Leather gloves, check. Full-length coat, check. Warm scarf, check. High-powered headlight, check. Backup headlight, check. I’ve made a few adjustments for morning temperatures in the 40s and 5 o’clock sunsets. What about you? Does your work commute change at all with the change in season?
Really, I’d like you to tell me. I’m opening up a “Fall Edition” of the Anything Goes Challenge that focuses on how darkness, snow, ice and rain also affect your commute choices. How to enter is below, but you can read stories from our Spring participants to see how it works. Leah has already started on hers. Who’s next?
To enter the Anything Goes Challenge: Take two or more distinct transportation modes to a specific destination you visit regularly (work, school, store, etc). Take the same mode a least twice in different conditions to give it a fair shake. Collect data, tabulate your scorecard, and assess each mode according to your own value equation. Explain which mode works best for you and why.
Send your summary to [email protected] by November 22. Please include one or more photos that I can include in a post about you, as well as your scorecard data and your personal value equation. Selected stories will be featured on this blog as they come in. If you’re private about things, just let me know and I’ll use your first name only or an alias of your choosing. I can’t wait to hear from you!
About the Bike Commute Diaries: Launched in May 2012 for National Bike Month, this series explores the unexpected and surprising things I’ve learned about bicycling for transportation.
annoyedcyclist
November 6, 2013 at 10:25 am
Like you, I’m in temperate California so the only cold weather accommodation I make is wearing jeans or knee warmers instead of shorts and sometimes wearing gloves. Since I’m almost always riding in the dark this time of year, I keep my lights charged and added a second rear blinky. BTW – very important not to wear mittens so you can keep your middle finger ready ;-)
Margaret
November 6, 2013 at 9:00 pm
Sounds like a fun challenge to contrast with my “Spring Edition” challenge. I fear though that I won’t be able to participate, as the weather rarely changes here in LA. Sure, I add another layer of clothing and gloves as needed, but nothing special. Darkness factor for me is about the same as in spring. Maybe if the skies open up and pour rain, I’ll try walking to the bus instead of biking.
ladyfleur
November 6, 2013 at 9:04 pm
Are you saying “It never rains in Southern California” is true even if “Nobody walks in LA” isn’t? :)
Margaret
November 7, 2013 at 5:46 am
LOL! If it is anything like last winter, then I will only have to use the rain poncho two times! Fingers crossed for a wet winter. We need it.
Mitchell Colbert
November 21, 2013 at 1:27 pm
As a “temperate” California cyclist who wears glasses I have to contend with rain in inventive ways to prevent my glasses from fogging over with drops of rain and blinding me in minutes. This birthed my bike visor made out of a soda bottle attached with Velcro, very cheap and simple design with great results.
http://wellsuitedforlife.com/2013/11/20/upcycling-101-soda-bottle-bike-visor/