Are CA riders weather wusses ?

[gasman]

I was in the Bay Area this Sat-Mon to help my Mom move out of her house. I saw numerous riders on a whole variety of bikes wearing what seemed to be excess clothing. I mean, com'on a balaclava when it's sunny and 68 ? I saw leg and arm warmers all over the place for what seemed to be ideal riding weather. Sunday was almost perfect, no wind, 72 and sunny yet still lots of cool weather gear-not carried but worn. Are all CA riders just afraid of the cold ? It was 38 and foggy on my commute to work this morning and I was wearing about the same amount of clothes as many riders.
Some of my rant is pure jealously for your wonderful weather.

[jimcav]

i am often in shorts and short sleeve jersey and see guys in longsleeve, arm warmers, knee warmers, etc
however, i am rarely under 20mph unless into the wind and if you are just tooling along, it is cold.
but, even on faster rides i see some guys in gear that makes me sweat just thinking about wearing it
on the flipside, a few times i've gone out in the upper 60s in shorts/jersey and after 3 hrs and now in the shadows of the setting sun, i am chilled a bit after the ride
jim

[Bud_E]

Guilty as charged.

Anything below 70 and I go for the long sleeve jersey and knickers. Much below 60 and it's the full finger gloves. If there's a hint of rain, I stay home. Even I'm surprised at how wussified I am.

[eddief]

spoiled rotten and glad to say so. Not too much rain, cold, snow, or humidity. That's why the place is so damx crowded.

[SoCalSteve]

I was in the Bay Area this Sat-Mon to help my Mom move out of her house. I saw numerous riders on a whole variety of bikes wearing what seemed to be excess clothing. I mean, com'on a balaclava when it's sunny and 68 ? I saw leg and arm warmers all over the place for what seemed to be ideal riding weather. Sunday was almost perfect, no wind, 72 and sunny yet still lots of cool weather gear-not carried but worn. Are all CA riders just afraid of the cold ? It was 38 and foggy on my commute to work this morning and I was wearing about the same amount of clothes as many riders.
Some of my rant is pure jealously for your wonderful weather.

I think you described everyone in Los Angeles (me included).

[SoCalSteve]

Guilty as charged.

Anything below 70 and I go for the long sleeve jersey and knickers. Much below 60 and it's the full finger gloves. If there's a hint of rain, I stay home. Even I'm surprised at how wussified I am.

That is ME in a nutshell! Oh, btw, this weekend...gonna be so warm and beautiful (as was last weekend)!

[PoppaWheelie]

I grew up in eastern Canada, upstate New York and northern Vermont...and rode through the winters in all three places. I now live in San Francisco and am embarassed by the relative amount of clothing I put on sometimes and I rarely even ride in the rain. It's funny how 50 degrees starts to feel "cold" after a little while.

I figure I've done my time...

[jasond]

We all get acclimated to the weather in our area which allows us to tolerate certain temperatures. Coming out of the winter anything above 40 is fairly warm however coming out of summer anything below 60 seems a bit chilly.

J

[Bud_E]

That is ME in a nutshell! Oh, btw, this weekend...gonna be so warm and beautiful (as was last weekend)!

+1 . This is my favorite time of year to ride around here.

[bagochips3]

I think the sudden unseasonably warm weather threw us off. I got on my bike Saturday with knickers, arm warmers, skull cap and full fingered gloves because that was the norm the preceding days. 6 miles later I shed everything except the knickers and would have shed those if I could. (My house is in the trees and a fair bit cooler than roads that get sun otherwise I would have started in shorts and short sleeve jersey).

Today I am in shorts and short sleeves and loving it :banana:

[slowgoing]

spoiled rotten and glad to say so. Not too much rain, cold, snow, or humidity. That's why the place is so damx crowded.

+1

[thwart]

Are CA riders weather wusses? Yes. Without a doubt.

Right now being a weather wuss looks awfully good to me.

[Steve in SLO]

No doubt we're all spoiled rotten out here, but we're not ALL princesses. I enjoy the cold/wet, and often head out into the maelstrom on my CX bike to do some mud riding. I've been out in sub-20 degree weather as well as in snow and sleet, and I enjoy it all as long as I'm dressed appropriately. I guess its my Flemish/Dutch blood or perhaps some buried shame/guilt from my childhood I am paying for.
That being said, my 50 miles in 75 degree weather yesterday was pretty hard to beat... :beer:

[sbornia]

Yes! Since moving out here 14 years ago from the East Coast, I have lost all tolerance for real cold and, even more, humidity.

