Rain, ice and severe cold are a removed. I like bicycles, but driving to work in a heated car looking at that poor cyclist riding somewhere at 6 in the morning at -6°C, sorry, no, I’m gonna go with a car.
I disagree cycling in winter is nice. Just get some warm clothes and good tyres. A car is also really expensive to own in the city. Why pay for a car and parking when the alternative is almost free and arguably more fun.
If the weather is bad enough, I will take transit instead, but cycling down to -10 C is doable without any problems.
I will be far less inclined to bike if it’s raining, that I do hate with a passion. Of course, I could just work from home in that scenario as well, if I don’t feel like taking transit
If it’s me on the bike, know that I’m pitying you. -6°C is nothing. I drove a lot of miles as a delivery driver, and saw a lot of faces behind windshields in that time. Very few happy faces. Driving makes people miserable.
Rain is no problem, just get a proper jacket and rain pants. They’ll last you years.
Ice can be a problem, but you can get studded tires if you’re really regularly riding on ice.
Severe cold? I’ve biked in -20 weather, and with proper gear it’s not bad. You’re working hard and you heat up pretty quickly. The tricky things are your fingers and toes. Your fingers need enough freedom to operate the brakes and so on, so you can’t just use huge and bulky gloves. If you’re using clip-in pedals, your choice of footwear is a bit limited.
The real issue with winter biking isn’t the cold or the ice, it’s the lack of proper cycling infrastructure. Biking on a road next to a bus is hard enough in summer. In winter where there’s uncleared snow, slush and ice, it sucks. In places with proper winter cycling infrastructure it’s no problem.
Imagine how hard it would be to drive a car in winter if cities didn’t send out snowplows to clear the roads. That’s what it’s like for cyclists now in most (but not all) places.
Rain, ice and severe cold are a removed. I like bicycles, but driving to work in a heated car looking at that poor cyclist riding somewhere at 6 in the morning at -6°C, sorry, no, I’m gonna go with a car.
I disagree cycling in winter is nice. Just get some warm clothes and good tyres. A car is also really expensive to own in the city. Why pay for a car and parking when the alternative is almost free and arguably more fun.
I’m less likely to sweat profusely in winter
If the weather is bad enough, I will take transit instead, but cycling down to -10 C is doable without any problems.
I will be far less inclined to bike if it’s raining, that I do hate with a passion. Of course, I could just work from home in that scenario as well, if I don’t feel like taking transit
If it’s me on the bike, know that I’m pitying you. -6°C is nothing. I drove a lot of miles as a delivery driver, and saw a lot of faces behind windshields in that time. Very few happy faces. Driving makes people miserable.
Ice and snow are difficult. But I don’t give a shit about the rest. It’s still way more fun than sitting in traffic.
Like my mom used to say: are you made of sugar?
Rain is no problem, just get a proper jacket and rain pants. They’ll last you years.
Ice can be a problem, but you can get studded tires if you’re really regularly riding on ice.
Severe cold? I’ve biked in -20 weather, and with proper gear it’s not bad. You’re working hard and you heat up pretty quickly. The tricky things are your fingers and toes. Your fingers need enough freedom to operate the brakes and so on, so you can’t just use huge and bulky gloves. If you’re using clip-in pedals, your choice of footwear is a bit limited.
The real issue with winter biking isn’t the cold or the ice, it’s the lack of proper cycling infrastructure. Biking on a road next to a bus is hard enough in summer. In winter where there’s uncleared snow, slush and ice, it sucks. In places with proper winter cycling infrastructure it’s no problem.
Imagine how hard it would be to drive a car in winter if cities didn’t send out snowplows to clear the roads. That’s what it’s like for cyclists now in most (but not all) places.