Biking in uncomfortable weather conditions.

[Jose Capco]

Dear NG,

I'd like to have some biking tips on biking in not so comfortable
weather conditions. I bike almost daily to the office (c.a. 2km away
from home) and Id like to use my bike more often in winter and in rainy
days.

I recently discovered that there are these bag rain cover (or whatever
they are called) that hikers use to cover their bag with (its like a
thick plastic bag with an elastic opening). I bought those for 3 euros,
but somehow they dont attach very well to the bag ,esp. if the bag is
not very full, the cover just slips away. My basic problem on rainy
days is getting wet and having a bag (which I always have while biking)
with the inside getting wet. I recently tried putting on my bag first
before putting the raincoat on, that way my raincoat protects my bag
from getting wet.

I am also considering on buying a bag that is especially designed for
bikers, I don't know though how expensive they will turn out to be and
whether they will be necessarily better against rain.

Another problem I have is biking in winter. I usually become lazier in
winter, and sometimes intentionally avoid the bike. But honestly I
think that the energy I use to walk to the bus station is just enough
to warm me up and make me ready to go biking (I often experience
walking to the bus station, and suddenly feeling like I want to rather
bike after getting all warm from the walk). But the more serious
problem that I have in winter is slippery roads.

A few years ago when I wanted to buy a new tire for my bike, I
discovered that the bikeshops even sell tires specific for the winter.
Are they really good? Sometimes the road in which I bike is so icy that
its almost impossible to bike without an accident. Sometimes I just
avoid the bikeways (In Germany we have bikeways, pedestrian ways and
the road for the cars) and use the road which is less slippery. I do
however have a really stupid question. Can one really bike in places
like the northpole? Is it theoretically possible? Are there gears that
one can use for winter to make the biking experience more enjoyable?

I would appreciate some advise and thanks in advance.

Sincerely,
Jose Capco

 

[Ron Wallenfang]

To keep things dry in rainy weather, I use either gallon or quart size
freezer bags, with the zip-lock tops. That's how I keep clothes, papers and
other things dry on my long trips, when I know there's going to be some
rainy days. Those bags in turn fit within the saddlebags that straddle my
rear carrier. The saddlebags themselves can stay dry in a light rain or
brief shower, but the plastic freezer bags are needed for heavier rains.

For winter cold, I tried using studded snow tires, but found them too slow
and noisy to be worth the slight benefit they provided. Where I live
(Milwaukee, WI area), we have plenty of snow and ice, but plows and salt
trucks make the main streets bikeable within a few hours after the snow
stops. I also use a single speed bike on the wettest winter days; the gears
on the multi-speed bikes ice up and they won't stay in gear. But the slush
and salt is real hard on the bikes. By late winter, they need major
maintenance, and sometimes they have to be replaced altogether.
"Jose Capco" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Dear NG,
>
> I'd like to have some biking tips on biking in not so comfortable
> weather conditions. I bike almost daily to the office (c.a. 2km away
> from home) and Id like to use my bike more often in winter and in rainy
> days.
>
> I recently discovered that there are these bag rain cover (or whatever
> they are called) that hikers use to cover their bag with (its like a
> thick plastic bag with an elastic opening). I bought those for 3 euros,
> but somehow they dont attach very well to the bag ,esp. if the bag is
> not very full, the cover just slips away. My basic problem on rainy
> days is getting wet and having a bag (which I always have while biking)
> with the inside getting wet. I recently tried putting on my bag first
> before putting the raincoat on, that way my raincoat protects my bag
> from getting wet.
>
> I am also considering on buying a bag that is especially designed for
> bikers, I don't know though how expensive they will turn out to be and
> whether they will be necessarily better against rain.
>
> Another problem I have is biking in winter. I usually become lazier in
> winter, and sometimes intentionally avoid the bike. But honestly I
> think that the energy I use to walk to the bus station is just enough
> to warm me up and make me ready to go biking (I often experience
> walking to the bus station, and suddenly feeling like I want to rather
> bike after getting all warm from the walk). But the more serious
> problem that I have in winter is slippery roads.
>
> A few years ago when I wanted to buy a new tire for my bike, I
> discovered that the bikeshops even sell tires specific for the winter.
> Are they really good? Sometimes the road in which I bike is so icy that
> its almost impossible to bike without an accident. Sometimes I just
> avoid the bikeways (In Germany we have bikeways, pedestrian ways and
> the road for the cars) and use the road which is less slippery. I do
> however have a really stupid question. Can one really bike in places
> like the northpole? Is it theoretically possible? Are there gears that
> one can use for winter to make the biking experience more enjoyable?
>
> I would appreciate some advise and thanks in advance.
>
> Sincerely,
> Jose Capco
>

 

[Fred]

