have had them on several of these mornings. Am I going to bring them with me to Florida next year? Nope. Am I going to buy some to keep here? Uh-uh. Not when I might wear them twice or three times over the entire winter. As for heavy winter shoes and gloves, I don't even own any, even though there are always a few days or even weeks in Ohio when I choose not to ride out at 8 a.m. with the club because my hands and feet would go numb and painful. I haven't been able to convince myself that, when I'm only in that weather for a few weeks a year, appropriate footwear would be worth the expense or the space and weight in my cycling duffel.

There are many people in the northern contiguous US who feel they can't ride because of the ice, snow and salt, and I respect that. I don't road ride when I'm home and the roads are like that (although most of my buddies, and on occasion myself, take every opportunity for off road riding.) But meanwhile there's an intermittent thread on the Alaska section discussing whether it's better to try and ride on deep uncleared sidewalks or in the middle of the street on the tire tracks between the snow berms. There've been any number of discussions about whether to ride when the temperature's in the teens, and if so, how to dress for it. Sue Geonz has been quietly logging more outdoor mileage on BikeJournal than almost any of us, from her home in central Illinois.

I guess all I'm saying is everyone has to be where they are. I don't think it's insensitive to the Norwegians that you don't have proper clothing for the weather you currently have in Virginia, and so choose not to ride. I don't think it's insensitive to the Virginians that Aggie doesn't have proper clothing for the weather she currently has in Texas, and maybe chooses not to ride. Making comments about other people's tolerance of weather conditions can be insensitive, whether you consider their weather "better" or "worse" than yours.

[ny biker]

I live in Virginia and am not offended by any of these comments. I also would not choose to live someplace where the weather would allow me to ride outside year round. I'm not a big fan of sub-freezing temps, but I can live with them because I prefer having the variety of four distinct seasons rather than warm weather year-round.

Weather, especially temperature, is so incredibly relative. When you're used to 80 degrees, 50 seems cold because it's 30 degrees lower, so you wear a coat. When the high temp barely reaches 20, like it did here on Thursday, and then it goes over 50 only two days later, you're walking around in a t-shirt because it's 30 degrees warmer. It's all about what you're used to.

(Apologies to those who measure temperature in celsius instead of fahrenheit. Did I even spell "celsius" right?)

[Mr. Bloom]

Yippee!

[RolliePollie]

I love DLST! And I am very excited that it's happening so early this year. I won't like that it's so dark in the morning, but the extra light after work is something I really look forward to! I probably won't be riding in the evenings until winter goes away a little more (i.e. snow on side of roads melts), but I should be able to at least go on some good walks.

p.s. ny biker is so right about it all being relative when it comes to temperature! I don't take offense at anyone's comments...I think it's kind of entertaining. It might be 35-40 degrees at my house and I'll head to Sacramento to ride where it's in the high 50's or around 60. I'll be wearing shorts and short sleeved jersey and almost everyone else is bundled up in all their winter gear. I get a kick out of it. It's just what you're used to.

[Miranda]

But thank you, Mr. S, for reminding us that the end is near.

That made me lol... I was just thinking that before I got to this post in the thread. I think we have some strong opinions about time changing... I do too lol. My DH just goes through and does all the clocks because it makes my brain hurt trying to do the math. HOWEVER...

I say... Hooray! Come on Spring. It is SO wonderful to have the overall amount of daylight increasing with days being longer. It has even been sunny lately. That has made my winter S.A.D. deprssion improve. For two months I've been at the gym at spin class, weight training, and finally lost some holiday pounds for the spring riding weight goal. (Though, the outside wind of Mother Nature always gives me the annual 'welcome back hello azz-kickin'--the fan in spin class just isn't the same.)

NOW, my only delimea is to get my new bike that fits! Therefore, this post almost sets me into a state of panic... must find and decide soon, arrrgghhh. But, I will control myself until I think she's right. All goes as planned, traveling to go bike shopping this week.

So, Mr. Silver... I hear ya loud and clear.

[WindingRoad]

"That has made my winter S.A.D. deprssion improve. For two months I've been at the gym at spin class, weight training, and finally lost some holiday pounds for the spring riding weight goal. (Though, the outside wind of Mother Nature always gives me the annual 'welcome back hello azz-kickin'--the fan in spin class just isn't the same.)"

If feel your pain....I can't wait for more bike time. If it's light later I can get home with tons of time to spare before dark and usually get in an 'official' training ride too. I'm so sick of the gym.... ack. Can't wait to have a nice long ride without techno music soon. Ready to send the winter blues packin!

[Tuckervill]

Miranda, you could do like I do, and wait for the atomic clock in the kitchen to change automatically, and then carry that around to all the other clocks and sync them up!

Karen

[sundial]

I love my atomic clock. Unfortunately, it forwarded itself too early last spring.

I noticed the sun is rising earlier all the time.

[sundial]

Oh yeah! when I started this thread yesterday, it was dark and -3 degrees! FARENHEIT Thanks to those who rubbed in how warm it was elsewhere

Shoulda stayed in the mid-south.

[Tuckervill]

OH YEAH! I'll bet my atomic clock doesn't know DST changes on a new date now!

Karen