Okay, all you experienced winter riders, answer me this: How do you deal with snot?!

[OakLeaf]

So this is the thread that separates the jocks from the ladies...

[Owlie]

Gloves. I washed mine after every ride I went on this winter because my nose turns into a faucet if I ride below 55 degrees.

[Melalvai]

I don't do snot rockets but I can imagine a day where I might. But when I biked to Omaha and back, each half-day saw me with fewer inhibitions about when & where I peed, and how far away from the road I would go!

Guess I'm probably not a lady! Don't know how this reflects on my mother...she was absolutely horrified when I told her about peeing on the side of the road. Of course, so was my daughter. Maybe it skipped a generation!

[7rider]

It's all about the time and place -- and whether you can hit your intended target (and not me).

Yup.
And for the record....the motorist is never my target. And 99.9% of the time...they're not looking at me anyway. Too busy texting, putting on make-up, shaving, eating....whatever. So although I may say I do it for their "benefit" - I really don't.

[HillSlugger]

What can be snorted in, can also be shot out with equal effectiveness.

I have a magical speed required of 18 mph. At that speed or higher, I'm okay to clear on the move. Otherwise, I wait for a stoplight or stop sign. That's always fun to gross out the motorists who are waiting beside me! So genteel and ladylike, ya know? Just be sure to leeeean away from the bike, lest you get anything on any part of you or the bike you'd rather not see crudified (like jacket shoulders, arms, or panniers). Apply one finger to close one nostril, and BLOW out the open nostril! Clean up with the glove, give a wink to the motorist beside you, and smell that cold winter air!

I've ridden with her; she good!

[shootingstar]

So this is the thread that separates the jocks from the ladies...

I'm a lousy spitter. So I've given up trying to do that too.

Part of my need to use kleenex, terry snot wiper on glove...probably stems from the fact that my mother is an incredible spitter....at home into the toilet or garbage can. Real peasant style, folks. Real loud. Like what you see/hear in Chinatown sometimes. Except she never does it public. Thank goodness.

And it's what you hear about from travellers in certain areas of Asia.

Joyful. Sorry folks. To me, it's a public health issue when I've noticed alot of snot releasers and spitters on elevators, staircases, etc. after seeing gobs. And seeing young children spit anywhere out of sheer bravado.

Should be done discreetly and into the grass/bush/outdoors/well you know.

Brand me old-fashioned, but my reasons/inhibitions are abit different.

[RolliePollie]

Snot Rocketeer here. But I only do it when there is no one around...no other cyclists, no cars, and not in front of houses where someone inside might see me, etc.. It's very gross, but it's effective...and my nose runs like a faucet. I am much better SR-ing with my left nostril, which is a good thing because that one runs about 75% more than the right one.

I also use my glove. If you wipe your nose on your glove, then wipe your glove really good on the side of your thigh, the glove is dry-ish and ready to wipe with again in no time. And I like to think no one notices the smudge on my leg from glove wiping.

[salsabike]

Sorry folks. To me, it's a public health issue when I've noticed alot of snot releasers and spitters on elevators, staircases, etc. after seeing gobs. And seeing young children spit anywhere out of sheer bravado.

Should be done discreetly and into the grass/bush/outdoors/well you know.

Yup.

And BSG, love the recycling thought.

[lph]

Hehe. I'm so used to snot rocketing wherever when bike commuting and skiing that I have to stop myself from doing so at the bus stop surrounded by other people

I do realize it's not too appetizing at close quarters. But what's up with all the teenage spitters?? The ones that spit not just once, but slowly, deliberately, 3 times in the course of as many minutes...? I missed that being cool.

[Bike Chick]

I'm with Rollie. I wait for a private moment when I'm off the back and on a country road. It may not be very ladylike but sometimes very necessary---kinda like peeing on the side of the road. I always carry the bandana too to blow my nose in while I'm trying to find the right bush to pee behind.

[Grits]

Ewwww. Yuck. Gross.

This thread is practical, but disgusting.

[hammertime]

snot rocketeteer here as well. thought i'd never be one... but once i tried it, it's quite effective, LOL!!

[OakLeaf]

In all seriousness, I can see how snot rocketing isn't the most attractive thing in the world, but I can't understand why it would be unsanitary. If someone's licking the ground - or even putting their hands on the ground and then not washing them - they've got more problems than athlete snot.

To me, a handkerchief is unsanitary - putting a healthy culture medium on a matrix that'll keep it wet, jamming it in a pocket that isn't necessarily the cleanest but is kept nice and warm by your body heat, then putting it back onto your nose? Ewwwww.

[Bike Chick]

To me, a handkerchief is unsanitary - putting a healthy culture medium on a matrix that'll keep it wet, jamming it in a pocket that isn't necessarily the cleanest but is kept nice and warm by your body heat, then putting it back onto your nose? Ewwwww.

grrrrroooooossssssss Never quite thought of it that way. Ewwww

[7rider]

Yeah, recycling isn't the best, either: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfKkgT9zXV0 (this was the least gag-inducing I could find).
No pretty way to address an ugly issue.