I love the snowy bits in winter, but not all the horrible wet and muddy and windy bits!

I love the days when its cold, crisp and dry with that really bright wintery sun. Hate it when its all dark, gloomy, windy and rainy. Snow riding is good fun and cleans your tyres up really nicely! Even my non-riding friend noticed the difference when he saw my post-snowride bike, asking if I'd got new tyres.

Winter's OK, summer's better, but spring and autumn are the best.

Snow's lovely, and riding on frozen trails is fun, especially on those sub-zero but sunny days.

It's the darkness I have a problem with. I always reckon November's my worst month of the year – dark, wet, windy, and too far away from Christmas to be cheered up by that prospect. There's nothing worse than pedalling to work in the dark, looking at a sky that barely gets better than grey, then pedalling back in the dark.

Love the snow and frost. Hate the grey drizzling pissy days with a passion.

I hate going to work in the dark and coming home in the dark.

Havent notice any change in the weather just wet all the time
at least in winter you know it should be wet .

Yorkshires ok but these last 4 years have just been one rainy season

I get a bit bored with Summer by the end. I'd hate to live somewhere were it was just sunny every day and that's it. However, whatever the season, it's the light that gets me. As long as it's not dark and gloomy, I don't really mind the weather at all. Autumn's best for riding (temperature and light quality still there, plus all the atmosphere of changing leaves and misty mornings). Spring, for me just has a magical quality – buds breaking out and like a transformation from sepia days to full colour HD. By the time I get to darkest winter, I find that it's the simple pleasures that I value the most – getting drenched in a really hot shower after a ride, sitting by the fire, a bowl of soup, home made bread, a warm jumper, that sort of thing. I actually like clifftop walks in Cornwall when it's hammering down (which is just as well). Love the feeling of rain lashing against my cheeks and the sound of crashing waves – followed by the warm glow you get drying off in the pub afterwards. The thing I hate most of all about winter is going to work in the dark, coming home in the dark and feeling like you haven't seen natural daylight for days on end, plus that mad time of year in the run up to Christmas when everyone's rushing around and fractious!

As long as it's not dark and gloomy, I don't really mind the weather at all

This is me. I miss daylight/sunshine increasingly as I've got older. Maybe I get a bit of S.A.D. I don't mind the rest of the weather really, as long as I get some daylight.

I get a bit bored with Summer by the end. I'd hate to live somewhere were it was just sunny every day and that's it.

Weird as your assertion may sound, I have to agree with you. I can cope with riding in 40C heat, but the lack of real weather does get a bit dull after a while.

Who else but us Brits could really moan about there being too much summer?

:oD

Spring/Autumn are my favourite riding times, but then as said above, those bright, cold, crisp days in the middle of winter when there is frost on the trees and everything sparkles are just magical, whether on the bike or not.

Who else but us Brits could really moan about there being too much summer?

Don't get me wrong, I love sunny days and I love summer. I almost feel a sort of natural "high" when I wake in the morning and see a clear blue sky. It's just the monotony of every single day being the same day in day out (no matter what the weather) that gets me bored. By the end of summer, I quite like the idea of a changing season, a nip in the air, change of clothing (change of tyres, even!). It makes life interesting. Living in the Nevada desert would, for me, be as boring as living in the North pole.

I'd agree with clear, calm Spring / Autumn mornings being the ultimate riding weather.
Just hoping the free-wheel on the Hope Pro II hub I stuck on last Spring won't freeze up as easily as the preceeding Shimano one…

Also, how to get round the problem of drinking water freezing, in bottle / mouth-piece / hydration-pack tube? Don't really fancy adding salt… Is there such a thing as an insulated 'bidon'?

Not an insulated bidon, but you can get insulation for hydration pack tubes, which does help a little, but if it's really cold it'll still freeze up!

If we get snow again I'm definitely getting some XC skis.

The best thing ever, almost as good as biking. If not AS good.

Failing that, one of those Surlys with the huge tyres. Trying to ride around on the compacted snow night after night got a bit old last year.

FWIW I'm a summer person, but I also dearly love proper cold winter. I don't really like Spring or Autumn – neither one thing or the other I reckon, worst of both worlds.

If you're using electrolytes in your drink then they'd have the same effect as plain NaCl in lowering the freezing point (but insulation would make it less cold to drink).

I love the winter, and all the changes across each of the seasons. My arthritic fingers, however, aren't looking forward to it!

I like it better now I run singlespeed through it!

