Thank you so much for this video, it was great to have you here in #Oulu! 🤗

@jannetteberends8730

Жыл бұрын

What kind of clothes do you wear, especially how you keep your hands warm?

@tessabakker662

Жыл бұрын

@@jannetteberends8730 Good quality winter gloves! If they are wind- and water-resistant, they'll retain the heat your hands naturally radiate in any type of cold weather. :)

@1sm0Laitela

Жыл бұрын

​@@jannetteberends8730 This is my first year if winter cycling in Finland and I wear basically the same what I would wear if I went downhill skiing, but a tad lighter outer layer. Helmet, gloves and if it's snowing, goggles too. Usually a long sleeved breathable shirt and a t-shirt on top of that, lightly padded jacket. A set or two of long underwear pants + cargo pants. One should probably wear wind or rain proof pants but I like my cargo pants :D Tldr; you don't really need much clothing, you warm up nicely when cycling.

@klapiroska4714

Жыл бұрын

@@jannetteberends8730 For the most part, the same clothes as you'd wear walking. Wind-proof winter gloves keep your hands warm. I use relatively cheap pair of leather mittens, and they are warm in any weather (I've used them down to -25C). If you don't want to use helmet, a beanie is a good choise. If you use a bicycle helmet, a tubular scarf (or two) keep your head warm (it starts to feel a bit cold in temps below -15C). Locally I've seen some people use downhill skiing helmets and goggles, which will keep your head warm, keep the cold wind and snow off your eyes, and provide much better protection for your head overall. Probably a good choice for cold weather, or if you travel longer distances.

Videos like this one are proof that cycling is a viable mode of transportation under different weather - or terrain conditions. Oulu is a well-known example that should be highlighted again and again. Looks like a great bicycle tour!

I don't know any Finnish, but I like that you took an effort to pronounce all the names in Finnish. No idea if it was done right, but kudos for at least trying!

@firstnamelastname3182

Жыл бұрын

As a Finn, I give it a rating on the strong end of "close enough" 😁

@jattikuukunen

Жыл бұрын

It was clearly a real effort to pronounce them correctly. It doesn't sound like a native, but a person who has heard the name and does their best attempt to say it the same way. Well respected.

I ride year-round here in Toronto. OMG, to have such great infrastructure ~that is maintained year-round~ would be paradise! If our friends in Finland can do it. . . Great video!

My father recently visited Finland for a business trip and when he came back, told me in amazement how every town and city, no matter how big or small, had fantastic, well designed and adequate infrastructure for transportation. That it seemed almost impossible that everything would be so clean, well maintained and just plain useful.

Wonderful to see that cycling in winter (safely and comfortably) is possible!

Protected cycle lanes are necessary and make it safe to ride a bicycle. Every city needs to do more to provide safe, protected bike lanes and trails.

@Amrita-z1k

Жыл бұрын

L'Italia sotto questo punto di vista è da terzo mondo, sono già stata investita tre volte.

@xWood4000

Жыл бұрын

I'm sad that Helsinki is investing in non protected one way bike lanes a lot in the centre, even when there is space for better solutions :/. The suburbs of Helsinki are really good though

Kudos for your pronunciation of Finnish names. Well done!

I love the projected traffic signs. That's brilliant. I cycle in winter too... in Sydney, Australia 😂

@torpmorp1324

8 ай бұрын

I wish the cyclists gave a shit. They ride in dark clothes without the mandatory head lights and reflectors in the dark without looking anywhere and not giving a shit or knowing anything about the traffic rules. Not even the cops care.

I hope there was at least one person from Canada there!

@BicycleDutch

Жыл бұрын

There was, from Montreal!

@ThalassTKynn

Жыл бұрын

@@BicycleDutch That's great!

@ChristineL2311

Жыл бұрын

As a Montrealer, I would also go when I have the chance!

Damn Finland is awesome, I will visit there one day!

Oulu looks like winter heaven for cycling! When it snows too much in the Pacific Northwest USA, we get to bike with cars in the road since it's the only plowed area...

@jattikuukunen

Жыл бұрын

In Oulu they plow the bike paths sooner than the roads since that's more important. It takes much more snow to slow down car traffic than it takes to make cycling very difficult with a normal bike.

