Riding Through Winter

[GuyeNoir]

I've had my bike - a 2006 Honda Rebel 250- for a little over a year now. Last winter I stored my bike at my grandmother's house, but this time around I'd like to keep riding through the winter; mostly because my bike is the only method of transportation I have and the mass transit in my area is essentially worthless*.

There are two big challenges however. The first being that I'm in Rochester, NY. Anyone who lives there knows the winters are absolutely horrible. Blizzards, mountains of snow, high speed winds; the works. The second is I'm kind of sensitive to the cold. I'm cold when other people are comfy, and comfy when others are too hot. Considering all of that, perhaps the best option is to forget this crazy idea and just take the bus... but to be perfectly honest, I'd much rather ride through 20 deg weather for 10 mins than spend 30 mins at an unsheltered bus stop staring at my feet. Plus I hate having to rely on others just to go places.

So what I'm looking for is some advice, since I've never done this before. What should I do/buy to keep myself from freezing to death? Especially what kind of riding gear to get that will keep me warm, since I'm not a big fan of the cold. I hate shopping for clothes. I'm that perfectionist "must compare each jacket to each and every other jacket to find the absolute best jacket" guy. I'd certainly like to get the single warmest riding jacket available. Beyond that, I'm not entirely sure what questions to ask.

Here's a quick rundown of what gear I already have: Full face HJC helmet, Tourmaster Magnum jacket, really warm padded gloves (not sure what brand, they were hand-me-downs from my dad) and work boots. With all that stuff, including the inner lining of the jacket and a sweatshirt underneath, 40-45 deg weather is tolerable. Below that and I'll need something a bit heftier. Also, my boots are crapping out; last time I rode in the rain my feet got soaked.

Fortunately not all is bad. My daily commute is very short, and I rarely if ever go out on the highway; not out of fear, but lack of necessity. I really only make short rides around campus (though my campus is pretty large) and around town to get to work/classes; short trips around town to make small purchases and do chores, meet friends at various places, etc. Also I don't intend to ride through heavy snow and I'm going to avoid iced-over roads like the plague. But if it's snowing lightly or just cold and windy, I'd like to be on the road. Also, thanks to a full time paid internship with IBM I have a healthy amount of buying power.

I'd appreciate any advice those more experienced than myself have to offer.

tl;dr - I'm a noob who wants to ride in the winter. Plz halp.

*I grew up in NYC, so my standards for acceptable mass transit are a bit higher than most peoples'.

[MZ33]

Welcome to TMW!!

I grew up outside of Rochester, and used to work at Strong Memorial Hospital. It was a 60 mile daily commute, roundtrip.

If you have decent income, get a car. If you don't have decent income, get a car. You don't need all-wheel-drive up there, 'cuz it's flat, so if money is an issue, any front-wheel drive will get you around. Even light snow turns into packed powder, so I don't think you will be able to ride as much as you hope. And if you haven't had a car up until now--have you driven in the snow & wind much? It is an acquired skill. I didn't realize how much of a skill it is because I grew up with it. Only after I met friends who had never done much of it did I realize that there is more to snow-driving than just slowing down.

But if (sigh) you are hell-bent on it, if it were me, I would get a dual sport or at least a standard bike, not a cruiser. And spring for heated grips, heated gear, etc. You will spend an awful lot of money to set yourself up for this, and you will still be cold and uncomfortable, which, in the long run, means unsafe IMHO. I was in an older model VW Beetle once when the wind pushed it sideways across the slippery road as we was inching along.

These are just things to think about. There are others up there who ride who, hopefully, will weigh in on this topic.

[Lion_Lady]

Get a car, or a bus schedule. You'll need electric gear (Gerbings or Widder) to manage riding in NY winter temps, and the Rebel's electrical system won't support it, ESPECIALLY on short trips. You'll draw down the battery in a week or less.

P

[blues2cruise]

If it's only a ten minute drive/ride.....it would only be a half hour walk or so.......think of the exercise benefits.....

[Gummiente]

So many things to say here that I'm not sure where to start.

As someone who puts on more mileage in winter on a bike than a lot of people do in the summer, I can offer some relevant opinions and advice on the matter. And my opinion and advice is that if your daily commute is only around 10min, you are much better off staring at your boots while waiting for the bus to arrive rather than laughing in the face of Death on a bike.

