tl; dr, it’s not even a big deal at all, if to/from right part of town

What’s great!

• Don’t sweat as much as summer.
• Snow is fun AF.
  • Unless freeze-thaw, which isn’t winter
• Air is intoxicatingly fresh.
• Spandex-wearing expensive bike riding try hards from Rockliffe are out of sight.
• Shoalers from the summer are out or don’t dare do so in the winter.
• Acknowledging other riders you cross much more meaningful.
• No need for coolers for the food on a rear rack.
• Can bike (illegally, off hours) on the canal.

What’s the big deal?

• Live downtown? No big deal.

  • Your friend lives downtown close to trails and MUPs? Great. You can bike to their place almost entirely off the road, on a glorified sidewalk that’s empty these cold and COVID days anyway.
  • Going to the grocery store? Island Park drive Metro? Hintonburg Market? Similar? Take no-car side streets and bike all the way up to the door.

  Shush unless you have a valid excuse like certain disabilities, unusually bad plowing, too heavy cargo, no child seat or trailer, some mechanical problem, or other.

  • Stop complaining. Try it. In a safe, well-plowed side street to start.

    Try it correctly, deliberately, gently, with good balance. When you’ve done enough, you can start complaining… about valid things.

• If you’re a typical non-sporty commuter, it probably still won’t be that big of a deal, especially if male, unless you really have poor clothing or especially footwear and gloves/mitts.

• If already dressed for cold sedentary, non-sporty days, you’ll be too warm on that bike. You’ll be fine. If you’re too cold on that bike, you’re probably too cold on foot!

  • Except for the eyes, possibly fingertips, if you bike quickly into the wind.

• If you already dressed well for winter sports (e.g., cross-country ski), you’ll be quite fine. Just don’t feel like you have to dress like this.

  

  Heck, you’ll most likely be too sweaty, in less than 15 minutes.

  Backpacks will help retain heat, too much in fact, as that sweat could get cold. Might not be a problem for short commutes to your government complex downtown or nearby groceries.

Proof:

• 2022-01-16, biked 20-25 minutes both ways, across downtown. -23/-33 °C. Had shoes on for heaven’s sake, but with wool socks. Three layers, one a plain cotton tee (don’t do this, will retain cold sweat), a sweater, then my rainjacket. 20 year old fleece balaclava. Only cold bits were my fingers, because my mitts stopped working this year, :shrug:.

Other funny bits

• Your boss will tell you he’s worried about you when all you do is bike seven blocks on 30 kph near-no-car-streets to the grocery store.
• Your coworker will tell you she’s worried about you going home from a semi work party, when there’s no traffic and other than two obscure blocks nobody drives, you’re on a glorified sidewalk all the way home. Oh, and it’s plowed so well all the normal sidewalks are envious.