Heel erg bedankt Mark! I'm so glad to see folks cycling in winter in Finland and the wonderful bike trails and roads there. I'm here in western Canada cycling on my trainer, working up a sweat wondering if I should just put on some extra clothes and take my bike outside in the rain on the 'wet' coast in the rain forest. Ahh well, soon enough.

@jattikuukunen

Жыл бұрын

Does it matter if you get wet from the sweat anyway

This is great! And people apparently cycle in Minneapolis, Minnesota, year-round, which also has substantial winters.

@mintclassic

29 күн бұрын

This is correct, and our city does a decent job of keeping the network clear and connected, but I am still really jealous of what they show in this video. Hopefully we take more steps in this direction.

I love it. This proves, that you can cycle at any type of weather, any type of terrain, done by any type of person if the infrastructure is there.

Ice road truckers on TV, in Oulu, its ice road cycling, walking, skiing, and skating. Was skating there last week.

Thank you for this video! I hope to get Oulu some day to see it myself :)

Hey! I’m from the Netherlands and we have learned to cope with very different cycling conditions in one winter for instance rain, frost , snow, melt, frost, rain again 😂frost. This seems to mee te most challenging fact for maintaining cycling paths. But, on the whole, in my village the main car and cycling infrastructure is being dealt with ok. Not grand but not bad either. It’s when you go on foot you have to worry. I learnt from my parents that every house occupant as a courtesy, has to keep her footpath clean. Sadly, that tradition has almost vanished. Even more sadly, winters are becoming shorter and less snowy here.

@Fjodor.Tabularasa

Жыл бұрын

Untill 2007, every house owner was required by law to keep the walkway in front of their house snow- and ice free. Since 2007 the municipality is required to do that. But ofcourse they have no means!! We don't often have snow anymore, yet both me and my neighbours still keep the walkway free of snow and we sprinkle some salt. Makes life for the postman easier 😀. Seems we are a dying breed Blueroom..

As i always said if i could there.... New Delhi full of mass... Wonderful video sir keep sending us.. Regards Richard james New Delhi, Indian

I was in Helsinki two weeks ago. The main problem I saw is that they did remove the snow from the bike paths in the city center, but not from the sidewalks. So what happened is that many people where walking on the bike path..

@xWood4000

Жыл бұрын

Well, I live close to the city centre and the bicycle lanes aren't very well plowed because they plow the fresh snow once and then bigger car lane plowes leave heaps of snow on the bicycle lanes, that isn't removed. Another problem is that the leftover snow melts and freezes into ice. If it were removed or plowed somewhere properly there would be no water to freeze

@Random.ChanneI

Жыл бұрын

@@xWood4000 mmhh that sucks. My experience is only from one evening and a busy morning so I haven’t actually seen that much of the city. I hope they improve the situation sooner than later.

Thank you for the lovely video.

The way everyone was tacking pictures of the snowplow hahaha

Looks like a great place. Inspiring. Thank you.

Fantastic update, thanks for sharing

Thank you very much! Yeah if bicycle infrastructure is maintained, it is possible to ride even at far below zero

Thanks Mark, good stuff!

Very interesting story! Thanks for this! And you have wonderful voice-over there! 💖

That's great. Wish I could bike safely in winter.

Very nice.

Really good finnish!

I just wish we had half the bike lanes in the states

I note that the plow was just a plain old John Deere, not some fancy, specialized machine. No need to spend a ton of money on your equipment fleet.

Every time I see a video of Oulu I immediately think “oh, that just looks like a University”. Imagine if cities planned like Universities.

@moladiver6817

Жыл бұрын

No need to imagine. Lots of cities do. And some countries do it properly on a national level.

@lzh4950

Жыл бұрын

2 of my university classmates did go to Oulu University for their exchange programme (on a side note 1 of them found fishing thru a hole in the frozen lake surface the most memorable, although she also caught a cold then)

I feel like even the Netherlands can learn a thing or two here!

@Siranoxz

Жыл бұрын

Such as?.

@RosesAndIvy

Жыл бұрын

Like what? We don’t get snow like that in the Netherlands. We get a light dusting of snow maybe twice a year, if at all. It’s getting less and less common with climate change.

Well done oulu!

