Riding when daylight savings end !?

[Timbo77]

Hello Again !

Firstly, thanks to everyone who responded to my last message regarding Rides outside of Melbourne......was extremely helpful.

Currently i am enjoying the extra daylight needed to go riding after work, however I was wondering what people do when daylight savings ends and weather deteriorates ?

Do most people use trainers, go out on weekdays mornings or just have lights on your bikes and continue to ride as normal ?

Just trying to get prepared for the winter months.

PS: Hope everyone had a great X-mas / NY

Tim

 

[Marx SS]

Commuting to/from work I just run lights & rug up.
Weekend riding, early starts like 6am & rug up.
It’s just the cold heart of winter – July & August – that makes cycling in Melbourne a real commitment, we get pretty mild weather here, not like is snows.
Best time of year to cycle here is autumn – March to early June – I reckon.

I don’t know anyone who has an indoor trainer, if that means anything.

 

[ritcho]

Hello Again !

Firstly, thanks to everyone who responded to my last message regarding Rides outside of Melbourne......was extremely helpful.

Currently i am enjoying the extra daylight needed to go riding after work, however I was wondering what people do when daylight savings ends and weather deteriorates ?

Do most people use trainers, go out on weekdays mornings or just have lights on your bikes and continue to ride as normal ?

Just trying to get prepared for the winter months.

PS: Hope everyone had a great X-mas / NY

Tim

When it gets dark and cold, I use lights and rug up... we don't have severe winters in Aust (even Melb), so we can ride all year round. Get yourself some flashers front and rear (if you ride in streetlit areas), as well as some shoe covers and waterproof jacket. Then you can astonish your co-workers with your display of hardiness in riding to work in winter.

Ritch

 

[Timbo77]

Thanks Fellas,

Commuting to work is not so much an issue. I was probably referring to alternate training times rather than afterwork.

Is the commute to work a fair distance ? Mine is only 5 Km Max.

Wet weather doesnt worry me, its pretty much a given when riding in Melbourne.

I have a minoura trainer for the really harsh weather ( or when i feel soft and cant face the weather )

Thanks again.

Tim

 

[ritcho]

Thanks Fellas,

Commuting to work is not so much an issue. I was probably referring to alternate training times rather than afterwork.

Is the commute to work a fair distance ? Mine is only 5 Km Max.

Wet weather doesnt worry me, its pretty much a given when riding in Melbourne.

I have a minoura trainer for the really harsh weather ( or when i feel soft and cant face the weather )

Thanks again.

Tim

5km to work? You're not using your imagination - start out by riding 20km in the opposite direction first!

Ritch

 

[Courtancer]

When it gets dark and cold, I use lights and rug up... we don't have severe winters in Aust (even Melb), so we can ride all year round. Get yourself some flashers front and rear (if you ride in streetlit areas), as well as some shoe covers and waterproof jacket. Then you can astonish your co-workers with your display of hardiness in riding to work in winter.

Ritch

we don't have severe winters in Aust

What? In the middle of winter in central NSW we usually get a few mornings of -13 deg C. That pretty much rules out riding. I've tried but you can either rug up and sweat to death or not rug up and get hypothermia.

 

[ritcho]

What? In the middle of winter in central NSW we usually get a few mornings of -13 deg C. That pretty much rules out riding. I've tried but you can either rug up and sweat to death or not rug up and get hypothermia.

Although -13C is cold, you'd be hard pressed to find many places in NSW that get that far down. According to the BoM, the only places in NSW that ever get that cold are the alpine regions. Upper New England areas get pretty cold though (Tenterfield has got down to -10C). Nevertheless, by international standards, our winters aren't severe enough to prevent year-round riding, except perhaps in those alpine regions.

http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/ca_nsw_names.shtml

Ritch

 

[Courtancer]

Not wanting to start a pointless argument but that page is all about averages. All I said was that some mornings get down to temperatures that are rediculously uncomfortable for riding all year round. Away from the cities it is very common to get lower temperatures, fogs and frosts. I don't think I'd like to be riding my road bike on ice for too long. I would guess that a good proportion of NSW, Vic and SA would be like this for a couple of months a year. I would love to be able to ride all year round. I might have to consider moving to Melbourne.

 

[Marx SS]

Melbourne does generally have the best weather & terrain for cycling year 'round.
Even fixies & single speeds are getting almost common here......

 

[hippy]

Don't be sooks! Check this: http://icebike.org/

Anyway, for Melbourne it's the same riding as normal for me, with
the addition of: front and rear flashers, arm and sometimes leg warmers
and at the heart of winter possibly full-finger gloves, windvest, head and
toe warmers. Also, with rain, I add a rat-tail style mudguard.
Not a great deal of difference summer->winter. Just don't slow down.