First snow ride!

[MidwestGal]

I feel pretty proud...

Since August, I have taken the plunge in attempting to be a year-round bicyclist, and yesterday was my inaugural snow ride.  Crunching through some ice crust was kind of scary especially since many cars were getting stuck on the uphills, but I took the mountain bike and ended up not taking a spill or playing bumper cars with vehicles.

For the most part I have been going helmet-less, but am considering wearing one again since my odds of falling are higher (everything gets icy here so quickly) in the winter, and I can wear a flashing light on top for added visibility along with bike lights.  Bar mitts are on the way, but I'm still doing okay with just gloves.  My commute is ~4 miles at most.

Next up:  rounding out winter riding gear, getting more versed in hazardous conditions, and selling a vehicle!

[GuitarStv]

Nice job!

Winter riding is a blast . . . only two points I would stress:
- keep up on your bike maintenance!  Oil the chain, check the brake pads, grease everything often, wash salt and crap off your bike after a long ride.  If you don't do this your nice bike will be eaten by decay in relatively short order.
- Be aware of ice.  Regular bike tires with a little tread in them handle snow and cold conditions just fine . . . but patches of ice can be nearly invisible and will cause you to crash if you turn or try to brake on them.  I generally don't bike when freezing rain is forecast, and am really really cautious when there's a thaw/freeze cycle.  A helmet is definitely worth using (plus if you tape over the vents it'll keep your head warm).