Geweldig het lijkt wel Almere of Amsterdam ❤ Zou graag daar fietsen🤗

And you use winter tires on your bike of course.

@Kerppu68

Жыл бұрын

Never done that in my 54 years in Finland. They are not necessary

@jg-qu3jr

Жыл бұрын

Depence of style of bike and riding, but not like must have thing

@the_udmurt

Жыл бұрын

​@@Kerppu68 I clearly hear spike noise in this video

@Kerppu68

Жыл бұрын

@@the_udmurt So you do. But I have never used them

@klapiroska4714

Жыл бұрын

Well, yes and no. You don't need studded tires, if the maintenance is decent, but you shouldn't really use slick tires (or something that completely loses it's grip in the cold). The regular bike tire (with some grooves) is good enough if the maintenance is good. More agressive treads are better, especially if the maintenance is decent (but not great). Studded tires tend to provide the best grip, but are not really needed unless the maintenance is bad (similar to how chains or spikes are not needed for cars if the maintenance is decent). If you run slick tires (or something else not suitable for winter riding) during summer, you might as well get the best winter tire you can buy, but most bikes have tires that are super good enough for winter driving, if the condition of the cycling paths is even remotely similar to the condition of most roads. In the video you can see, that some people do use studded winter tires, but others (like Pekka Tahkola) do not. Also notice that most people do not wear helmets.

Yes it is as you can get winter tyres for bicycles.

"Kids even go to school early in the morning at minus 20 degrees"... I'm all out of excuses now 😥

So its possible to cycle in winter if you have plows that leave the correct amount of snow on the ground. I've tried cycling in Denver and a patch of ice caused me to instantly fall down and badly bruise my hip.

@herrakaarme

7 ай бұрын

Use studded tyres for winter biking. They can be a lifesaver, literally.

Build it and they will come. Good with more bike lanes, bad with more car lanes. simple as that.

Snow maintenance is easier in a winter climate that stays cold. And cycling is easier too, you don't really need studs for cold dry snow. The worst kind of winter is the kind the has constant snow-thaw cycles. This creates icy rutted streets, that are hard to maintain.

Wonderful. Canadian politicians could learn a lot from Finland.

You sure seem to love Raksila.

when you get to your destination, you can say you’re Finnish riding

It's not the temperature, not even the rain, it's the wind

@SanderEvers

Жыл бұрын

Not really, the most dangerous thing to cycling (or any trransportation really) is quickly changing weather. Because when you're unprepared you can get into more accidents more easily.

@jg-qu3jr

Жыл бұрын

Jep

@jattikuukunen

Жыл бұрын

Headwind both ways?

What about traction, Mark? Even plowed those paths still look helemaal glad.

@BicycleDutch

Жыл бұрын

They're not slippery at all. A lot of bicycles even had normal tyres (no studs) and that worked just fine.

@amcaesar

Жыл бұрын

@@BicycleDutch Whoa!

@knarf_on_a_bike

Жыл бұрын

Hard packed snow is easy to ride on.

@jkoepis

Жыл бұрын

Packed snow has surprisingly good grip. Normal tires have no issues with it unless you try to push the limits of grip

@klapiroska4714

Жыл бұрын

Yeah, packed snow has very good grip, and the small grooves produced by the teeth of the plows make it even better. Much better than wet leaves or grit on asphalt. With studded tires, the grip on packed snow is better than the grip on wet concrete/stone (at least in my experience/opinion).

Cycle now in Helsinki. 20 sentimeter snow. Only mainroads are properly cleaned from snow. 28.3.2023 Especialy camera areas.

"You may think you know cold until you've faced a Russian winter! I ride my bike to work every day, maneuvering through snowdrifts and icy paths. This routine not only energizes me physically but also boosts my mental well-being. Check out the video of the toughest day in my 2023/2024 commute here: kzread.info/dash/bejne/lIKItdyGhbDehM4.html

Winter isnt a obstacle, its a excuse for lazier cities.

I can imagine proprietarily wider tire profiles on all bikes , just like winter tires for cars , that may ad more grip and thus safety , why stick to what is usual hitherto?

@Xerdoz

10 ай бұрын

Actually winter tires are typically narrower, atleast in the Nordics. They dig through the snow thus providing more traction. You can also check out winter tires on rally cars and see that they are narrower than the ones used on dry asphalt.

