Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Duppie on February 4, 2013 at 3:57pm

I (re)learned today that the afternoon after a morning snowfall is worse. The slush is starting to freeze up again, and does get stuck between my tire and fenders, to the point where the drag becomes noticable.

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Permalink Reply by Lisa Curcio on February 5, 2013 at 3:45am

I learned that the next day is probably worse than the day of the snow.  Frozen slush is really hard to ride over/through!  And I learned that taking Milwaukee instead of side streets would have been the smarter choice the day after the snow.

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Permalink Reply by Tim Heckman on February 5, 2013 at 11:38am

I learned that 1-2 inches of fresh snow over asphalt trail (Prairie Path) is kind of fun, but that a foot track made in that same snow is basically impassable. My thermal bike tights underneath heavy canvas pants have been good on the coldest days of this year.  I modulate between those and long undewear and jeans, depending on the weather, on my five mile commute.  I also have a pair of close fitting Seirus gloves, that are good to about 20 degrees, but if it's colder than that, I have a pair of cheap gloves that fit nicely over the top, with minimal loss of dexterity, and have been good every day so far this year.

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Permalink Reply by Tricolor on February 10, 2013 at 11:18am

I learned riding in salt makes things a pain to clean.

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Permalink Reply by Haddon on February 10, 2013 at 11:35pm

If you get your cat de-clawed it won't be so bad.

Tricolor said:

I learned riding in salt makes things a pain to clean.

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Permalink Reply by Tony Adams on February 11, 2013 at 5:58am

Today I was reminded to take weather forecasts with a grain of salt. Or at least not to let yesterday's forecast determine what I'll do today. Yesterday the forecasts were predicting super cold temps today and then a bunch of snow later on. So last night, given the rain, I was concerned that we'd have a repeat of last week's ice covered streets and then a fresh layer of snow on top of that.

This morning I find bone dry streets and near-balmy temps. It was a fantastic morning commute (I had a tailwind most of the time).

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Permalink Reply by Tricolor on February 11, 2013 at 6:05am

Adopting a cat that someone else has already treated is fine, but I'd never do it myself.  I clip her claws every month or so and with a few coils of sisal rope around that's all she scratches.

Haddon said:

If you get your cat de-clawed it won't be so bad.

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Permalink Reply by Duppie on February 11, 2013 at 6:16am

When having a cat with claws, it surely helps that your apartment looks empty in the pictures. ;)

Personally I have resolved the issue of cleaning by having a dedicated winter bike. It's old, and rusty, and it is the same bike I park at the Metra station on those days I take the Metra in.

This bike sees only ABC maintenance in the winter. Then when spring comes around, and I have changed back to my normal bike, the winter bike goes on the bikestand and gets a detailed overhaul.

That way I don't have to worry about salt and crud destroying my "nice" commuter. Biggest downside to this is that the winter bike feels slower than my nice bike.

Tricolor said:

Adopting a cat that someone else has already treated is fine, but I'd never do it myself.  I clip her claws every month or so and with a few coils of sisal rope around that's all she scratches.

Haddon said:

If you get your cat de-clawed it won't be so bad.

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Permalink Reply by Adam Herstein on February 11, 2013 at 6:19am

I plan on getting a thorough drivetrain cleaning come spring.

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Permalink Reply by Lisa Curcio on October 24, 2013 at 9:40am

With it having gotten a bit chillier than normal for this time of year, and people acting like it is winter when it is not, I thought I would bump this thread from last year.  For anyone riding in cold weather for the first time, it is worth it to go back to the beginning. 

I am relearning what clothes to wear since I failed to follow the advice of Gene Tenner last year who said "write it down"!

And in these days when it is low 30s in the morning and mid 40s in the afternoon, I am learning it is useful to have a lighter pair of gloves to wear home and a bag to put unnecessary layers in on the way home.

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Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on October 25, 2013 at 12:46am

Good stuff to remember in our current "almost winter" temps.

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Permalink Reply by Bill Savage on October 25, 2013 at 8:08am

I carry four sets of gloves in this sort of weather: heavy duty, medium, liners/lightweight and summer-fingerless.  But I'm a pack mule who always has two panniers, usually full.  Layering is the key for sure.

Lisa Curcio 4.1 mi said:

With it having gotten a bit chillier than normal for this time of year, and people acting like it is winter when it is not, I thought I would bump this thread from last year.  For anyone riding in cold weather for the first time, it is worth it to go back to the beginning. 

I am relearning what clothes to wear since I failed to follow the advice of Gene Tenner last year who said "write it down"!

And in these days when it is low 30s in the morning and mid 40s in the afternoon, I am learning it is useful to have a lighter pair of gloves to wear home and a bag to put unnecessary layers in on the way home.

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