20 Questions

Final SURVEY RESULTS
FOR 406 ENTRIES

In the winter of 98/99 the ICEBIKE site conducted a survey of winter cycling using an automated web page which tallied answers to the twenty questions printed below.

The survey was first posted only on the ICEBIKE mailing list. After have the membership of that list responded, the survey was made available to the internet as a whole via postings in bicycling groups on Usenet.

The survey attracted 406 entries over the course of the winter, and the results stayed (percentage wise) largely as they appear here over the course of the survey period. There was no significant change in the percentages after posting to usenet than prior. There were no obvious attempts to induce a bias, and analysis of the resulting raw data did not show any indication of duplicate voting.

There was one error in the engine which caused the question Average Days Per Week that you Ride in Winter? to be under reported by about 6 in the 2 to 4 day category. This was detected early on, before the survey was widely advertised in Usenet, and ICEBIKE List members were asked to privately email the webmaster if their selection of this category did not show.

The following definition was stated. We asked all respondents to adhere to this definition to help keep our survey meaningful:

Winter Cycling: By this, we mean riding bicycles in snow and winter rains and on ice in temperatures below 40F (5C).

Several questions were designed so that data cross-checking could be achieved. For example the answers to the distance and time questions stand the test of reasonableness, as well as what we know about winter speeds.

Remarkable results include the number of new ICEBIKERS, those with less than two years experience. This tends to suggest what several winter cyclists have noticed - a growing popularity of ICEBIKING. Either that, o no one can stand it for very long.

Also notable is the tremendous gender gap. Wider than the (already substantial) perceived gap in cycling populations in summer, the imbalance drew much comment on the ICEBIKE mailing list. (see the archives).

The high incidence of helmet use went almost unnoticed.

Percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding
Gender

Male 383 94%

Female 20 4%

Age

Under 15 6 1%

16-25 48 11%

26-35 128 31%

36-45 133 32%

45+ 89 21%

Why do you Ride in Winter (most relevant reason)

Transportation (commuting) 232 57%

Recreation-Exercise 158 38%

Racing-Competition 14 3%

Years of Routine Winter Cycling (discounting once-a-year rides etc.)

0-2 162 39%

3-5 126 31%

6-8 53 13%

9-11 22 5%

12+ 41 10%

Average Days Per Week that you Ride in Winter

Less than 1 18 4%

1-2 81 19%

2-4 112 27%

5-7 192 47%

Average (out and back) Distance of your Winter Rides(miles)

0-5 61 15%

5-10 135 33%

10-15 83 20%

15-20 54 13%

20-25 41 10%

35-30 20 4%

30+ 9 2%

Average (out and back) Time per Ride

<15min 9 2%

15-30min 57 14%

30-45min 77 18%

45-60min 82 20%

1-2hours 150 36%

2+hours 27 6%

Your Normal Cold-temp Cut-off point for winter rides

41F(5C) 3 0%

32F(0C) 9 2%

23F(-5C) 44 10%

14F(-10C) 84 20%

-4F(-20C) 128 31%

-22F(-30C) 71 17%

-40 40 9%

Even Colder 21 5%

Your Coldest Ride ever

32F-0C or above 8 1%

14F(-10C) 107 26%

-4F(-20C) 130 32%

-22F(-30C) 105 25%

-40 34 8%

Even Colder 15 3%

What winter condition will cause you to cancel rides (most frequent)

Snow Depth 180 44%

Cold Temps 38 9%

High Winds 88 21%

Falling Rain or Snow 79 19%

What Was Your Worst Winter Cycling Accident ?

none 86 21%

minor falls - no injury 206 50%

sprains, bruises, minor frostbite -no medical attention 88 21%

sprains, broken bones, - needing medical attention 19 4%

Injury requiring Hospitalization 4 < 1%

How many Bikes do you own

1 66 16%

2 134 33%

3 87 21%

4 55 13%

5 24 5%

More 37 9%

How many Bikes do you use for Winter cycling

1 259 63%

2 119 29%

3 19 4%

4 3 0%

5 3 0%

Do you wear a helmet for Winter Cycling

never 22 5%

occasionally 21 5%

most of the time 27 6%

always 334 82%

Do you ride After Dark in Winter

never 25 6%

rarely 74 18%

often 305 75%

What Pedal system do you most often use in Winter

Clipless (SPD or similar) 183 45%

Toe Clips and Straps 117 28%

PowerGrips etc 17 4%

flat pedals - no attachment system 86 21%

In snow and ice, which tires do you use most often

Just Regular tires 268 66%

Regular tires and Tire Chains 4 0%

Commercial Studded tires 84 20%

Home Made Studded tires 42 10%

Where is Most of your Winter Riding done

Urban Streets and Roads 252 62%

Rural Roads 62 15%

Bike Paths 52 12%

Snowmobile or other Trails 35 8%

Frozen Lakes and Rivers 2 0%

How would you classify your Winter Bike(s)

Mountain Bike 292 71%

Road Bike 48 11%

Touring Bike 52 12%

Recumbent 8 1%

Trike 3 0%

How did you hear about this Questionnaire

Mailing List 170 41%

Usenet 68 16%

Friend 23 5%

Search Engine 47 11%

other 93 22%