This sub is pointless until it can provide a solution to having to get somewhere 30 miles from here when it’s 10 below outside for most of the winter.
-10F or -10C?
-10C really isn’t very cold. The average low in Oulu, Finland in February is -12C, and ~10% of all trips there in the winter are via bike because they have an extensive network of well-plowed bike paths.
Biking in -10C is really just a matter of having appropriate gear to block the wind - similar to what you’d wear skiing like a jacket, mittens and a neck gator/ski mask. -10C isn’t warm, but people do outdoor winter sports literally all the time in -10C. It’s fine.
-10F needs better cold gear, and is probably going to be pretty uncomfortable for most people. You definitely have to worry about preventing frostbite, and I definitely know skiers who would stay inside.
But most places don’t really stay -10F. That’s like Fargo or Fairbanks cold, not Buffalo or Boston cold. Chicago has only gotten down to -10F in three years in the past decade. Relatively few people live in places that regularly stay -10F.
Although there’s a standard solution for 30 mile trips that works in basically all temperatures: a bus or train. Which isn’t really practical in American style suburban sprawl, but is very practical in denser walkable European towns and cities.
I dig the image, but as gators are cold-blooded, they’re probably not the best choice of neckwear in the winter. At least they will be too sluggish to bite.
But seriously, I’ve biked places in -10°F temperatures, one time wearing my down parka. Bad move! It was much, much too warm, and I arrived drenched in sweat. It’s actually better to layer up, because you can shed layers to manage your temperature. You start cold, but warm up rapidly, as biking is exercise, after all.
-10F or -10C?
-10C really isn’t very cold. The average low in Oulu, Finland in February is -12C, and ~10% of all trips there in the winter are via bike because they have an extensive network of well-plowed bike paths.
Biking in -10C is really just a matter of having appropriate gear to block the wind - similar to what you’d wear skiing like a jacket, mittens and a neck gator/ski mask. -10C isn’t warm, but people do outdoor winter sports literally all the time in -10C. It’s fine.
-10F needs better cold gear, and is probably going to be pretty uncomfortable for most people. You definitely have to worry about preventing frostbite, and I definitely know skiers who would stay inside.
But most places don’t really stay -10F. That’s like Fargo or Fairbanks cold, not Buffalo or Boston cold. Chicago has only gotten down to -10F in three years in the past decade. Relatively few people live in places that regularly stay -10F.
Although there’s a standard solution for 30 mile trips that works in basically all temperatures: a bus or train. Which isn’t really practical in American style suburban sprawl, but is very practical in denser walkable European towns and cities.
I dig the image, but as gators are cold-blooded, they’re probably not the best choice of neckwear in the winter. At least they will be too sluggish to bite.
But seriously, I’ve biked places in -10°F temperatures, one time wearing my down parka. Bad move! It was much, much too warm, and I arrived drenched in sweat. It’s actually better to layer up, because you can shed layers to manage your temperature. You start cold, but warm up rapidly, as biking is exercise, after all.
-10 degrees Celsius is about 14 degrees fahrenheit, which by all measures is still fucking cold to human beings.
Edit: missed the -