Plan B for Cold Weather

..and when I say, "Plan B", I'm not talking about not riding! Today it's about 20 degrees (F.) out, but clear. A good day for cycling, if you dress right. However, flatting a tire in really cold weather can be a royal pain. In order to fix that tire, you have to pull of those nice warm gloves, and I can guarantee that adhesives just don't work the same in extremely cold weather. (Hm, this seems to be a self-referential kind of post.)

If you flat, it won't be a problem to fix it once you get to your destination; you'll have your patch kit, tools, and access to soap and water for a clean up. But on a cold, blustery day, it sucks to do this outside. I think the best solution is to have a Plan B. The only two Plan Bs that I can come to reasonably are:

• Calling a (good) friend on your cell; and
• Public Transit

The first one being self-explanatory (let's hope your friend doesn't drive a Mini), let's concentrate on the second. It's not necessary for a cycle-commuter to cycle along bus routes in cold weather, but it's good to know where they are relative to your ride. (The graphic is an overlay done in Vectorworks of a GoogleMap screencapture of my route over the PDF of the Howard County transit routes. The HCT routes are abstracted enough that this exercise is of but limited value, but you get the idea.)

So in very cold weather, try not to flat. But if you do, have that Plan B in the back of your head. Know where the transit routes are relative to your route, and head to a bus-stop if you flat. (Have the correct change for that fare ready!)

Weather Wuss

A weather wuss is what I am. When the rain is coming down solidly, I still go for the car. Look at that map. We're socked in from Tropical Storm Ida. I still just can't find the motivation to go out when it's really raining. A light drizzle, sure, no problem. But real rain, man. It's just hard to gear up to go out into a situation where the visibility is poorer, the road surfaces are worse, and the drivers are ultimately more dangerous to me.

I'd really like to hear from commuters out there who manage to go out in inclement weather. I'm really just talking rain (not sleet, snow, or ice) here, and rain that is coming down, not just drizzling (like Seattle rain, which I've also enjoyed riding in.) How do you do it? What has made the difference for you?

Web Skills for Practical Cyclists I

It's 7:15 am, and for the last 90 minutes, my part of Maryland has been under a downpour. Nonetheless, I'll be riding into work today, because by 8 am, the rain will be gone. How do I know this? Accuweather radar.

The Accuweather web site has made finding the "holes in the weather" (if they exist) possible. Real time radar is such a great piece of information. It's not hard to learn how to gauge clear spots, and to leave work a half-an-hour early if that's going to get you home dry. You can look at the radar and see if the storms are concentrated "cells" or widely dispersed, slow or fast moving, and figure out if (mostly) dry riding is possible.

Modify the following URL and paste it into your browser to see the real-time weather radar in your area, right now:

http://www.accuweather.com/radar-local.asp?partner=accuweather&zipcode="YOUR ZIPCODE HERE, NO QUOTES"&level=local&anim=1

One of these days, I'll evolve into a real practical cyclist, one who doesn't care what the weather is doing, because I'll be properly equipped and will have the right attitude. Until then, I've got Accuweather.