Worst Weather to commute in

rick_chasey

For me, this.

Sleet rain, cold, dirty, grotty light.

Anyone differ?

Phil_D

Sideways hailstones is pretty bad. Snow is a pain as it gets in your eyes quite easy. Anything else is better than sitting in a traffic jam listening to Chris Evans.

cornerblock

Rick Chasey wrote:

For me, this.

Scottish

Anyone differ?

FTFY.
I hate the wind, tail, head, side, the lot.

notsoblue

Yeah, was pretty nasty. Was a perfect storm this morning... Cold, Sleet, Hangover, Puncture. Still, I've cycled in much worse though.

rick_chasey

notsoblue wrote:

Yeah, was pretty nasty. Was a perfect storm this morning... Cold, Sleet, Hangover, Puncture. Still, I've cycled in much worse though.

Do tell.

Only worse I've had is the same but harder sleet, at night, and a further ride.

walkingbootweather

Sunshine - brings out all the nodders

More seriously I can cope with most weather as long as it isn't too windy.

bigmat

Ice. Anything else you can just MTFU and deal with, dress for the occasion etc, but when it gets dangerously slippy that is when I draw the line. Actually, extreme wind can also be pretty dangerous - I almost got blown off my bike the other night, wouldn't have wanted to be any lighter put it that way (e.g. RC size...)

fossyant

Worse had to be horizontal torrential hail that covered the road with an inch of ice - that was fun on a road bike !

This morning was a much better than the sodding rain though. Snow showers, a little lying on the ground and out with the MTB with spikes. Yay.

jonginge

Wind. Hate it.

I quite enjoy riding in the snow if I have the right bike/tyres for it. I don't at the moment so I bail on snowy/icy days

rick_chasey

JonGinge wrote:

Wind. Hate it.

I quite enjoy riding in the snow if I have the right bike/tyres for it. I don't at the moment so I bail on snowy/icy days

Interesting. Wind's only a pain for me if it's combined with rain.

Getting cold & wet I can't stand.

Everything else OK - even 40 C and a gale.

iPete

Snow if you've not worn eye wear = red stinging eyes!

veronese68

I think very strong winds are the worst as you can be blown into the path of something. Ice is also bad as it can get dangerous.
I must confess I have to leave work at 2.30 today to collect my daughter from school. So unfortunately I had to take the car, this has been planned for a couple of weeks and the bad weather is just a coincidence I promise.

meanredspider

Much of the weather I commute in at this time of year is poor. I've got used to just about anything. Only the weather that physically stops me do I hate - that's just deep snow or dangerous wind.

As they say, there's no such thing as bad weather just bad gear.

daviesee

Ice combined with crosswinds.

jonginge

Rick Chasey wrote:

JonGinge wrote:

Wind. Hate it.

I quite enjoy riding in the snow if I have the right bike/tyres for it. I don't at the moment so I bail on snowy/icy days

Interesting. Wind's only a pain for me if it's combined with rain.

Getting cold & wet I can't stand.

I hear you.

When I first started cycling I had no proper winter gear. (Overshoes? What are they?) That could be horrific but I still cycled (the folly of youth). These days I hope to get the clothing choice right. I normally end up too warm rather than the other way around. Until I stop anyway. Then I turn blue very quickly

When I rode the HOTA in the snow in 2009 and 2010 I was toastily warm in my Castelli Espresso jacket

notsoblue

Rick Chasey wrote:

Do tell.

Only worse I've had is the same but harder sleet, at night, and a further ride.

LEJOG. We were cycling unsupported from Ayr to Inverary in late September and had heavy rain pretty much the whole way. It wasn't ridiculously cold, but it was below 10C and we were utterly soaked through. Managed to keep the muscles fairly warm for the first 50 miles but our route took us on a ferry from Greenock to Dunoon and after standing/sitting about for an hour in sodden clothing I was the closest I've come to hypothermia. The last 50 miles through Argyl was pretty tough with dragging panniers up all the hills and the involuntary shivering. I have never been more happy to see a youth hostel than I was at the end of that day. The next morning it was gorgeously sunny. Scotland's like that. Makes you earn the views :P

rolf_f

Rick Chasey wrote:

JonGinge wrote:

Wind. Hate it.

I quite enjoy riding in the snow if I have the right bike/tyres for it. I don't at the moment so I bail on snowy/icy days

Interesting. Wind's only a pain for me if it's combined with rain.

You don't mind 40mph gusty cross and headwinds? Or is it not that windy where you are? The experience of being blown to a near standstill on a five mile climb and then being blown either into the kerb or the traffic is worse than anything else the weather can throw at me.

I've often found on really windy commutes that I actually prefer it when it rains as it takes my mind off the wind a bit.

notsoblue

Snow and freezing cold I can cope with, its cold rain and sleet that gets me. I've been snowboarding on glaciers in a gale at -20C and its fine with a boarding jacket and a mask. You can dress for it. I've never managed to stay warm and dry after cycling in rain for more than 45 minutes...

MaxwellBygraves

Thunderstorm.

rick_chasey

Rolf F wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

JonGinge wrote:

Wind. Hate it.

I quite enjoy riding in the snow if I have the right bike/tyres for it. I don't at the moment so I bail on snowy/icy days

Interesting. Wind's only a pain for me if it's combined with rain.

