I rode today. Did you?

Nice first ride in the COLD.

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on February 17, 2014 at 10:41am

Even on streets where plows pass often (like State St. in the Loop), it doesn't take long for the snow to accumulate. It's very heavy and wet. Challenging conditions for getting around by any means. Wishing you all safe travels this evening.

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Permalink Reply by Anika on February 17, 2014 at 12:00pm

Yes. For 1.5 miles on the cargo with a kid. We have up an bailed to the bus for the rest of the afternoon.

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Permalink Reply by Gene Tenner on February 17, 2014 at 12:23pm

Clark Street, that dark street in this tottlin' town.

What a workout.

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Permalink Reply by Jenny on February 17, 2014 at 5:34pm

Fun ride today. I feel like I'm getting so much better at biking in the snow. (Probably should have gotten snow tires, but now it's too late.) Major streets in Lincoln Park were plowed sometime this evening, so the conditions at 9pm were much better than, say, 5pm. Should be a fairly easy ride tomorrow as long as you stick to the major streets.

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Permalink Reply by T.K. 3.5 mi on February 17, 2014 at 6:13pm

Ditto to what Jenny said.

Biking today was too much fun. I definitely spun out much less than all of the vehicles I saw. I wish we had another 4" tomorrow, but 40°F sounds alright too I guess.

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Permalink Reply by Simon Phearson on February 18, 2014 at 3:45am

Almost talked myself out of it today. People were freaking out over the conditions yesterday evening on Twitter, so I worried that things wouldn't be rideable by this morning. That was the part of me that thinks.

The other part of me let some more air out of my tires, double-checked my alternate routes, and set out - I didn't want to miss out on today's 40-degree promise. I had a lot of fishtailing, and I went too slow to really get into it, but that sun against by legs - it felt good. And now a 40-degree commute home (albeit with a headwind) to look forward to.

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Permalink Reply by Robert Underwood on February 18, 2014 at 5:01am

Another thing I like about commuting via bicycle, no need to shovel snow for an hour just to get out of a parking spot. (or just do a "porthole" and hope you don't smash into something/someone.)

Didn't ride yesterday cause no worky work. This morning was nice, plowed through lots of slush no problem since it wasn't frozen. Yes, I know warm is nice but I had just tuned my clothing system just right, and now its warming up and I gotta re-tune it or Im gonna be a sweaty mess... all Im sayin is I like it when the temp is steady for a while so I don't have to rethink my outfit. still, two thumbs up for this morning.

AM 9.5 said:

That sun is starting to feel warm again. The slush is very loose and manageable. The drivers carving little portholes in the snow on their windows and passing on the right are not very manageable. Must've seen about 8 or 9 examples of that this morning.

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Permalink Reply by Gene Tenner on February 18, 2014 at 5:41am

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Permalink Reply by Tricolor on February 18, 2014 at 6:27am

The lake front path was okay but the underpasses at North and Oak were untouched, so getting off the trail was a pain this morning.

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Permalink Reply by EssFresh on February 19, 2014 at 2:01am

Some icy spots from yesterday thaw, to be expected, especially from high traffic streets and business entrances. Be careful and ride a little slower than normal.

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Permalink Reply by JMinHP on February 19, 2014 at 2:19am

What a great ride this morning. Be careful on sidewalks and paths due to icy spots that froze overnight.

Am I the only one that feels like my effort (perceived effort?) increases exponentially as the temperature drops below freezing? Divvy was a breeze today in 3rd gear, but I'm huffing and puffing in 2nd gear when the temp is in the teens.