Where do I tick for “the all too common cold”?
Although me recent one has now gone, and I'm back on the bike, it's the most often reason for not riding in winter.
The cleaning.
Work!
Cleaning the bloody thing after. Although cannock was nice today frozen fast ground.
Cleaning? I find the bike strays pretty clean in winter. Get home, shake snow off, put in garage to drip dry.
TBH, I think the whole premise of the poll is wrong.
Cleaning.
That bitter cold wind does it for me, I bailed out of commuting today.
Ice.
I hate being wet. 15 years of commuting in all weathers just kills my enthusiasm now.
Mud. Thick, claggy, speed sapping mud. It is fine in the Peak where it is just wet grit but riding in slop in the woods is rubbish. However, if your trails get mudy like that then they can't be that good. The best trails are wall to wall rocks.
Mud
Yep, ice. Don't mind the cold, or the wind, or the wet, or the mud, but I don't like the risk of hitting the deck suddenly and without warning in front of a car, or halfway down a Pennine in the dark on my own.
The shorter days. While I love night riding I prefer to ride in the daylight on my own and very often can't fit a decent ride in among other daytime commitments. (I still manage a few times a week though! 🙂 )
Mud, cold, dull, wet, cleaning bike, cleaning clothes.
The cold weather related illnesses interfere the most with my rides
Cleaning is a chore. But worth it.
Clambering into tights, overshoes and the extra faff involved in getting ready.
Cleaning. Mouldy clothes.
On road ice
Off road mud
Nothing. I'm a lazy bastard all year.
The fact that I work shifts & seemingly whenever I'm off, the weather is crap. I've just sold a factory that made tee shirts that said, 'I've ridden for 20 years in crap weather'.
Haven't been out this year & up to now I'm not even bothered.
Fear of ice on roads for sure. Every corner I think I'm going straight on my face
Faff, general faff. Dirty bike, dirty clothes, putting said dirtiness in the car or having to ride 5 miles in the road. Simply not interested at the moment.
Ice
Getting the hours in due to lack of daylight as everytime I've gone off road in the dark on my own, something has gone wrong with the bike.
So I just ride round the streets in town.
Ice!!!!!!
For those who put 'cleaning' - just buy a HT and put it away dirty.
From my cozy non MNPR throne at this very moment... The cold and the shitty mud that I can't wash off in my second floor flat. Doing that at the side of the road with a bucket is less than appealing and it's too dark to do a good job, too.
Although this week I couldn't get out there due to other commitments. Humpf.
Being a wuss.
Nowt really, don't ride much less MTB than I do in summer to be honest
Rigid SS, ride it from my door - no excuses really, would drive me nuts if there was a good reason not to ride. CX bike when it's so claggy that mixing some easy trails with road miles is a better bet. I think winter bikes that are good to ride in summer are the best sort of UK off-road bike.
Cleaning.
The faff of cleaning my clothes and garage after a ride. It will take a good hr to sort myself out after a ride, and on a Wed night ride, that means pretty late.
Get home, wash bike, peal off clothes, shower, rinse clean clothes in sink, chuck in washing machine, clean garage where I have been.
Snowboarding
Still ride plenty in winter but the endless cleaning of dirty kit does get annoying.
All of it, basically. I enjoy running just as much as cycling so just do that in Winter.
Shoes on>run>have shower>go about the rest of the day. The kit, the endless maintenance, cleaning bike, cleaning clothes, driving to trails,getting mud everywhere in the car, cleaning that, fixing punctures in the freezing weather associated with mtbing, **** that.
Nothing. I prefer winter riding.
Ok, not quite true, but I do tend to ride more in Winter.
Rigid singlespeed though.
Proper wash once a year.
[quote=takisawa2 ]Nothing. I prefer winter riding.
Ok, not quite true, but I do tend to ride more in Winter.
Rigid singlespeed though.
Proper wash once a year.
And what about the bike?
The sense of smug satisfaction when I know others won't have gone out, coupled with the feeling that its doing me some genuine good riding in the cold and wet, plus some really nice winter views persuades me not to make the sniffles/cleaning muddy kit excuses too often... But I do much prefer summer.
Rigid SS is the way to go but mines part disassembled currently so I was out on the 1x10 HT Sunday, 5 minutes with the hose post ride got the worst of the mud off, chain off and I'll quickly re-lube it before the next ride, wasn't that much of a chore TBH...
Deepish snow. You can't bloody ride just trudge stop start. Actually prefer cold to rain and wind too.
Rigid SS and not fussed about cleaning over here. Don't mind cold and wet that much as long as it's not raining. I'm with the OP, coughs and colds that last for months and suck the life out of me define my winters.
Nothing. Any season is rideable and shitty conditions requiring bike cleaning (eventually) occur in the summer too.
Snow is awesome and mud is fun to slide in. Loam is great when semi dry.
The common cold... just stay away from people. I'm a hermit freelancer who works for a bit and then is "between contracts" which so far seems to coincide with shitty cold season so that means I'm not stuck in a crap office environment or on trains catching everyone else's stinking colds they've caught off their kids who catch them at school. Oh and I don't have kids myself. Plus I have loads of spare time for healthy riding in the countrside 😀
Dog poo.
In the Summer, chances are it's dried out enough that it's won't stick to the bike or fly up in your face. Not so in the Winter.
That and the mud. And the washing. And being cold and dark.
Ice two years ago spent christmas on morphine with my chest smashed in from some unexpected ice behind water bar. I've had my best winter in years been riding 2-3 times a week since September. But i think this really cold snap may put pay to that.
Rain.
I've never liked starting a ride in the rain. All my riding is MTB pretty much all off-road, unless I choose to ride up to our local trails, or am on a bigger ride elsewhere using lanes to join bits up.
It's worse if I ride with some of my mates who are mostly younger and tend to ride very fast from the off. I can regulate my temperature quite well by shedding or adding probably just one layer, but tend to sweat a lot especially earlier in a ride . Rain and reduced clothing breath ability simply make for a truly miserable ride. Wearing prescription glasses doesn't help in the rain either. Not so bad if I'm already warmed up and it starts to rain, but a cold , rainy , start to a ride . No thanks.
Mud is a real local occupational hazard, but luckily I can get home and wash my bike quickly and easily, muddy kit, straight into a bucket of lukewarm water, then straight into the washing machine. Shoes wiped off then filled with paper and put near a radiator, can usually result in dry kit the following day . Pretty much a 20 minute routine from getting home to being in the bath / shower.
It's not on Ski Sunday.
On the subject of cleaning I put my piglet away caked in gunk last week cleaned it today it's been nagging me for days. Dog poo in the dark is never a winner.
Mud, every time I ride through mud it manages to jam the piston on my front disc brake. So it's like riding through glue due to binding so your stopping every 10 mins to center the caliper, use a screw driver (kept in camelback) to push the piston Back. I'm hoping a upgrade to deore disc brakes will cure this as the standard cannondale brakes are shite.
The cold gives me horrendous ear ache and I hate having to scrape mud off, wash and lube the chain.
Road bike, dry with towel, lube the chain done.
Love winter riding, hate the kit cleaning considering the bikes live in my spare bedroom in a 3rd floor flat. Said bedroom is also the workshop and has beige carpet 🙁
Darkness. Am I the only one?
Wet puts me off, but I will go if it's my only time-slot available. Relentless minor bugs/illnesses stop me going out though, so they probably top the list.
Hate riding off road in the dark 🙁 Don't mind the cold and mud, but negotiations with MrsTaxi about cleaning gear is a pain. Did I mention the on off chest infection since November.
Dark nights don't bother me, the cold doesn't, mud doesn't. I have the cleaning process down pat, don't really mind it.
But.. It's the dark mornings. I really, really struggle to wake up in time to ride to work and end up driving far more than I would like. Really puts me in a bad mood!
scotroutes - Member
Cleaning? I find the bike strays pretty clean in winter. Get home, shake snow off, put in garage to drip dry.TBH, I think the whole premise of the poll is wrong.
I agree.
Winter is the very best time to be out on a mountainbike IMO. No trail is the same from one day to the next. The scenery is always different too.
If you don't like muck or cleaning, mudguards.
I prefer winter riding but shoulder injuries and cold temps
meh 🙁
for me its the cold. dont mind the minimal cleaning of rigid ss, but i suffer from bad circulation, my hands and feet are always freezing, even after a 20yr constant quest to find the warmest gloves and boots.
hate hate hate being cold.
changing into clean clothes in pub car park to go in the pub after a ride, its always a faff and i am always last, other than that its all good
as the saying goes " there is no bad weather just bad clothes"
so i go out in all weathers dont care in the slightest, but i do have the right clothes,
wet shoes
A) the cleaning, the endless cleaning.
B) riding through mud is crap.
Colds have definitely been the kicker this year.
And the dark. I don't mind riding in the dark, but being organised enough to have fully charged light batteries at all times is an issue.
It's cleaning the bike after the rain and mud that puts me off, but I ride more road anyway nowadays.
This winter it has been a combination of back problems, family commitments and a general "can't be arsed-ness" that is bordering on a mental health condition
Dark. Just does nothing for me really when riding on my own, I've not done a single solo dark ride and in all honest don't expect to. I'm lucky with quite a bit of WFH time and weekends I can still get a bit of riding in the daylight.
I actually ride more in winter but thats more to do with the climate here, was back in the UK over Christmas and seeing MTBers going about their business dressed head to toe in cloths made me realize I don't miss the UK winter one iota.
cold, wet and dark
Happy to ride in any two of the above whatever the condition of the trails, all three is too much.
Another vote for being Wet after a really bad trip to Llandegla and the final mayhem at Eastnor one year, I've never really managed to get back the enthusasim to push though the rain knowing there'll be some good bits.
To be honest this also applies to summer I just know it will be worse in winter.
Ice. On a short road section between singletrack last Jan, a mate slipped in front on me and broke his pelvis in 5-6 places 🙁
Mud and the dark for me. It's not as much fun if you can't give it the full beans and all my riding is done between 6 and 8:30 in the morning.
I also just generally don't like getting filthy for some reason.
It's a matrix, but. . .
1. Cold at night. In summer I will happily put in a few night rides after work, have lights, will ride. In winter it is a different matter.
2. Things wearing out all the time - chains, bearings, everything seems to need more fettling. Seem to need to sort something at least once a month.
3. The rain. I can happily continue a ride in the wet for hours, but unless I'm meeting a buddy I won't tend to start a solo. Just haven't the will power.
Like most here, it's the amount of additional faff that goes with riding at this time of year. Living in the Chilterns / Ashridge area it gets really wet and muddy around here in the winter. A ride at this time of year is generally followed by having to clean/dry out a load of clothing and a bike to de-gunge and lube.
I generally ride rigid single speed in the winter but I'm not one of those people who can just put the bike away filthy and get it out again for the next ride still filthy. I like my bike to be clean, shiny, running smoothly and quietly at the beginning of each ride. It may not stay that way for long but that's the way I want it to start out.
For me it's the cold and the faff associated with keeping warm
Don't mind the actual weather or the conditions or the maintenance etc but I find battling against the cold a real chore
Is this sad?
At least during the week, I tend not to ride because I can get better results (fitness wise) by an hour and a half on the turbo. There's no cleaning, no extra kit to worry about and it is all over and done with once I have finished. For some reason, night rides have just lost their appeal atm.
At weekends, it is back out on the trails...or the road, seldom the turbo.
Only really 2 things for me- I hate the running noses/streamy eyes, really annoys me beyond all reason. And damage to trails, riding something you rode in the summer and discovering it's now a 3 metre wide swamp.
But nothing really puts me off other than really high wind or bad rain.
Ice, I was out Sunday for the first day since New Years Day - I'd been side-lined due to sickness and mechanical dramas - I bitched when I left the house and it was -2, I bitched some more when I met up with my Mate to truck-share, I moaned when we arrived and suggested the Café looked nice - but none of these things will actually stop me riding - there's a process to go through, moan, moan, moan - ride anyway, finish and be glad I did because I had a great time.
Ice changes all that, I'm a coward, I know I am - the last time I stacked it badly I didn't work for 9 months and ride for about a year - but it's no excuse, it was 5 years ago - I've built up my confidence in the dry, it took me 2 winters to go over Mud, honestly I love a muddy day now sliding the back out - but Ice, no, never going to happen I hate it - but worse still in inconsistent ice - Afan at the weekend from 95% clear (although I'm told there was Snow on the Glyncorrwg side) but the bits that weren't were lethal - around every blind corner were frozen solid puddles of bitterness ready to throw you at the scenery breaking every bone in your body on the way - bastard stuff.
I'll be back at it on Sunday though, moaning all the way down and all the way home - like I say, I like to moan and it's a process - 60 days till spring.
60 days till spring.
It depends how you calculate it: the solar year will have spring starting 1st Feb, the met office say it's March 21st and the RHS admit it's somewhere between the two but varies year on year.
Anyway colds (also had the on-off chest infection since the beginning of Dec), starting in the rain and ice will mean I shall wander down to my man cave to sit on the turbo trainer and do some circuit training (which is why I built it last autumn). As the past 2 winters of rain and snow meant I lost so much fitness I never really got fit for summer.
HIGH WIND
I hate it
I do go out but tend to hide in the woods out the wind
Ice is not nice but it tests the sense of balance
When it is cold but crisp and sunny i will ride both road and MTB, in fact its beautiful.
However, when it is cold, wet, windy (is there anything worse than a persistent headwind?!), muddy, zero traction etc then i happily put the bikes away for weeks on end until the next run of nice dry winter days.
I hate cleaning the MTB and hate creating a load of washing when i have to chuck on loads of different layers and items to ride in....much easier to just go to the gym.
Like many on here, I can deal with the cold. In fact, I love the (rare) cold, crisp, frosty days. Sun makes them even better.
I hate the rain and the wet though. I can deal with train if it starts part way through a ride, but I struggle to get motivated to start in the rain. The wet bus me too. Mud I can deal with, but the gritty water that sits all over trail centres is awful. Cannock suffers pretty bad with lakes forming on all the good bits.
The constant cleaning is rubbish too. I do tend to keep my bikes clean - I cant out them away when the drivetrain is grinding. Then there's the cleaning of clothes and trying to dry Five Tens out.
I've not done too badly this winter given us having our first baby in September but I'm struggling to find motivation at the moment. Basically, I'm over winter by the time I get to January...so much so that the turbo is starting to look like a good alternative and I hate that thing.
i love riding in winter, it makes the dry summer days amazing 🙂
Rain.Even though I do ride I can't say I enjoy it.
Nothing.
Thicker socks etc and a good coat keeps the weather off me.
Good lights solve the problem of the dark.
There's often just as much mud in the winter as there is in the summer. The only difference is it turns the drive to an ice-rink when its hosed off the bike.
You can whinge about the problem, or find a solution. Obviously, the best solution would be to move to the Algarve, but the commute would be tricky.