Now, you dress as good as you can then you go for it.  You've someplace to go and it isn't raining and you are not sick so, as you are not a whush so you are gonna take the bike.

It's cold -- the bite sneaks past the full face helmet, it leaks through the pants, it runs up your trowsers, it creeps into your shoes.  Your gloves do what they can, but the numbness quickly starts creeping into your fingers.

It's cold -- hurtn' cold.  I gotta stop soon cold.   My hands are gonna quit working soon and my legs won't hold the bike upright when I finally do stop cold.

Dam, is that a Burger King up ahead?  They have a senior coffee for cheap, a warm place to sit and holy of holies -- a bathroom.

Ah, a warm heated dining room, endless hot coffee for 59 cents, enough paper napkins to blow your nose clean, a newspaper to read.  These are the things you really appreciate when riding in the cold and you just gotta stop.

Some of my best places when riding in the cold.  Burger King, Hardees, Weiner Works (on Wednesday they have a 99c foot long hot dog).  

Never McDonalds -- they really suck in the last few years.   Or maybe they stayed the same and everyone else simply got better, I dunno.  Dirty and crowded with lousy food and septic bathrooms, yuck.

My all time favorites for an hour or so worth of most excellent warm up time -- Borders, Books-a-Million, Barnes and Noble.  Heck sometimes these places are even the destination, not just the cold stop.

You gotta learn to enjoy riding in the cold, and so much of that is getting out of it for a vital few minutes periodically.


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I have stopped in some strange places -- when Jack Frost begins to bite good and the pain starts.  I have stopped into knick nack shops and auto parts stores and all sorts of odd nooks and corners that just happened to be open.

Once, I followed a sign that said "Coffee Shop" over to a house on a mountain side road that had been converted partially into a his and hers retirement type business.  His part was a computer repair closet (literally).  He sat in there doing fix it work on neighborhood computers that had died or gotten corrupted while she ran the coffee shop/crafts/nick nack shop.  Her world was much bigger (half a house) as she taught the stuff and then displayed and sold what her students were making for small money to them and a mark up for her.  

But his train set ran along the ceiling through all the rooms and his Star Wars models staged mock battles from the ceiling in every room.

Eccentric, yes.  Neater than the words can convey, oh yes ....  they each pursued what tripped their triggers and had fun doing it.


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What were some of your best cold stops?  

We all have done them and some of you have surely hit a gold nugget or two along the way.
 

I have this little ceremonial thing I do every Friday regardless of how cold it is out. I ride the ocean road 6-8 miles down to my place of employment to pick up my check (They still don't have direct deposit). I've done this at 16F in January riding through flurries.

I think about the warmth waiting for me at the office, but got nailed from the cold pretty good one day; I got to the paper and my hands were so numb that I couldn't get my helmet strap undone. I walked into the office through the back door with my wild hogs skull face mask on, and the reporter sitting by the door screamed. I scared the shite out of her. I ripped off the face mask and helmet revealing my ugly face to everyone saying "sorry, hands are numb."

I love riding in the cold, and the bike seems to love the cold also. Runs beautifully, with great explosions also. Listen to this one after I cross the street with the stop sign: http://www.bikemovies.com/movie/010388/

Photojoe: ahh, the upshift backfire, I know it well!  And the dog barking at the first POP, just makes it that much better.  By the way, I've got one of those skull masks, and can't for the life of me keep it from fogging up my goggles, especially when I'm not moving; is there a trick to it?

Oldfeller: I've been riding the last few afternoons, enjoying the rare dry weather, and "balmy" mid 40's weather, and my ride this afternoon was actually to Borders bookstore.  Couldn't find what I was after, but wandered around 'til I was toasty, then back out to have fun again!  Haven't even had to break out the ski pants yet.

pigthumper wrote on 11/25/09 at 15:29:20:


I have heard that Canadians have problems driving when there is no snow on the roads,  is that true for Canadian bikers too?

Phelonius

Yeah that's because of all the dogsleds parked in front of the igloos.

Ya'll can call me a wuss, I don't mind. Got my Silverado, asked what the knob was on the bars. It's a d@mn grip warmer. Go figure. Rarely gets that cold here in 'Bama.

Spent 32 years in Colorado and rode to work most mornings. 16 was ok no colder but that was at 2 or 3 in the morning. Never knew what going home at quitting time would be. Sunshine was wonderful but SNOW was a lot of fun. Have since moved to Virginia, warmer but too wet and NO SNOW Seems like I love and miss snow But I no longer work More riding time