Winter Commuting

[[XAP]Bob]

A shimano hub won't break the bank, and will resell.

For a long dark commute you're going to be at the expensive end of battery lights anyway, so the cost won't be that much less - and you risk running out of juice.

You might even want to try a cheap Cree torch for nearfield, and a dynamo set up for further afield. That gives you the safety of lights with no bqtterires to fail on a cold and misty morning, and the brightness close up without spending a fortune

[Geriatrix]

I don't know if this is a commercial product but I used to regularly overtake a cyclist who had rigged a rear light to a spacer arm that extended slightly into the road. I thought it was quite effective because it sent drivers a clear message - "leave me space".

I used a battery assisted bike to do 90 min commute each way. Distance wasn't an issue but I changed to a mixed rail/bike commute because cold accumulates and it really got to me. For a long commute you will need good weather protection. I found Gore shell jackets the best but they aren't cheap.The extremities get nailed the worst. No gloves work effectively if you are on the road for too long, you need to use mitts. Neoprene overshoes and/or a very good pair of winter shoes should work for the feet.

[drossall]

As noted above, my main commuting bike has a bottle dynamo, which is even cheaper. There are brighter systems, but I find it fine on unlit roads.

[Moodyman1]

That sort of a distance will dramatically increase wear n tear on the bike. It'll also need more frequent maintenance to keep it running efficiently. So get the tools and the know-how to keep her running.

[Big T]

Nowadays i do an extended ride home from the centre of Nottingham via Radcliffe, Shelford, Lowdham, Hoveringham, Woodborough and back to Mapperley where i now live. I use an Ixon IQ battery light in the winter. Will run for about 5 hours on a full charge and is bright enough to see by on unlit lanes. Cost about £70 inclding batteries and charger.

When i was commuting to Leicester i used to use Ever Ready Nightriders with rechargeable batteries. I could barely see 20 feet in front with these. One of the reasons I didn't do the full commute in winter.

[thirdcrank]

... i used to use Ever Ready Nightriders with rechargeable batteries. ....

Hard to believe now that when they were introduced they were the bee's knees. I used to use NiCads with mine and to try to get round their sudden final discharge, I carried a spare pair of these lights, one in each saddlebag pocket. When I moved on from Nightriders to Cateye Daylights, commuting in the dark was a whole new experience.

By coincidence, I saw somebody on a bike with a front Nightrider yesterday, although it was in daylight. Not so easily seen in the dark

[drossall]

Not sure I remember their being the bee's knee's. They were an improvement on what went before.

CJ, and/or his predecessors, were urging manufacturers to stop designing lights in which the contacts acted as battery retention springs, because, when the heavy batteries of the day bounced around, they destroyed the circuit and the light. However, with Nightriders, you could at least pack the things with cardboard to reduce the battery movement and counteract this.

You still couldn't see where you were going though

[thirdcrank]

I'd agree that front Nightriders didn't provide adequate light for seeing by. What they did do was to concentrate most of the available light into a rectangular beam which was more visible to other road users than what went before. They did seem to have much better contacts than earlier lamps which IME were rubbish.

Compared with today's bike lamps they were laughable, but that's said with hindsight. When they were introduced I was over the moon and I don't think I was alone.

As Harold Macmillan once said.....

[byegad]

Frankly I'd give it a miss on icy roads. While the distance in normal conditions is daunting, but doable. Riding 5 days a week + 300 miles/week and the wear and tear on the machine is going to add up quite a lot. The main problem IMHO is an icy road and other road users. Where I live, NE England, the problem is people who can't drive on snow/on ice. You may be in complete control but the numpty going sideways in 1.5tonnes of metal because they lost control is a real danger to you. It's all well and good that you have studded tyres but Joe Public is in no way prepared for winter.

I've lost count of the times I've been held up (In my car.) by cars sideways on a hill and everyone else trying to restart on that hill and drive around the numpty. My best and easiest car commutes in snow were when my rear wheel car had snow tyres and the snow was so bad that no-one else was on the roads. In much less snow I've been held up (On a 10 mile trip.) for hours by idiots who don't know how to drive on snow.

Also wading through several inches of snow on a bike is damn hard work and 30 miles of that is way too far.

[Big T]

I'd agree about not riding in snow, but it's possible to do this commute on gritted roads - A60 to Loughborough and old A6 to Leicester via Quorn, Mountsorrel and Rothley, so ice would not be a problem.

[ersakus]

I commute on bike everyday. I have the ultimate bike for that with studded tyres in winter and a shmidt hub dynamo + lights. It even charges my phone. Day/night/ cold/ice/distance does not matter. i rarely use my car.
Obviously it is a lifestyle choice and some people at work think I am mad.

[blinkered]

Its been a while but I thought I should let you know that I went ahead a bought a dynamo hub (shimano DH-3N72 on a Mavic A319 rim) and a B+M Lumotec IQ Cyo from these guys http://www.bike-discount.de (much cheaper than anywhere I could find in the UK and arrived in a couple of days.

It all seems to be going well so far, plenty on light on the dark mornings

Now for some warm clothing...

[[XAP]Bob]

I'd agree about not riding in snow, but it's possible to do this commute on gritted roads - A60 to Loughborough and old A6 to Leicester via Quorn, Mountsorrel and Rothley, so ice would not be a problem.

Ice is still an issue on gritted roads - Snow less so - as they tend to be high traffic roads as well...

[benjaminn]

Re: warm clothing. I swear by merino jumpers for under a tenner from ebay. They' re not itchy against the skin and never seem to smell , important for me when commuting because I don't want to have to wash my tops every other day.

[reohn2]

I don't know if this is a commercial product but I used to regularly overtake a cyclist who had rigged a rear light to a spacer arm that extended slightly into the road. I thought it was quite effective because it sent drivers a clear message - "leave me space".

A flashing LED worn on an armband(wide knicker elastic?) facing rearward just above the right elbow works a treat for repeling close overtakes as it's at most motorist's eye level.