You don't mind 40mph gusty cross and headwinds? Or is it not that windy where you are? The experience of being blown to a near standstill on a five mile climb and then being blown either into the kerb or the traffic is worse than anything else the weather can throw at me.

I've often found on really windy commutes that I actually prefer it when it rains as it takes my mind off the wind a bit.

*shrugs* brought up in Cambridge. Plenty of wind there. Never found it to be a problem. They're like invisible hills.

bompington

I would agree that mere "uncomfortable" weather can easily be overcome by a combination of appropriate gear and Ming TFU - actually it's more a case of just getting into the habit. It always helps me that in the mornings, my car is 20 miles away at work, so the only alternative is a half hour run to the nearest bus stop followed by a 45 min bus ride, something I've only ever had to do once due to catastrophic mechanical failure of the bike, and another time for 3 weeks due to catastrophic mechanical damage to me.
Up till now ice and snow have stopped me - and I mean proper ice and snow, not just a bit of frost or a sprinkling. Now I've got Snow Studs hopefully that'll improve, although I've only just fitted them so haven't tried yet.
Which leaves wind: I don't mind a bit of wind, and have happily cycled with, into and across winds gusting well over force 8 (40mph for the uninitiated). But last week I decided that 80mph was a bit too much.

Kieran_Burns

I call it the Devil's Triangle:

Wind
Rain
Cold

any 2 of the 3 I can cope with, but when all 3 hit.... bleugh. I bail, it just becomes a bloody chore and no fun.

(I mean excess of any of the above, light rain in a mild wind on a 10C ish day is fine)

optimisticbiker

notsoblue wrote:

Yeah, was pretty nasty. Was a perfect storm this morning... Cold, Sleet, Hangover, Puncture. Still, I've cycled in much worse though.

+1 but no hangover ... was -1degC in Regents Park in heavy sleet

Thats two visits from the PF on two consective mornings...

rolf_f

Rick Chasey wrote:

They're like invisible hills.

No - wind is not like invisible hills! Hills are generally done after less than 15 minutes and are often fun and satisfying. 50 miles into a strong headwind on the flat is a totally different proposition!

Kieran_Burns wrote:

I call it the Devil's Triangle:

Wind
Rain
Cold

any 2 of the 3 I can cope with, but when all 3 hit.... bleugh. I bail, it just becomes a bloody chore and no fun.

(I mean excess of any of the above, light rain in a mild wind on a 10C ish day is fine)

But the rain and cold you can protect yourself against. With the wind there is nothing you can do. TBH, the rain is an irrelevance to me except that it can add to the cold.

greg66_tri_v2.0

Ice: forget it.

Gusting crosswinds: hate them, but never really know about them until you're out there. Worst one I had was outside the MI6 building, heading East. I was blown across two lanes of traffic into the oncoming (thankfully empty) lanes. Nothing I could do about it.

Topaxci

Strong winds & Ice

Everything else I can cope with. Plenty of warm and gear and the wet doesn't bother me overly. Though I must get round to getting some overshoes this winter - I'm gonna have wet shoes to put on to get home tonight

Seriously thinking of investing in spiked tyres for this winter. I'm just not sure whether to get them for the road or MTB now.

That just leaves wind - commute is fairly sheltered but crosswinds between houses and side roads are a real killer. Not to mention the headwind slog that can really wear you down. And as we get wind all year round has to be top of my list.

rick_chasey

Rolf F wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

They're like invisible hills.

No - wind is not like invisible hills! Hills are generally done after less than 15 minutes and are often fun and satisfying. 50 miles into a strong headwind on the flat is a totally different proposition!

S'a big hill then eh?

You'd have a different attitude if the only hill in the area where you grew up could be done in 5 or 6 revs. Yorkshire is great for riding.

welkman

For me it's 'big' rain combined with near freezing conditions and a howling northerly

Ben6899

Rick Chasey wrote:

Rolf F wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

They're like invisible hills.

No - wind is not like invisible hills! Hills are generally done after less than 15 minutes and are often fun and satisfying. 50 miles into a strong headwind on the flat is a totally different proposition!

S'a big hill then eh?

You'd have a different attitude if the only hill in the area where you grew up could be done in 5 or 6 revs. Yorkshire is great for riding.

I'm from Yorkshire and, yes, it is great for riding. But from my parents' house, there is also the option to head east where it's just about pan-flat. That brings headwinds and on some days it is so tough, you arrive back absolutely shattered.

rolf_f

Ben6899 wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

Rolf F wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

They're like invisible hills.

No - wind is not like invisible hills! Hills are generally done after less than 15 minutes and are often fun and satisfying. 50 miles into a strong headwind on the flat is a totally different proposition!

S'a big hill then eh?

You'd have a different attitude if the only hill in the area where you grew up could be done in 5 or 6 revs. Yorkshire is great for riding.

I'm from Yorkshire and, yes, it is great for riding. But from my parents' house, there is also the option to head east where it's just about pan-flat. That brings headwinds and on some days it is so tough, you arrive back absolutely shattered.

That's pretty much precisely the circumstance I was referring to in my original quoted post! The only difference was that I was remembering a ride from Leeds to Lincoln; the headwind arriving as soon as I turned South just after Goole.......

wyadvd

the only thing is strong and gusty side winds (40mph+) everything else I positively enjoy as long as I am dressed right. bring it on. :twisted: