OMG I Biked to Work Today!

I just got back from a beautiful ride from the Loop to Uptown via Wells, Clark, Broadway, Halsted and back to Broadway post a Whole Foods stop.  There was virtually no wind; the streets clear; and traffic was light.

This morning's ride in on the LFP from Wilson to Fullerton was beautiful.  The path was clear of any snow and ice, the wind was just about non existent, and the zoo parking lot - running from Fullerton to LaSalle - was so clean you couldn't find a spec of snow. They must have been plowing since 4 am (I saw all the trucks!).

Riding home tonight I saw  two cyclists total. One at Grand and a second at Montrose. On the morning ride I didn't hit my first rider until Division and ended up seeing two other riders.

The hysteria and media created frenzy about the weather today was unbelievable.  You  would have thought it was snowmageddon revisited.  

Yes, I get that it's colder than normal for this time of year but when you are on a bike the difference between 25 and zero is maybe just a layer.  As folks on this site  have taught me,when you are biking your body produces so much heat that it's actually disposing of the heat that can be a problem.

I understand that it's dangerous to bike when it's windy and the roads are covered  with snow and ice.  I don't blame anybody for not biking then. But weather like today -when the roads are clear (at least  those that I took) and wind is minimal - can make for lovely riding.

So please excuse my rant.

My issue is more with the media and their revenue generating weather hysteria than it is with those of you who didn't ride today.  My suggestion is that for those cold winter days you decide for  yourself whether or not you want to ride based on what you see and feel outside (don't rely on the media reports!). And if you have the proper gear to ride in sub freezing temperatures - in my case it's "technical" cold weather clothes - go for it! You may like it.

And btw, I am not one of those hardcore dudes I pass on the LFP in mid November running in shorts. I get cold hands and feet  just like you all.

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Permalink Reply by Josh L. on December 11, 2013 at 5:51pm

Good point you bring up Jennifer.  And one I mention to others too.

I have a ten minute walk to the train in uptown.  Assuming a five minute wait for the  train and switching at Fullerton means 25 minutes walking or standing in cold. Or I can bike in the same weather (okay add a few degrees for wind chill), keep moving all the time, and have no delays.  Like you wrote, it's a much warmer alternative.

Maybe biking just looks like such a solitary activity to people that they think we are all cold, lonely and miserable while we are biking.

Permalink Reply by mark stetson on December 11, 2013 at 8:59pm

Surprised it wasn't windy in the city Wednesday, it sure was out here on the prairie.  I rode 5 miles to the PO mid afternoon (when the wind had slacked off to about 15 mph), but the NWS said wind chill was still -10.  I had to keep my head down to keep my face out of the headwind on the return trip.  Not a bad day for a 10 mile ride, but I wouldn't have wanted 30 miles with the wind we had. 

Permalink Reply by Alex Z on December 12, 2013 at 2:04am

What do you mean?

h' 1.0 said:

does anyone else see signs that it's going to be the worst winter in recent memory in terms of city response to snow clearance?)

Permalink Reply by grayn8 on December 12, 2013 at 3:45am
The first snow/ice the streets were not salted at all around the near westside (Lawndale/little village), the state bike path newly shiny with poles had snow pushed into it. The lake front path has patches plowed and other patches untouched.

Seems to be better now.

CONGRATS on riding this winter!
Time for the frozen balaclava vodka cocktails!


Alex Z said:

What do you mean?

h' 1.0 said:

does anyone else see signs that it's going to be the worst winter in recent memory in terms of city response to snow clearance?)

Permalink Reply by Alex Z on December 12, 2013 at 4:18am

Cool response.

h' 1.0 said:

I meant:

And now we're getting to that place where most secondary streets (if not side streets*)  have dry salty pavement spreading out from the high point of the street towards the curbs, so the treacherousness is receding.

(*the side streets in Forest Park were clear and dry....does anyone else see signs that it's going to be the worst winter in recent memory in terms of city response to snow clearance?)



Alex Z said:

What do you mean?

h' 1.0 said:

does anyone else see signs that it's going to be the worst winter in recent memory in terms of city response to snow clearance?)

Permalink Reply by JeffB on December 12, 2013 at 6:36am

Nice post, but do we really need another winter biking thread?  Use "I rode today. Did you?" or "Winter 2014- who's still riding?".  Or better yet, let's close two of these and all post under one.

Permalink Reply by Madopal (16.5 mi) on December 12, 2013 at 9:04am

h' 1.0 said:

does anyone else see signs that it's going to be the worst winter in recent memory in terms of city response to snow clearance?)

