Bicycling

It depends heavily on what kind of winter you have, really.

I'm in Stockholm and currently we get temperatures approximately between 5 C and -5 C, with some amount of snow/ice/slush being an expected feature on the roads. I still commute on days where conditions aren't too terrible, but using my dedicated winter bike (a.k.a my old bike). I use studded tyres on this bike.

Since I'm just commuting, I get by with using my regular winter clothes (hoodie, jacket, warmer shoes) and the only clothing I add are very thick gloves. My hands are one of the few places on my body that is very susceptible to the cold, so I have to protect them well.

Under these conditions, I don't do long recreational rides. It's just not fun, and that's fine - these will come back once the weather improves, probably in March.

Instead, I do occasional sessions of zone 2 rides on an indoor bike at my gym, trying to do between 1 and 2 hours. It's freakishly boring, but it is what it is. I get some podcast listening done at least.

I commute and work for a university about five miles away. I was doing really well even in the cold up until we went on winter break when I stopped going into the office regularly. Coming back from the break I literally caught the rona my second day back in the office so we'll see how quickly I get back to it. Long story short I try to suck it up. If it's above freezing I ride every weekday that it doesn't rain. Raining in the morning or cold af? I have a spinning bike (older model that was on clearance, I gave like $300 for it) down stairs in front of the basement TV. When I was younger I lived in the Midwest where it will stay cold from about Nov/Dec until about March. Then I would ride everywhere i was going except the grocery store. Unless there was ice on the road, which after a certain point there always was until the big thaw would come. As I get older the discomfort of the cold makes it a much easier decision to stay inside and spin on bad days. I'm far more likely to get out on days that are pleasant if I haven't just spent four days riding in when it's im the twenties. Getting too cold one good time is far more likely to make me stop biking for a period of time than a really long or strenuous ride will. Nevermind the fact that below freezing and it's nearly impossible to see where you're going eyes watering, glasses fogging, just all bad.

Originally I used fat bike with studded winter tires for winter, but I recently tried 650x45 studded tires and I might switch entirely to regular size bike. I haven't actually had snow this year though and I suspect it won't be able to do as deep snow as the fat bike before becoming expert difficulty. Even the fat bike exits my skill level at deeper snow levels or even just different conditions like how skiers or snowboarders would categorize them.

clothes:

• sweater and sweat pants for warm, with thin rain gear on top for wet and as wind breaker.
• will be trying the mesh base layer thing but haven't bought it yet. vents in rain layer have been enough sweat management for me so far.

bike:

• studded tires. absolute magic, black ice patches you can't even walk on become nearly ignorable.
• pogies/over bar mitts. can wear regular cycling gloves and still be warm. with the heavy padded gloves braking and shifting massively fatigue my hands fighting the clunkiness and altered haptic feedback.
• Replace any critical rusted bolts after salt season. I subbed in titanium for many of the lower ones but they seem to have lower torque limit before snapping to I recommend torque wrench.
• always had fenders to begin with

I went out this afternoon and it was about 34°F but the wind was chilly and pretty strong at times. I went my normal route where the paved path was plowed and clear, to a dirt road that had packed snow, and finally had to turn around where the trail had over 12 inches of snow.

I just took it slower than usual.

It wasn't too bad with some layering, but my hands and feet got cold (should have just bulked up what I was wearing).

I think I'll probably look to get a used trainer for when I just can't be bothered to bundle up and get out. Sounds kind of boring, but at least fulfills the exercise factor. Then, make the most of any fair weather days and try to enjoy the sights and sounds of the outdoors.

Thanks for the replies everyone

Weather was an issue because of how cold it is or because of slippery ice or because of high snow? All 3 are very different and require different coping mechanisms.

For the cold all you need to do is a bit more insulation and pedaling harder, you will quickly be (too) warm.

With ice you need to practice putting a foot (almost) down to be ready to have 3 points of contact should you slip. Spikes can also help with traction, but actually learning to avoid falling is more important.