"Jose Capco" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Dear NG,
>
> I'd like to have some biking tips on biking in not so comfortable
> weather conditions. I bike almost daily to the office (c.a. 2km away
> from home) and Id like to use my bike more often in winter and in rainy
> days.
>
> I recently discovered that there are these bag rain cover (or whatever
> they are called) that hikers use to cover their bag with (its like a
> thick plastic bag with an elastic opening). I bought those for 3 euros,
> but somehow they dont attach very well to the bag ,esp. if the bag is
> not very full, the cover just slips away. My basic problem on rainy
> days is getting wet and having a bag (which I always have while biking)
> with the inside getting wet. I recently tried putting on my bag first
> before putting the raincoat on, that way my raincoat protects my bag
> from getting wet.
>
> I am also considering on buying a bag that is especially designed for
> bikers, I don't know though how expensive they will turn out to be and
> whether they will be necessarily better against rain.
>
> Another problem I have is biking in winter. I usually become lazier in
> winter, and sometimes intentionally avoid the bike. But honestly I
> think that the energy I use to walk to the bus station is just enough
> to warm me up and make me ready to go biking (I often experience
> walking to the bus station, and suddenly feeling like I want to rather
> bike after getting all warm from the walk). But the more serious
> problem that I have in winter is slippery roads.
>
> A few years ago when I wanted to buy a new tire for my bike, I
> discovered that the bikeshops even sell tires specific for the winter.
> Are they really good? Sometimes the road in which I bike is so icy that
> its almost impossible to bike without an accident. Sometimes I just
> avoid the bikeways (In Germany we have bikeways, pedestrian ways and
> the road for the cars) and use the road which is less slippery. I do
> however have a really stupid question. Can one really bike in places
> like the northpole? Is it theoretically possible? Are there gears that
> one can use for winter to make the biking experience more enjoyable?
>
> I would appreciate some advise and thanks in advance.
>
> Sincerely,
> Jose Capco

Most sports shops should be able to sell you 'dry sacks' that will go in
your normal bag. These are completely waterproof light bags with a roll over
and clip top like a canoe bag ; they are useful for all outdoor adventure
sports - much cheaper than proper waterproof bike bags and much more robust
and foolproof than zip lock plastic. I've seen them in many sizes from very
small for cameras, cell phones etc, right up to very large.

>

 

[landotter]

Jose Capco wrote:
> Dear NG,
>
> I'd like to have some biking tips on biking in not so comfortable
> weather conditions. I bike almost daily to the office (c.a. 2km away
> from home) and Id like to use my bike more often in winter and in rainy
> days.

If you're that close to work, the solution is to get some comfortable
shoes and walk to work.

 

[Zoot Katz]

On 11 Aug 2006 19:39:08 -0700, "Jose Capco"
<[email protected]> wrote, in part:

>Can one really bike in places
>like the northpole? Is it theoretically possible? Are there gears that
>one can use for winter to make the biking experience more enjoyable?

www.icebike.org/
--
zk

 

[Bruce Scott TOK]

Jose Capco wrote:

|> I'd like to have some biking tips on biking in not so comfortable
|> weather conditions. I bike almost daily to the office (c.a. 2km away
|> >from home) and Id like to use my bike more often in winter and in rainy
|> days.

[...]

I use a GoreTex jacket and rain pants from a backpacker shop. You can
ride in all weather if the jacket is good enough. It is important to
have the four-cord hood version of the jacket so that when you turn your
head the hood goes with it. The biggest problem I have is that the hood
is more or less incompatible with a ski cap, but this only matters well
below freezing.

Your biggest problem in winter will be ice. The most dangerous version
of that for me is its combination with cobblestones. Fortunately, on my
route there are only a couple of 20 meter strips worth of those.

Figure out the above for your conditions and the main remaining problems
are heavy winds (my worst problem overall, especially in Spring), and
then thunderstorms and hail. The latter you can wait out, though.

I have about 10 km of these, so I have to work up the guts to deal with
winter (it's also very dark then at 20h00). Back when I only had 2 km I
really rode in all conditions.

--
ciao,
Bruce

drift wave turbulence: http://www.rzg.mpg.de/~bds/

 

[John Kane]

Jose Capco wrote:
\ But the more serious
> problem that I have in winter is slippery roads.
>
> A few years ago when I wanted to buy a new tire for my bike, I
> discovered that the bikeshops even sell tires specific for the winter.
> Are they really good?

Yes. I have had studded winter tires for years and they make an
amazing difference.

Sometimes the road in which I bike is so icy that
> its almost impossible to bike without an accident. Sometimes I just
> avoid the bikeways (In Germany we have bikeways, pedestrian ways and
> the road for the cars) and use the road which is less slippery. I do
> however have a really stupid question. Can one really bike in places
> like the northpole? Is it theoretically possible?

Well one should be able to . People cycled in the Canadian Yukon
during the winter back in the gold rush days ( late 1890s early 1900's
.. It probably is not that much colder at the North Pole.

I have cycled in temperatures down to roughly -45 C but the bike
lubrication started to freeze. Blasted summer lubricant


Are there gears that>one can use for winter to make the biking
experience more enjoyable?

Probably not. Normal gears work just fine. What is needed is proper
dress, something similar to how a person would dress for cross-country
skiing.

John Kane, Kingston ON Canada