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Comment by tasuki | Hacker News Reader

> A life without personal cars would be a rather limited and even serfish one.

This is highly dependent on your location and life circumstances. I live in Eastern Europe, have resources to easily buy a couple of cars, yet choose not to. I prefer to walk or cycle.

> People talk about bicycles, but 0 degree or snowy weather makes that horrid

In Amsterdam, people cycle in -10°C when there's 10cm of snow on the ground (I did so myself). While a little unpleasant, apart from walking it was the only viable means of transport: the metro and trains were cancelled because of snow, and cars and buses were mostly stuck in traffic jams because there were so many crashes everywhere. (Someone tell the Dutch about winter tires!)

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I have walked in that temperature. Its only something the young and very healthy can do, and the wind cuts like a knife. I wouldn't bike in that weather due to wind chill and the slushy nature of most roads, as well as the fact its very hilly where I live.

I cannot see an entire society doing this, in areas that range from small towns to medium sized cities.

> I have walked in that temperature. Its only something the young and very healthy can do, and the wind cuts like a knife.

The wind doesn't cut through proper clothes. I try to avoid the roads as well, but the bike paths work well where I live, even when the temperature goes down to -20°C.

You just need some extra clothes to handle -18°C no problem at all IMHO, and as long as the temprature is below freezing you will have no problem with shitty roads. I would say the winter is the best season to bicycle, you can go everywhere.

I'm going to assume you're unfamiliar with being poor. I recall my shoe's sole could flap open and let in snow and the only clothes I had were the pair of jeans that I had on (that were wet from snowmelt) and a crappy jacket. Just getting some extra clothes was not as easy as going down to REI. And if the weather fluctuates from below freezing to above, you have unforgiving ice that cannot be cycled upon. Sorry for an off topic rant. Being poor and cold and cycling struck a cord from my youth.

That type of weather is not the norm, the amount of potential misery days on bicycle can be counted on one hand in a year, and it's easy to alleviate and make them potentially enjoyable.

Please try it again it's not really the same experience if you choose to do it. All your problems described above are easy to solve, if you have resources to buy a car[1]. Ice bark roads are navigable with cheap winter tires (it does take you 40% longer to traverse though). I need to have a change of clothes and layers. good gloves, shoes and socks are vital below -12° if you bicycle for and 1 hour in such conditions it's going to hurt alot.

[1] You might need to sell the car though, which might not be an option, but in the long run you should come out ahead

> In Amsterdam, people cycle in -10°C when there's 10cm of snow on the ground

I assume that the parent post meant 0°F which is around -18°C.

why do you assume that? most countries aside from the notable exception of the US use celcius.

The OP stated he lived in a specific part of the US.

There are winter tires for bicycles?

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