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> but I managed to ride with the temperature as low as 17 F in pretty much normal (old) street clothes, added a heavy pair of pants, scarf, and knit cap > but

by piva00 3y ago

> but I managed to ride with the temperature as low as 17 F in pretty much normal (old) street clothes, added a heavy pair of pants, scarf, and knit cap > but I had to check 3 of them each morning to be certain of avoiding a wetting (I'd drive the truck when it rained) You were just 1 step away of discovering the magic of weatherproof clothes for biking, feeling impervious to the elements just because you got the right set of clothes is quasi magical, you simply don't care if it's raining or not, you can bike and not get wet. Completely recommend if you ever get the chance to go back to biking as a day-to-day commute activity :)

WillAdams 3y ago
If I could justify a belt-drive commuter bike which was mostly weatherproof I certainly would.
- sudobash1 3y ago
  I commuted on my bike in the Portland area for quite some time. The rain-gear kept me dry (except my feet as I lacked anything for my shoes. Always brought a dry pair of socks). And the bike never minded the rain, even though it was often left outside during the day. I wouldn't do that with a really nice bike (more because of the likelihood of theft than rain), but there is nothing wrong with letting your bike get a bit wet.
- piva00 3y ago
  My daily beater here in Stockholm is a fixed gear bike with a common chain, clean the chain and slap some all-weather chain oil on it every 3-6 months and it's good to go. During mid-fall/winters I swap to my wheels with gravel tyres for better traction. There's no need to go for a belt-drive just for weatherproofing sake, a good chain oil is enough to keep your chain going pretty well. I bike around 8-10k km per year on this bike for the past 7-8 years, mostly just doing the basics of maintenance: change brake cables and tubing, change brake pads, clean and oil the chain. The only times I needed to do more than that was after forgetting the bike outside when a snowstorm came, that can fuck you up: tyres cracking, chain rusting quickly, don't recommend it.

by piva00 3y ago

WillAdams 3y ago

If I could justify a belt-drive commuter bike which was mostly weatherproof I certainly would.

sudobash1 3y ago
I commuted on my bike in the Portland area for quite some time. The rain-gear kept me dry (except my feet as I lacked anything for my shoes. Always brought a dry pair of socks). And the bike never minded the rain, even though it was often left outside during the day. I wouldn't do that with a really nice bike (more because of the likelihood of theft than rain), but there is nothing wrong with letting your bike get a bit wet.
piva00 3y ago
My daily beater here in Stockholm is a fixed gear bike with a common chain, clean the chain and slap some all-weather chain oil on it every 3-6 months and it's good to go. During mid-fall/winters I swap to my wheels with gravel tyres for better traction. There's no need to go for a belt-drive just for weatherproofing sake, a good chain oil is enough to keep your chain going pretty well. I bike around 8-10k km per year on this bike for the past 7-8 years, mostly just doing the basics of maintenance: change brake cables and tubing, change brake pads, clean and oil the chain. The only times I needed to do more than that was after forgetting the bike outside when a snowstorm came, that can fuck you up: tyres cracking, chain rusting quickly, don't recommend it.