4 ms·

I cycled to work for years in the Netherlands (down to -5C in winter) and Australia (frequenctly 35C+ in summer). The secret in both cases is: (i) keep appropr

I cycled to work for years in the Netherlands (down to -5C in winter) and Australia (frequenctly 35C+ in summer). The secret in both cases is: (i) keep appropriate clothes at the office; (ii) wear suitable cycling gear (as the Dutch say, there's no such thing as unsuitable weather, only unsuitable clothing); (iii) find a way to shower at work; (iv) be good humored when weather or other mishaps occur...

halbritt 7y ago
A German guy told me that was a German expression. Which one of you is right?
- Phillipharryt 7y ago
  Sounds like Dutch humour and phrasing to me, but I've heard Germans use "There's no such thing as poor weather, only poor preparation"
  - halbritt 7y ago
    I was actually joking. I wouldn't be surprised that the expression is used in many places that experience inclement weather.
  - mlonkibjuyhv 7y ago
    I claim this as the Norwegian "Det finnes ikke dårlig vær, bare dårlig klær." Seeing as my version is a rhyme, it's obviously the superior one.
quicklyfrozen 7y ago
-5C isn't particularly cold. Would you have been out in -20C with gusty winds and drifting snow? How do I get those appropriate clothes to the office, and where do I store them? Can't be all wrinkled -- and these days you may not even have an assigned desk. And I can be good humored, but will my boss be? Really, though, if we consider bikes safe enough for transportation, why can't we have ultralight enclosed EVs?
- stevesimmons 7y ago
  (i) nope, I'm not crazy; (ii) in your Ortlieb bike pannier or backpack; (iii) commandeer a cupboard in a quiet corner; (iv) if your boss isn't good humored, it's time to change jobs, or change the boss; (v) because they blow away in a strong wind.
- throw0101a 7y ago
  (i) There are plenty of places where it gets down to "only" -5C or -10C where it would still be practicable; you're giving worse case scenarios but those don't apply everywhere. We can do what we can where we can. (ii) Bring it in your pannier or backpack (buying wrinkle-free helps as well). * https://www.londoncyclist.co.uk/how-to-carry-a-suit-on-your-bike/ https://www.londoncyclist.co.uk/how-to-carry-a-suit-on-your-...
- donjoe 7y ago
  Where do you store your car? Assuming your car takes up 12sqm * 2m I assume you'd find plenty of space to store some panties replacing your wet ones ;)
- adrianN 7y ago
  If we managed to get 80% of the people living in places where the weather is mild and the topography mostly flat to switch from car commutes to bike commutes we would already have changed large parts of the world.
mises 7y ago
95 and 105 degrees are suprisingly different, especially with sun. 95 you can stay in the sun and will burn, but won't get heatstroke (probably). 105 you will get heatstroke unless you hydrate about 1/4 gallon/hr of water and get to shade in a reasonable amount of time. And speaking of burns, I burn really easily. I've tried the super-oily disgusting stuff and every thing; more than 30mins of direct noon-day sun and I usually burn. I am not getting skin cancer, thank you very much. (i) This part is very defensible, depending on company culture. (ii) I don't know what this would be for cold, but I assume you can layer. Heat, you can only remove so much. (iii) "Find a way" is not a great defense. (iv) Easier said than done, and similar to iii in that they both boil down to an over-all sentiment of "deal with it".

halbritt 7y ago

A German guy told me that was a German expression. Which one of you is right?

Phillipharryt 7y ago
Sounds like Dutch humour and phrasing to me, but I've heard Germans use "There's no such thing as poor weather, only poor preparation"
- halbritt 7y ago
  I was actually joking. I wouldn't be surprised that the expression is used in many places that experience inclement weather.
- mlonkibjuyhv 7y ago
  I claim this as the Norwegian "Det finnes ikke dårlig vær, bare dårlig klær." Seeing as my version is a rhyme, it's obviously the superior one.

quicklyfrozen 7y ago

-5C isn't particularly cold. Would you have been out in -20C with gusty winds and drifting snow? How do I get those appropriate clothes to the office, and where do I store them? Can't be all wrinkled -- and these days you may not even have an assigned desk. And I can be good humored, but will my boss be? Really, though, if we consider bikes safe enough for transportation, why can't we have ultralight enclosed EVs?

stevesimmons 7y ago
(i) nope, I'm not crazy; (ii) in your Ortlieb bike pannier or backpack; (iii) commandeer a cupboard in a quiet corner; (iv) if your boss isn't good humored, it's time to change jobs, or change the boss; (v) because they blow away in a strong wind.
throw0101a 7y ago
(i) There are plenty of places where it gets down to "only" -5C or -10C where it would still be practicable; you're giving worse case scenarios but those don't apply everywhere. We can do what we can where we can. (ii) Bring it in your pannier or backpack (buying wrinkle-free helps as well). * https://www.londoncyclist.co.uk/how-to-carry-a-suit-on-your-bike/ https://www.londoncyclist.co.uk/how-to-carry-a-suit-on-your-...
donjoe 7y ago
Where do you store your car? Assuming your car takes up 12sqm * 2m I assume you'd find plenty of space to store some panties replacing your wet ones ;)
adrianN 7y ago
If we managed to get 80% of the people living in places where the weather is mild and the topography mostly flat to switch from car commutes to bike commutes we would already have changed large parts of the world.

mises 7y ago

95 and 105 degrees are suprisingly different, especially with sun. 95 you can stay in the sun and will burn, but won't get heatstroke (probably). 105 you will get heatstroke unless you hydrate about 1/4 gallon/hr of water and get to shade in a reasonable amount of time. And speaking of burns, I burn really easily. I've tried the super-oily disgusting stuff and every thing; more than 30mins of direct noon-day sun and I usually burn. I am not getting skin cancer, thank you very much. (i) This part is very defensible, depending on company culture. (ii) I don't know what this would be for cold, but I assume you can layer. Heat, you can only remove so much. (iii) "Find a way" is not a great defense. (iv) Easier said than done, and similar to iii in that they both boil down to an over-all sentiment of "deal with it".