Cold Weather Commuting - what is needed?

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Comments

  • vermin
    vermin Posts: 1,739
    Tangled Metal wrote:
    vermin wrote:
    Tangled Metal wrote:
    One thing I noticed is how you buy kit or clothing when starting out then you learn the magazine best buy doesn't work for you or you learn a bit better what you really need. Then you buy again. Then repeat. It is a total iterative method of learning what is needed.

    And on that point, when buying cycling specific clothing, buy it all in the Rapha sale. When you realise it's no good for you, you will always be able to sell it on at a profit on ebay.

    Rapha? Who are they? I'm not up on cycling trends. Are they a bit like Aldi or Lidl but down south?

    Aldi and Lidl are 1. cheap and 2. cheerful. Rapha is the polar opposite.
  • davis
    davis Posts: 2,506
    Tangled Metal wrote:
    vermin wrote:
    Tangled Metal wrote:
    One thing I noticed is how you buy kit or clothing when starting out then you learn the magazine best buy doesn't work for you or you learn a bit better what you really need. Then you buy again. Then repeat. It is a total iterative method of learning what is needed.

    And on that point, when buying cycling specific clothing, buy it all in the Rapha sale. When you realise it's no good for you, you will always be able to sell it on at a profit on ebay.

    Rapha? Who are they? I'm not up on cycling trends. Are they a bit like Aldi or Lidl but down south?

    Nah, it's Northern. Netto's own brand
    Sometimes parts break. Sometimes you crash. Sometimes it’s your fault.
  • tangled_metal
    tangled_metal Posts: 4,021
    Goth cycling clothing?
  • rubertoe
    rubertoe Posts: 3,994
    You seem to have more knowledge than the rest of us.

    You will be ok with regards clothing. The rest is entirely up to you.
    "If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got."

    PX Kaffenback 2 = Work Horse
    B-Twin Alur 700 = Sundays and Hills
  • davis
    davis Posts: 2,506
    Tangled Metal wrote:
    Goth cycling clothing?

    Yeah, that's it. All black and maudlin. They have to stop when they start developing thigh muscles.
    Sometimes parts break. Sometimes you crash. Sometimes it’s your fault.
  • cookeeemonster
    cookeeemonster Posts: 1,991
    Tangled Metal wrote:
    vermin wrote:
    Tangled Metal wrote:
    One thing I noticed is how you buy kit or clothing when starting out then you learn the magazine best buy doesn't work for you or you learn a bit better what you really need. Then you buy again. Then repeat. It is a total iterative method of learning what is needed.

    And on that point, when buying cycling specific clothing, buy it all in the Rapha sale. When you realise it's no good for you, you will always be able to sell it on at a profit on ebay.

    Rapha? Who are they? I'm not up on cycling trends. Are they a bit like Aldi or Lidl but down south?

    That's basically it. When the servants finish cleaning the moat I often send them down to 'that Rapha' to pick up some cheap bits and bobs for cleaning the floor with.
  • tangled_metal
    tangled_metal Posts: 4,021
    CookeeeMonster wrote:
    Tangled Metal wrote:
    vermin wrote:
    Tangled Metal wrote:
    One thing I noticed is how you buy kit or clothing when starting out then you learn the magazine best buy doesn't work for you or you learn a bit better what you really need. Then you buy again. Then repeat. It is a total iterative method of learning what is needed.

    And on that point, when buying cycling specific clothing, buy it all in the Rapha sale. When you realise it's no good for you, you will always be able to sell it on at a profit on ebay.

    Rapha? Who are they? I'm not up on cycling trends. Are they a bit like Aldi or Lidl but down south?

    That's basically it. When the servants finish cleaning the moat I often send them down to 'that Rapha' to pick up some cheap bits and bobs for cleaning the floor with.

