*not because you’re frozen to it like a kid’s tongue on a flag pole

Take it from someone who has watched others do it: biking in the cold, the dark, the rain, or any combination of the three is mostly a matter of preparation. Alright, preparation plus some true grit for the days when fog seems to be freezing onto your brake handles. (I’m pretty sure this was actually happening to me one morning last week.) Grit may also be called for on those days, arriving soon, when you find yourself both coming and going in the dark, and being deluged by buckets of rain on both rides for good measure.

At least we don’t have to deal with too much snow and ice here in Portland, the nation’s top bike commuting city according to the Census Bureau. Imagine winter riding in Minneapolis, which ranks second. I think my number one recommendation for winter bike commuting in Prince’s hometown would be hibernation, followed by high-quality studded bike tires which would help my bike cling to the rack on the front of the bus I’d be riding. My only point here is to give props to the folks in Minnesota.

Here in Portland, we may have it just a bit easier weather-wise (yet we can still take satisfaction in knowing that we do not have it as easy as Tucson, Sacramento, or Honolulu, three of the other cities in the top 10). And the sheer number of people who follow the path of the pedal here ensures that there are resources galore for bikers.

It seems obvious, but I’ll say it anyway - the number one consideration for bike commuting has to be safety. Some tips for safe commuting and maps of the best biking streets can be had from the City of Portland Office of Transportation. Picking a safe route seems even more essential in the winter when visibility can be bad and drivers who aren’t looking for bikes are even less likely to notice you.

In the same vein, it’s essential that you’re visible, so light your bike up like the Vegas strip. Until about two weeks ago, I was riding home from work in near-dark with a light weaker than the smirk a certain leader of our nation still tries to muster for the cameras these days. Very dangerous. The light, I mean. Some of the newer lights out there are apparently designed to briefly stun drivers into noticing you. This is a good thing. You’ll want a white light for the front, and something red and flashy for the back.

This gear is available at any of Portland’s many friendly bike shops. The one I happen to frequent right now is The Bike Gallery, a local chain. They have a store in my neighborhood, which makes them the most local choice for me. They also have awesome service and a good selection of gear. My most recent example of this: the purchase of new batteries for my bike’s front light. Not only did The Bike Gallery have them, but the person behind the counter offered to change them out (they were essentially dead – see above) and recycle the used batteries. It doesn’t get any easier or earth-friendlier than that.

Other than lights and a route that doesn’t resemble the final 15 minutes of a Mad Max movie, there are only a couple of other things I regard as winter commute essentials. I highly recommend gloves and a head covering that fits under a helmet, which could be as simple as a bandana or two. You don’t have to spend too much money, but for riding in the rain, good, light rain gear is key, as are fenders that keep that street stew I mentioned in Part I from ending up on your chin. Plastic fenders clip on easily, are relatively inexpensive, and will get the job done most days.

Lastly, I have to mention that no matter how committed you may be or how good you feel about the green implications of your biking to work, there may come a time when grit and preparation fail. Maybe the rain is flying sideways, or maybe even the best bike route has been temporarily invaded by jeep-driving barbarians mad to steal gasoline (they could just be on the way to the Halliburton company picnic).

When that happens, you’ve got options. One is to head for the warmth and relative dryness of your nearest Trimet service. If you’ve got one, you can also fire up the ol’ polluter every once in a while. During the winter, I usually treat myself to at least one drive to work per week, and it sometimes feels nice to be off the bus and the bike. If I sound like I enjoy driving, I should explain that I have a classic love/hate relationship with those one or two car trips per week. To keep the balance tipped toward the love side, I try to find other errands that need to be done and which can make good use of a car, and do as many of those as possible on the way to or from work.

If you need to give yourself a little more justification, imagine for a moment what our city might look like if most of us drove to work only one or two, or even three days out of five. To paraphrase one of my fellow contributors to this site, it’s all about what you are doing.