Winter 2015- who's still riding?

Traffic 'round these parts dropped off pretty dramatically a few weeks ago... hard to tell from the "I rode today" thread who's still riding, as one would have to conclude that Gene is the only one out there most days by reading it....

Who's sticking it out and plans to continue to ride pretty much every day regardless of weather?

(Was winter 2013;   2014 starts on p. 36;   2015 starts on p. 61)

 

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Permalink Reply by spencewine on January 16, 2013 at 5:44am

Today I rode the CTA because I've been sick with a cold/flu, not sure. I thought it might be a good idea to rest. It normally takes me 20 minutes to get to work by bike. By CTA today, it took me 1.25 hours and I spent at least 40 minutes of that waiting in the cold on a train, which never came and then a bus. Today is a perfect example of why I would rather ride a bike in the worst conditions than ride the CTA.

Permalink Reply by daWillinChi on January 16, 2013 at 6:00am

Today's CTA issue was with signal issues in the loop. All trains (Brown, Purple, Orange, Pink, and Green) heading into the loop rails were significantly affected.

I just knew about this since my work mates who live in the city take either the Brown or Purple lines.

spencewine said:

Today I rode the CTA because I've been sick with a cold/flu, not sure. I thought it might be a good idea to rest. It normally takes me 20 minutes to get to work by bike. By CTA today, it took me 1.25 hours and I spent at least 40 minutes of that waiting in the cold on a train, which never came and then a bus. Today is a perfect example of why I would rather ride a bike in the worst conditions than ride the CTA.

Permalink Reply by Dan Allison on January 16, 2013 at 6:14am

as the saying goes, nobody "needs" studded tires until they do. i thought i didn't "need" studded tires to ride in chicago winters, but the school of hard knocks (literally) taught me otherwise. a couple of spills on glare ice can change one's mind real fast.


Tony Adams 6.6 mi said:

If the topic is "need" you also don't need studded tires to ride in the winter in Chicago.


Permalink Reply by blair on January 16, 2013 at 6:20am

Me!  The cold won't stop me.  It's just ice that scares me.

Lisa Curcio 4.0 mi said:

Forecast for low Monday night is 2--count 'em, 2--degrees and wind WNW at 18 mph.  Who plans to ride Tuesday morning?  I don't know yet. ;-)

Permalink Reply by Kevin C Dormant on January 16, 2013 at 6:20am

My subjective experience of 2 is not appreciably different than my subjective experience of 12. They both feel cold, but neither is intolerable.

Lisa Curcio 4.0 mi said:

Forecast for low Monday night is 2--count 'em, 2--degrees and wind WNW at 18 mph.  Who plans to ride Tuesday morning?  I don't know yet. ;-)

Permalink Reply by daWillinChi on January 16, 2013 at 6:31am

I concur with Mr. 4.1 mi.

Anything below 15 and above unsafe (whatever that maybe) is just plain COLD... With the right amount of clothing, it's bearable.

Kevin C 4.1 mi said:

My subjective experience of 2 is not appreciably different than my subjective experience of 12. They both feel cold, but neither is intolerable.

Lisa Curcio 4.0 mi said:

Forecast for low Monday night is 2--count 'em, 2--degrees and wind WNW at 18 mph.  Who plans to ride Tuesday morning?  I don't know yet. ;-)

Permalink Reply by Joe Studer 8.0 mi on January 16, 2013 at 6:36am

I have the same subjective experience.  My layering does not change appreciably between 0 and 15 for my commute rides.  I'm typically only on the road for about 35 minutes, and riding, so I don't get that cold.

Now, if the ride is longer (say over an hour), then I start worrying about my feet.  And my nose.  But everything else stays pretty toasty.

Much worse is just standing around in the cold.  Standing around in temps like that makes me think about taking up smoking again.
 
Kevin C 4.1 mi said:

My subjective experience of 2 is not appreciably different than my subjective experience of 12. They both feel cold, but neither is intolerable.

Lisa Curcio 4.0 mi said:

Forecast for low Monday night is 2--count 'em, 2--degrees and wind WNW at 18 mph.  Who plans to ride Tuesday morning?  I don't know yet. ;-)

Permalink Reply by Rich Evans on January 16, 2013 at 6:42am

I will.  More concerned about the 18 mph headwind than the temp, per se.  Definitely a day for the wind pants, neoprene face mask, and an extra layer of wool.



Lisa Curcio 4.0 mi said:

Forecast for low Monday night is 2--count 'em, 2--degrees and wind WNW at 18 mph.  Who plans to ride Tuesday morning?  I don't know yet. ;-)

Permalink Reply by Katie on January 16, 2013 at 6:45am

I was toasty this morning!

Chicago Bike Winter Blog....

http://bikewinter.org/node/353

Permalink Reply by David Barish on January 16, 2013 at 6:46am

My commute, as the handle says, is in the neighborhood of 13-17 miles depending on the route. If its above 20 its never a problem. If its 10-20 Its ok to ride with my best preparation. However,  feet will get cold and hands will get cold in the two minutes it takes to lock up.  If its below 10 feet and face become a problem regardless of what I do.  I will ride but I might bail. With proper gear everything but the feet can be warm enough for as cold as it can get. However, in order to keep the face protected I have to wear glasses and defrosting becomes an issue. Its ok when moving but stopping leads to an immediate facefog.

Permalink Reply by Steve Weeks on January 16, 2013 at 7:01am

@122782...

"Me!  The cold won't stop me.  It's just ice that scares me."

If you have studded tires, scratch the fear of ice.  :-)

Steve

Permalink Reply by Steve Courtright on January 16, 2013 at 7:03am

I concur with my fellow Evanston commuter, Mr. 13.9, (above) in every respect.

 

Gadzooks, this morning traveling south was dreadful.  I ended up pulling 3 fellow cyclists to work down Clark street from about Foster.  My only real problem was that my eyes never stopped watering.

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