I think I get what h' is asking...the city side streets seem way less plowed/salted than suburban ones.  I can vouch for the same.  Riding from Portage to Skokie, it was ok in Portage/Jefferson, TOTAL crap in Forest Glen, and then amazingly fine in Lincolnwood.   And on the way home, the same side streets in Forest Glen were still dicey, and many of the smaller side streets by me in Portage are way worse than the suburban streets.

Couple that with the lousy salting/plowing response last Sunday, and yeah, it looks like Rahm has forgotten the lessons of Mayor Bilandic so far.  Heck, I believe my alderman lives a block or two from me, and his street doesn't look like it got plowed. 

Could be budget, could be that they blew their salt wad earlier the past few years and got caught flat footed with late snows, could be a little of column A, a little of column B.

Permalink Reply by Lisa Curcio on December 12, 2013 at 9:10am

Are there cars parked on the side streets in those suburban areas?  I don't know if that makes a difference as far as salting, but can make a difference with plowing.

Permalink Reply by Alex Z on December 12, 2013 at 9:39am

iiiiiii see. h' 1.0, we're not feuding. I was confused about the implication of your comment; I thought you were saying that the city response to this snow gave us some "tea leaves" to forecast future weather events. But if Madopal is right, you're simply saying, the response to this snow was bad so the response in the future may also be bad.

 

You may be right! Sorry for the confusion.

Madopal (5.8 mi) said:

h' 1.0 said:

does anyone else see signs that it's going to be the worst winter in recent memory in terms of city response to snow clearance?)

I think I get what h' is asking...the city side streets seem way less plowed/salted than suburban ones.  I can vouch for the same.  Riding from Portage to Skokie, it was ok in Portage/Jefferson, TOTAL crap in Forest Glen, and then amazingly fine in Lincolnwood.   And on the way home, the same side streets in Forest Glen were still dicey, and many of the smaller side streets by me in Portage are way worse than the suburban streets.

Couple that with the lousy salting/plowing response last Sunday, and yeah, it looks like Rahm has forgotten the lessons of Mayor Bilandic so far.  Heck, I believe my alderman lives a block or two from me, and his street doesn't look like it got plowed. 

Could be budget, could be that they blew their salt wad earlier the past few years and got caught flat footed with late snows, could be a little of column A, a little of column B.

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on December 12, 2013 at 9:56am

Beverly usually gets good plowing and salting in most winters. I'm less than impressed with the start to this winter.

So far this week main streets look pretty clean, secondary streets are as Howard described, and side streets are either untouched or have only gotten a pass down the middle.

Madopal (5.8 mi) said:

h' 1.0 said:

does anyone else see signs that it's going to be the worst winter in recent memory in terms of city response to snow clearance?)

I think I get what h' is asking...the city side streets seem way less plowed/salted than suburban ones.  I can vouch for the same.  Riding from Portage to Skokie, it was ok in Portage/Jefferson, TOTAL crap in Forest Glen, and then amazingly fine in Lincolnwood.   And on the way home, the same side streets in Forest Glen were still dicey, and many of the smaller side streets by me in Portage are way worse than the suburban streets.

Couple that with the lousy salting/plowing response last Sunday, and yeah, it looks like Rahm has forgotten the lessons of Mayor Bilandic so far.  Heck, I believe my alderman lives a block or two from me, and his street doesn't look like it got plowed. 

Could be budget, could be that they blew their salt wad earlier the past few years and got caught flat footed with late snows, could be a little of column A, a little of column B.

Permalink Reply by Josh L. on December 12, 2013 at 11:38am

It's not "nother winter biking thread." It is winter, the site is about biking, so you should not be surprised amidst threads about lost dogs and Mariano's if people write about biking in a new threat.

I wanted to reach a larger audience with this post hence I didn't want to bury it in the two threads you reference. 

One of the main points of the post is to encourage non winter bikers to get out there.  Those folks probably aren't reading the threads you mention.

It is not intended to serve as a general interest winter biking thread - nor will it be.

thx.


JeffB (7+ miles) said:

Nice post, but do we really need another winter biking thread?  Use "I rode today. Did you?" or "Winter 2014- who's still riding?".  Or better yet, let's close two of these and all post under one.

Permalink Reply by Joe Guzzardo on December 12, 2013 at 6:02pm

Thanks Jo, I need a kick in the derriere. This is also very encouraging: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dBcefxQm24 I think I've got the winter clothing problem solved, as long as it's not too windy. It's ice that freaks me out. Can anyone offer some advice on studded tires? I'm riding a 2008 KHS Brentwood hybrid with fenders (and I'm not giving up the fenders). I've read about Schwalbe studded tires. The Ice Spiker looks like it might be overkill and I don't think they'll fit on my bike. They also have the Winter Marathon, which might be more appropriate. Studded tires are a real investment and I'd hate to make an expensive mistake. Then again, losing control and falling into the path of an oncoming vehicle could be much more expensive.

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