Are You An All-Year-Round Cyclist?

[Stefan Mikes]

I got an interesting motivational message from Komoot: "You have ridden for 35 weeks in a row! Keep up a good work!" (Or something like that).

Well, we are in Week 20th, 2024? When did I restart my regular cycling? What did make my regular cycling stop last year? (The rule of Komoot is a "week" counts if you have registered at least a single 15-minute ride in a week).

Some inspection of the online calendars... and yes it is I stopped riding when I was on a vacation with my gf in Gdańsk for more than a week last year

That was what did stop my uninterrupted series of riding weeks! Next time, I'm renting a bike during any vacation and am registering a ride with Komoot

Are any of you all-year-round riders, setting off for a ride every week? Tell me about your experiences!

 

[AvalancheRun]

I got an interesting motivational message from Komoot: "You have ridden for 35 weeks in a row! Keep up a good work!" (Or something like that).

Well, we are in Week 20th, 2024? When did I restart my regular cycling? What did make my regular cycling stop last year? (The rule of Komoot is a "week" counts if you have registered at least a single 15-minute ride in a week).

Some inspection of the online calendars... and yes it is I stopped riding when I was on a vacation with my gf in Gdańsk for more than a week last year

That was what did stop my uninterrupted series of riding weeks! Next time, I'm renting a bike during any vacation and am registering a ride with Komoot

Are any of you all-year-round riders, setting off for a ride every week? Tell me about your experiences!

Nice photo! Yes, absolutely year-round, but my favorite time is the summer. We live in Texas. I love biking in the heat so much more than the cold.

e-bikes really changed the game for our bicycling consistency, and allowed us to replace so many car trips. I still try to haul a bit on my acoustic bike, but climbing a 10-12% grade with cargo isn't something I want to do every day. Even climbing those hills without cargo isn't something I want to do every day. With the e-bike I can choose to glide up, or sweat it out. Satisfaction guaranteed every time.

Little trick for traveling is to bring your helmet and use the public bikes. Nowadays major US cities have Bosch-powered city bikes, so as long as they are maintained the experience is actually quite nice. Is it similar in Poland?

 

[Aushiker]

I am also a year-round cyclist with the exception of partner holidays. My touring/bikepacking, for example, is done in autumn (fall), winter and spring as the summers are hot here; 40C is not uncommon. I do try to ride at least four to five days a week. Four of those are training (following a Garmin training program).

Well done on the 35 weeks

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Nice photo! Yes, absolutely year-round, but my favorite time is the summer. We live in Texas. I love biking in the heat so much more than the cold.

e-bikes really changed the game for our bicycling consistency, and allowed us to replace so many car trips. I still try to haul a bit on my acoustic bike, but climbing a 10-12% grade with cargo isn't something I want to do every day. Even climbing those hills without cargo isn't something I want to do every day. With the e-bike I can choose to glide up, or sweat it out. Satisfaction guaranteed every time.

Little trick for traveling is to bring your helmet and use the public bikes. Nowadays major US cities have Bosch-powered city bikes, so as long as they are maintained the experience is actually quite nice. Is it similar in Poland?

Did you know I have been to Texas for three times? (Houston, Sugar Land, Beaumont). I can hardly understand how you can ride in the summer heat there?! While the winter temperature I experienced in TX was pleasant; an Englishman who was with us took a swim in the hotel pool at 60 F!

Major cities in Poland offer public share e-bikes, too. However, these e-bikes are generic, and even if these have a mid-drive motor, the riding experience is rather mediocre (non e-bikes are even worse!) A sane person would rather rent an e-scooter here

A public share e-bike of Warsaw I rode. The e-bikes of the Tri-City (Gdańsk, Sopot and Gdynia) at the seaside are perceived as better machines. However, the rental cost of e-bikes is high (renting traditional city bikes is very cheap).

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I am also a year-round cyclist with the exception of partner holidays. My touring/bikepacking, for example, is done in autumn (fall), winter and spring as the summers are hot here; 40C is not uncommon. I do try to ride at least four to five days a week. Four of those are training (following a Garmin training program).

Well done on the 35 weeks

I can bet Australian summers are unbearable! (Perhaps early mornings or late evenings are acceptable?)

 

[mrgold35]

I'm a 365 days a year ebiker living in the USA southwest. It is usually sunny and dry with mid day temps above freezing in winter. I don't ride during rain, snow, or icy conditions (probably about 10-12 days a year). My riding days actually increased with an ebike compared to my old pedal bike. Extreme heat and windy days would sideline me on my old pedal bike. No way I would attempt a mile long hill riding at +5000 feet on a stiff head wind with temp above 100 degree F on a pedal bike. No issue with my ebike on the same hill.