    The wife doesn't react well when I call her that, you're lucky to get away with it!!!
  • cookeeemonster
    cookeeemonster Posts: 1,991
    Tangled Metal wrote:
    CookeeeMonster wrote:
    Tangled Metal wrote:
    vermin wrote:
    Tangled Metal wrote:
    One thing I noticed is how you buy kit or clothing when starting out then you learn the magazine best buy doesn't work for you or you learn a bit better what you really need. Then you buy again. Then repeat. It is a total iterative method of learning what is needed.

    And on that point, when buying cycling specific clothing, buy it all in the Rapha sale. When you realise it's no good for you, you will always be able to sell it on at a profit on ebay.

    Rapha? Who are they? I'm not up on cycling trends. Are they a bit like Aldi or Lidl but down south?

    That's basically it. When the servants finish cleaning the moat I often send them down to 'that Rapha' to pick up some cheap bits and bobs for cleaning the floor with.

    The wife doesn't react well when I call her that, you're lucky to get away with it!!!

    Could be an ex-wife if she reads this ;)
  • tangled_metal
    tangled_metal Posts: 4,021
    Or ex-cookeeeeeemonster!!
  • tangled_metal
    tangled_metal Posts: 4,021
    Once saw on another forum a Wife who got access to a guy's forum account. Apparently she spotted he had left his computer on while logged on to a forum. She found out what his screen name was and what he'd been saying. Then because she knew he was going to be away for a good 10 minutes or so started posting while pretending to be him.

    Fortunately for him he was a long time poster with a unique humour and besides some other posters actually know him and his wife quite well. They spotted straight away and said hello to her straight away. However for a few minutes she'd caused a bit of a reputation damage which was actually funny. IIRC she also got hold of his password later on and was on the forum using her husband's account for a few months (she let on straight away it was the other half not the guy himself). Eventually she got told to get her own account and is now almost as much of a regular with the name "Mrs XXXXX" where the XXXXX is the husband's screen name.

    Lesson learnt by me. My tablet, smartphone and laptop are all passworded or swipe pattern locked whenever i leave them for a while.
  • cookeeemonster
    cookeeemonster Posts: 1,991
    If my wife ever tried that then I'll block access to the daily mail website, nuff said :)

    Yes yes yes you ask why the freaking funk havent I done that already...it sickens me...I'm just biding my time. The next time the wifi goes down it's getting subtly blocked on the ipad...and her phone ;)
  • tangled_metal
    tangled_metal Posts: 4,021
    I might try that with the guardian site with my lass. Sick of getting terribly nice middle class commentators' articles and comment pieces being sent to me in a vain attempt to getting me interested in having an intelligent conversation.

    Also terribly nice feminist male writers who seem only to be read by slightly misogynistic readers judging by their comments. Seems there's nothing worse than a newspaper (or their website) writer understanding feminist issues if they are a male. I do love the comments though. Almost as good as Sky, Telegraph and a few others I can't remember but keep finding again by accident of Google News.
  • itboffin
    itboffin Posts: 20,072
    rubertoe wrote:
    Hitler says you should wear a helmet.

    I'm pretty sure he owes me a tenner
    Rule #5 // Harden The Feck Up.
    Rule #9 // If you are out riding in bad weather, it means you are a badass. Period.
    Rule #12 // The correct number of bikes to own is n+1.
    Rule #42 // A bike race shall never be preceded with a swim and/or followed by a run.
  • MichaelW
    MichaelW Posts: 2,164
    How much will it cost you to not cycle?
    buff, wool socks, sealskinz w/proof socks, windproof smock, waterproof over-pants
    thin insulated gillet
    wicking shirt, long-sleeved jersey with neck zip and collar.

    Avoid muliple layers with rear pockets.
    shoes bigger than summer size.
    mudguards, lights, spare lights.

    I make my studded ice tyres.
  • antsmithmk
    antsmithmk Posts: 717
    meanredspider wrote:
    Keep a (mental if not physical) note of what to wear at the different temperatures. For me it's a bit like this (for example)
    <10C Long sleeves, long finger gloves
    <5C Jacket - starting to think about leg warmers, esp if wet.
    <0C thicker gloves, ear covering, tights/leg warmers, overshoes
    <-5C Thick jacket, winter tights over shorts, lobster gloves, neck buff
    <-10C additional shell jacket layer, extra glove layer

    You get the picture. Then it's easier to get prepared - just check the temp when you get up and dress accordingly.

