On Thursday, January 3, 2019 at 11:27:59 PM UTC-8, wrote:
On Friday, January 4, 2019 at 7:51:20 AM UTC+1, wrote:
On Thursday, January 3, 2019 at 7:43:22 PM UTC-6, Sir Ridesalot wrote:

So for those of you who ride in both rain and snow, which do you prefer?


I try not to ride in either rain or snow. I ride for enjoyment. I have no mental, psychic, or psychological problem that makes me ride when its not fun to ride. I guess that makes me crazy. I just ride when its enjoyable. Actually I try to only do things that are enjoyable and try not to do anything unenjoyable. Again, crazy me.

But as already stated by others, snow means cold. Its 32 or colder when there is snow. Rain means warmer than snow. Its above 32 with rain. Rain and snow are identical except for the temperature. I like to be warmer than colder. So if I had to choose between the fire or stove for being burned, I guess I would choose the rain. Its going to be warmer.

The weather determines what clothes I wear, which bike I use, which route I take and how long I ride. Overal it should be enjoyable. Icy roads are becoming too dangerous for me. Fresh snow is wonderful, but only for a very short time. We don't get that very often here.
I don't commute when it is raining, snowing or blistering hot because that is not fun when you have to work. Commuting by bike in general is not fun for me because of the ugly urban route and the traffic. I only commute by bike when I have to which is seldom.

I commute by bike most days -- not when its icy (usually), and if I'm having a high mileage week and need some rest, I'll skip riding to work and will take the car. Even in bad weather, it is so much less stressful than driving on congested roads. Portland traffic has gotten terrible, and we have narrow roads. The place has 1950s infrastructure.

I lose about 400 feet elevation going in to work which, amazingly, can yield different weather conditions at my house than downtown, so some mornings I will ride in light ice (not sheet ice) assuming that it will turn to water two miles down the road. Sometimes it doesn't. I recall one commute when I was ice skating down the road -- a busy arterial -- when I encountered another cyclists. We looked at each other and almost simultaneously said "what the f*** are we doing?" I try to avoid those moments. Like I said, commuting in fresh snow can be fun and faster than driving -- but the fun only lasts for a day or two.

-- Jay Beattie.