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SamsCola posted:Howdy y'all. I was wondering if anyone had recommendations on some winter gloves. I am commuting about 50 minutes in Chicago, so it gets pretty chilly. I was looking at big 5 finger gloves, mittens, battery powered heated gloves and it's all just become overwhelming. So many options. I thought about bar mitts as well, but they seem pretty expensive. Thanks for the advice everyone. I bought some cheap bar mitts and ski goggles on Amazon. I'll probably need to upgrade my gloves as well, but one thing at a time I guess.
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Nov 22, 2021 18:58
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As a fellow winter commuter in Chicago, cheap bar mitts and a balaclava made a huge difference with temp drops, along with good boots.
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Nov 22, 2021 19:02
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SamsCola posted:Thanks for the advice everyone. I bought some cheap bar mitts and ski goggles on Amazon. I'll probably need to upgrade my gloves as well, but one thing at a time I guess.
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Nov 22, 2021 19:04
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Today was the first properly cold morning (-6C) with alternating icy and dry areas from spotty precipitation yesterday. Now it's snowing, just enough to hide and lubricate the ice. Tomorrow should be interesting! The bike sits on almost fresh studs so I'm prepared but thin dry snow on clear ice is always difficult.evil_bunnY posted:Mount a dropper lever on the left bar, route the cable to a bell outside the pogie. BING BONG
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Nov 22, 2021 19:26
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Invalido posted:Those of you who ride with bar mitts, do you have any good solutions for the bell? Run BB7s with semi metallic pads. Ride through a briney oily puddle first part of the season. Use your brakes as a horn the rest of the season.
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Nov 22, 2021 19:39
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Invalido posted:Today was the first properly cold morning (-6C) with alternating icy and dry areas from spotty precipitation yesterday. Now it's snowing, just enough to hide and lubricate the ice Invalido posted:I'm about change out my front door lock to an electronic one
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Nov 22, 2021 21:00
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evil_bunnY posted:LOL are you me? It was interesting for sure. Only -4C tho. Maybe we both live in greater Stockholm or something. Let's just say I'm replacing a fully functional mechanical lock very reluctantly and under pressure to solve logistical issues related to the household at large rather than from being enamoured with modern IOT gadgets. I've already bought the stupid thing but installation is gonna take some doing, or worst case a whole new door. Might as well embrace the suck (much like winter bike commuting!)
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Nov 22, 2021 22:26
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more bell chat: the original tire driven bell "radlaufglocke" or "sturmglocke" was apparently made by a (west) German company called Reich, though they no longer make that model so the only way to find the original non-crappy/cheap copy version of the thing is to get lucky at ebay or someplace. I want one because seriously how cool is that thing? Also googling "reich" combined with "sturm" don't yield good results. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhcPDDFCmG8
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Nov 23, 2021 12:13
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EvilJoven posted:Run BB7s with semi metallic pads. Ride through a briney oily puddle first part of the season. Use your brakes as a horn the rest of the season. HOOOOOOOONK
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Nov 23, 2021 13:22
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Invalido posted:Muffled is no good. In this age of headphones I want as loud a bell as I can get. Can I interest you in an excessively loud freehub instead?
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Nov 23, 2021 13:53
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https://www.spurcycle.com/products/factory-seconds Since it was mentioned, Spurbell is doing their Frankenbell sale. $32 for scratch n dent bells. The best bell in the market. I use one under my bar mitts and people still hear it.
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Nov 23, 2021 15:24
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kimbo305 posted:Hmm, I'll play around with that idea. The spacing is about 90mm at the bolts, so pretty drat close to 100mm at the uprights, hopefully within the threaded range of a front skewer. Inner width of the hinges ended up being 112mm, but that was still narrow enough to use a front skewer, miraculously. Might only have 4 full turns of threading, but not an issue in this application. For the bracing tube, I had the struts I cut off the rack lying around, so sawed an appropriate length and broke out my nice Phil Wood skewer. Which maybe wasn't a great idea cuz it got pretty scratched from a bolt right under the lever.  The skewer and hoop now move as a unit when locked, which has the effect that the lever acts as a stop for how far back the hoop can swing, which is fine for how I use it. I think if I wanted the hoop to lock with the skewer, I'd want to take out the washers between the hoop and the hinge pieces. This doesn't truly make anything QR, I still have to thread off the end cap and not lose any of the washers, but at least now I don't need a hex and 8mm socket to uninstall the thing.
