February 10, 2015
by Bikeyface
Typically, bicycling in winter is a little more complicated but manageable.
But after 5 feet of snow has fallen within a month here, this winter is nowhere near manageable. It’s pretty unpleasant to bicycle, I admit it. I’ve considered other options but all of them are even more unpleasant.
And just when getting around Boston was bad, it got worse as public transit started failing and streets became fully gridlocked making bicycling pretty much impossible.
So I turned to walking which suddenly became the fastest option. The problem is that cities only only plow for people in cars. There’s nothing like record snowfall to show the inequality. Walking in winter in a city is like navigating an impossible maze.
Bikeyface: Thanks for the update. I’ve been thinking about you in Boston and wondering how you have been coping.
You should seriously consider moving south.
I hope things get better!!
Bikeyface, you should check out Bike Like Crazy and follow her winter biking adventure in Upstate New York. 🙂 https://bikelikecrazy.wordpress.com/
Keli, thanks for the link! That’s another awesome bike blog!
… or move to a climate where we consider a couple of inches to be an unusual and heavy snowfall.:)
(Mind you, London grinds to a halt with a couple of inches of the “wrong kind of snow” !)
@Flexagain as it happens Boston had London mayor Boris in town for this most recent snowfall and he got stuck here beyond his schedule; so, that was amusing
Wrong place to live it seems. Consider Portland perhaps.
Its 60 degrees in san francisco today…Blue Skies and smiles.
It was -2 with wind chill making it -12 as I rode home this morning. It is amazing how hard it can be to bike in such cold. Even when the body is warm the cold air exhausts one.
Winter biking boots, studded snow tires, and my new LoudBicylce horn (thank you Jonathon – its been a life saver) and I have been having a blast passing up all the traffic.
It’s true in Rochester as well as Boston (except that the traffic is a bit lighter.) This morning on my ride to work on East Henrietta Road near the South Avenue intersection I saw a woman waiting for the bus, holding her young child’s hand and with another in a stroller. The roadside pile of snow and car snot reached halfway up the bus stop sign. The woman was standing in the traffic lane, since not only the curb and sidewalk but also the shoulder were buried.
Two others were waiting at the same stop; they were standing on top of the pile ankle-deep in the filthy snow (an option not available to you if you have a stroller and a small child.)
Of course, despite the absurd inaccessibility of the pedestrian and transit resources, the road was sparkling clean and dry – a paean to the arrogant culture of automotive privilege in which we live.
I completely sympathize. Out here in Worcester we’re currently leading the Golden Snow Globe stats for the US with 92.1″ so far. My 3.5 mile commute last week took me 55 minutes by car. If things hadn’t improved, I was going to walk despite the lack of sidewalks for most of the route. As soon as I finish my DIY studded tires, I’ll be back to riding.
I put my Schwabble Marathon studdeds on last week and have been flying safely past the traffic. Its kind of cool listening to the studs click on the pavement and reassuring knowing that I can safely turn. And they are kick on the marginally clear bike paths.
Agreed, Alan. I love my Schwalbe Winter Marathons. Brian, why mess with DIY studs, when a studded tyre is only about $50?
Took me 1.75 hours this am by my cage car for 18 miles into Brighton. Taking the traffic slayer home tonight. The rockhopper with studded tires.
I’m starting to think that the snowfields which our illustrious elected officials keep talking about are actually the city sidewalks (and bike paths)…
You’ve nailed it again.
In Halifax, NS, we’ve had a ridiculous amount of snow (Not nearly as much as Boston, but we are so used to the snow, rain, melt cycle, that this accumulation is crazy to us). Cyclists and pedestrians are suffering as a result of snow clearing teams just trying to keep up.
Scott, really the reason is just timing and priorities. Money is really tight at the moment and I can’t justify the price even at $100 for a pair. I already had an extra set of MTB knobbies from a free bike I grabbed, so the DIY option cost me virtually nothing. Once my finances are better I may buy some, but I wanted to experiment first.
Makes sense. I have heard a number of times of people making DIY studded tyres, and wondered if it is effective. Please write back once you have used them for awhile and let us know how they work out!
Well, I tried them out on my commute and I’m pleased to report they work great so far! While they add some noticeable rolling resistance, it’s actually much less than I expected. I didn’t stud the center of the tread, just a zig-zag pattern slightly off to each side, similar to the basic Schwalbe Winters. They wiggled a little over large patches of glare ice, but didn’t slide out. I think the DIY route is only worth it if you have most of the stuff on hand. I don’t think I would bother if I had to buy a new set of tires, since the savings (vs buying studded) would diminish significantly and the labor is a little time consuming (probably took me 2-3 hours).
Brian, that’s awesome news about your DIY studded tires. I went the retail route for my tires, but however you get there (home brew or off-the-shelf) I’ve found that they’re necessary to keep Biking There in winter Yes, they add some rolling resistance, but I’ll take that tradeoff for more stability on the bike. Or, think of it this way: you’re training for that glorious day when spring comes, the snow melts, birds are singing, and you can switch back to slick tires : ) Those are the thoughts that keep me going in these long winter months.
A battalion of street and sidewalk plows make a difference in Ottawa, Canada’s capital city, but off the main drag, the sidewalks tend to be either sloppy or lethal. These will often be adjacent to clear pavement and exude the same privileged car message. The busier streets are usually alright for winter biking and the car drivers are used to cyclists. There are a few bike paths that also get plowed to hard pack though not consistently.
..or you could move to Oulu, Finland, located just below arctic circle, the best winter cycling city in the world where the ped & bike paths are no 1 priority and cleared before driveways. See this little video I made: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOfuNAgCMJ4
The preference densely populated cities such as Boston, New York and Chicago give to cars over pedestrians when snow piles up is wrong on so many levels. We, all of us, need to keep pushing until this nonsense changes.
I’ve been taking the T as I can’t justify a 2 hr walk each way to work. Have been staring longingly at my road bike sitting quietly on the balcony. Let’s hope for spring (once we’ve broken the snowfall record, of course)