    Given where I live, if there's frost on the cars, I also swapped to the MTB with studded ice tyres as I was likely to encounter black ice (or just full blown sheets of the stuff) on my route somewhere and it was never worth the risk taking the road bike (as I discovered - it's horrible when your rear wheel steps out on a pedal stroke - the rest of the ride you crawl)

    Well done for doing it - it's actually a great feeling arriving at work by bike on a crappy dark morning knowing that you beat the conditions.

    That's sound advise above. Work out how well you cope with the gear selection versus temp... You might cope better than some... Or not!
  • tangled_metal
    tangled_metal Posts: 4,021
    It costs £3.80 for a return train ticket this year. Not much but it adds up to about £900 a year if I ride every working day. I can't always do that which means I've only saved just over £110 since May which is not good. I'm not expecting to save money commuting it's more about resenting train ticket pricing, it costs 20 pence less for one way ticket!!! Also fitness reasons. Plus a challenge of motivation to keep going when the weather's bad or it's dark.
  • fatsmoker
    fatsmoker Posts: 585
    antsmithmk wrote:
    Keep a (mental if not physical) note of what to wear at the different temperatures. For me it's a bit like this (for example)
    <10C Long sleeves, long finger gloves
    <5C Jacket - starting to think about leg warmers, esp if wet.
    <0C thicker gloves, ear covering, tights/leg warmers, overshoes

    Yes. 1 or 2 degrees can make a big difference to your comfort. Got it spot on this morning at 7c, compared to yesterday at 9c. Normal jersey, thin merino jumper and shorts and full finger gloves. First time in ages I haven't arrived at work sweaty.
  • walkingbootweather
    walkingbootweather Posts: 2,443
    A bike?

    To be more specific a bike suited for winter conditions. Mud guards are a must, suitable tyres (for grip and puncture protection - fixing a puncture on a balmy summer evening is hardly a chore, on a wet, dark cold January evening it most certainly is). Lights and reflectives - you can get caught out by failing light in the winter more easily than you might imagine. Luggage (I prefer panniers and dry sack but some use back packs. Either way it needs to carry more stuff than you are likely to carry in the summer and keep out the weather. Keep you extremities warm and dry. A wind proof top. A sense of humour....
    Nobody told me we had a communication problem
  • Daz555
    Daz555 Posts: 3,976
    Close fitting mudguards. Forget those daft sky high "catchers" you see on seat posts and the like. Get proper guards which cover all the important stuff and keep you AND your bike clean even in the worst weather.

    Good:
    RCUK-winter-bike-bike-1024x682.jpg

    Bad:
    EMU120_ebay.jpg
    You only need two tools: WD40 and Duck Tape.
    If it doesn't move and should, use the WD40.
    If it shouldn't move and does, use the tape.
  • tangled_metal
    tangled_metal Posts: 4,021
    I'm getting the SKS p45 full guards fitted next week. I could have fitted them but with front suspension forks and discs reckon they'll be a real pain to fit. Rather pay someone £15 to have the hassle. Plus I know they're well fitted.

    Also got some black pressure stickered reflectives, pogu brand and expensive. Plan to place on sides, front, back and maybe sides of pedals. Thinking reflectives on moving pedals makes any viewer from the side see me sooner, motion and all that. Getting a volt front light prob the 300 lumen version. Reckon it's enough when my commute is mostly lit up roads.

    Saw a gore tex cycle jacket £109.99 with 20% off. Thinking that might be good for winter too. Last thing is overshoes. Don't want to look like a Pratt. I use flat pedals with either normal trainers or an aldi cycle shoe. Don't want neoprene straps under the foot, nor look like a roadie wannabe. Anything that looks a little normal?

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