Winter Bike Commute Motivation - The Chainlink2024-03-28T19:17:15Zhttps://thechainlink.org/forum/topics/winter-bike-commute-motivation?commentId=2211490%3AComment%3A960646&feed=yes&xn_auth=noI have studded tires, and rid…tag:thechainlink.org,2015-12-31:2211490:Comment:9610752015-12-31T20:26:38.373Zadhttps://thechainlink.org/profile/AdrianRohrer
<p>I have studded tires, and ride year round, but I stayed off the bike on Monday and Wednesday. I've learned that no matter how confident I am on my bike in active snow, I can't control how the car handles that still speeds and then proceeds to slip out in an intersection. </p>
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<p>The interesting thing is that when I rode on Tuesday, I expected the protected bike lane on Lake to be horrible. Traditionally they never plowed it until days after a big snow event (if at all), as a…</p>
<p>I have studded tires, and ride year round, but I stayed off the bike on Monday and Wednesday. I've learned that no matter how confident I am on my bike in active snow, I can't control how the car handles that still speeds and then proceeds to slip out in an intersection. </p>
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<p>The interesting thing is that when I rode on Tuesday, I expected the protected bike lane on Lake to be horrible. Traditionally they never plowed it until days after a big snow event (if at all), as a normal plow truck couldn't fit in the lane. This year, though, they took out the protected-lane bollards for the winter. Sure enough, it was plowed and clear (though some other buffered lanes on my trip, like Washington in the West Loop, were still pretty bad, which doesn't make sense).</p>
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<p>The new protected lanes are great and get people out more for sure, but the City is definitely having issues keeping them cleared in winter, and there are stretches where I have felt less safe riding in the winter than I did in the past. You end up forced back into the lane, and cars now think cyclists shouldn't be there in those stretches since the (now impassable) protected lane is right next to where you're riding. </p> Yeah I do occasionally slip a…tag:thechainlink.org,2015-12-31:2211490:Comment:9607572015-12-31T19:35:05.907ZV Whttps://thechainlink.org/profile/vincentwaller
Yeah I do occasionally slip and fall and do worry about cars not watching out for me- but to me it still beats the other alternatives of public transportation or driving.
Yeah I do occasionally slip and fall and do worry about cars not watching out for me- but to me it still beats the other alternatives of public transportation or driving. I was out doing some errands…tag:thechainlink.org,2015-12-30:2211490:Comment:9608352015-12-30T18:03:08.019ZFran Kondorfhttps://thechainlink.org/profile/FranKondorf
<p> I was out doing some errands as a ped in that $#@! and decided against riding to work that night. Thick slushy uncleared lanes, drivers not even <em>pretending</em> to stop, lakes at all the intersections, and pelting sleet? No thanks.</p>
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<p>Live to ride another day.</p>
<p> I was out doing some errands as a ped in that $#@! and decided against riding to work that night. Thick slushy uncleared lanes, drivers not even <em>pretending</em> to stop, lakes at all the intersections, and pelting sleet? No thanks.</p>
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<p>Live to ride another day.</p> This is mostly me, but I didn…tag:thechainlink.org,2015-12-30:2211490:Comment:9607222015-12-30T16:52:54.484ZMKhttps://thechainlink.org/profile/MichaelKostal
<p>This is mostly me, but I didn't ride on Monday. If I ride every day regardless, I will fall. I don't want to fall anymore. So sometimes (bad storm or ice), for safety, I leave the bike at home.</p>
<p>This is mostly me, but I didn't ride on Monday. If I ride every day regardless, I will fall. I don't want to fall anymore. So sometimes (bad storm or ice), for safety, I leave the bike at home.</p> I ride everyday. I've been at…tag:thechainlink.org,2015-12-30:2211490:Comment:9608312015-12-30T13:41:39.065ZV Whttps://thechainlink.org/profile/vincentwaller
I ride everyday. I've been at the point where I don't consider anything else an option. If I get a ride it's because someone else insisted, unless I'm hauling a lot of stuff or going long distance I don't ever consider a car a convenience. I just feel so much more secure having my bike around and having the freedom and independence to come and go as I please with my bike.
I ride everyday. I've been at the point where I don't consider anything else an option. If I get a ride it's because someone else insisted, unless I'm hauling a lot of stuff or going long distance I don't ever consider a car a convenience. I just feel so much more secure having my bike around and having the freedom and independence to come and go as I please with my bike. I rode morning and evening ye…tag:thechainlink.org,2015-12-29:2211490:Comment:9607152015-12-29T20:47:30.256ZTim Heckmanhttps://thechainlink.org/profile/TimHeckman
I rode morning and evening yesterday, and today as well. Yesterday morning wasn't awful, but eastbound in the evening was terrible. But it stopped raining right as I got on the bike-- and started again-- hard-- after one mile. I'm looking at the roads, and trying to decide if it is time to put the studded tires on. I think it is.
I rode morning and evening yesterday, and today as well. Yesterday morning wasn't awful, but eastbound in the evening was terrible. But it stopped raining right as I got on the bike-- and started again-- hard-- after one mile. I'm looking at the roads, and trying to decide if it is time to put the studded tires on. I think it is. I've noticed many FAT tire bi…tag:thechainlink.org,2015-12-29:2211490:Comment:9606462015-12-29T20:21:17.303ZJuan 2-3 or more mi.https://thechainlink.org/profile/JohnDominguez
<p>I've noticed many FAT tire bikes in the article. I had to pull out my own version to make it through those piles out there. It's a joy.<a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/35263256?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="721" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/35263256?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="721" class="align-full"/></a></p>
<p>I've noticed many FAT tire bikes in the article. I had to pull out my own version to make it through those piles out there. It's a joy.<a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/35263256?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="721" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/35263256?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="721" class="align-full"/></a></p>