[girlie]

Haven't read the entire thread but from Cali riding experience you need to dress for the descents and for the coast.....the weather, temperature, and wind changes depending on mountain ranges, coast, and city. You may start out in sun with no wind - cross over a mountain range and hit rain with significant wind. Only to end the ride back in the sun with no wind. I was constantly pushing arm and leg warmers down then pulling them up and needing to put on a windbreaker. It was annoying....but I miss that riding...never boring out there!

girlie




I was in the Bay Area this Sat-Mon to help my Mom move out of her house. I saw numerous riders on a whole variety of bikes wearing what seemed to be excess clothing. I mean, com'on a balaclava when it's sunny and 68 ? I saw leg and arm warmers all over the place for what seemed to be ideal riding weather. Sunday was almost perfect, no wind, 72 and sunny yet still lots of cool weather gear-not carried but worn. Are all CA riders just afraid of the cold ? It was 38 and foggy on my commute to work this morning and I was wearing about the same amount of clothes as many riders.
Some of my rant is pure jealously for your wonderful weather.

[gasman]

Right now being a weather wuss looks awfully good to me.


I gotta agree !!

[MadRocketSci]

when I first moved out here from chicago 16 years ago, it was fall and I went to Safeway to get some groceries. It was about 50 degrees outside and I was wearing a t-shirt and jeans. inside safeway there were many people dressed like michelin men and women, you know with the down puffy north face expedition gear...like they were stocking up to hit everest that night. after a while you get used to seeing it.

I still try to avoid overdressing. It is true however that coming down from skyline blvd can be a completely different experience...sunny and warm in palo alto, foggy, cold and rainy in pescadero.

side note: people who grew up here have about two other choices in the world to live...the mediterranean region or, perhaps argentina? otherwise it's too hot/cold/wet/dry/cloudy/windy/cold somewhere else.

[rwsaunders]

We have webcams that monitor our project sites around the country. Right now our San Bernadino webcam looks a lot more inviting than our webcam in Fort Wayne. Enough said. :cool:

[pdmtong]

I grew up here but lived in chicago (south side) for grad school when it never got above zero for what seemed like a month. From that I learned temperature is relative and as noted by Girlie / others, there are so many micro climates here with the redwoods and coast you better always carry warmers or at least a light jacket ( i use a PI optik)

funny thing about this thread is my riding partner went to LA for xmas and said the exact same thing comparing norcal to socal riders, that the socal folks were wayyyy over dressed

all this talk about trainers and pain caves means nothing to me. when I want to ride I go outside and ride

[Waldo]

Most of my rides start before 7:00 a.m. when Oakland temperatures are in the low 50s at most, even in the summer. These days my rides begin in temperatures in the high 30s to low 40s. So, knee warmers, long-sleeve super thin merino baselayer and long-sleeve jersey are a must. Recently, I rode -- uncomfortably -- for about an hour in 27-degree weather dressed that way, plus long gloves, a wind vest, and toe covers. So, not all of us are wusses, just being prudent. Besides, it's better to overdress and remove layers as one heats up than to be cold the whole ride and not have anything to put on.

P.S. I grew up northern Ukraine :p

[Viper]

Jack Brunk lives in CA. It helps me know that not all the cats out there are soft. About 4" of snow today atmo:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmhKyqS3X4M

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAhZZc_Bwps&feature=related

For Jack:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7w8rYCZEOmg&feature=related


:beer:

[jeffg]

I have been out with folks way overdressed, but have also watched folks ride over Diablo with it in the low 30s in just a jersey.

Today at 7:30 am it was 35 degrees, and colder heading up into the Santa Cruz Mountains. I wore knickers, a light merino baselayer, short sleeve wool jersey with armwarmers and a stowaway jacket for the descents and warm-up/cool-down. I should have gone for leg warmers and normal bibs ...

[Skrawny]

I agree. I was -and miss being- a weather wuss. One does have to find a reason to wear all the cool cycling clothes!

It is also true that one must dress for the microclimates: it can be foggy and 20 degrees cooler on the other side of the coastal mountain range.

I wish I had some of that now, though. Today in Indy crows are falling off the trees dead from the cold.

-s

[kerrycycle]

I've been out here 1.5 years and have come to the same conclusion. Riding in Indiana around the holidays for 2 weeks is a good refresher that keeps me from getting too soft.

Also part of the reason I call the cross racing in SoCal "pansy cross." It just isn't cross without mud & cold!

[weaponsgrade]

I used to be a tough guy having grown up in Philly/Pittsburgh. But living in the Bay area for the last 10 yrs has turned me into a fair weather rider.

[Tom Byrnes]

Most of us So Cal riders probably aren't as brave as the rest of you folks, especially the East Coast and Midwest cyclists.

It's easy to get spoiled by our good weather. We have so many nice days for riding in So Cal, there is no need to ride in poor, wet or very cold weather.

In the winter, instead of leaving at 7:30 or 8:00 a.m., I wait until 9:00 or 9:30 a.m. to start and the weather is 10-15 degrees warmer. Otherwise, the clothing that you needed at 7:30 a.m. will be excessive and too warm for the ride by 8:30 or 9:00 a.m.

This weekend - low 50s to high 70s and sunny.

[William]

Man, it was 3 degrees when I left the house this morning. If the temp breaks the mid twenties by the time I get home I'll be riding in shorts and a sleeveless jersey. Gotta love those heat waves! :banana:




William