> or you will need to drive whenever it is snowing or raining.
I think you could bike every day, if you wanted to.
Fenders would keep dirty road water off you and a rain shell with rain pants would keep you dry. Or if it's warm you can wear shorts and change once you get to work.
If it's too snowy to safely bike, should you really be driving? And how much does it really snow anymore? This year Chicago had the first January without measurable snowfall in recorded history :(.
It's not about safety, it's about getting to work and being presentable. Riding a bike in snow takes an incredible amount of effort. Even if dressed in a manner which allowed me to stay dry and warm, I will arrive at work completely drenched with sweat.
Even if I have a change of clothes with me, I still need to wash myself, and find a place to stash my wet and smelly clothes I rode in on. Giving myself a sponge bath in the handicapped stall and hanging my sweaty clothes up to dry in the basement is not a winning idea.
Also, my car has winter tires, AWD, enough gas to run for 8 hours at idle, food, water, blankets, etc. I think that's a far safer thing to be in a snowstorm in. Not to mention the fact that cars are inherently stable, unlike bikes, so I can go as slow as I need to be safe without falling over. Plus, if someone else who is less patient hits me, I'm far more likely to be safe in a car.
Regardless, the biggest issue is the fact that physical exertion makes me sweat, doubly so when I am wearing weather-appropriate gear, and I don't have a shower at work.
but then you present several arguments about how the car is safer.
I bike all year in a similar climate. Take a hot shower before you leave. It kills surface bacteria that produce odor. Change clothes when you get to work if you're really sweaty.
> the biggest issue is the fact that physical exertion makes me sweat
You specifically mentioned rain and snow before so that's what I addressed.
As you acclimate to the heat you'll sweat less. Also on a bike you naturally produce a breeze. With experience you can balance your effort and the cooling affect of the air to minimize how sweaty you get.
Most people drive to work and think that's fine and normal. I'm just saying what's stopping you from biking to work is not the weather but what you've decided to value.
This isn't an ideological argument. Cars are safer than bicycles in almost all circumstances. I sweat to the point where I need to shower after getting to work. If I don't shower after I sweat, my hair is a mess and I will have breakouts, despite being a grown man.
I ride my bike to and from work almost every day from April to October, 8 miles each way. I think I have enough experience to say the barriers to cycling more. Perhaps if my ride was 2 or 3 miles I'd probably be able to ride my bike at a leisurely pace, but at that point I could also walk.
I think the argument that you acclimate to the heat is baloney. I play pickup basketball in a gym without AC 5 days a week, and despite that and the bike riding I still sweat a lot. Some people sweat more than others. It is just a thing. There is one guy I play with who literally looks like he stood in the shower ten minutes after we start playing. Other people can play for an hour and look like they just stepped on the court.
Either way, it's still a bit ridiculous to claim that if I really cared I'd ride my bike to work come hell or high water. There have been days when I've been able to drive to work where winds have been high enough to shut down the train lines, and when I'd almost certainly be blown off my bike.
I think you could bike every day, if you wanted to.
Fenders would keep dirty road water off you and a rain shell with rain pants would keep you dry. Or if it's warm you can wear shorts and change once you get to work.
If it's too snowy to safely bike, should you really be driving? And how much does it really snow anymore? This year Chicago had the first January without measurable snowfall in recorded history :(.