Having said that, if you are serious about wanting to ride in cold weather there are many things to consider. As Lion Lady mentioned, an electric vest is a "must have", but your Rebel does not have a charging system that can handle one without hurting the battery. You will also need to spend mucho dinero on proper cold weather riding gear and upgrades to your bike. If money is not a concern, as your comment about buying power suggests, you should ditch the Rebel in favour of a dual-sport with aggressive knobby tires to cut through the slush and snow. Or, better yet, a new Ural.

There are other things to consider, like your work environment. Proper winter riding gear is very bulky and, after a ride in the slushy steets, is going to be wet and dirty by the time you arrive at work. Is there a place there where you can hang your stuff out to dry during the day? Do you have a locker that is big enough to store everything? If you have to wear a suit or upscale clothing at work, will your boss mind if you show up with your pants and shirt all wrinkled with road salt stains around the edges? And if you do decide to ride in the winter, be prepared to have your name legally changed to "Crazy B*stard", because that is the only name that your co-workers will ever call you from now on. Trust me on this one.

How about traffic? If you think cagers are nuts in the summertime, wait until you start mixing it up with them in winter, especially in the city. You will NOT be in their frame of reference and they will be even less aware than normal of your existence. The police are probably going to take an active interest in you, though, so you'll need to keep your bike in top working order and have proof of registration and insurance (and sanity) readily available.

Here's a list of upgrades done to my Ural to help with winter riding conditions; large windshield, leg shields, handlebar handguards, 12V power outlet, knobby tires, folding shovel and a battery charger in the garage.

Here's what I wear on a typical winter day's ride at -10C (14F); thermal underpants, thermal long sleeved undershirt, sport socks, wool socks, long sleeved shirt, insulated hunting pants with roofer's knee pads underneath, electric vest, sweater, scarf, cold weather parka, neoprene ski mask, cold weather ATV helmet, cold weather insulated gloves, imsulated winter "mukluk" type boots. I'm good for about 2hrs of riding, but then I spend the rest of the day humping the furnace in the basement.

Really, for 10min it's just not worth the hassle.

[TorontoBoy]

I do agree that for a 10 min commute the money you'll spend on gear will not save you any in the long run. That said, it may be better to ride a mountain bike with knobbies. You'd get exercise and it's a lot of fun in the snow. You'll also keep warm because you're generating your own heat.

Riding in the winter is not for the faint of heart. It's pretty cold. Cagers don't expect you to be riding. If there's salt on the road it'll rust your bike. For me it's the hands that get cold first, then your ability to control the bike is compromised.

[Gurgus]

I wouldn't want to ride a motorbike in the winter. I gotta agree with Torontoboy. I'd rather ride my bicycles in the winter. You make your own heat and your aren't going as fast. Sheeet, it's already getting too cold in the mornings for me to ride my motorcycle into work. I'm taking the cage.

[blues2cruise]

I used to ride my mountain bike in the snow...if it was fresh snow...

Once it became icy and rutted with frozen slush it was too difficult.

Mostly here in the winter....cold and rain and more cold and rain and more rain.....sigh.....I was constantly having to clean and lube the chain.

[JC Viper]

I ride in the winter here in NYC but only when there's no snow or ice on the ground. I also make sure to give it a week after a snow shower to give the plows and sun a chance to lessen the accumulation to manageable levels.

I did ride in the snow once. I got caught in a storm on a day that started out clear. The good thing was that the tires maintained some grip but stopping and getting it to go again was a problem unless it was dusting.

Get a small car or get a 3 wheeled bike for those snow days. Ural bikes are great for such events and the Piaggio MP3 is said to be getting snow tires soon. Also a nice leather riding jacket with good insulation is key to being warm in the winter.

[jstark47]

Some things to keep in mind about winter riding, even when the roads are dry:
1) cold pavement provides less traction than warm pavement, also consider your tires are cold too and take a lot longer to warm up
2) a coating of dried salt on the road can also reduce traction, the surface can be powdery
3) loose granular salt or sand can pile up in the darnedest places (e.g. middle of a curve) where you're not expecting them.