# What conditions would stop you



## Mr. Versatile (Nov 24, 2005)

from riding your commute? My commute is 18 miles one way; 14 of the 18 mile is ridden on 2 lane roads narrow enough so 2 cars and a cyclist can't simultaneously pass. The rest are 2 lane roads with plenty of room. The ride is flat except for a short, but steep river valley. All 18 miles have moderate traffic. None of the roads have shoulders, and there are no MUTS available. I leave for work at 5:00 AM and start the trip home at 3:15 PM. The trip to work is done entirely in the dark. I feel much safer then because I think I'm more visible, and traffic is nearly non existent. The way home can be dicey because of traffic.

Last week I did the math and found that I rode 60% of the time from last August 'til now. My parameters for riding are clear roads and 15+ F. Any snow or ice, and I'm not going. Today I didn't ride because there was heavy fog. Visibility was about 100 yds. I took a look and said, "Nope! Not today."

what kind of commute do you have and what, if anything, stops you?


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## Leopold Porkstacker (Jul 15, 2005)

• illness
• unemployment*

*which is currently stopping me from commuting


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## bigbill (Feb 15, 2005)

My current commute is 21 miles to work and 22 miles home. The first and last ten miles is a rural two lane road with some shoulder but it usually has gravel. I have to walk my bike the first 200 or so feet in the morning due to an 18% grade at the end of my gravel driveway. I don't commute in sub freezing temps unless it has been dry. The PNW is bad for black ice. I don't commute in heavy rain or high winds. It gets tough in November through January with the short days and a three hour battery life on my headlight. Dark in both directions and my commute usually runs around 2:45 total time. 

In Hawaii, I rode everyday regardless of the weather. I rode in tropical storms and gale force winds. I waded in knee deep water with my bike on my shoulder to cross a flooded stream. In 2005, I cut my hand open between my thumb and forefinger. I got ten stitches so I rode my MTB for two weeks since the angle on the grips didn't put pressure on the sutures. I cut my head and had several stitches that absolutely prevented me from wearing a helmet without severe pain. I rode to work with my helmet hanging off the bars and put it on right before entering the base which required helmets. My motivation was only having one car. 

In Virginia, I didn't commute in thunderstorms or subfreezing temps. 

In South Carolina, I only commuted on M-W-F since I did team rides on T-Th.


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## rodar y rodar (Jul 20, 2007)

I have a short (3.5 miles each way) commute with very little traffic, so it takes a lot of weather before I have to drive in. I`ll ride with up to about 6 inches of snow or into single digits. It`s only been two years since I went from fair weather biker to year rounder- the first year we never got below zero and last winter I was off the bike with a knee injury for the coldest part, so I don`t know whether or not I`ll be able to hang in subzero. If my commute were longer, I`d undoubtedly hang it up for a lot of the weather that I ride in now.


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## jmlapoint (Sep 4, 2008)

I don't ride in the rain by choice.
If I get caught and visibility is OK, I keep going. Otherwise, the cell phone comes out for a call to 'momma' for a pick-up: Please!


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## rodar y rodar (Jul 20, 2007)

Rain for me is pretty much just something we see on the weather chanel.


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## Tweezak (Dec 6, 2008)

Ice, snow (unless it's just a light dusting), dense fog, strong wind.

Wind bothers me not because of the extra work...that's fine. It's the cross wind that bothers me most. 10 of my 14 mile one way trek is on a highway that is notorious for people wandering over the fog line when they are doing whatever-other-than-driving. Strong crosswinds only exacerbate the problem. 

Rain? pfft. If I didn't rain-ride here in Oregon...I'd probably get in a good 2 commutes a year.


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

If I am at work I rode.


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## Squidward (Dec 18, 2005)

Leopold Porkstacker said:


> • illness
> • unemployment*
> 
> *which is currently stopping me from commuting


Ditto.

I live about 75 miles north of LP so we have pretty much the same weather. We have two seasons here in the San Francisco Bay Area: cold and rainy from about Thanksgiving to about the end of April then dry and warm the rest of the year. It's pretty much ideal riding weather year 'round.

At my last job I rode in one or two days a week and rode to the subway two days out of the week. The remaining day or two I drove to the subway because I had to pick up the kids from school. Riding in was 11 miles, all city riding, with a 17 mile return ride which was a hilly but scenic ride home. I posted a pictorial about it after last year's Ride Your Bike To Work Day. The ride to the subway was 5 miles out and 5.5 miles back, all city riding.

For me, my limitation is cold temps below about 45 degrees F. I need better gloves as frozen fingers don't work well for holding onto the handlebars, let alone working the brakes and shifters. With better gloves there would be no reason for me to not ride all year long.

Sadly, I'm no longer employed so my current commute is from my bed to my couch in my living room.


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## LaxFactor (Nov 19, 2006)

My commute is about 6 miles which can be done off road and I have found that I don't commute on days when it is likely that there will be sever weather at the time of my commute or if I am sick/injured. This is keeping me from commuting now b/c I broke my wrist in a crash a couple of weeks ago. I do live in alabama so we don't get much in the way of snowy slush so I have no excuse for not commuting year round.


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## Slim Again Soon (Oct 25, 2005)

Rain.

I wouldn't ride in ridiculous fog, either.

I can handle the could. I just hate riding in the rain on city streets.


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## lancezneighbor (May 4, 2002)

Lightning for me. The trouble is we normally only get lightning in the late afternoon when I have to come home with not much options. Sometimes a coworker will give me a ride home though. Snow, wind, rain, have not deterred me. Sometimes if I don't feel real well, I will drive instead.


