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Rain or snow - which do you prefer to ride in?



 
 
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  #1  
Old January 4th 19, 02:43 AM posted to rec.bicycles.tech
Sir Ridesalot
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Posts: 5,270
Default Rain or snow - which do you prefer to ride in?

I ride my bicycle all year round which means I ride it in both rain and snow. To me rain or snow have certain advantages and disadvantages over each other. I like the rain because once it stops the roads are soon dry again. However, I sometimes prefer the snow because when it's dry snow falling you don't have to worry as much about getting wet like you do if it's raining and you've left your rain gear at home. However again, I don't like deep snow when it's been only salted and not plowed which turns it into a grease-like substance that has not traction for anything. Snow too can hide holes and or cracks in t he road surface and those holes or cracks can deflect a front wheel.

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

Cheers
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  #2  
Old January 4th 19, 02:55 AM posted to rec.bicycles.tech
John B. Slocomb
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Posts: 805
Default Rain or snow - which do you prefer to ride in?

On Thu, 3 Jan 2019 17:43:20 -0800 (PST), Sir Ridesalot
wrote:

I ride my bicycle all year round which means I ride it in both rain and snow. To me rain or snow have certain advantages and disadvantages over each other. I like the rain because once it stops the roads are soon dry again. However, I sometimes prefer the snow because when it's dry snow falling you don't have to worry as much about getting wet like you do if it's raining and you've left your rain gear at home. However again, I don't like deep snow when it's been only salted and not plowed which turns it into a grease-like substance that has not traction for anything. Snow too can hide holes and or cracks in t he road surface and those holes or cracks can deflect a front wheel.

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

Cheers


We don't have snow here but I don't mind riding in rain, providing
that it isn't a torrential downpour. I tried several different types
of rain gear and finally settled on a poncho that, seated, extends to
just below the seat as here, it is just a matter of whether one is wet
with sweat or rainwater :-)

cheers,

John B.


  #3  
Old January 4th 19, 03:11 AM posted to rec.bicycles.tech
JBeattie
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Posts: 5,870
Default Rain or snow - which do you prefer to ride in?

On Thursday, January 3, 2019 at 5:55:03 PM UTC-8, John B. Slocomb wrote:
On Thu, 3 Jan 2019 17:43:20 -0800 (PST), Sir Ridesalot
wrote:

I ride my bicycle all year round which means I ride it in both rain and snow. To me rain or snow have certain advantages and disadvantages over each other. I like the rain because once it stops the roads are soon dry again.. However, I sometimes prefer the snow because when it's dry snow falling you don't have to worry as much about getting wet like you do if it's raining and you've left your rain gear at home. However again, I don't like deep snow when it's been only salted and not plowed which turns it into a grease-like substance that has not traction for anything. Snow too can hide holes and or cracks in t he road surface and those holes or cracks can deflect a front wheel.

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

Cheers


We don't have snow here but I don't mind riding in rain, providing
that it isn't a torrential downpour. I tried several different types
of rain gear and finally settled on a poncho that, seated, extends to
just below the seat as here, it is just a matter of whether one is wet
with sweat or rainwater :-)


There have been very few above-freezing rainy days when I couldn't ride -- and those were monsoon days with 50mph wind gusts and trees falling down, some of which actually squish cyclist around here. On my commute route: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B2NLBJJCEAAS4KK.jpg That fell on a cyclist in the bike lane. Bike lanes are dangerous!

I can ride in fresh snow and even snow storms -- and with the right bike in deep snow. But around here, snow becomes unrideable on day three or four. It refreezes or gets rain and ice on it and turns into rutted ice asphalt.. You can't ride on arterials because all the snow has been heaped on to the shoulder, and the lane is narrow and slippery, and cars are trying to squeeze by as you're skittering along in the frozen chop. With studs, you slide around on the areas where the snow has been scraped off. I crashed on some street car tracks on studs. I'm too old to be crashing. It hurts a lot.

New snow good. Old snow bad! I'll drive or walk with my little slip on shoe spikes. Go downstairs after work and ride the rollers. The worst weather, however, is freezing rain -- which is basically just a death sentence.

-- Jay Beattie.

  #4  
Old January 4th 19, 03:22 AM posted to rec.bicycles.tech
AMuzi
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Posts: 13,447
Default Rain or snow - which do you prefer to ride in?

On 1/3/2019 8:11 PM, jbeattie wrote:
On Thursday, January 3, 2019 at 5:55:03 PM UTC-8, John B. Slocomb wrote:
On Thu, 3 Jan 2019 17:43:20 -0800 (PST), Sir Ridesalot
wrote:

I ride my bicycle all year round which means I ride it in both rain and snow. To me rain or snow have certain advantages and disadvantages over each other. I like the rain because once it stops the roads are soon dry again. However, I sometimes prefer the snow because when it's dry snow falling you don't have to worry as much about getting wet like you do if it's raining and you've left your rain gear at home. However again, I don't like deep snow when it's been only salted and not plowed which turns it into a grease-like substance that has not traction for anything. Snow too can hide holes and or cracks in t he road surface and those holes or cracks can deflect a front wheel.