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Nov 23, 2021 15:43
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deong posted:https://www.spurcycle.com/products/factory-seconds I got one of the black Frankenbells last year, and I can't even tell what the problem is that made it a factory second. YMMV of course, but if you're not bothered by blemishes, I highly recommend this too.
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Nov 23, 2021 16:24
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Crane bells for life, only the finest Japanese bells go on my beater single speed
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Nov 23, 2021 16:55
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norp posted:Can I interest you in an excessively loud freehub instead? I have a badly adjusted front V brake if anyone is interested in a rhythmic skreek skreek sound?
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Nov 24, 2021 00:42
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EvilJoven posted:Run BB7s with semi metallic pads. Ride through a briney oily puddle first part of the season. Use your brakes as a horn the rest of the season. If you have more money than sense, Hope RX4's can also provide this function straight out of the box.
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Nov 24, 2021 14:13
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found in the PYF funny images thread
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Dec 6, 2021 00:24
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EvilJoven posted:Run BB7s with semi metallic pads. Ride through a briney oily puddle first part of the season. Use your brakes as a horn the rest of the season. I'm getting longer use with the organic (non metallic pads) and they are quieter.
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Dec 6, 2021 18:40
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deong posted:https://www.spurcycle.com/products/factory-seconds For some reason my 2013 Brompton's bell is WAY louder than the Spurbell I have on the recumbent. Strange.
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Dec 6, 2021 18:47
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Got caught in my first winter rainstorm. Came down hard for some good 10-15 minutes in the city while crossing the river, quite possibly the worst part for inclement weather since there's 0 cover. My gloves managed it pretty well, one pair thick woolen(like) knit with some thinner polyester things beneath. My thin rain coat did admirably. It provides no heat, but I'd get too sweaty otherwise. My shorts did not do well. I was soaked through in that regard and my legs were rather cold. My waterproof socks probably wouldn't have lasted much longer, I'll likely have to wear different shoes tomorrow. Overall, not too bad, but the less that happens the better. It's like 6 degrees celsius, getting on to cold but still bearable.
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Dec 6, 2021 20:10
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I chickened out this morning and took the car. It was -18C. My arbitrary pain threshold is -15. Forecast for later this week is milder temperatures and lots of wet snow. Biking will surely suck but at least I know I won't be blocked in behind a city bus that's stuck or something so it's still the right choice I think.
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Dec 7, 2021 12:00
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VideoGameVet posted:For some reason my 2013 Brompton's bell is WAY louder than the Spurbell I have on the recumbent. Strange. Invalido posted:I chickened out this morning and took the car. It was -18C. My arbitrary pain threshold is -15. Forecast for later this week is milder temperatures and lots of wet snow. Biking will surely suck but at least I know I won't be blocked in behind a city bus that's stuck or something so it's still the right choice I think. This year is about the same as you, and -15C is ok provided you leave no skin uncovered and use 3 proper layers + goggle. evil_bunnY fucked around with this message at 14:33 on Dec 7, 2021 |
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Dec 7, 2021 14:26
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evil_bunnY posted:My record is -26C but that was 10 years ago and I'm not sure I'd do it again. My main issue is I have a touch of asthma that easily gets triggered by working out in really cold air. There are effective medications but I'd rather not bother with them if I can avoid it. I'd probably also need better toe and finger insulation than I've got to comfortably go below -15, but it's not even every winter we get weather this cold so I just drive the few days it happens. I don't feel like I have anything to prove anymore, though I did more extreme things in my younger years as well. I was also dumb(er) and used to ride in a down parka with a fur lined hood, which is super comfortable but not very safe. Peripheral vision is definitely a good thing regardless of your stance on helmets.
