2024/2025 Winter Bike Commute Report
This next week seems like a dream for my bike commute so what better time to do a report on the first full winter of bike commuting in a long time!
The Gear…
The Reid Blacktop 2.0 I picked up from Destination Bicycle on Monroe St. did a great job managing the temps, snow, and ice this winter. Once the temps dropped I did have to switch to charging the battery indoors but the removable battery was easy to deal with. All other functions of the bike were smooth as butter. Shifting, breaking had NO issues. This Reid is a perfect “do everything” frame IMHO.
The 45NRTH studded tire were a perfect solution for anything the weather provided and that SUPER icy day mid February, I felt safer on the bike than I did on my own feet! We really didn’t get much snow this year so I’m looking forward to testing these things out more in the future.
The Ortlieb Bike Packer Plus rear bags continue to be my favorite for most of my daily items and for days where I have to carry extra photo or other gear, I’ve fallen in love with the Soma Porteur rack and the new Modl straps to secure everything down.
Lights are pretty critical for the northern, winter months and technology has really improved in this area. I recall in ~2001/2003 needing HUGE Niterider battery packs and lights to get something that provided anything that I’d consider safe but LED lights are giving riders such nicer solutions. I’ve been running the Light & Motion VIS Pro 1000 up front and the Ravemen NT101 in the rear. The Ravemen has a TON of features and tech and helps year round.
The Weather…
Coldest ride PR
Temperature was pretty evenly cold which I don’t mind. I can always get warmer with good clothing options and the electric gloves I invested in this winter helped tremendously. Even on the coldest days, the fingers were reasonable and charging nightly didn’t present much hassle. My legs on the other hand suffered a bit and next winter will need to research some sort of lightweight shell pant I can use with below zero degree days.
In terms of records…. the coldest was Jan 21, 2025 at -15º air and wind chill at -24º. Feb 18, 2025 was pretty close at -13º and -22º. I believe both of those are the coldest I’ve ridden. At this temp the face and eyes are the areas that hurt the most. I’m not out very long but even in the ~12 to 15 min ride things start to get pretty numb and hurt. Riding around 17mph adds a nice additional wind factor so I’d not advise it for much longer. But damn I’m glad I tried it!
Worth it?
As much as I LOVE the temps shifting higher I’m really thankful I put the effort in all winter. There is just something about feeling the season at its most extreme to really experience it. I’m starting to believe that humans need something to help regulate the body & mind. Those 12 minutes each morning and afternoon were a huge mood booster and I think I’m exiting winter mentally stronger and happier as a result. Perhaps we all need a daily reminder of imposed or actual threshold to feel life a bit more?
I’m definitely all in for next winter but looking forward to some lighter tires, less outerwear, lovely spring sunrises filled with warmer light, birds chirping, and some green colors!
Thanks for reading, leave a comment or question, and rock on!
