Isn't it crazy to bicycle in Chicago during the winter?

Aren't Chicago winters too dreadful for even going outside, let alone bicycling?

Isn't there too much snow to bicycle?

The Chicago Bike Winter season is defined as the 181 day period between November 1st and April 30th. During that period you can expect 117 days, or 65% of the time, to be +21F or warmer. That means the LOW of the day will be +21F or warmer. Typically the difference between the daily low and daily high temperature is 15 degrees. So on a day when the low temperature is in the low 20's, you can expect the high temperature to be in the mid 30's.

That is an excellent temperature range for outdoor activities like cycling and cross country skiing. In the winter of 2000-2001, the low temperature was +21F or warmer on 121 days, or 67% of the period. On 26 of those days the high temperature was above +60F! The winter of 2000-2001 had more total inches of snow (52.5") than normal (38.1"), but there were only 12 days when it snowed 1" or more.

And thanks to a phenomena I call the “Bilandic Effect”, that snow was plowed and salted away from the streets quickly.

We had a little less rain (13.58") than normal (14.61"), and there were only 32 days when 1/10 of an inch or more of rain fell. There are a handful of days when the temperature drops below 0F, and a handful of days when heavy snowfall or rainfall makes cycling unpleasant. On those days, walking or taking the bus or train may be more appealing.

But as the above data shows, there are plenty of good cycling days in Chicago during the winter. It's crazy not to take advantage of them!