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Dec 7, 2021 16:26
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evil_bunnY posted:Spurbells aren't particularly lound IMO. They have crazy sustain tho. It was -17 here this morning, and against my better judgement I went for it. I asked my wife to come pick me up for the trip home. It's managable, but it's just not fun, and getting dressed/undressed takes as long as the actual ride. Especially now that it's pitch black until like 9, just slippery cold darkness.
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Dec 7, 2021 19:07
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It doesn't get that cold here in France, so my record remains -3C. Managed that with a pair of loose running pants and a heavy denim coat, a band for my ears, and my regular kit otherwise. I did get a fever after that and slipped on some ice, though I didn't fall, so probably not worth it.
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Dec 7, 2021 20:54
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Phosphine posted:It was -17 here this morning, and against my better judgement I went for it. Invalido posted:My main issue is I have a touch of asthma that easily gets triggered by working out in really cold air. There are effective medications but I'd rather not bother with them if I can avoid it. I'd probably also need better toe and finger insulation than I've got to comfortably go below -15, but it's not even every winter we get weather this cold so I just drive the few days it happens. I don't feel like I have anything to prove anymore, though I did more extreme things in my younger years as well. I was also dumb(er) and used to ride in a down parka with a fur lined hood, which is super comfortable but not very safe. Peripheral vision is definitely a good thing regardless of your stance on helmets. I feel you about the peripheral vision, this is another area where have good infra helps a ton, the stakes are just much lower. If we take a spill I know there's not a rando in a brodozer waiting to steamroll us. evil_bunnY fucked around with this message at 00:04 on Dec 8, 2021 |
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Dec 8, 2021 00:00
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I recently started commuting to work a couple days a week, since we're able to work from home most days. It's been a lot of fun, although I'm hilariously out of shape from taking a few months off, to the point where it's evident on my ~3 mile commute. That said, I was storing my bike inside and was told last week that facilities says that's a no-go, so now I have to lock it up outside, which sucks but not enough to make me not ride to work I suppose. I have a kryptonite u-lock to use. I guess I'm going to have to take my lights off, should I take my saddle bag off too and bring it inside with me? Anything else I need to be wary of locking my bike outside during the work day?
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Dec 9, 2021 01:43
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It's a balance of probability and cost. If the light is nice and qr I'd bring it with you. If it's just a tube and multi tool in the saddle bag I'd leave that. Depends where you're parking.
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Dec 9, 2021 02:17
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Korwen posted:I recently started commuting to work a couple days a week, since we're able to work from home most days. It's been a lot of fun, although I'm hilariously out of shape from taking a few months off, to the point where it's evident on my ~3 mile commute. Your awareness of the risk level of the area is probably the most important deciding factor. I leave stuff on my bike outside of work, and just throw a u-lock through the rear wheel and main triangle. Locking up down town, I strip it of everything I can and pull a cable through the saddle rails and the wheels, and the u-lock goes around something sturdy.
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Dec 9, 2021 08:39
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My muni does excellent snow and ice clearing on the vast majority of my daily route. Apart from taxes this is the price I pay: The whole bike is constantly salt encrusted. Hosing it off is pretty much a fools errand unless I do it twice a day and I have no hose at work. I run liberal amounts of sticky motorcycle chain lube but I still see fresh rust after a few days of this brine riding. Oh well, at least I get to ride mostly on good safe bike roads that aren't icy but honestly I think I'd rather deal with the dangers of ice than all this brine. I don't care about the cosmetic rust but I'd like not having to replace all bearings constantly.