Much less hassle like that. And really quite nice on occassions.

Can't stand winter.

It's ony redeeming features are Christmas and my birthday.

I think the darkness and gloom really affect me. My mind and body slow down and I crave carbohydrates.

Also, I am a keen gardener and I hate seeing what winter does to my garden, particularly the winter we had last year.

Also, I am a keen gardener and I hate seeing what winter does to my garden, particularly the winter we had last year.

As far as I can tell, my garden loved last winter. Killed a lot of pests and most of the plants really appreciated the cold snap and the clear signals of when to grow. We used to have loads of annuals hanging on and ending up all scraggy, but still growing so I didn't like to kill them. And plants coming up and the wrong time and then struggling and all sorts.

molgrips – Member

Also, I am a keen gardener and I hate seeing what winter does to my garden, particularly the winter we had last year.

As far as I can tell, my garden loved last winter. Killed a lot of pests and most of the plants really appreciated the cold snap and the clear signals of when to grow. We used to have loads of annuals hanging on and ending up all scraggy, but still growing so I didn't like to kill them. And plants coming up and the wrong time and then struggling and all sorts.

OT – I lost 3 palm trees, 3 big Phormiums, a big tree fern, plus lots more. It cost me quite a bit to replace them as well 🙁

Palm trees? Asking for trouble, are you not? 🙂

molgrips – Member
Palm trees? Asking for trouble, are you not?

There are some palms that are hardy in the UK, depends where you live of course.

I was growing Trachycarpus wagnerianus. Two of them snuffed it, but two out the front are still alive and our winter minimum was -16C. Unfortunately it was my two big ones that snuffed it, but at least I know that the two out the front should really survive anything after what they went through in Dec 09/Jan 10 🙂

Its THE best time of the year to ride without doubt. Summer is way overated with the dusty trails.

Nothing beats getting in from a cold ride and having a nice warm roast 🙂

The dark and grey are awful, esp. the grey. Every sunny day in Winter I try to be outside. I do love the seasons tho, I just wish summer was a bit a longer and winter a bit shorter. Being so wet and muddy after every ride I find a bit wearing by Jan/Feb.

This winter I will…………

Commute through it (easier this year as I wont have a lift available and the alternative is the train)

Go singlespeed

Ride some trails to destruction and build some new ones.

Buy a propper car to get to mid week rides

Use said car to do some riding further afield.

Hate it.

wet and muddy I can take or leave but riding/running in the cold is great!

Has it's good points

Prefer autumn tho.

The tourists all leave, the swell is bigger and once I decide on which death beam light to get, night shall no longer be a problem!

However I do prefer dry trails and sunny days.

Nothing beats getting in from a cold ride and having a nice warm roast

Apart from having a hot sun-baked ride followed by a cold shower. An amazing feeling 🙂

Those snow rides are beautiful, and a good novelty, but after a while it's a right ballache. Any more than one or two inches and rides become a slog. Funny for a while but not when you're trying to get winter miles in.

Riding at 7pm, it's pouring down and it'll be dark soon.
Wonder how many will show tonight.
Even put the clip on crudcatcher in the boot.

Love it.

love it

i don`t mind a really sunny frosty day but Riding bikes in snow is not much fun at all.If we get plenty snow like last year i will be going skiing a way better day out than pushing a bike through snow.

Winter and the ice, errmm nope, still got the scar from last winter! now autumn oh yes! temperatures nice for biking, the ground is sticky and loads of grip, meaning quicker speeds. Just wonder how the monkey will hold up to the winter.

The gloomy days used to bring me down,, so we swapped our summertime hols for winter sun 10 yrs ago helps me no end , this year it was Cyprus in feb,next year it will be April ,helps my sad no end and means I get a full summer in England , have you ever noticed you always miss the best 2 weeks of summer if you go abroad

Hate it – goes on for far too long and feel a bit 'trapped ' by all that darkness 🙁

But riding helps 🙂

Just been out to pick up the Thursday night ruby, it's got that burning log sort winter feel with alight chill, mmmmmmmmmm maybe winter can be alright, now where are my lights?

I've done bugger all riding this summer, shoudl have done loads but always end up putting the miles in over the winter. Maybe it's because I don't have the freedom to do it as much with the daylight hours I'm not sure but nothing beats a morning ride on a frosty morning and being the first to break the icy puddles. Not as keen on riding in the snow but a 5 mile ride doesn't half get you fit although saying that I do hope it snows like last year. Kept the pikeys off the road during rush hour