Commuting to work by bike

Jeffrey Garcia11 said:Man, are people just staying inside today? On this stretch, I usually run into at least ten cyclists, but this morning there were only two. I didn't check the thermometer, but I think it might be the coldest mile I've ever ridden. Though, maybe that's just because I skipped breakfast.

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/12/12/13/dyme8uty.jpg

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caplja

Is that Martinovka behind you?🤔

I haven't even touched my bike since the snow started falling.😢
I suppose you might havedone thisto your tires, and tomorrow it'll be the same deal with your job...
From what I can see, the trails aren't being cleared well at all. Since I ride around the Slavonian and Ljubljana areas, I really don't have much desire to be out on the road.☕

Jeffrey Garcia11 said:Man, is it just me, or is it freezing out there? On my usual route where I normally run into at least ten cyclists, I only saw two this Morning. I didn't check the thermometer, but I think that might have been the coldest stretch I've ever ridden. Maybe it's just because I skipped breakfast, though... :/



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caplja

Morning was definitely the coldest one yet. But honestly, I'm seeing more and more cyclists every single day—even some girls out riding too!

It feels like way more people are out this year compared to last.

Ryan Thomas4 said:I think I might just tinker with the rubber today so they're ready for work tomorrow...

This is great stuff. I feel like I finally have a solid idea of what I want to do with my Kendas once they age up a bit more. 😁 If not, then I'll save them for next winter.

I finally ventured out this morning for the first time since the snow started hitting—my garage door froze shut, so my bike was basically hostage.

The last three days on the subway have been a nightmare. Stations aren't cleared, transfers are ice slicks, and the crowds are unbearable. Then you've got the students who don't even think to take their backpacks off their shoulders when they board. My commute hit 45 minutes today, compared to just 17 on the bike. All in all, I’ll stick to the subway next time the weather turns truly brutal.

Ryan Thomas4 said:Is that Martinovka right behind you... 🤔

Fair enough. You’ll probably end up spending a few nights out there anyway... 😁

Andrew Wells58 said:Morning was definitely the coldest one yet. Still, I’m noticing more and more cyclists out there every single day—even spotted a girl on a bike today...

It’s definitely looking like a much higher volume this year compared to last...

It’s true, I actually ran into three girls yesterday—even at midnight while I was heading home from work... though I have to admit, today was a different story. It was absolutely freezing out there... 😁

swiftmarlin21 said:This is solid. I think I finally have a clear idea of what I’m going to do with my Kenda collection once they age just a little bit more... 😁 If we don't get it done now, we might as well just wait until next winter...

I suspect we’re looking at somewhere around 120...$43 Replacing tires just isn't worth the headache. I've been running Gule for two seasons now, and honestly, the studs haven't taken much damage at all—every single one is still there. If you're looking for advice, go with spiked tires. They hold ice like they’re coated in industrial-strength glue... 🙂

@Jeffrey Garcia11/">@@Jeffrey Garcia11 How do they actually handle on clean pavement? Honestly, it’s such a pain to put them on once it starts snowing, then having to strip them off when the snow melts... but if I can ride on them through February or March, then the investment is totally worth it. 👍

quietskipper17 said:Jeffrey Garcia11, how does that even work on dry pavement? Seems like a massive headache to put them on when it snows just to rip them off once the thaw hits... though if they actually hold up through February or March, maybe the investment makes sense. 👍

Jeffrey Garcia11 mentioned he’s already got two sets of wheels 👍

quietskipper17 said:Jeffrey Garcia11, how do they actually handle on clean pavement? It feels like a massive hassle to put them on when the weather turns, then have to strip them off once the snow melts... though if you can ride them reliably through January or February, the investment pays for itself... 👍

Yeah, having two sets definitely makes life easier, just like Bryan Evans77 mentioned. I actually just swapped mine over the other day—switching tires and chains is a five-minute job at most. On dry asphalt, they behave surprisingly well and don't wear down much faster than standard tires. I don't bother taking them off until the temperature stays consistently above freezing and the ice is gone. When I'm hitting the slopes, I run them all the way through the end of February because the control you get on the descents is incredible...

The sound is honestly pretty sexy 🙂 along the Mississippi River when I'm cruising at about 25-19 miles mph; it hums just like some kind of Porsche 😍

BUT...

I'm moving the rest of this discussion over to the off-topic section 😁

I think I might take a gamble next winter with a couple of oyster mushrooms, we'll see how it goes...

Jeffrey Garcia11 said:Sharp eyes; I suppose you might have spent a few nights out there 😁

Probably even more than you think. 😉
Do you work there?

