this post was submitted on 09 Feb 2024
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If it's cold enough that windshields freeze, walking and biking probably won't be fun. And kinda dangerous, as well.
It's funny how people never say things like that about skiing or other winter sports, yet for some reason, as soon as you're talking about a bike it becomes magically impossible. Why is that?
Anyway, back in reality, it's fine -- my kid and I literally do it every weekday morning. The key is my super-secret strategy called "wearing appropriate clothes for the weather." It's not even anything fancy, either: it's just normal street clothes (including decent gloves and a wind-blocking coat), with the only biking-specific part being an insulated skull cap that's thin so it fits under a helmet.
When I'm doing sport, I don't mind getting sweaty, when I'm cycling to work I definitely do. And that's the only alternative to being cold when cycling in extreme weather. I mean, I do it too, but I can certainly understand why some people don't like it (though the main reason is that it's not worth it to drive that short a distance - if it was further, I absolutely would. It's just so much more comfortable and convenient).
Anyways, the biggest issue isn't even that - it's ice on the road. That's hella dangerous if you're cycling.
Full disclosure: I'm using an e-bike, so I'm not even really exerting myself. I'm wearing enough layers to keep me warm as if I were standing still in a 20mph wind.
I admit, dressing for a decently long and/or faster-paced ride on an acoustic bike takes a little bit more consideration and planning. Still, lots and lots of people commute on acoustic bikes in street clothes, and make it work simply by not being in such a hurry that it turns into a fitness ride.
Also, where I live it's either wet or cold, but almost never both at the same time (and the rare times when it is, the whole city shuts down because we have no plows). There's just enough frost from the dew point to screw up people's car windshields and make the grass crunchy, but no ice stuck to the street.
Yeah I live in the Alps, so it isn't that easy here. We get quite a lot of icy roads in winter.