 

[Jim1348]

Living in Minnesota, I certainly encounter some weather extremes. Last fall I bought my two wheel drive Rambo Krusader 2.0 to extend my biking season. I have ridden in every month. when there is a particularly icy spell, I will wait until that clears up. I haven't used studded tires, yet.

 

[RabH]

I'm very lucky to live in a temperate climate so riding all year round is a given here, winters are getting milder and wilder though but I just grab the good days when they come along! Being retired means I can pick my days and most of my rides are long ones these days due to the crazy winds we experience here! If a day comes along with light winds I almost always do at least 100 miles!

 

[mfgrep]

I live in the Midwest USA and we most definitely have our winter months. I did in fact ride at least one day each month last year, however, my rides were minimal during the winter. October and November I was able to keep trucking. December I only rode 5 times. January I rode ONCE! Februrary 3 times. March started to ramp up between rains. April was getting back to normal aside from rains. Now in May and away I go!....hot weather will be here soon....but I can manage that ok.

It is a funny thing: Obviously perfect weather lends itself to good cycling but I seldom have 'perfect' weather. A January ride day in the 40's might feel good/ok after having very low freezing temps for weeks on end....but otherwise 40's or < sucks! It is all relative.

 

[Mr. Coffee]

No, because typically much of where I ride looks like this (for about four months of the year) and cross-country skiing is a better way to get around:

 

[m@Robertson]

Year round here. Every day rain or shine. I work the bike into daily use, and try not to do multiple destinations in a single trip to ensure I have something to do today, tomorrow, the next day etc. A cargo bike gives me a multi-purpose platform to replace an auto. I do grocery pickups at a store 14 miles away instead of the shop around the corner so I can get the exercise of going out there and back.

From 1980 - when I moved there to go to university - until perhaps a year or so ago I either lived full time or in recent years part time in the California Central Valley in a town called Fresno. Temps get down around freezing in the winters, and it is common to be right at or over 100 degrees fahrenheit in the summer for many weeks on end. So... people would say to me gee its hot you can't ride to which I'd respond if I let that stop me I wouldn't ride for months. So you just gear up and deal with it. Layers and such in the winter, lots of water in the summer with known places for refills mid ride in case of disaster like a flat that sets me roadside in the sun for awhile. In the pic below, on the rack deck I have a 3-liter water pack. You can see the hose I made from food-grade silicone (wrapped in black siicone plumber's tape) running along the top tube, up over the bars and strapped down so I could drink during the ride. I'd easily go thru 3 liters in a day's errands, but because I'd top off at strategic places I tried to make sure I never ran low.

Stopped at a fountain midday here. It was blisteringly hot and you can sort of tell by the fact that the trail is completely deserted. Anyone with any brains is indoors where there is air conditioning.

Another trick for dealing with the heat is if you pass a fountain, use your water bottle to pour water all over yourself. Especially your shirt so it can soak in. Wear a bandanna and under your helmet and soak it. You'll be downright cool for at least a couple of miles. Interestingly, the 'e' in ebike made summer heat more bearable because of the speed. Even though its blast furnace warm air, you still get lots more air moving over you at speed which makes a world of difference.

I found the best way to ensure daily riding is to make it essential: as basic transportation. So even though I own two cars, they are parked and on battery tenders. The rest is just toughening up and doing it regardless of the weather.

 

[Prairie Dog]

Year rounder here too though I’m the first to admit that the snowy season isn’t my favorite time to ride. Having the right tool for the job does come with benefits and so wintry outings are far preferable than being confined to an indoor trainer.

It goes without saying that summer rides are hard to beat especially since we’re blessed with some phenomenal mountain parks.

 

[scottsdalecommuter]

Commute year round in Illinois. This winter wasn't too bad at all. Got heated gloves which helped a bit. Didn't use the bar mitts much this year because they are bulky but they do help. Thought about getting winter tires but passed and didn't have issues with ice, just slowed down or took my car. I took the last week of January off because it was really cold. This morning was a nice mid-50's cool breeze and sunny and this evening will likely be high 70's and sunny with a light breeze. Hard to beat biking along the mighty Mississippi River every day. Grateful for no flooding this year because last year the bike path got closed for a few weeks for flooding and I had to take city streets.

