Winter Riding
Comments (0) Well, the leaves have tourned, and the clock has fallen back. What now?
Set up the trainer and ride in the rec-room? Spinning to nowhere.
Pack up the bike and start packing on the pounds? Mmm Pie!
Or, tough it out and ride through the Winter… Mmm, mmm two pieces of pie!
I started bike commuting before the turn of the century, 1998. 
Back then I was a fair weather cyclist and only rode from April to October.
Over the years I have accumulated more and more gear and have extended
my riding season to the point where I now ride year round.
What I have found is that weather is not as big an issue as I thought it would be.
Dealing with the cold and wet is fairly easily done with layers of clothing
that every cyclist already has. Fenders will keep your bike pretty clean.
What really brings a halt to riding is Darkness.
Lights have come a long way. There are now plenty of fairly cheap
1 watt led systems available. I have a box in my garage with a pretty strange
assortment of creatures; Cat Eyes, Knog Frogs, MiNewts.
However, to really punch a hole in the dark takes something like a 3w light.
The new led lights have high output, and your battery will last a long time.
To learn more than you ever wanted to know about lights, visit the
CandlePowerForums.
Lights are only part of the solution. You also need to Be Seen.
I never really felt comfortable riding in the dark until I went retro.
Retro-reflective that is. I found that 3M makes some retro-reflective
tapes in many different colors, Red, Yellow, Blue, Orange, Gold, Green,
White, and Black (yes black reflectors). In sizes from 1/10th to 3 inch widths
on a 37 foot roll. I have so much of this stuff all over my bike and helmet,
that I now feel more visible in the dark than during the day.
I got my pinstripe tapes from these folks, StreetGlo. However, I think you can
find it many places on line with a Google search on “retro reflective tape”.
Below are some photos of my pinstripe projects in both light and dark.
By Day…
>
… and by Night.
So, go out and ride. Stay warm and be seen.
Themocracy