So I’ll have to admit I don’t have to deal with this often as I live in North Carolina and it rarely drops below freezing. It is around 25-30 degrees F out right now and i’m itching to get on the bike. Do you ride outside?
Ok so I went out and rode… I had on:
Tights, toe covers, wool socks, hincapie bibs and LS jersey, jacket, baselayer, gloves, baclava.
The road was dry most of you mad points about that… It doesn’t really snow here in NC so I don’t have to worry about that. It’s extremely dry here. The problem though was the wind… I get home and now on my computer pops up a wind advisory. I went maybe 33 miles in 1:50 much of the time into a driving headwind… I think I may stick to the trainer next time… That wasn’t smart.
when I was bike commuting, the air temperature didn’t stop me. wet and cold, or slippery and cold, did.
if i’m just riding to ride, it’s usually around 30° cut-off, it it’s sunny.
edit: it does take some gear you might not have handy. things that get really cold really fast, and don’t warm up on their own: hands, ears, feet, privates. for me, anyway, in that order.
I live in Nor Cal and often we leave on early morning rides with temps in mid to upper 20’s. Not sure how much I would ride if it stayed there but typically it warms up a bit during the rides so I have found real trick is layering so you can peel off as you go. Especially helpful is an inner glove with heavier outer gloves. If you can keep your hands, feet and ears warm, life is good. My legs and torso rarely seem to get cold. Yesterday I rode the MTB in 29 degree temps in just bike shorts. Wasn’t really that bad since you don’t go very fast and tons of climbing where I went.
Just embrace the cold and be glad you don’t live in North Dakota!
I use 32 degrees as my cut off point. I live in Connecticut. I keep my bike mounted on a trainer in an unheated outbuilding and ride quite comfortably down to about 0 degrees with the IPod or a Spinerval DVD for one to two hours.
You need the right gear to ride in sub 35 IMO…if you don’t it will be a short painful ride (or long dangerous). Windproof gloves, booties, bibs and hat are what I wear sub 35 (and layer…windproof on top).
I have tights, toe covers, wool socks, LS jersey, baselayer, bibs, gloves, and walked over to the bike shop next door and bought a baclava a min ago. guess i should be set
I live just outside of Toronto and the roads get heavily salted here in winter, that rules out riding my regular road or tri bike but…I’ve been eyeing up one of the old steel heavyweight monsters hanging in my basement. We had a fair bit of snow yesterday but I think as soon as the roads dry up, I’ll haul one down and head out. I’ve got lots of cold weather running gear, that should keep me somewhat toasty.
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Like the others, riding an any temperature is fine. I live in Chicago and I commuted to work in 10-15 degree temps all the time. The problem is whether or not you have the right gear. I’ll assume that you don’t since you asked the question.
You may want to skip today’s ride and buy some emergency cold gear just in case.
Nope. With the ice it’s too dangerous. I already wiped out on ice twice this year so no more. I stick to the Computrainer below 32 degrees and do my running outside.
What do you do in freezing temps if you get a flat, how can you change the tire when you can’t feel your hands? This is my major concern with riding in low temps?
Nope. With the ice it’s too dangerous. I already wiped out on ice twice this year so no more. I stick to the Computrainer below 32 degrees and do my running outside.
I second that. Maybe a mountain bike on trails, but with the ice, slush and salt the roads here in PA suck during the winter. Too many ice patches on the side of the road to risk it, there is a ton of salt on the roads that I don’t want to ride my tri or road bikes in and the potholes are worse than ever.
I did a few rides this November or early December before the snow hit when it was cold (around 30-40) before the roads got covered/salted. To the OP, just make sure you have enough clothes/layers/gear. Things get cold quickly and it’s hard if not impossible to get them warm. It’s better to have an extra layer you can peel off than to be wishing you had one more layer to keep you warm when you are an hour or more from home.
For me, all the layers and cold mean I usually have a slower, crappier ride than normal. Plus I think you really can get as good if not better workout on the trainer if you can stand it mentally. In 2 hours on the trainer I can get a better workout than 2 hours outside freezing my nuts off!
This time of year here in Houston most mornings it’s between 29-36 at ride start. It does warm up into the 40’s pretty quickly though. Sometimes I’ll ride the trainer for an hour or two and then hit the road when it’s a touch warmer. Other than that I’m out on the road so long as it’s not wet.
You can dress for just about any weather and be warm, but that isn’t the real question. Your biggest worry is hitting ice on the road, and that can happen anytime it’s been under 32 degrees. Even if the temp is back up to 40, if it was cold overnight, you can suddenly hit a patch of ice if you ride into a shaded area. Hitting a patch of ice on a bike is a really good way to get hurt pretty badly. If you are in an area where it doesn’t freeze regularly, the drivers are also more likely than usual to drive like idiots because they aren’t that familiar with how to drive in those conditions. So, I don’t really ride outside here much in Michigan from November 1 through mid March.