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

Cheers


We don't have snow here but I don't mind riding in rain, providing
that it isn't a torrential downpour. I tried several different types
of rain gear and finally settled on a poncho that, seated, extends to
just below the seat as here, it is just a matter of whether one is wet
with sweat or rainwater :-)


There have been very few above-freezing rainy days when I couldn't ride -- and those were monsoon days with 50mph wind gusts and trees falling down, some of which actually squish cyclist around here. On my commute route: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B2NLBJJCEAAS4KK.jpg That fell on a cyclist in the bike lane. Bike lanes are dangerous!

I can ride in fresh snow and even snow storms -- and with the right bike in deep snow. But around here, snow becomes unrideable on day three or four. It refreezes or gets rain and ice on it and turns into rutted ice asphalt. You can't ride on arterials because all the snow has been heaped on to the shoulder, and the lane is narrow and slippery, and cars are trying to squeeze by as you're skittering along in the frozen chop. With studs, you slide around on the areas where the snow has been scraped off. I crashed on some street car tracks on studs. I'm too old to be crashing. It hurts a lot.

New snow good. Old snow bad! I'll drive or walk with my little slip on shoe spikes. Go downstairs after work and ride the rollers. The worst weather, however, is freezing rain -- which is basically just a death sentence.



My daughter didn't see the curb under slushy water in
Chicago earlier this week and imitated Wonder Woman briefly
in midair above her bike. Bruises, smacked bicycle but no
blood.

Clean dry streets with good sightlines are wonderful and
everything else sucks. I've ridden in everything but as you
say crashing is different as one ages, we don't recover as
well any more.

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org/
Open every day since 1 April, 1971


  #5  
Old January 4th 19, 04:03 AM posted to rec.bicycles.tech
Frank Krygowski[_4_]
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Posts: 10,538
Default Rain or snow - which do you prefer to ride in?

On 1/3/2019 8:43 PM, Sir Ridesalot wrote:
I ride my bicycle all year round which means I ride it in both rain and snow. To me rain or snow have certain advantages and disadvantages over each other. I like the rain because once it stops the roads are soon dry again. However, I sometimes prefer the snow because when it's dry snow falling you don't have to worry as much about getting wet like you do if it's raining and you've left your rain gear at home. However again, I don't like deep snow when it's been only salted and not plowed which turns it into a grease-like substance that has not traction for anything. Snow too can hide holes and or cracks in t he road surface and those holes or cracks can deflect a front wheel.

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


I think I would prefer riding in snow, if it were not so blasted cold.
These days (as previously mentioned) I have problems with riding in cold
weather, meaning anything below 40F.

So when I do ride in snow, it's short distances only. I kind of like
riding fresh snow, just because it seems playful and adventurous. I did
lots of it as a kid, and I'm pretty good at avoiding crashes. But I'm
not a fan of rutted or re-frozen snow.

Gentle rain is OK, but not really fun in my book. Hard rain is less fun,
and rain plus wind is worse. The only exception has been those times on
super-hot days that I got caught in refreshing showers.

--
- Frank Krygowski
  #6  
Old January 4th 19, 04:13 AM posted to rec.bicycles.tech
Frank Krygowski[_4_]
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Posts: 10,538
Default Rain or snow - which do you prefer to ride in?

On 1/3/2019 9:11 PM, jbeattie wrote:

There have been very few above-freezing rainy days when I couldn't ride -- and those were monsoon days with 50mph wind gusts and trees falling down, some of which actually squish cyclist around here. On my commute route: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B2NLBJJCEAAS4KK.jpg That fell on a cyclist in the bike lane. Bike lanes are dangerous!


I'm curious about the cyclist's injuries.

Around here, we had a kerfuffle regarding ash trees killed by the
Emerald Ash Borer. That invasive insect is killing something like 99% of
ash trees, so our local forest preserve has lots of dead trees.

There's a squad of local idiots who wanted to cut down every dead tree
in the 265 acre forest preserve, for "safety." Others said look, just
cut the ones over parking lots, picnic tables, etc. but the idiots
yelled about liability, despite Ohio laws and Supreme Court cases
absolutely absolving the village of liability in such an instance.

Along the way, I dug out a research paper that estimated the number of
tree fall deaths in the U.S. at about 25 (IIRC), with most of those
occurring inside cars, probably when people drove their car into a
fallen tree. Seems there are no more than 10 or 12 per year that occur
with people just being outside. Having one of those dozen occur in our
woods would be a statistical fluke.

After this settled down a bit, there was a report of a man knocked
unconscious by a falling ash tree in the forest. We suspect the idiot
team found a recently fallen tree and paid a guy to lie under it.

--
- Frank Krygowski
  #7  
Old January 4th 19, 04:15 AM posted to rec.bicycles.tech
John B. Slocomb
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Posts: 805
Default Rain or snow - which do you prefer to ride in?

