[Joe Chapline]

I’m going to give some thought to winter tires. I’ve said in other threads that in most winters there isn’t snow on the roads very many days. That’s true as far as it goes. But I still have trouble with ice patches in the morning, all winter. If there’s snow on the ground, even though the roads are clear, snowmelt runs into the street and freezes. There are a lot of home water supply failures, not to mention water main breaks. And all you might see is a dark spot. Even though I don’t tinker with my bike a lot, I can change a tire… and putting on winter tires might be a good idea.

[Joe Chapline]

Great post, Dirt, this is really good information for anyone getting ready for a long commute or recreational ride. My short (3-mile) commute doesn’t require a lot of special gear. I wear my work clothes and choose a jacket for the temperature. It’s November now; a bit on the warm side for the season, but chilly enough that I carry earmuffs and an old pair of knit wool gloves from an army surplus store. That’s all it takes to keep me comfortable on my 20-30 minute rides. I’m throwing this out for people browsing the forum, who might be thinking about using a bike for short trips in the colder months.

[Joe Chapline]

Ha! It’s true, but the stuff lasts. I’ve had the same headlight for ten years or more. I had to replace the taillight when I replaced a stolen bike. (The light bracket was attached and I couldn’t find a replacement.) I got the 180s on sale and really like them. I actually don’t find I need the skullcap. For reflective gear, they sell inexpensive mesh pullover things that you can wear over your regular clothes. I also have inexpesive reflective straps for my pants legs. Most bikes come with reflectors on the wheels, and helmets usually have some reflective stuff built in.

There are expenses, but the amount is very small compared to what it takes to keep a car going.

[Joe Chapline]

Keeping ears warm used to be a challenge, since you can’t wear most winter hats with a bike helmet. I’m happy with the ear warmers I have now, called “180s.” (You can Google it.) They’re earmuffs that wrap around the back of your neck, under the helmet. When you take them off, they fold up very small, easy to carry in your pocket. I also have a thin headwarmer – skullcap with fleece ear flaps that can be worn under a bike helmet. Those are available from bike accessory suppliers, here’s one:
http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bc/SBCEqProduct.jsp?spid=57708&gold_ses=

[Joe Chapline]

Darkness is a bigger issue than cold, but lights and reflective gear are easy to obtain and use. The goal is to make sure you’re seen by drivers; seeing where you’re going is not much of a problem in Arlington. I don’t like to deal with snow and ice, but most winters there isn’t snow on the ground very many days. Hopefully last winter was an aberration, not the new normal. Streets are clear and ice-free sooner than trails; that may or may not improve. I agree with Dirt RE raingear and fenders. The fenders stay on my bike year-round. I actually welcome cooler weather because I can wear raingear when necessary without being too hot.

[Joe Chapline]

Weather permitting, the Chain Bridge will also be closed the weekends of October 1, October 8, and October 15. It seems this was mentioned in one local news outlet a week ago, and I missed it. ARLnow picked it up yesterday. ABC 7 News article

[Joe Chapline]

Have I not been paying attention? It seems like sometimes we hear about bridge closings for weeks in advance, and other times no one mentions it. NBC Washington article

[Joe Chapline]

My velcro-fastened, reflective pant-leg straps are stored inside my bike helmet. I grab them both before I get the bike out.

[Joe Chapline]

Thanks Mark, I had a hitch mount that held the bikes by the top tube. If the top tubes weren’t horizontal, the bikes would be at crazy angles. It offended my sense of neatness. And, the bikes came loose from the rack one time. I haven’t tried carrying bikes on top of the car, it seems like it would be difficult to get the bikes up there, and I don’t know if I could remember to avoid overhanging branches.

Now that I think about it, I think the bikes came loose from the rack before that one, but I still don’t like the top-tube thing.

[Joe Chapline]

Thanks, Pete. Another benefit: this will carry four bikes (with additional parts not shown). Carrying four people and four bikes with my little truck seems like a good deal.

[Joe Chapline]

Dirt, thanks for the report. I posted an item in the CommuterPage.com and BikeArlington news . It will go out by email to subscribers tomorrow, so at least a few more people will get the word before the bridge closes again.

I subscribe to updates from Virginia Megaprojects, but there are so many projects, most not affecting biking or transit, that I’ve slacked off on really reading them.

[Joe Chapline]

I like to think it’s the dying car culture going through the stages of grief. Many patients are in the “Anger” stage now.

[Joe Chapline]

Great documentation, thanks.

[Joe Chapline]

I’m removing the name-calling and closing this thread to comments. Feel free to start new threads if there’s something you want to discuss.

[Joe Chapline]

I just want to throw in a little technicality: If measures need to be taken to change bicyclists’ behavior to make this intersection safer, that would still be traffic calming. Bicyclists are part of traffic.

[Author]

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