Is anyone else out there in Boston?

[rpete]

I know it has been cold but with a riding suit, heated jacket liner and gloves, and a balaclava it's perfectly comfortable. Is anyone else commuting these days? I have only seen one other rider in the last month.

[NPDCPA]

I think there are a few solid reasons there was only one other bike out in frigid January.

Commuting is strike one, extreme cold is strike two. Strike three is either the ice/sand/salt you don't see, corrosive damage to your bike, or the cars with their windows up that don't expect to see you and can't hear you.

IMO, obv... Have fun increasing your risk.

[Falko]

No, biking is for pleasure for me. I don't even like driving in this cold of weather, not to mention everything NPDCPA mentioned. I'm a wuss, no argument.

[number9]

I had to ride last Friday and last Sunday. I wore an old snowmobiling suit and it was surprisingly comfortable -- I don't have heated anything. The nice thing is that there didn't seem to be any salt on the roads.

[Billy]

Personally even if you have winter riding gear to keep you warm, like others have said, the risks are much higher in the winter time due to the poor road conditions. I see you got a 2010 Z1000 in your avatar photo? Pretty rare to see other Z1000's around (got a 2012).

[breakdirt916]

oh man...I was going to chime in that a cold weather rain suit makes a good difference...then I googled boston weather (live in socal now), 9 degrees is crazy!

but as others said...the roads for me would be the deal breaker...you have to ride super carefully to make sure you don't hit a frost heave and wash out...

but it's still fun to ride, just switch the bike!

[7UPyours]

cold doesn't really bother me, but salt/sand and black ice does so I stay off the roads till that's gone,

[Garandman]

I still have the V-Strom in the garage, but I play hockey 2-4 days a week and transport my son on some of the other days, so not much riding....

[Chippertheripper]

I rode Monday:

[maxim_X]

Not in Boston, but I did go for a 25 mile street ride the other day in less than perfect conditions.

[reks95]

I'm still commuting and riding, but not for a week or so. My gear doesn't work well enough below 20F to go 60mph without discomfort. Even if it did, I'm not sure I would ride much into the teens as I've observed both tires and salt start to become a lot less effective.

[RandyO]

bug splats are more corrosive than salt, yet it doesn't deter people from riding in summer

[jasnmar]

I'm afraid of getting salt in my vagina.

[NPDCPA]

bug splats are more corrosive than salt, yet it doesn't deter people from riding in summer

But in the summer when I piss on the bug splatters to wash them off I don't get the yellow icicles.

[Garandman]

bug splats are more corrosive than salt, yet it doesn't deter people from riding in summer

The Commonwealth does not apply 250-500 lbs of bugs splat per mile of roadway.

[RandyO]

The Commonwealth does not apply 250-500 lbs of bugs splat per mile of roadway.

they don't have to, nature supplies that amount and more

[AVI8_636]

No, biking is for pleasure for me. I don't even like driving in this cold of weather, not to mention everything NPDCPA mentioned. I'm a wuss, no argument.

I feel exactly the same way. Once it stays below 45-50, and the salt goes on the roads, I'm done. If I have to wear layer upon layer in order to prevent frostbite, it's no longer pleasurable. Not to mention the fact that bikes are already ignored by many in the peak riding months, can't even imagine what it'd be like riding right now since nobody would expect to have a bike next to them.

[FalArAk]

I seen a guy on a Ural (i think) heading west on rt 2 right after the Concord rotary this past Thursday,fuck that.

I enjoy riding a bike,not trying to prove a point,they have to be trying to prove a point ...whatever point that may be..I seriously can't comprehend WHY someone would ride or commute on a motorcycle when it is that cold (unless no other mode of transport is available)..There is no way that is enjoyable,the hazards increase by tenfold and you are dressed to prevent frostbite...FUCKING FROSTBITE ! Nothing in the world is fun when you are concentrating on NOT getting frostbite.I did my share of extreme cold weather Infantry training in Europe,so I really can't see why someone would voluntarily subject themselves to what amounts to torture.

[rpete]

I seen a guy on a Ural (i think) heading west on rt 2 right after the Concord rotary this past Thursday,fuck that.

I enjoy riding a bike,not trying to prove a point,they have to be trying to prove a point ...whatever point that may be..I seriously can't comprehend WHY someone would ride or commute on a motorcycle when it is that cold (unless no other mode of transport is available)..There is no way that is enjoyable,the hazards increase by tenfold and you are dressed to prevent frostbite...FUCKING FROSTBITE ! Nothing in the world is fun when you are concentrating on NOT getting frostbite.I did my share of extreme cold weather Infantry training in Europe,so I really can't see why someone would voluntarily subject themselves to what amounts to torture.

I couldn't agree more, riding with heated gear to keep everythink nice and cozy is indeed literally just like torturous infantry training. But I'm only doing it to prove a point, as you point out with that insightful deduction. Plus I don't like driving a car. But still, it's the point I'm proving that matters most.

Really, when I said it was perfectly comfortably, that's precisely what I meant. Not the least bit of discomfort. I can deal with a bit of salt on the roads, I'm not exactly carving canyons. It's a daily commute, I know exactly where the salt is going to be, and the pace is mundane and cautious. I wash the salt off once in a while.

It's really no big deal.

[Rambunctous]

When I was young I rode all year. Winter car vs beer. Beer won.

[luukasama]

Once it starts getting below 50, I can no longer ride comfortably. I tried using a scarf to cover my neck and chin, since those were the only exposed body parts, but even then, I felt like I was freezing my ass off. AND wearing the scarf was extremely uncomfortable. I rely on turning my head a lot, so it made me feel very stiff. My boyfriend rides all season long, except this winter due to valves getting bent during one ride, so the bike was/is pulled nearly apart at the moment.

I think the combination of salt, road, and weather conditions are very prohibitive to ride in the winter, for anyone. Unless you own one of those trail bikes, but not everybody owns that or wants to buy that simply for riding in the snow. It's just too cold. Maybe it's because we moved up nearly 50 miles up, but these temperatures are a lot colder than what I am used to.

[rpete]

In addition to the heated gear, the key to me is making sure that absolutely no skin is exposed to the wind. I rode with a scarf for years and it was never quite right. Now I use a balaclava tucked under the high heated collar on the jacket liner, and there are no longer any issues. Except that balaclava hair is even worse than helmet hair.

Not bike-related since I'm always bundled up when riding, but in general the last few weeks have recalibrated my feeling of "cold." I can walk around outside now in single-digit F temperatures and it just doesn't feel as dreadful as before. I'm sure these memories will be erased in a year though.

[frenchwv]

I might be the one guy you've seen. I commute on the RT from Boston to Gloucester as long as the roads are not icey and they haven't been for a few weeks.

[Garandman]

I couldn't agree more, riding with heated gear to keep everythink nice and cozy is indeed literally just like torturous infantry training.

Having down my share of low crawling through 38 degree mud, I'm keeping the Gerbing, thank you very much. I earned my creature comforts....