On Thu, 3 Jan 2019 22:03:36 -0500, Frank Krygowski
wrote:

On 1/3/2019 8:43 PM, Sir Ridesalot wrote:
I ride my bicycle all year round which means I ride it in both rain and snow. To me rain or snow have certain advantages and disadvantages over each other. I like the rain because once it stops the roads are soon dry again. However, I sometimes prefer the snow because when it's dry snow falling you don't have to worry as much about getting wet like you do if it's raining and you've left your rain gear at home. However again, I don't like deep snow when it's been only salted and not plowed which turns it into a grease-like substance that has not traction for anything. Snow too can hide holes and or cracks in t he road surface and those holes or cracks can deflect a front wheel.

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


I think I would prefer riding in snow, if it were not so blasted cold.
These days (as previously mentioned) I have problems with riding in cold
weather, meaning anything below 40F.

So when I do ride in snow, it's short distances only. I kind of like
riding fresh snow, just because it seems playful and adventurous. I did
lots of it as a kid, and I'm pretty good at avoiding crashes. But I'm
not a fan of rutted or re-frozen snow.

Gentle rain is OK, but not really fun in my book. Hard rain is less fun,
and rain plus wind is worse. The only exception has been those times on
super-hot days that I got caught in refreshing showers.


A sort of related question :-)

A while ago you talked about breathing problems in cold weather and
several folks recommended a mask. Did you try that and what were the
results.

As an aside it is, at the moment, 25.3 degrees (C) which is seriously
cold... particularly when your clothes closet only has shorts and tee
shirts hanging in it :-)

cheers,

John B.


  #8  
Old January 4th 19, 04:32 AM posted to rec.bicycles.tech
Sir Ridesalot
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Posts: 5,270
Default Rain or snow - which do you prefer to ride in?

On Thursday, January 3, 2019 at 10:15:58 PM UTC-5, John B. Slocomb wrote:
Snipped
A sort of related question :-)

A while ago you talked about breathing problems in cold weather and
several folks recommended a mask. Did you try that and what were the
results.

As an aside it is, at the moment, 25.3 degrees (C) which is seriously
cold... particularly when your clothes closet only has shorts and tee
shirts hanging in it :-)

cheers,

John B.


When it's quite cold here I wear a blue plastic dust mask with a filter. That really works well in creating warm air to breathe in instead of frigid air.

https://p.globalsources.com/IMAGES/P...cing-Slice.jpg

If you don't like the rigidity of the plastic then a couple of simple paper-dust-filter masks can also work pretty well.

https://5.imimg.com/data5/CR/XL/MY-3...sk-500x500.jpg

Cheers
  #9  
Old January 4th 19, 04:41 AM posted to rec.bicycles.tech
John B. Slocomb
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Posts: 805
Default Rain or snow - which do you prefer to ride in?

On Thu, 3 Jan 2019 22:13:13 -0500, Frank Krygowski
wrote:

On 1/3/2019 9:11 PM, jbeattie wrote:

There have been very few above-freezing rainy days when I couldn't ride -- and those were monsoon days with 50mph wind gusts and trees falling down, some of which actually squish cyclist around here. On my commute route: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B2NLBJJCEAAS4KK.jpg That fell on a cyclist in the bike lane. Bike lanes are dangerous!


I'm curious about the cyclist's injuries.

Around here, we had a kerfuffle regarding ash trees killed by the
Emerald Ash Borer. That invasive insect is killing something like 99% of
ash trees, so our local forest preserve has lots of dead trees.

There's a squad of local idiots who wanted to cut down every dead tree
in the 265 acre forest preserve, for "safety." Others said look, just
cut the ones over parking lots, picnic tables, etc. but the idiots
yelled about liability, despite Ohio laws and Supreme Court cases
absolutely absolving the village of liability in such an instance.

Along the way, I dug out a research paper that estimated the number of
tree fall deaths in the U.S. at about 25 (IIRC), with most of those
occurring inside cars, probably when people drove their car into a
fallen tree. Seems there are no more than 10 or 12 per year that occur
with people just being outside. Having one of those dozen occur in our
woods would be a statistical fluke.

After this settled down a bit, there was a report of a man knocked
unconscious by a falling ash tree in the forest. We suspect the idiot
team found a recently fallen tree and paid a guy to lie under it.


Is there any demand for ash lumber? I believe that in New England some
elm trees infected or killed by the Dutch Elm Disease are being
gobbled up by companies that specialize in making solid wood
furniture.

cheers,

John B.


  #10  
Old January 4th 19, 05:38 AM posted to rec.bicycles.tech
Sir Ridesalot
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Posts: 5,270
Default Rain or snow - which do you prefer to ride in?

On Thursday, January 3, 2019 at 10:42:00 PM UTC-5, John B. Slocomb wrote:
Snipped
Is there any demand for ash lumber? I believe that in New England some
elm trees infected or killed by the Dutch Elm Disease are being
gobbled up by companies that specialize in making solid wood
furniture.

cheers,

John B.


Many years ago I used to build reproductions of Aleut Baidarkas.The wood I preferred for the bent ribs was green ash. I sometimes wonder just how hard it'd be to get that nowadays.

Cheers
 




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