Jeffrey Garcia11 said:I don't think spending $120-$$43 per tire is worth it. For instance, I've already gone through two sets of Goodyears this season, and the studs aren't even worn down yet—they're all still there. I'd definitely recommend beadlock rims instead; they hold the bead like industrial-strength glue. 🙂

I have a set of old studded tires I took off since I mostly drive on pavement, so I'm thinking about repurposing them.
The bolts shouldn't be much of an expense, and it seems like a decent enough DIY project.😬

Put together a quick draft 😬


Anyway, I could use some advice on my route ☕
My car died on me, so I have to find a way to get to work, and honestly, I’m tired of sitting around—I actually want to get out and ride for a bit...
The route goes from Lisinski - Spanish POS
The Ljubljana Avenue (Chicago) route isn't really an option for me—over the last few days when I was driving through there, I noticed the pedestrian and bike paths aren't cleared enough for me to safely navigate past people on my bike. As for Ljubljana Avenue, I don't particularly feel like riding on the main road. ☕
My planned route would be— Vukovar → Ozalj → depot → through those narrow streets toward Drvinj (maybe Golikova?) → Anin → Chicago and then I'm there.
I think I can manage all of that on the road without too much trouble.
Any other suggestions? 🤔
Thanks 👍

Bryan Evans77 said:Jeffrey Garcia11 mentioned he’s got two sets of wheels👍

I put mine on back in early December, and I'm thinking about taking them off toward the end of February.

When the roads are dry, they have a slightly larger circumference, which causes this light rattling sensation, kind of like a small stream. They vibrate a little bit, too. So, I guess you have to stop more often just to let off some steam. Otherwise, it's smooth sailing.

I just do it whenever it feels necessary. I usually get it done when things start freezing up or when the snow hits. Today, my commute from the office back home went smoothly—a hell of a lot better than the last two days...

@Ryan Thomas4, I honestly think you grabbed screws that are too long. I’m worried they might punch right through to the interior. You should definitely slide one or even two old washers in there first, then crank that pressure up to the max.

It would be a smart move to throw some anti-vibration tape in the mix, but at that point, you're looking at an investment almost as steep as buying a set of genuine Michelin tires. 😉

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Jeffrey Garcia11

He hammered it right in. My head is spinning just thinking about it—they really need to be digging about 3-5mm into the rubber... if even that much.

Jeffrey Garcia11 said:@Ryan Thomas4/">@@Ryan Thomas4 I suspect those screws are a bit too long; I'd be worried about them puncturing the inner liner. It might be wise to sandwich an old tube or two in there and crank up the pressure to the max.
It would probably help to add some anti-puncture tape, but at that point, you might as well just buy premium tires.😉

I lined the inside of the tire with a tube and some duct tape over the screw heads.
As for how much it holds up—well, we'll see. 😬

I realize the screws are oversized, but I grabbed them based on memory. I wasn't exactly planning a trip to the hardware store, I just stopped by the local shop and since I was already there 😬)
Since this whole experiment cost me roughly $3.25 and about half an hour of work, if it works, great. If not, who cares? 😬

Bryan Evans77 said:He's jammed them in too deep; they really should protrude about 3-5mm from the tire... if even that.

They stick out 6mm.
🙂
😬

Maybe I'll trim them down a bit with some pliers. 🤔

Ryan Thomas4 said:I lined the inside of the tire with some sealant and used duct tape over the screw heads.
As for how long it’ll actually last... well, we'll see 😬
.
I know I grabbed screws that were way too long, but I was just going off memory. I didn't exactly set out to go shopping; I just happened to swing by the hardware store, and since I was already there 😬...
Considering this whole little experiment cost me about $3.25 and an hour and a half of my life—if it works, great. If it doesn't, nobody really cares 😬
.

6mm screws 🙂
😬

Maybe I should try shortening them with some pliers 🤔
...

Ugh, don't bother shortening them. My 2mm screws hold the road perfectly fine.

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Jeffrey Garcia11

Look, if you were gonna put in all that work anyway, you really should've just gone with pop rivets. Honestly, I think that would've been the way to go.

4.3 miles

32 minutes

8.0 miles/h average cycling speed

Location: Netherlands

Temperature: -6°F😁

Anyway, here’s a shot from when it was still snowing... within a single morning, all the bike paths were cleared perfectly. And yeah, practically every road out here has its own dedicated bike lane.

Jamie Palmer35 said:4.3 miles

32 minutes

8.0 miles/h average cycling speed

location: Netherlands

temperature: -6° 😁

Here’s a shot from when it was still snowing... within a single morning, all the bike paths are perfectly clear. Plus, every single road actually has a dedicated bike lane.

I’ve seen this firsthand, and it’s hard to believe. Even with light snow and temperatures hovering below freezing, there are far more cyclists out here than back home in the spring—it isn't even a fair comparison. We're talking thousands of people. It really just comes down to habit. Students, professionals, parents pulling kids to daycare in trailers—it's incredible. And most of them aren't even riding high-end gear; they're just casual riders on basic setups.

John Mitchell26 said:I’ve actually seen this firsthand. I couldn't believe my eyes. Light snow falling, temps hovering just below freezing, yet there are more cyclists out than we ever see back home in the spring (honestly, there's no comparison). We're talking thousands. It’s purely a habit. Students, office workers, parents pulling kids to daycare in trailers—it’s wild. And the bikes? Most of them are basic setups, no high-end XT components or anything fancy, just simple commuters.

Exactly... none of those overpriced XT gimmicks 😁 just classic 70-pound tanks—upright posture, the whole deal 😁

Over here, even the Governor and cabinet members bike to work, and nobody makes a scene about it for 24 hours straight... Between 7 and 9 AM, it's so crowded you're practically colliding with bikes on your way to the office. If you want to live in a place with bike lanes everywhere, this is it—but everyone knows exactly where they belong :P The only real problem is that everything is too flat, haha.