I was biking to grad school one winter a few years ago. Sitting around with a group of cyclists in town, I started complaining about my feet getting cold. After a few minutes of discussion (better socks, keeping the upper body warm, etc.) I was asked how long my commute was. After I said “30 minutes,” the SBL’s legendary Doug Arnold ended the discussion in his booming voice: “Well, hell, Henry, you can’t get frostbite in half an hour!”

And you can’t.

I have ideas of my own, but it's also important to report what's out there from others, and with Heels on Wheels coming up, I think we should note this report from Treehugger about the dearth of female cyclists in Alabama and Mississippi (and other places):

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/10/5-states-where-women-barely-bike...

Here's how they start:

Fenders have about disappeared from bicycles in America. The racers don't want them, the single-speeds are much too cool to have them, they clog up with mud on off-road bikes, and for some reason, they aren't even included on the "comfort bikes" (the heavier and less expensive bikes with wide saddles that are sort of entry-level).
But commuting bikes still have fenders. (And so do the real touring bikes, which are even rarer. ) Fenders help keep you dry. As we all know, on our bikes, we don't just get wet when it's raining -- we get wet when there's water on the street, because our tires pick it up. Fenders keep that from happening, so we can ride after the storm has passed.

I just rode 400 miles in Glacier National Park and points north (Also known as Canada).  I took a day off to get home, then pedalled to work this morning.  What was different?

Negative: No mountains in view during commute

Positive: Largest hill on commute takes a minute to climb, not several hours

Negative:  A lot more car traffic on commute

Positive:  No giant trucks or RVs moving 60+ miles an hour a few feet away

Negative: No chance of seeing goats, deer, moose, or bears

Positive: No chance of being injured by goats, deer, moose, or bears

Negative: No party at the end of my commute (unlike this sagged group tour)

Have you asked for your $20 a month yet for bike commuting?

In last year's giant TARP bill that covered a lot of economic recovery activities, one of the "sweeteners" they added was a bicycle commuter provision. Originally $60, it was reduced to $20 per month that employers can give to bicycle commuters (presumably riding at least 3 day a week), the same as they can give funds for transit passes or for parking. Like the transit, the cost of doing this is deductible from the employer's taxes (if they pay taxes, of course).