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Dec 9, 2021 09:12
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One time our council forgot to buy salt so bought in and dumped table salt on the roads and canal paths. It was nuts because in the UK the pattern is the repeated freezing of snow melt so you end up with layers on layers of ice, and the basic strategy outside of major cities is to put down the minimum of salt and grit they can and let the HGVs and cars clear it on the roads, so your nan wearing crampons in the winter is a thing.
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Dec 9, 2021 10:02
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Invalido posted:My muni does excellent snow and ice clearing on the vast majority of my daily route. Apart from taxes this is the price I pay:
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Dec 9, 2021 10:16
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My record low is -45C/F or however cold it gets in Winnipeg. Though my commute is only 15 minutes so I just have to dress warm enough to last that length of time.
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Dec 9, 2021 19:42
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Temps increased a bit, about 12C, so now it's only -5. I also got up late enough to have some sun on my way in. Fun: restored. On my way back home it was dark, but with some nice cozy snowfall.  Also pitch black, but here in the burbs the streetlights plus pixel camera sorts that out. Edit: Koth posted:My record low is -45C/F or however cold it gets in Winnipeg. Though my commute is only 15 minutes so I just have to dress warm enough to last that length of time. Yikes. I've not biked in much colder than -30, which really sucked. It was on a terrible bike and about 10 miles, but even 15 minutes at those temps is a major pain.
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Dec 10, 2021 00:05
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My excuse for giving up and taking the car yesterday morning isn't cold, it's water. We've had lots and lots of rain for the past week and the creek is very flooded. It was the highest I'd seen it under the first bridge, just impassible under the bridge - the path was under at least 40 or 50 cm of flowing water. I decided I'd take the street that runs a bit further from the creek, but it was blocked by flowing water as well. I could have played in traffic on the higher streets a block or two further south but I had an appointment to make and I was already cutting it close. And today we (my wife was working from home yesterday) drove in together again, having done that for almost every day since mid-November. I'm blaming the weather but I feel rather wimpy, especially in light of all of everyone else's stories about Winnipeg.
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Dec 10, 2021 01:11
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You don't have to feel guilty about not risking serious injury friends. In an ideal world when it got horrible we'd all take our horse and cart but the car ruined that.
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Dec 10, 2021 01:46
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You can prepare for pretty much any temperature from 0c to -40c but the real question is how much time money and effort do you want to take vs how often you want to do it. Commuting by bike in the winter sometimes owns and is sometimes brutally terrible. If you want to try it ya it can make a much more mundane ride an adventure but in the end if the thought of it just sounds like abject misery, at least you're carpooling or whatever. Also yes no matter how cold it is dry is MUCH better than wet. Being cold and wet is way more uncomfortable and difficult to keep from becoming and actual health hazard than cold and dry. Nobody riding in -10c weather has anything to gloat about to the poor soul dealing with 1c and rain.
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Dec 10, 2021 03:12
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I bike throughout the Canadian winter but I'd absolutely never suggest anybody else do it, it's an awful idea. Take a day off from whatever you want whenever you want.
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Dec 10, 2021 03:22
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SimonSays posted:I bike throughout the Canadian winter but I'd absolutely never suggest anybody else do it, it's an awful idea. Take a day off from whatever you want whenever you want. Same. When people claim that it's impossible to do though I sometimes flex a little since a very few of us prove that it isn't on the daily. Today it's sleet/rain and just above freezing and I shall resist the temptation of the car once again and dress with care and at great length. Rubber boots and all of the gore-tex day I think. I have a colleague who is also a stubborn winter rider. I wouldn't say that we compete but rather offer each other moral support. Misery loves company I guess.
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Dec 10, 2021 06:28
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My last two rides have been on cold mornings, around 30f, and after about 10 miles just one knee starts to ache. The other is fine. After 20 miles I can only limp and it's sore for days afterwards. Wonder if it's the cold because nothing else explains it, though I was wearing thermal bib tights and a wind shell over that, so it didn't feel cold at the time. Also I am becoming an old (43) if that matters. Can't think of anything that could cause it suddenly except the onset of ~freezing temp.
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Dec 10, 2021 08:16
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