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## tarwheel2 (Jul 7, 2005)

My commute is about 22 miles round trip. I ride most days unless I need my car for a meeting or appointment. If it's raining when I get up or expected to rain a lot during the day, I typically drive. Same with snow, sleet, icy roads and severe weather. So, on average, I generally ride to work about 3-4 days a week year-round. I've got fenders and rain gear, primarily for riding on wet roads after it quits raining or when it starts raining during the day and I have to ride home in it. Otherwise, I just don't like riding in the rain. It pretty much sucks, IMHO.


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## morryjg (Jan 6, 2008)

Snow and rain kill it for me. If I get up and either is falling from the sky then I'll drive. But, that just doesn't happen too much. I figured out this winter that I can stay comfortable down to about 10 degrees, so cold alone doesn't stop me from riding.


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## bigbill (Feb 15, 2005)

lancezneighbor said:


> Lightning for me. The trouble is we normally only get lightning in the late afternoon when I have to come home with not much options. Sometimes a coworker will give me a ride home though. Snow, wind, rain, have not deterred me. Sometimes if I don't feel real well, I will drive instead.



When I was stationed in VA, there were several afternoons that my bike and I got a ride home from a co-worker who lived a few miles from me. My commute there had absolutely no shoulders so the thought of riding in flooded streets with lightning strikes all around didn't appeal to me. Everyday in the summer was the same, high of 90 degrees, 30% chance of afternoon thunderstorms.


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## MarkS (Feb 3, 2004)

My commute: 14.5 miles each way. I usually commute 2-4 days per week. I do not ride if I have an early commitment at work or have to be home early (i.e., before 6:30 p.m.) because I do no like to ride during rush hour traffic. I do not ride when it is below 20F, when the roads are icy/wet, when it is raining (if it starts to rain when I am riding, that is OK, but if it is raining before I start out, I don't ride).


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## HOOKEM (Apr 4, 2004)

My commute is 13 miles each way, and I'm a fair weather type. Below 40 or any precip and I'm behind the wheel instead of the bars. Also, the extracurricular activities of my children dictate which days I am able to ride to work.


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## Fixed (May 12, 2005)

*not weather*

Weather alone does not stop me. However, we have pretty good weather here in Fresno, California, plus we have great roads with bike lanes and I have accumulated pretty much state of the art clothing, lighting, etc. I have no weather excuses.

What stops me usually is either needing to drive because of kids or needing the car at work, or giving myself a rest when needed. Today I drove, as on Saturday I rode 220 miles with 13,800' of climbing on my fixed gear. I'm pretty thrashed, with bruised and blistered hands, numb toes, a sore butt, and stiff muscles. I don't feel guilty driving after something like that.

If I were in your shoes, though, having to ride that far on a 2 lane road with no shoulder, I think I'd be much more cautious when it came to visibility related concerns. While weather may not keep you from riding, getting killed certainly will!


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## 2ride (Apr 2, 2002)

MB1 said:


> If I am at work I rode.


Of course.


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## longcat (Nov 8, 2008)

My only form of transportation is my bike so I go out every day. Its the bike or I'll walk, I never walk. The worst days this year has been days with 30-40-50cm snow and I have to go up before they plow it away or days when its been -20C cold (shimanos hydraulics freeze up at around -20C), nice days those.. usually its somewhere in between. I live above the actric circle so its kinda dark here in the winter. I use schwalbe ice spikers (26), and they have worked well. When its not winter its raining, 
probably less than the UK but not far from it. It toughens you up. Nothing stops me (so far), and I have no plan of walking. Well maybe hurricanes and such, but we dont have those here.

The only weather I dislike is the never ending rain, and unfortunately I cant turn it off, so I have to ride those days too.


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## opusair (Sep 15, 2005)

I pretty much go in anything. I've been meaning to post these from a commute last week in light rain.


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## buck-50 (Sep 20, 2005)

Offsite meetings keep me from riding to work, Doctor/hair/pediatrician appointments during the day keep me from riding. 

Otherwise, I'm pretty well set to ride in any weather.

Snow doesn't stop me (though it slows the hell out of me).

I did stop riding when it gets below -10. that's just brutal and unpleasant.


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## majura (Apr 21, 2007)

Temperature doesn't bother me. Snow does though- don't have a bike here for it.

If there's going to be a 5-6 bft. wind mixed with heavy rain all day from start to end and you'll see me fork out for a return ticket for public transport.


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## Scott B (Dec 1, 2004)

*True that.*



MB1 said:


> If I am at work I rode.


If I'm at the office it's on my bike. Rain is no big deal, light snow isn't too bad. Cold just means more clothes. 

I guess I have skied to work, but I also ride in the snow. 

There have been a few days when I've chosen to telecommute vs. riding but that is mainly a function of being afraid of drivers being fool idiots. Without cars to kill me I'd be on the road no matter what!


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## BikeLV702 (Apr 19, 2008)

Heat. I commute around 5 - 6 miles(one way) to school and work. Unfortunately though I sweat like a fiend and being a server @ Ruth's Chris(A fine dining steakhouse) I can't just show up all sweaty and nasty. School on the other hand I'll show up sweaty and nasty.

EDIT: I live in Sacramento so heat is really only an issue in select weeks of the summer. It can however get well over 100.


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## hrumpole (Jun 17, 2008)

Daily Low below 30, usually.
No freezing precip.


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