Any chance you could do another edit of the same trip that covers how they actually achieve the cyclability? The current edit is more a log of the event’s schedule instead of report of your learnings (and therefore less insightful). Your other videos are great, so keep up the good work!

@BicycleDutch

Жыл бұрын

You completely missed it apparently, but I start with that information after a brief introduction of the city (and only then you get more information about the event). (0:56) "Most of the city’s expansion took place after 1960. Because Oulu has had a bicycle master plan since 1971 most of those expansions have separate cycle ways or rather a completely separate cycling network, of over 950 kms of cycle ways. Oulu does have a lot of car traffic, but cycling can safely take place, thanks to the excellent winter maintenance of those protected cycle ways." In other words: Having a network of separate cycleways that you maintain well in winter, that's how you achieve cyclability. This is what's lacking in Helsinki, but that city (5:12) "is determined to improve the cycling conditions by closing gaps in the cycling network and by working on the complete overhaul of the winter maintenance."

@hanneken4026

Жыл бұрын

At 3:55 you see the snowplow at work on the cycle path, with a close-up of the fine-toothed blade they prescribe to get the correct surface finish.

How do they keep their fingers from falling off? No matter the gloves my fingers die at -5C.

@jattikuukunen

Жыл бұрын

Maybe your gloves don't block the wind well enough? I have no problems with the fingers. The toes are more problematic for me even though I ride with regular winter boots, but walking for a bit gets the blood flowing and then I'm good again.

@klapiroska4714

Жыл бұрын

Winter gloves. My personal choise are leather mittens, but honestly anything that blocks the wind should work. Just make sure that the gloves are not tight, as it may restrict blood circulation, making your hands colder. Also, air is quite a good insulator. Mittens are warmer than lobsters, and lobsters are warmer than regular gloves. All of these provide enough control to break and change gears without any problems.

@lunayen

Жыл бұрын

Sturdy skiing gloves, but there are also mittens for your handles or even electric gloves that keep your hands warm.

Often the snow is not plowed all the way on bike roads and you are basically riding on cobble stones. Bikes are shaken apart. You can be riding on snow on the bike way while cars get nice show free roads to drive on.

@jattikuukunen

Жыл бұрын

I prefer well plowed snow on the bike path over melting it with salt, especially when riding with winter tires. The snow rides so smooth and silent.

@difflocktwo

Жыл бұрын

@@jattikuukunen Not when the temps get slightly warm and road users start carving features into the snow or you try to ride and it's just pudding. Then the temp drops again and you have an absolute nightmare of a road surface. It's only smooth if the temperature is stable and the maintenance is regular.

@jattikuukunen

Жыл бұрын

@@difflocktwo yeah, it's a bit more difficult when the temperature alternates between positive and negative celcius. That's when studded tires are not a bad idea.

@difflocktwo

Жыл бұрын

@@jattikuukunen Car roads seem to be just fine though. Also after snowfall it seems car roads are prioritized so you end up having to cycle there anyway.

@jattikuukunen

Жыл бұрын

@@difflocktwo Yeah, except in Oulu where they chose otherwise.

Suomi 💪 Sisu 💪

Why unit helsinki and oulu? There is more than 600 km between us....we live in north of finland and thankfully we have snow.....helsinki is just...just...

Not necessarily conservative nor liberal, but just plain smart thinking.

You've got to know what you're doing under those conditions.

Where do i sign to live there 😂😂😂😂😂

Electric fatbike and studded tires, with enough clothing, and you are on your way.

@jkoepis

Жыл бұрын

Or just any old bicycle, gloves and a wool beanie

@Troobeli69

Жыл бұрын

@@jkoepis depends on who is riding the bike 😄 at my age not anymore old bicycles, especially when there is more than a centimeter snow on the path...

@jkoepis

Жыл бұрын

@@Troobeli69 those electric fatbikes don’t mind if there’s 20cm of snow, they go just about anywhere 😄

@Troobeli69

Жыл бұрын

@@jkoepis absolutely true, even if the rider is fat size too lol. But imho better choice than choosing your car to drive those few kms to the grocery shop etc.

@jkoepis

Жыл бұрын

@@Troobeli69 absolutely