For snow there is no solution. Driving through it is hard work. Maybe get an E-Bike.

I try to do the club rides and then do some spinning classes at the gym. I tend to do more runs instead.

Where I live it almost never snows so I'm not that bothered by the cold or minor winds, although that sux, what really stops me in my tracks is the lack of daylight. I sign off from work at 18h, and it is dark. I do have lights and if somebody else signs up for a night ride I'm all in, and very rarely I ride solo. It isn't very pleasant to risk a mechanical issue or dangerous encounter with local wildlife, like wild boars, goats or dinasours.

So in winter I mostly do light indoor running or spinning, on weekdays, then it's outside on weekends.

I commute every other week (I still use a car for the weeks i have my child with me, though the plan is to go 100% car free soonish). I've been using both my ebike and an old mountain bike. The last week I rode was about -2C, on this coming monday it's projected to be -10C. My commute to work is at 4:00 AM, and I return at 2:00 PM. So, it's dark in the mornings.

For the bikes, I use my mountain bike exclusively when there's snow or ice. I've got studded tires on it, and it's slow enough to not make it sketchy if I hit a patch of ice and need to stop. My ebike is a small frame cargo bike with 20" x 3" tires and I have a set of home-made studded tires (with screws) but I haven't installed them yet, so I'm using the ebike only on dry days. Aside from the tires, I have a pair of bar mitts I use on both bikes.

For clothing: I have a skull cap to block the wind that I wear under my helmet, and a neck gaiter to cover my lower face (my helmet is the kind with magnetic visor on it, absolutely a game changer in the cold). Regular clothes, including jeans and on the coldest days I add a base layer under my jeans and that cuts out the wind. I have a cycling jacket and a pair of insulated gloves (in addition to the bar mitts). I keep a wool sweater and spare work clothes in a dry sack on my rear rack. My cycling jacket seems thin, but when you're pedalling (even with an ebike) it's plenty warm enough because it blocks the wind. I still get sweaty on sub-zero days.

Regarding the ebike: i only really use it on the lowest pedal assist level. Maybe bumping it up for a left-hand turn at an intersection, or when I'm crossing the major highway when there's traffic during the day. Though I'm commuting, the journey is part of the enjoyment for me, there's no damn point to blaze down the street the fastest i can go. So far, the battery has held up really well in the coldest days, though I will keep it fully charged in the winter since everyone says higher charge levels keep it healthier in the cold. In the summer it needs to be charged once a week.

I've yet to experience riding DURING the snow, I've been really lucky. 100% of my commute is on roads with no sidewalks, most of it is a state highway, and I'm dreading the day we get a major storm as I'm not likely to have enough of the shoulder cleared of snow to safely travel alongside cars/trucks. But, that's a wait-and-see scenario.

I get the impression you're not commuting so I realize only some of my details are relevant to you, but I figured oversharing in this case might be more helpful than otherwise.

I'd highly recommend staying active on your bike over the winter, there are so many reasons why it's a good idea, and the preparation you need to keep cycling through the cold really isn't that much.

I used to switch to mountain biking in winter. Less speed (much less for me, I am not very good on a road bike, but boy I suck on a mountain bike 😛), more effort: you're warmer. 🥵

Last winter I used a 'smart' indoor trainer. Well, two 'smart' trainers. The first one lasted 2 weeks, then they sent me another one, it lasted about 2 months or so before starting to make so much noise I couldn't use it anymore. I never managed to fix the piece of crap. Well, the pieces of crap since I have two unusable specimen.

This year I have zero motivation and haven't touched a bike in over 2 months...

My gear: Gloves, lights (front, rear, light vest for peds/cars/other bikes), and a winter coat. Waterproof saddlebags. I don't have fenders, but they really help if you find long ones.

I mostly bike on concrete/asphalt, so they aren't as important than say, fenders on a mountain bike in spring (mud city).