 

[scottsdalecommuter]

Year round here. Every day rain or shine. I work the bike into daily use, and try not to do multiple destinations in a single trip to ensure I have something to do today, tomorrow, the next day etc. A cargo bike gives me a multi-purpose platform to replace an auto. I do grocery pickups at a store 14 miles away instead of the shop around the corner so I can get the exercise of going out there and back.

From 1980 - when I moved there to go to university - until perhaps a year or so ago I either lived full time or in recent years part time in the California Central Valley in a town called Fresno. Temps get down around freezing in the winters, and it is common to be right at or over 100 degrees fahrenheit in the summer for many weeks on end. So... people would say to me gee its hot you can't ride to which I'd respond if I let that stop me I wouldn't ride for months. So you just gear up and deal with it. Layers and such in the winter, lots of water in the summer with known places for refills mid ride in case of disaster like a flat that sets me roadside in the sun for awhile. In the pic below, on the rack deck I have a 3-liter water pack. You can see the hose I made from food-grade silicone (wrapped in black siicone plumber's tape) running along the top tube, up over the bars and strapped down so I could drink during the ride. I'd easily go thru 3 liters in a day's errands, but because I'd top off at strategic places I tried to make sure I never ran low.
View attachment 175307

Stopped at a fountain midday here. It was blisteringly hot and you can sort of tell by the fact that the trail is completely deserted. Anyone with any brains is indoors where there is air conditioning.

View attachment 175310

Another trick for dealing with the heat is if you pass a fountain, use your water bottle to pour water all over yourself. Especially your shirt so it can soak in. Wear a bandanna and under your helmet and soak it. You'll be downright cool for at least a couple of miles. Interestingly, the 'e' in ebike made summer heat more bearable because of the speed. Even though its blast furnace warm air, you still get lots more air moving over you at speed which makes a world of difference.

I found the best way to ensure daily riding is to make it essential: as basic transportation. So even though I own two cars, they are parked and on battery tenders. The rest is just toughening up and doing it regardless of the weather.

Great trick, I used to wear a white Under Armour running hat and dip it in the fountains in the hottest part of Arizona summer and it gave me about 10-15 minutes of cool when the breeze would hit it.

 

[teskow]

I live in Tucson Arizona and ride all year. Nearly every day as it is my exercise for the day. It is desert so rains are infrequent and when it does rain it is for a brief time and the sun comes out. It is a rare day that the sun doesn't shine. In mid summer it gets very hot so one must be an early riser and ride very early to beat the heat. In the winter months by early afternoon the temperature is usually perfect for bike riding.
Golf is a winter sport.

 

[mfgrep]

I live in Tucson Arizona and ride all year. Nearly every day as it is my exercise for the day. It is desert so rains are infrequent and when it does rain it is for a brief time and the sun comes out. It is a rare day that the sun doesn't shine. In mid summer it gets very hot so one must be an early riser and ride very early to beat the heat. In the winter months by early afternoon the temperature is usually perfect for bike riding.
Golf is a winter sport.

I'm jealous of this

 

[Aushiker]

I can bet Australian summers are unbearable! (Perhaps early mornings or late evenings are acceptable?)

Early mornings are an option; mind you, it can be 30+ C by 9 am some mornings.

Living here on the coast, afternoons are not fun for riding. We have a sea breeze, colloquially called the Freemantle Doctor. Having spent several years commuting 42 km into the wind (along the coast so no buffer) a few days a week, I can assure you it is not fun.

There is a benefit to it, but it does bring the temperature down ... so Fremantle Doctor, sub 40C, no Fremantle Doctor can get to 40C+

 

[Aushiker]

Great trick, I used to wear a white Under Armour running hat and dip it in the fountains in the hottest part of Arizona summer and it gave me about 10-15 minutes of cool when the breeze would hit it.

I often wear one of these or similar... as much for sun protection than anything else, but they work a treat

https://raidlight.com/cdn/shop/files/GLJMC16_10R_CASQUETTE_SAHARIENNE_03.jpg

 

[DaveMatthews]

Since late 2018, yes year round.
Vancouver is blessed with a fairly temperate climate.
That said I work a fair bit, and sometimes the rain keeps me home (fair weather cyclist)...
Things will change after I retire.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

That said I work a fair bit, and sometimes the rain keeps me home (fair weather cyclist)...

I work, too!

Regarding the fair weather...

January 1st, 2024. Over six hours spent in a pouring rain on a solo gravel ride won me some respect in the cycling community...

While my buddies preferred riding in the snow five days later